Mandy Oaklander | August 13, 2026

For a long time, hormone replacement therapy got a bad rap. A landmark study in the early 2000s raised concerns about its safety, linking certain types of hormone therapy to an increased risk for breast cancer and dementia. Yet in the decades since, scientists have questioned how broadly some of those findings apply, in part because the study included postmenopausal women who used different hormone regimens than those commonly prescribed around menopause. Now researchers are reevaluating what estrogen might do to the brain.

My colleague Alice Park covered a new study today finding that women who had taken estrogen-only menopausal hormone therapy had 35% lower odds of exhibiting signs of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains compared to women who hadn’t taken hormone therapy. Even though the study doesn’t prove cause and effect, it sheds new light on an important question worth revisiting.

TODAY’S TOPICS

Try this emotional check-in
An alarming Ebola stat
Got a health question for us?
Awe-inducing eclipse photos

ONE SMALL CHANGE

The simple trick that can help you understand your emotions

Feeling “bad,” “stressed,” or just plain “off”? Try getting more specific. Pause and name three different emotions you might be experiencing—then add a quick “because” after each one.

You might realize you’re anxious because you don’t know what’s coming, resentful because you’re carrying too much, or embarrassed because you’re worried how you’ll look. Those distinctions can help you figure out what to do to feel better. —Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness

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BIG NUMBER

2,100+

The number of people who have died in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history. The death toll doubled in about three weeks, according to a new analysis by Mercy Corps. —Alice Park, Senior Correspondent

SOURCE: MERCY CORPS

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WHAT WE’RE READING

Missed yesterday's total solar eclipse? Jeffrey Kluger at TIME rounded up the most awe-inspiring photos.
A new rule bars federal Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care for minors, Rebecca Schneid at TIME reports.
For the New York Times, Paul Theroux follows a newly opened long-distance footpath in England while mulling “compulsive walkers” and the benefits of rambling.