Author: Reporter

America’s drugstores are testing smaller locations and more ways to offer care as price-sensitive shoppers look elsewhere. Customers may see Walgreens stores that are one-fourth the size of a regular location or CVS drugstores with entire primary clinics stuffed inside. If these experiments succeed, the new stores might improve access to care and create a more lasting connection with customers, analysts say. “Everyone looks at health care and says, ‘Oh yeah, it’s a market that’s ripe for disruption,'” said Neil Saunders, managing director of consulting and data analysis firm GlobalData. “But it isn’t easy to disrupt.” Walgreens CEO Tim...

Lauren Bell was stressed out and just starting her first job post-college in New York City when she realized a bout of food poisoning was not going away after weeks. A doctor’s appointment revealed she had irritable bowel syndrome, a surprising diagnosis — until she learned more about the connection between mental health and gut health, as well as the prevalence of digestive problems among women. “Working in a pretty intense environment, living in the city, and being an adult for the first time was doing a number on my body,” the 27-year-old said of her diagnosis five years...

New blood tests could help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s disease faster and more accurately, researchers reported in July. But some appear to work far better than others. It is tricky to tell if memory problems are caused by Alzheimer’s. That requires confirming one of the disease’s hallmark signs, the buildup of a sticky protein called beta-amyloid, with a hard-to-get brain scan or uncomfortable spinal tap. Many patients instead are diagnosed based on symptoms and cognitive exams. Labs have begun offering a variety of tests that can detect certain signs of Alzheimer’s in blood. Scientists are excited by their potential but...