Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting food as medicine, but experts say he's overstating what diet can do for serious illness. He's said diet can cure schizophrenia and diabetes, and let people rid themselves of bipolar disorder diagnoses. Researchers say Kennedy is exaggerating current evidence about the real and promising role that food can play in managing illness. Some public health advocates say they're concerned his imprecise language could drive people to self-medicate with food while avoiding proven treatments. But at least one expert in diet-related conditions says he welcomes more attention on how diet can improve chronic disease.

A federal judge in Boston has blocked federal health officials from cutting the number of vaccines recommended for every child, and says U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely violated federal procedures in revamping a key vaccine advisory committee. The decision Monday halts an order by Kennedy to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV. It also stopped a meeting of a Kennedy-appointed vaccine advisory committee, which was set to convene this week in Atlanta. Federal health officials indicated they planned to appeal.

Last year, President Donald Trump promoted unproven ties between Tylenol and autism and touted an old generic drug as a treatment for the developmental condition. New research found that for nearly three months after that, Tylenol orders for pregnant women showing up in emergency rooms dropped and prescriptions of the generic drug for children rose. Doctors published a research letter with their findings in The Lancet on Thursday. Orders for Tylenol were 10% lower than predicted for pregnant emergency department patients aged 15-44. And outpatient prescriptions of the generic drug leucovorin for children ages 5–17 were 71% higher than projected.

The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing a request for new warnings on antidepressant drugs, and that's presenting an unusual conflict of interest at the agency. The researcher asking for the warning is a close friend of the FDA’s top drug official. The Associated Press has learned that Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg is overseeing the FDA's review of the petition by Dr. Adam Urato while also seeking to hire Urato at the agency. Under normal FDA standards, Hoeg would step aside from any work on the petition. But instead she's told FDA workers that they need to speed up their review of Urato's request.

The White House says a red spot on President Donald Trump’s neck comes from a prescribed skin cream. Photographers captured close-up images of the redness during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room on Monday. The president’s doctor says Trump applies a common cream to the right side of his neck. He calls it a preventive treatment. The White House did not answer questions about the cream or what condition it was treating. Zoomed-in photos from at least as far back as Feb. 19 show visible redness on the president’s neck. An April 2025 medical report lists mometasone cream for an unspecified skin issue.

Indiana lawmakers have passed a bill that requires people to show ID to use the state’s needle exchange programs. The legislation now heads to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk. The bill also extends needle exchanges for five more years. Lawmakers added new restrictions after prosecutors say exchanges encourage drug use and leave needles in communities. The bill sets a one-for-one exchange rule. It also limits who can use each county program. Advocates say IDs block people without housing or income from using the exchanges. They warn fewer people will get testing, naloxone, and recovery referrals. The programs are credited with curbing bloodborne infections across the state, including HIV and hepatitis C.

Wellness influencer and entrepreneur Dr. Casey Means shared a vision for addressing the root causes of chronic disease instead of what she calls “reactive sick care” during her confirmation hearing to become the next surgeon general. Wednesday's hearing in the Senate health committee was rescheduled from October, when Means went into labor the day she was set to appear. Means' message that dietary and lifestyle changes are needed to heal an ill and struggling nation aligns closely with that of her ally Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But she also faced tough questions about topics that have become divisive in recent years, such as vaccines and hormonal birth control, as well as about her qualifications for the job.