We’re only six weeks into 2025, and there have already been a few too many confusing and stressful health headlines. 

Not to worry. We’re here to separate doomsday drama from the less frightening facts. And believe it or not, there is something in Washington DC that can actually help us reduce stress!  

There’s a huge spike in deadly flu cases. Is it too late to get a flu shot? 

In a word—no! Actually, it is a good idea to get one if you haven’t yet this season. According to CDC data, this season, which began in October, has seen the most flu cases in 28 years, when they started tracking these things. We are only halfway through the season and already at least 13,000 people have died from the flu! 

So yes, it is a very good idea to try to catch up on some immunity. Before each flu season, the CDC determines which strains of influenza are most likely to occur that year. That season’s flu vaccine is based on those predictions. Some seasons the CDC is pretty accurate, and some seasons many strains of the flu virus are not specifically targeted by the vaccine. But the vaccine can significantly reduce the severity of your symptoms for any strain. This can mean the difference between a week at home and hospitalization (or worse).  

Although the best time to get the flu shot is in October, the start of the season, it is never too late. Almost every medical professional will advise you to go, especially now, when the season hasn’t yet hit its peak. It is sobering to think that we could lose another 13,000 people to the flu this season.  

Answer: It’s never too late. Book your flu shot now (most major pharmacies will accept walk-ins) to protect yourself and your family!  

With the bird flu invading American poultry farms, is it risky to eat chicken and eggs? 

In a word—no! But as most of us know, eggs are wreaking havoc on our wallets. And prices most certainly will get worse before they get better. But first, let’s look at the health risks posed by the bird flu. 

The United States is in the midst of a bird flu (officially “H5N1 avian influenza”) epidemic, which has been spreading here since 2022. And yes, this is the biggest U.S. avian flu outbreak on record. To put this in perspective, during the last outbreak, a little more than ten years ago, a total of 50 million egg-laying hens were euthanized to remove their eggs from the food supply. This time around, poultry farmers have lost 148 million hens, and it’s not over yet. 

Despite the scale of this outbreak, thanks to proactive practices and the nature of this virus, the chicken and eggs on supermarket shelves are safe. Here is why: 

• The H5N1 virus has not yet spread among humans. The first case in humans appeared in April 2024. Since then, there have been 67 known human cases, including one death from the virus. All of the cases to date passed from animals to humans, mostly among poultry workers. 

• The virus has spread between poultry and cows. This has raised concerns that the more the virus spreads between species the more likely it is to mutate into a form that could spread between humans. 

• The CDC is closely monitoring the spread of the virus and is requiring aggressive “culling” of egg-laying hens to remove them from the food supply. 

• Hens raised for meat are different from hens raised for egg-laying. For some reason, poultry hens are much less susceptible to the H5N1 virus than egg-laying hens, so chicken meat is much less likely to come from an infected hen. 

• Even if a tainted egg somehow made its way onto the supermarket shelves, the H5N1 virus could not survive in a properly cooked egg. The same is true for properly cooked chicken and beef.

This brings up a very important point. While eggs and poultry are currently not likely to be carrying H5N1, they are well known to provide happy homes for other diseases, like salmonella and E. coli. To avoid these food borne illnesses, it is essential that you only eat eggs and chicken that are properly cooked. It is better to be safe than sorry, so kick your sunny-side-up habit and avoid runny eggs. And there should never be any pink color in white chicken meat!  

While we are on the subject of raw food, let’s not forget raw milk. Drinking raw milk is an idea that has gained some popularity because Robert Kennedy Jr., who will be influencing healthcare policy for the next four years, is a vocal proponent of drinking it. 99.9% of medical and science professionals will tell you that raw milk carries the same risk of spreading illness as raw food. Since both milk and beef cows are developing H5N1 at a greater rate than poultry hens… well, you do the math. Raw milk and steak tartare are at least as risky as raw or undercooked poultry and eggs. 

Answer: Absolutely eat chicken and eggs (if they don’t break the bank), but cook them properly first. 

What about those crazy high egg prices? 

