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YOUR WEEKLY CHECKUP

This week: How you feel isn't just about what you eat, or do—it's about what you believe; evaluating a centuries-old health craze; a single-shot COVID-19 and flu vaccine is being tested; your body's war with bacteria; the nightmare COVID-19 has inflicted on our sleep.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIKA LARSEN

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌

Unlocking the healing power of belief

Whether it takes the form of a touch of the Holy Spirit at a Florida revival meeting or a dip in the water of the Ganges, the healing power of belief is all around us. Now science is suggesting that regular religious services may in fact improve the immune system, decrease blood pressure, and add years to our lives. But it's not just religious faith that has the ability to make us feel inexplicably better.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

THE PLACEBO EFFECT: Why a placebo can work—even when you know it's fake +

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOSSE/SCALA, FLORENCE

Was this hypnotic health craze an elaborate hoax—or a medical breakthrough?

In 18th-century Vienna and Paris, an unorthodox treatment dubbed "mesmerism" was all the rage, attracting followers like Marie Antoinette. But its success also aroused some powerful skeptics, including Benjamin Franklin. What was it—and was the doctor who created it actually ahead of his time?

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

NG STAFF

Vaccine makers are testing a single-shot COVID-19 and flu vaccine

Pfizer-BioNTech's jab is a combination of the Omicron-specific booster that's currently approved for use and an experimental mRNA vaccine containing four influenza strains.

TRACKING COVID IN THE U.S.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NIAID

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌

You're surrounded by bacteria that are waiting for you to die

As soon as you die, your body essentially gets its first break from a war that it has been fighting every moment of your life.

THE GORY DETAILS

COVID AND YOUR BODY

We know that COVID-19 affects your body in multiple ways. Here is a roundup of stories we've done chronicling the latest science.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BERTHA WANG, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

COVID-19 can ruin your sleep in many different ways—here's why

Scientists are learning more about the havoc that viruses and bacteria wreak on sleep. Here's what you need to know about seeking care for insomnia.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

JAMES CAVALLINI, SCIENCE SOURCE

Here's how COVID-19 can interfere with your period

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

JUAN MABROMATA, AFP VIA GETTY

Could COVID-19 trigger depression?

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

KATE GERAGHTY, SMH/GETTY IMAGES

How multiple COVID-19 infections can harm the body

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

JOE MCNALLY, GETTY IMAGES

COVID-19 headaches are a 'living hell.' Here's how to manage them.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Even mild COVID-19 can cause your brain to shrink

World's brightest x-rays reveal COVID-19's damage to the body

How COVID-19 harms the heart

COVID-19 is linked to new diabetes cases—but long-term problems could be more severe

How COVID-19 can damage all five senses

COVID-19 may impair men's sexual performance

MORE HEALTH NEWS

PHOTOGRAPH BY MAX ALGUILERA-HELLWEG, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

These jaw-dropping studies could revolutionize organ transplantation

In the United States alone, more than 6,000 patients die waiting for an organ transplant, and every year 700,000 people die due to end-stage organ disease. These preservation strategies could end a deadly shortage of transplant organs.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

RSV is surging among kids—here's what you need to know

Masks cut COVID spread in schools, study finds (New York Times)

Meditation works as well as a popular drug to reduce anxiety, study finds (NPR)

Listeria outbreak: How to protect yourself from the deadly foodborne bacteria (CNN)

Please stop licking psychedelic toads, National Park Service warns (Washington Post)

New cancer therapy takes personalized medicine to a new level (USA Today)

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