This year brought urgent revelations about medication safety, surprising insights into dementia prevention, and practical wisdom about heart health that challenges conventional thinking. From generic drug scandals that shocked even seasoned drug safety experts to vaccine research that’s rewriting what we know about brain health, 2025 delivered stories that matter deeply to anyone navigating our complex healthcare system. We thought you might find our Top 10 articles of interest.
We crunched the numbers and these were the stories that people read more than any others on our website in 2025. According to our Google Analytics data on total visits year to date, these top 10 pieces appealed most strongly to readers searching for reliable, evidence-based health information.
This countdown—from #10 to #1—spans medication warnings you need to know now, natural approaches backed by solid science, and emerging research that could reshape how we think about preventing disease. Whether you’re managing chronic conditions, supporting aging parents, or simply trying to stay healthy, you’ll find information here that your doctor may not have time to research or discuss.
Let’s count down the year’s most-read health stories.
#10: Forgetfulness or Worse: Are Medications Raising Your Risk for Dementia?
A systematic review of 14 studies covering 130 million people found that a shocking number of common medications are associated with increased dementia risk—including drugs for digestive problems, pain, anxiety, insomnia, and especially bladder control. The biggest culprits? Anticholinergic drugs that block acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential for memory. These include bladder medications like oxybutynin, first-generation antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and antidepressants such as amitriptyline.
Here’s what’s scary: up to one-third of people over 65 take anticholinergic drugs without knowing it. Many doctors don’t realize common medications—including some over-the-counter sleep aids—have anticholinergic activity. Someone taking an over-the-counter PM sleep medicine, amitriptyline for nerve pain, and oxybutynin for bladder control could be significantly increasing their dementia risk.
Studies show the cumulative dose and duration matter tremendously. There’s also confusing data about proton pump inhibitors (heartburn drugs), with some studies showing increased risk and others finding no association. The takeaway? Ask your doctor if your medications have anticholinergic activity, and explore alternatives when possible. Few clinical trials monitor cognitive safety.
#9: ALERT! Subclade K Flu is Here: Why We Warned You & What to Do
We sounded the alarm in November when Australia’s brutal flu season signaled trouble ahead, and now the mutated Subclade K flu strain has established itself in the U.S. This H3N2 variant picked up seven new mutations after this year’s vaccines were formulated, meaning your flu shot may not protect as well as usual. UK data suggests vaccines are 70-75% effective at preventing hospitalization in kids but only 30-40% effective in adults—and that’s just for hospitalization, not infection.
As I write this top 10 update, the headlines today report that the flu season is already bad and getting worse fast! The New York State Health Commissioner, Dr. James McDonald, stated on December 26, 2025 that:
“We are seeing the highest number of flu cases ever recorded in a single week in New York State.”
What makes this urgent? Antiviral drugs like oseltamivir (Tamiflu) only work if started within 24 to 48 hours of symptoms beginning. That means you need to test quickly if you feel sick—and yes, home flu tests exist (3-in-1 tests detect flu A, flu B, and COVID). If you test positive, your doctor can prescribe antivirals that may reduce severity and prevent hospitalization. The real message: be prepared, have tests on hand, don’t dismiss symptoms, and if you get sick, stay home. With multiple respiratory viruses circulating this winter, knowing what you’re dealing with early could make all the difference.
#8: Amazing Benefits from Half a Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Just half a tablespoon (7 grams) of olive oil daily is linked to remarkable health benefits: 19% lower total mortality, 29% lower risk of neurodegenerative disease death, 17% lower cancer mortality, and 28% lower risk of dying from dementia over 28 years. And here’s the kicker—new Harvard research shows that increasing olive oil consumption is associated with long-term weight loss, while margarine and other vegetable fats are linked to weight gain.
The Mediterranean diet built around olive oil has proven cardiovascular benefits, but these studies tracked over 90,000 Americans for three decades and found consistent protective effects. The polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil prevent LDL oxidation, support gut health, improve blood vessel flexibility, and reduce inflammation.
You can cook with it (contrary to popular myth), pour it over salads, or dip your bread in it instead of using butter. For something this simple and delicious to offer such far-reaching protection—including against dementia—there’s almost no downside to making olive oil a daily habit.
#7: If Statins Save Lives, Why Is Heart Disease Still #1 Killer?
Heart disease killed 941,652 Americans in the latest tally—still our number one killer despite nearly 50 million people taking statins and smoking rates plummeting 73% since 1965. Something doesn’t add up.
Meta-analyses published in JAMA Internal Medicine revealed something strange:
“Our unadjusted meta-regression analyses showed only a weak or inconsistent association between absolute LDL-C reductions and clinical outcomes.”
“Bad” LDL cholesterol is considered the primary culprit in heart disease. Lower it and you should be home free. Most of the people taking cholesterol-lowering statins are doing so for “primary prevention.” Primary prevention means a doctor is prescribing a statin to someone who has not been diagnosed with heart disease. How good are statins in this population?
The authors of the JAMA Internal Medicine Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (March 14, 2022) frame it this way:
“In other words, 77 participants would need to be treated with a statin for roughly 4.4 years on average to prevent 1 MI [heart attack].”
While 76 get no protection against a heart attack, they do face potential side effects.
What about death? The absolute risk reduction for death if someone is taking a statin is 0.6% after four years. According to my calculations, that means 166 healthy people would have to take a statin for four years to save one life.
For those already diagnosed with heart disease (secondary prevention), the case for statins is stronger. But for otherwise healthy people prescribed statins because of age or moderately elevated cholesterol? The data suggests benefits are far less impressive than most patients—and many doctors—believe. This doesn’t mean statins are useless, but it does mean patients deserve honest conversations about what these medications can and cannot do.
#6: Can You Control Cholesterol Naturally?
Statins may not protect as many people from having a heart attack as most healthcare providers assume. Meanwhile, a dietary approach combining walnuts, almonds, oats, olive oil, and foods rich in plant sterols can lower LDL cholesterol about as effectively as lovastatin, without the side effects.
The science is solid. Walnuts (2 to 3.5 ounces daily) lower LDL-C and inflammation. Oat bran (about 3.5 grams of beta-glucan per day) reduces LDL by over 4%. Olive oil’s polyphenols prevent LDL oxidation. Even okra—yes, okra—can lower cholesterol and blood sugar when consumed regularly.
One reader dropped her LDL 44 points in five weeks through diet alone, focusing on high-protein breakfasts, soluble fiber, fish, and eliminating refined carbs. For those who need additional support, the supplements red yeast rice and berberine show promise. Of course, no one should ever stop a medication without first discussing its pros and cons with the prescriber. And it makes sense to consult ConsumerLab.com or Consumer Reports before purchasing supplements. Not all of them meet quality standards as we would like.
#5: How Good Is the Shingrix Vaccine Against Shingles, Heart Disease or Dementia?
The Shingrix vaccine is about 97% effective in preventing shingles for people 50 to 69, and 86% effective at preventing the excruciating nerve pain that can follow an attack. Those numbers alone make it worthwhile. But here’s what’s really exciting: South Korean research involving over a million people found that those vaccinated against shingles had a 25% lower risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart failure, stroke, and heart attacks, for up to eight years after vaccination.
Add to that the dementia protection discussed earlier, and you’re looking at a vaccine that does far more than its label claims. Studies show it beats the older Zostavax hands-down and provides sustained protection that doesn’t fade after four years. The catch? There’s a small increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (about 6 additional cases per million). If you’ve been putting off this vaccine or wondering if it’s worth the two-shot series, the accumulated evidence suggests this is one of the better preventive health decisions you can make if you had chicken pox as a kid.
#4: Nicotine Patch for Long COVID or Alzheimer’s? Why Nicotine?
Yes, you read that right—researchers are exploring whether nicotine patches could help people suffering from long COVID brain fog and possibly slow Alzheimer disease. German scientists report that low-dose nicotine appears promising and safe for relieving long COVID symptoms, with patients experiencing improvements in short-term memory. The science centers on how SARS-CoV-2 binds to crucial brain receptors, disrupting nerve transmission. Nicotine might competitively reverse that blockade.
For Alzheimer’s, the story goes back to the 1970s when researchers identified acetylcholine deficiency as key to memory problems. Nicotine stimulates those same receptors. Small studies show the patch can improve attention and memory in people with mild cognitive impairment, though we’re still awaiting results from a major clinical trial. This isn’t a recommendation to start using nicotine. Medical supervision is essential. Nonetheless, it suggests that millions suffering from conditions mainstream medicine has largely failed to treat might find relief in some unexpected places.
#3: Vaccines Against Dementia? New Evidence Reveals Stunning Protection!