We’ll have to get used to them for a while. Nationally, the average retail price of a dozen eggs is just less than $5.00, almost double what they cost a year ago. Grocery stores typically price products like milk and eggs as “loss leaders,” meaning they are sold for less than the wholesale price that stores pay, to entice customers into a store. According to a New York Times article published yesterday, the wholesale price for a dozen eggs has hit $8.11. That means that supermarkets are losing more than three dollars per dozen, and they are selling out.  

Supermarkets have responded to the pressure by inching prices even higher and limiting the number of cartons shoppers are allowed to purchase. Restaurants, even those like Waffle House, known for low-cost meals, are raising prices of dishes made with eggs.  

Adding to the misery is our increasing appetite for eggs. Popular high-protein, low-carb diets are increasing demand, just as H5N1 is slashing supply. The result is a perfect storm driving prices even higher, as panicked consumers stockpile cartons of eggs. Here’s some good advice: 

• Don’t turn 2025 eggs into COVID era toilet paper. Eggs are less essential, and stockpiling is unnecessary, inflationary, and potentially wasteful. Instead of driving prices even higher with increased demand, keep a level head. Prices will eventually level out as well. 

• Eggs last about a week at room temperature and as long as three months in the refrigerator. If you can’t help overbuying, write the purchase date on your eggs, so you can be sure to use your panic purchases before they’ve outlived their shelf life. 

• Find other sources of lean protein. Eggs are not the only game in town. Now may be a good time to try legumes, lean meat, and vegetable proteins. 

• Get creative with baking substitutions. Unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas, sour cream, full-fat yogurt, tofu, and the liquid from a can of chickpeas are all terrific egg substitutes. You may create a new favorite —banana in brownies sounds delicious!
   

After years of research on how much alcohol is safe to drink, why are scientists now saying all alcohol is bad for you? 

The bottom line is that our research design has gotten better, and study sample sizes have increased. That means the newer results are more accurate. And yes, that means a wide variety of credible studies have confirmed the link between alcohol and an elevated cancer risk. 

Shortly before his term as U.S. Surgeon General ended on January 20th, Vivek Murthy released a 22-page advisory calling for an updated advisory warning on alcohol and changing the dietary guidelines for alcohol consumption.  

The advisory named alcohol as the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity, and called for increased education because “only 45% of Americans are aware that drinking alcohol can increase cancer risk.” 

While the announcement caused a bit of a stir, it didn’t contain many real revelations. Previous studies claiming that the resveratrol in red wine had health benefits made for some good headlines. But a closer look quickly revealed that you would have to drink many bottles of wine to get enough resveratrol to make a difference. At those levels, the risks far outweigh the benefits. 

While the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a limit of two drinks daily for men and one for women, no one confused those guidelines with a recommendation to drink every day. And it turns out that alcohol consumption has declined among the youngest generation who have reached drinking age. 

When it comes right down to it, the announcement that even moderate drinking isn’t good for us shouldn’t have come as a complete surprise—or a surprise at all. In the end, Dr. Murthy looked at the preponderance of the research and told us something we should have already known. There is no such thing as healthy alcohol. 

Despite the headlines, nothing has really changed. Alcohol is no different than cigarettes, ultra-processed food, and a sedentary lifestyle—these are all habits we can modify to live healthier and longer.

Did any good news come out of Washington DC during the first six weeks of the year? 

Absolutely! The pandas are back, just in time to offer some much-needed stress reduction to overwrought Americans. Giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao made their public debut at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on January 24th, filling the void left when their predecessors, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Xiao Qi Ji, went home to China in 2023. Bao Li is actually the grandson of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang. He and Qing Bao arrived via FedEx and will live at the zoo for the next 10 years. 

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is the only place in the nation where visitors can see giant pandas for free. But the best news for all of us outside the nation’s capital is that the new pandas mean a new Giant Panda Cam, one of the best stress relievers we know. The Giant Panda Cam is live from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET daily. After 7 p.m., the cam feed switches to a pre-recorded view of the previous 12 hours.  

If the first weeks of 2025 have you worrying about the flu, the price of eggs, and how you’re going to cut down on alcohol, connect to the Panda Cam. They’re relaxed, adorable, and guaranteed to make you smile.