Welcome to the first health research and wellness news wrap-up of 2021! After a full year of Covid-dominated coverage, we seem to finally be nearing the end of the pandemic. That means that for this wrap-up, we’re happy to be able to cover a wide range of different topics (with a bit of Covid coverage, of course). 

Whitney Tingle had struggled with severe cystic acne ever since puberty, and had tried seemingly everything to get it to go away, including some shockingly aggressive treatments laden with side effects. But nothing the doctors recommended worked, and eventually she decided she had to figure it out herself. She dove into the world of nutrition, searching for the best foods for clear skin, and discovered how connected diet is to every aspect of our health — a discovery was the catalyst for co-founding Sakara Life, a clean meal and supplement delivery service. Read on to learn Whitney’s full story, as well as the best foods for skin repair and more.

You don’t have to spend much time learning about the human body to understand how central gut health is to every aspect of your well-being. It’s been firmly established that if you heal your gut, you can improve various important elements of your health, from immune function to mental health and many more. But one gut-related topic that’s less understood — though often talked about — is the phenomenon of leaky gut. Read on to learn about what this condition actually is and what causes it, how to heal leaky gut naturally, the best gut healing diet and foods to heal leaky gut, and more.

Maya Dusenbery had been working as a feminist writer for most of her adult life, but she hadn’t spent much time thinking about how women were treated in medicine. Then, an unexpected personal health issue showed her firsthand the unique challenges that women face in navigating the healthcare system. Her book, Doing Harm, stems from this experience and looks more largely at gender bias in medicine and how it hurts women. Read on to hear her story and learn why women’s health problems are often sidelined, why medical gaslighting is so widespread, how gender bias in research changes outcomes for women, and more. 

Mark Bertolini had worked in private health insurance for his whole adult life, and never considered any sort of integrative therapies. Then, two personal health crises showed him firsthand the importance of holistic healthcare and the failures of the current system. As CEO of Aetna — a role he left in late 2019  when he sold the company to CVS — he implemented sweeping changes that reflected his newfound viewpoint. Read on to learn about his own transformative health journey, how he changed the culture of Aetna, why he believes holistic insurance and preventative healthcare can help fix the U.S. healthcare system, and more. 

Celebrity NYC chef Seamus Mullen shared his journey of healing rheumatoid arthritis naturally.

It’s a scenario we can probably all relate to: you’re in a quiet room, and you need to clear your throat. But then, you need to do it again. And again. It’s embarrassing, uncomfortable, and — worst of all — could signal an underlying health issue. But constant post-nasal drip is pretty poorly understood, and many people just live with it without thinking twice. Read on to learn what it might mean if you have a constant need to clear your throat, why it matters, and how you can find post-nasal drip relief naturally. 

When Dr. Bobby Price graduated from pharmacy school, he was beyond excited about the career ahead of him. He would be on the forefront of developing new medications, learning about the chemistry and biology of treating disease. He was the National President of the Student Pharmaceutical Association, and worked as a pharmacist at a hospital, a Walmart, and even the U.S. Department of Defense. But then, everything changed. He came face to face with uncomfortable truths about the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, and knew he needed to drastically shift course — so he became a certified plant-based nutritionist, herbalist, exercise physiologist, and author. Read on to learn Dr. Bobby Price’s inspiring journey, the truth about medical error and medical error deaths in the United States, and more. 

Well, it’s finally happening: this seemingly endless year is coming to an end at long last. If you’d told us in January everything this year was going to bring, there’s no way we would have believed you! And yet, here we are. Obviously, wellness news (and all news) this year has been dominated by the coronavirus, and so throughout 2020 we’ve done our best to share the most significant developments in these health research wrap-ups. But, as we’ve said before, your best defense against COVID or any other disease is maintaining good overall health, and many WellBe readers are still struggling with other chronic symptoms and conditions (that might make it harder to fight COVID-19). That's why we think it’s as important as ever to highlight health news and research that’s not COVID-related.