More vaccine news in 2025! What if your shingles vaccine could do more than prevent a painful rash? What if it could actually protect your brain? December 2025 research published in Cell reveals something impressive: the older Zostavax shingles vaccine not only helped prevent or delay a dementia diagnosis, it may have slowed disease progression in people already living with dementia. Those vaccinated were almost 30% less likely to die from dementia over nine years.
This builds on groundbreaking studies from Wales and Australia that found shingles vaccination reduced dementia diagnoses by 20%. The mechanism? When dormant chickenpox virus reactivates, it may trigger inflammation and reactivate other herpes viruses, setting off a cascade leading to amyloid buildup and brain damage. The newer Shingrix vaccine might be even more protective. While the medical establishment spent billions on anti-amyloid drugs with disappointing results, a vaccine that’s been around for years may offer real hope. This changes the conversation about dementia prevention entirely.
#2: Another Generic Drug Scandal! How the FDA Lets Us Down
Generic drugs make up over 90% of the medications dispensed in American pharmacies, yet new ProPublica investigations reveal the FDA has been allowing substandard foreign factories to ship medications to the U.S. even after officially banning them. For more than a dozen years, drugs from facilities with dangerous manufacturing failures continued reaching your pharmacy shelf—and the FDA kept the details secret. That means you couldn’t know if your generic Viagra, Cialis, or hundreds of other medications came from labs with falsified safety data.
The most disturbing part? Some testing companies hired to prove generics work as well as brand names have repeatedly submitted fraudulent data—and the FDA’s response has been to label these drugs “BX” (insufficient data to determine equivalence) while leaving them on the market. European regulators pulled around 100 medications; our FDA just changed a rating code. If you take any generic medication—and most of us do—you need to understand what’s really happening behind the scenes.
#1: Rx for Disaster: Why Common Meds Are Silently Killing Older Americans!
More than 41,000 Americans over 65 died from falls in 2023, more than from breast cancer, prostate cancer, car crashes, and drug overdoses combined. The real shocker? A JAMA Health Forum study reveals that common medications are driving this epidemic. We’re talking about drugs you or someone you love probably takes: blood pressure pills, antidepressants, proton pump inhibitors, even some painkillers. These “fall risk-increasing drugs” cause drowsiness and impaired balance, yet 45% of older adults are taking medications considered potentially inappropriate.
The contrast with other wealthy nations is stark. Our fall-related death rate has tripled over 30 years while other countries saw theirs decline. The difference? Americans are taking far more of these risky medications. If you take multiple prescriptions or care for someone who does, this is essential reading that could prevent a life-altering accident.
What’s Next?
As we head into 2026, several themes emerge from this year’s most important stories. Medication safety deserves far more attention than it receives, both from regulators and prescribers. Natural approaches to cholesterol and heart health have solid science behind them and deserve to be considered as realistic options, not afterthoughts. Vaccine research is revealing unexpected benefits that could revolutionize how we prevent dementia and heart disease. And perhaps most importantly, patients need to advocate for themselves because the system doesn’t always provide the complete picture.
Our book, Top Screwups and How to Avoid Them, details the questions you should be asking at every doctor’s visit. Almost every chapter has a list of top 10 Tips and Question Lists:
- Top 10 Tips to Stopping Screwups in Hospitals
- Top 10 Screwups Doctors Make
- Top 10 Diagnostic Screwups
- Top 10 Reasons Why Doctors Screw Up Diagnoses
- Top 10 Questions to Ask to Reduce Diagnostic Disasters
- Top 10 Screwups Doctors Make When Prescribing
- Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor When You Get a Prescription
- Top 11 Tips for Preventing Dangerous Drug Interactions
- Top 10 Screwups Pharmacists Make
- Top 10 Tips for Taking Generic Drugs
- Top 10 Tips to Surviving Old Age
- Top 10 Screwups Patients Make
- Top 10 Tips to Promote Good Communication
We hope our Top 10 articles of 2025 have given you actionable information and prompted important conversations with your healthcare providers. As always, never stop or start any medication without careful consultation with your doctor, but don’t be afraid to ask tough questions, either.
If you found this roundup valuable, please share it with friends and family who care about making informed health decisions. And if you’re not already subscribed, join over 150,000 readers who get our free newsletter at this link. Your health is too important to navigate alone—let’s stay connected.
Here’s to your health in 2026!
—Joe & Terry Graedon
