Is your step count too low? Try walking faster

Plus: head lice, unearthing your family history, and a greener goodbye  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | September 09, 2026     I remember my high-step-count era. At the time, I didn’t even realize I was in it. Living in New York City, walking was baked into daily life. It’s probably what I miss most about city living. Out here in the suburbs, I can go days without cracking 5,000 steps. Most of the movement I get now is intentional. But there’s fresh hope for people like me. Today, my colleague Veronique Greenwood covered a new study finding that you can still get the big health benefits of walking if you’re stuck around that 5,000-step mark—as long as you step lively. One expert told Veronique the trick to figuring out if you’re walking quickly enough. TODAY’S TOPICS A lousy school surprise Get to know your grandparents Rest in mushrooms         QUICK CHAT Lice lessons Did you know that September is National Head Lice Prevention Month in the U.S.? I didn’t, until a head lice outbreak at my toddler’s school last week prompted me to learn more about how to spot, prevent and treat infestations.  For my new piece out today, I chatted with Dr. April Armstrong, chief of dermatology at University of California Los Angeles, to learn about the pesky parasites. – Dominique Mosbergen, Health Correspondent  This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Oxford Scientific—Getty Images Is there a time of year when we tend to see an increase in head lice cases? Head lice can occur throughout the year, but cases are often noticed more frequently in late summer and early fall, when children return to school and resume close-contact activities. Summer camps and sleepovers can also facilitate transmission.  How do you prevent getting head lice? There is no completely reliable way to prevent head lice, especially among young children who naturally play in close contact. The most effective step is to limit direct head-to-head or hair-to-hair contact when lice are known to be circulating. Children should also avoid sharing combs, brushes, hair accessories, hats, helmets, and towels, although transmission through objects is much less common than direct contact. If you get head lice once, are you more susceptible to getting it again? A previous infestation does not appear to make someone biologically more susceptible to head lice, but it also does not produce reliable immunity. Anyone who has close head-to-head contact with an infested person can acquire lice again.         SPONSORED 2 minutes. Your URL. A customer profile worth using. Most founders can describe their product. They can't describe their customer. Not in a way that actually changes how they sell. HubSpot for Startups built a free tool to fix that. Paste in your URL, answer a few quick questions, and it generates a structured profile of your best-fit customer. Firmographics, buying triggers, the works. Takes 2 minutes. No spreadsheet required. Build Your Free ICP.         TIME TO TALK 12 questions you’ll be glad you asked your grandparents Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: Giulio Fornasar—Getty Images) You may know your grandparents’ familiar stories by heart. But the right question can introduce you to the mischievous kid, uncertain young adult, or courageous person they were long before you knew them. It might also help you understand who they are right now. Ask about the small stuff “What was your childhood like?” is an enormous question. Zoom in instead: “Tell me about the dinner table in the house where you grew up.” Ask what counted as a shocking waste of money, how they once got into trouble, or what object they’ve kept since childhood. The ordinary details often reveal the most. You may finally learn why your mom refuses to pay for shipping—or discover a family story nobody thought to tell. Let it become a real conversation Don’t cling too tightly to a prepared list. Ask follow-up questions, answer some of them yourself, and eventually turn the interview around: “If you could ask me anything right now, what would you want to know?” Ask about the present, too: “What are you still figuring out?”Grandparents don’t stop changing simply because they become grandparents.  The goal isn’t to collect a perfect oral history. It’s to become curious about each other—and have the conversation while you still can.  —Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness         SPONSORED 1,000+ Claude Prompts Top Professionals Actually Use at Work Claude can be your analyst, editor, and strategist. But most professionals are using it to fix grammar. These 1,000+ Claude prompts take it from grammar tool to your most powerful AI work assistant. Sign up for Superhuman AI and get: 1,000+ ready-to-use Claude prompts to get real work done in minutes — researched, tested, and used by professionals at Google, Microsoft, and NASA Superhuman AI newsletter (4 min daily) so you keep learning new AI tools and skills to stay ahead in your career — the prompts are just the beginning Claim your free prompts         WHAT WE’RE READING Would you want to be buried in a mushroom coffin? Jack Larkin at the Guardian reports on an unusual, fast-composting alternative to a traditional casket. An Ohio coffee shop is serving a “Stay” latte, where part of the proceeds go to a suicide-prevention organization. Brianna Weaver at 13abc shares the shop owner’s deeply personal story behind it.  A hospital in Troy, N.Y., decided to close its birthing center—the last in the area. So politicians, Planned Parenthood, the Catholic diocese, and others united to save it, Noam N. Levey writes for KFF Health News.         SPONSORED Stop rewriting prompts. Start engineering loops. Most developers babysit AI one prompt at a time. Top engineers don't, they build loops that plan, execute, and self-correct. The Code built The Ultimate Guide to Loop Engineering, giving you the exact system Silicon Valley engineers use. Sign up and get the guide free, plus a 5-minute daily newsletter. Claim your Loop Engineering guide     EMAIL US: healthmatters@time.com More Newsletters from Click to sign up. THE BRIEF +D.C. BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Connect with TIME PRIVACY POLICY   © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe

