View in browser

05.31.25

One of the biggest headlines people asked me about this week involved singer/songwriter Billy Joel and his diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus. It’s a condition I’ve treated. I’ll tell you more about what the outcomes could be for someone like him, but first, the other health stories of the week ... 

— Sanjay

How changes to Covid-19 vaccine policy in the US may affect you 

For the past few years, the federal government has broadly approved and recommended an updated Covid-19 shot for everyone age 6 months and up each fall.  

But leaders from the US Food and Drug Administration have outlined a new framework for the approval process for Covid-19 vaccines that could limit shots to older Americans and people at higher risk of serious Covid-19 infection. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also updated its immunization schedules, days after US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that Covid-19 shots would be struck from the list of recommended vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women.

These changes, made in unconventional ways, will probably affect access to and availability of Covid-19 vaccine shots for millions and could make them more expensive for others. 

Trump administration’s MAHA report on children’s health filled with flawed references, including some studies that don’t exist 

The first report from the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again Commission, released last week, appears to be rife with errors, including some studies that don’t exist. 

Touted by Kennedy as a milestone, the report lays out the government’s priorities for addressing chronic health problems in children, which it ascribes to poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, overprescribing of drugs and exposure to environmental chemicals.    

The sweeping 78-page document was produced in little more than three months after it was ordered by President Donald Trump. It contained 522 references to studies, government reports and news articles. But some of these references were wrong or don’t appear to exist. In other cases, studies in the report were misrepresented, according to the researchers who conducted them. 

An updated version of the report was posted online after the news broke, with some changes to the text and the works cited. 

Drowning is the leading cause of death in young kids. Here’s how to prevent it  

Warmer weather is finally here in the Northern Hemisphere, and with it, many pools and beaches are opening for the summer. That’s great for families who want to spend time by the water, but it’s also a good time for reminders about the importance of water safety. 

Drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 4, and after motor vehicle accidents, it is the second leading cause of death attributed to unintentional injuries among kids ages 5 to 14. 

CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician, says the most important things parents and guardians can do is to never leave kids unsupervised around water.  

“Even if they already know how to swim, even if they are wearing a flotation device, even if the pool is shallow or small, an accident could occur — and either you or another responsible adult should always be able to see your child,” she said. 

When his son needed a $2.2 million treatment, this dad started rowing  

Watch: Joe Jackson’s son, William, is 6 years old and has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that can claim the lives of boys and young men. Through the organization Cure Rare Disease, the family found a potential treatment option that comes at a big cost, so Jackson set out to raise some of those funds by rowing 157 miles nonstop through rapids over the course of 31 hours.

What you eat can hurt your sleep. Here’s what to eat instead

But wait, there's more!

• Women face medical gaslighting for chronic pain, experts say  
• HHS cancels $590 million contract with Moderna for bird flu vaccine 
• Snooze alarms may cost you vital sleep. Three experts weigh in on the habit  
• Teens need more chances to experience awe. Here’s how to do it  
• Marijuana edibles and joints may cause early heart damage, study finds  

Chasing Life

From Dr. Sanjay Gupta — 

I’m a huge fan of Billy Joel’s. His was one of the first concerts I ever saw.  

A lot of people were concerned about the news of his recent diagnosis of a condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus.  

The good news is that there are really successful treatments for this. In fact, it's something I’ve treated as a neurosurgeon.  

You may know the term “hydrocephalus," also known as “water on the brain." It has been associated with infants as well as older adults.  

In the images above, the brain on the left is how a normal brain looks. In the brain on the right, you can see how those fluid-filled spaces, called ventricles, have expanded. This can cause difficulties with balance, bladder control and cognition. Sometimes, it is confused for conditions like Alzheimer's or even Parkinson's disease because of similar symptoms.  

Watch: CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta demonstrates how doctors might treat Billy Joel's neurological disorder

But the good news is that this is very treatable. Often, neurosurgeons will start by doing a lumbar puncture to remove some of that extra fluid circulating around the brain and the spinal cord. Patients can get better pretty quickly, as a result of draining that fluid. And if I see that kind of improvement, I might do a more permanent procedure called a shunt: We put a catheter through the top of the brain, into one of those fluid-filled spaces, and then drain the extra fluid, usually into the abdominal cavity, where it can be reabsorbed. Studies have found that this can have a success rate between 70% and 90%. As I hope is the case for Billy Joel. 

The average American takes in about 34 gigabytes of information each day -- that's a lot for our brains to process and remember. Top memory expert Dr. Charan Ranganath sits down with Dr. Sanjay Gupta to share why the key to remembering more may be to memorize less. Plus, Ranganath weighs in on what could change for human memory in the age of AI.  Listen here

CNN Health's The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows up in your

inbox every Friday.

Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Sign yourself up!

Want to easily manage your newsletter subscriptions? Create your account.