Author: Emma Yasinski

Emma Yasinski

I am a freelance science and medical journalist, fascinated by how the scientific process leads to incredible discoveries, but also can lead to publication bias leaning toward positive findings and minimizing negatives. With a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Lafayette College and a Master’s in Science and Medical Journalism from Boston University, I’ve written about clinical trial transparency, organ donation, and basic molecular biology for publications like The Scientist, The Atlantic, Undark.org, Kaiser Health News, and more. At MedShadow, I research and write about the sometimes unexpected ways that medicines can affect us, and what we can do if and when it does.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has repeatedly advised the majority of the population to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. Florida’s surgeon general, on the other hand, rejected that advice in September 2023, and told Floridians that healthy people under the age of 65 didn’t need the vaccine. More experts came out dismissing the Florida surgeon general’s advice, siding with the FDA. Still, the disconnect between the experts caused confusion. The debate about whether or not we should get COVID-19 booster shots may have been more public and passionate than most medical debates, but it is not entirely…

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By the time Imali Chislett was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, her hair had already been falling out for four months. It came out in clumps as she brushed her fingers through her hair, and when she tried to braid it. Soon, her scalp became sore, too. The illness, which affects the intestines, made it difficult for her to absorb nutrients from the food she was eating and she’d become severely iron deficient, which can cause hair loss. Unfortunately, treatment didn’t restore her strands. Since July 2023, she’s been receiving infusions of a powerful immunosuppressant drug, infliximab, which she says has…

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You have cancer. If that wasn’t terrifying enough, you now face a litany of medical choices, treatments, and drugs. As you try to educate yourself about those options, you also have to weigh the unpredictable nature of their side effects. Unfortunately, the side effects listed on the drug’s label don’t tell us much about what it’s really like to take a drug. A new article published in Undark explains how and why the information patients get on side effects often seems to minimize that challenge that side effects can pose. The article uses cancer drugs as an example and is…

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David Smith was starting to notice his hair thinning, and started talking about it with a friend who was also lamenting his newfound lack of hair. Shortly after that, Smith’s friend seemed to have solved the problem. He’d asked his healthcare provider for a prescription for Propecia (finasteride). “I was hesitant to try [finasteride] because I was unsure about the potential side effects of propecia. However, after seeing some great results he had, I decided to go for it,” says Smith. A few months after starting the prescription, he started to appreciate a little more hair on his head. He…

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K. Arnold, who asked that we only use his first initial to maintain his medical privacy, first heard about doxy-PEP, a medication that can help prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) if taken shortly after unprotected sex, from an Instagram ad. He has always taken good care of his health, and as a man who has sex with men, he knows he has an elevated risk of contracting an STI. But he started taking extra care after he learned a previous partner had not been faithful. On the rare occasion that he has had sex without a condom over the past…

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Blogger Divyanshu Verma‘s skin was itchy. He suspected his mild, but bothersome symptoms were caused by ringworm, so he found himself an over-the-counter (OTC) antifungal cream called “Ring Guard” which contains low concentrations of several antifungal medications. After using the cream for two weeks, he says, the infection disappeared. Unfortunately, his smooth skin didn’t last long, as shortly after stopping the cream application symptoms emerged again. This time, he tried a homeopathic remedy called Dr. Reckeweg R82 which contains a natural antimicrobial and several fungi that the company says help stimulate your immune response. It took longer—four months this time—to…

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For many of us, lowering our risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, or even chronic pain, includes monitoring and maintaining our weight. Frankie Kidd, who takes insulin for type 1 diabetes, gained weight after starting the treatment, and is still trying to figure out how best to manage it. There are many factors that can contribute to weight gain from limited physical activity, to stress, and poor sleep. However, one cause many of us might overlook could be the medications we have been prescribed. Believe it or not, many drugs can make you gain weight. One of the…

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Adam is the youngest of three children. His older brother and sister came down with a cough and fever when Adam was nearly a month old. A week or so later, Adam was coughing as well, but his cough was phlegmy, and he started vomiting after each feeding. He tested positive for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).  After 12 hours, he hadn’t wet his diaper at all. His mother had to rush him to the hospital, where he spent four days and three nights. He got oxygen, IV fluids, and antibiotics. Still, since there are no antiviral drugs specifically to fight…

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After decades of clinical trial failures, two new Alzheimer’s drug approvals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have thrilled many healthcare providers and advocacy groups. Others warn that the two new drugs, Aduhelm (aducanumab) and Leqembi (lecanemab-irmb), may not be the medical miracles they seem to be.   Doctors have been using the same drugs and lifestyle adjustments to treat Alzheimer’s for years with modest benefits at best. None of these drugs can stop, slow, or reverse the seemingly inevitable progression of Alzheimer’s disease. They may temporarily reduce the condition’s symptoms. To learn about the efficacy of older Alzheimer’s drugs…

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