More Americans are losing health insurance—and everyone will pay

Plus: 9/11-linked illnesses, how to lose your age spots, and more health news  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | September 08, 2026     A surge in uninsured Americans is coming. With the Trump Administration's changes to Medicaid, experts predict that a significant number of people facing higher costs will drop coverage altogether. They're not the only ones who will be affected, my colleague Alana Semuels reports for TIME. For her new story out today, Alana talked to health policy experts, heads of advocacy groups, patients, and even a hospital CEO about how we all pay more when health care becomes harder to secure. TODAY’S TOPICS The age-spot playbook 9/11’s lasting health toll New tests for endometriosis         PLEASE ADVISE Here’s a great question we received from a reader: Over the years, I’ve accumulated so many brown spots on my face, arms, and hands that I could pass as a baby leopard. What can I safely do—either at home or at a dermatologist’s office—to lighten or remove them? First, I appreciate the baby-leopard visual. Second—and more importantly—don’t start trying to erase a spot until you’re confident you know what it is. A true age spot, also called a solar lentigo, is usually flat, evenly tan or brown, and surrounded by a smooth, well-defined border, says Dr. Rebecca Dufner, a board-certified dermatologist in Plano, Texas. It also tends to “sit there quietly year after year.” A spot that appears suddenly; changes in size, shape, or color; or starts itching, bleeding, crusting, or refusing to heal needs a dermatologist’s attention. The same goes for an “ugly duckling” that simply looks different from all its neighbors. Once a dermatologist has confirmed you’re dealing with harmless age spots, you have two basic options: fade them gradually at home, or remove them more quickly in the office. Prescription retinoids and azelaic acid are among the strongest topical options, Dufner says. Over-the-counter products containing vitamin C, niacinamide, kojic acid, arbutin, glycolic acid, or thiamidol may also help—but don’t expect your spots to vanish by next weekend. Topical treatments are “a slow game—think months, not days,” she says. Skip the internet remedies involving lemon juice, apple-cider vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide. They can irritate or even burn your skin, potentially leaving you with more discoloration than you started with. Dufner also advises steering clear of high-strength, unregulated “skin-bleaching” creams sold online. If you want faster or more dramatic results, a dermatologist might recommend a laser or light-based treatment, chemical peel, or cryotherapy, which involves freezing the spots. The right choice depends partly on your skin tone and how delicate your skin is. An overly aggressive treatment—or the wrong laser setting—can cause irritation and unwanted pigmentation. “Gentler is smarter,” Dufner says. Start topical ingredients slowly, moisturize regularly, and make sure the dermatologist performing a procedure has experience treating your skin type. Whichever route you choose, sunscreen is nonnegotiable. Apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day, and add hats, shade, and sun-protective clothing when you’ll be outside. Even successfully treated spots can return, and new ones can appear. As Dufner puts it: “Treat the spot, then protect your skin from the sun so you don’t keep making new ones.” –Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness Got a social dilemma of your own? Send it our way to healthmatters@time.com, and we might tackle it in a future edition.         SPONSORED Looking for the best way to reclaim your health? Factor offers chef-crafted, dietitian-approved meals ready to eat in 2 minutes. Choose from 100+ weekly meals, including High Protein, GLP-1 Support, Calorie Smart, and Keto options. Get 50% off your first Factor box + Free Breakfast for a year *1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year while subscription active. Try Factor Now         BIG NUMBER 10,000 The number of Fire Department of New York (FDNY) members living with a 9/11-related illness, according to research recently released by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office. Nearly half of those members have cancer. —Alana Semuels, Senior Correspondent         SPONSORED Experts say to ditch your old cutting boards, here’s why Your old plastic and wood cutting boards could be making you sick from microplastics, toxic mold, and hidden bacteria. Here’s the hottest-selling upgrade. Get 40% OFF today.         WHAT WE’RE READING Endometriosis can take years to diagnose. Laura Ungar at the Associated Press looks at promising new tests that could help patients get answers sooner. Thousands died from heat-related reasons during the summer of 2026—U.K.’s hottest on record—and many were elderly adults living in care homes, whose families have questions about their final hours, reports Jessica Murray for the Guardian. The Trump Administration has canceled millions of grants from the Office of Minority Health for services like cancer screenings and postpartum visits. Instead, it is focusing on infertility, including addressing low sperm count, Paige Winfield Cunningham and Eric Katz write for NOTUS.         SPONSORED Your K-Cups Sat in a Warehouse for Months Grocery store pods spend months going factory → warehouse → truck → shelf, losing the flavor oils that make coffee taste like coffee. Angelino's roasts, packs, and ships within days — 50+ flavors, compatible with Keurig®, from 39¢ a cup. New customers save 15%, no code needed. Try Fresh-Roasted Pods     EMAIL US: healthmatters@time.com More Newsletters from Click to sign up. THE BRIEF +D.C. BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Connect with TIME PRIVACY POLICY   © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe