Fads, Outbreaks, and Health Policy

Howie and Harlan discuss health headlines including the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak; a recent FDA decision allowing pharmacies to compound certain peptides; and a concerning report from Medicare trustees on the program's financial future. They also dive into the health habits they're changing this year and a new feature from ChatGPT allowing users to connect medical records and health data to the platform. Watch a video edition of this episode. (   • Fads, Outbreaks, and Health Policy  ) Show Notes: Healthy Habits Health & Veritas: Ezekiel Emanuel (https://insights.som.yale.edu/podcast...) "What's Erythritol? And Is It Bad for You?" (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/er...) NIH: Aging and Alcohol (https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-ef...) "Low-plastic diet and urinary levels of plastic-associated phthalates and bisphenols: the randomized controlled PERTH Trial" (https://www.nature.com/articles/s4159...) Health & Veritas: Eric Topol (https://insights.som.yale.edu/podcast...) Cyclosporiasis Outbreak CDC: Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis (https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/ph...) FDA: Investigation of 9-State Outbreak of Cyclospora Illnesses: Iceberg Lettuce (July 2026) (https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-fo...) "Cyclospora Outbreak Linked to Iceberg Lettuce in 9 States" (https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/ou...) National Foundation for Infectious Diseases: Norovirus (https://www.nfid.org/infectious-disea...) FDA: Cyclospora (https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborne-pa...) CDC: Clinical Overview of Cyclosporiasis (https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/hc...) CDC: About FoodNet (https://www.cdc.gov/foodnet/about/ind...) CDC: About PulseNet (https://www.cdc.gov/pulsenet/hcp/abou...) FDA: FSMA Final Rule on Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods (https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-...) Peptides and the FDA Health & Veritas: Trust, Truth, and Moral Distress (https://insights.som.yale.edu/podcast...) "Peptides: What they are, potential benefits, and safety concerns" (https://www.health.harvard.edu/medica...) "FDA committee votes to make peptides more widely available" (https://www.science.org/content/artic...) LinkedIn: Ezekiel Emanuel (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/zeke-e...) The Future of Medicare OASDI: Trustees Report Summary (https://www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/) U.S. Department of the Treasury: Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports (https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issu...) H.R.1: An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14. (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...) IRS: Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (https://www.irs.gov/inflation-reducti...) ChatGPT Ventures into Health "Launching Health in ChatGPT" (https://openai.com/index/health-in-ch...) "OpenAI makes Health in ChatGPT widely available, moving deeper into consumer health" (https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ai-a...) "ChatGPT Led to a Man's Near-Fatal Health Crisis, Lawsuit Claims" (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/we...) LinkedIn: David Rhew (  / david-rhew-m-d-1832764  ) A Record Measles Season Health & Veritas: Measles Outbreaks, Preventative Cardiology, and Other News (https://insights.som.yale.edu/podcast...) CDC: Measles Cases and Outbreaks (https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-rese...) "Measles Cases in the U.S. Are at a 35-Year High" (https://time.com/article/2026/07/27/m...) "What ProPublica Found in the Genetic Code of America's Measles Outbreaks" (https://projects.propublica.org/measl...) Pan American Health Organization (https://www.paho.org/en) Senator Bill Cassidy (https://www.congress.gov/member/bill-...) In the Yale School of Management's MBA for Executives pr...