Beet Supplements: A Hypertensive Cardiologist Confesses All Melissa Walton-Shirley, MD (++++)

Beet Supplements: A Hypertensive Cardiologist Confesses All https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/beet-supplements-hypertensive-cardiologist-confesses-all-2026a10010md?ecd=wnl_edit_tpal_etid8792512&uac=148436CN&impID=8792512 Much of the $68 billion/year we spend on supplements ends up down the toilet as pricey pee. Thankfully, most alternative therapies are merely fool’s gold, but some aren’t so benign. Ephedra-containing ma huang, promoted for weight loss, has been implicated in adverse cardiovascular events, including deaths. Conversely, folic acid supplementation in early pregnancy prevents 1300 neural tube defects annually. Sleep Dysfunction, Not Duration, Linked to Liver Disease https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/sleep-dysfunction-not-duration-linked-liver-disease-2026a1001277?ecd=wnl_edit_tpal_etid8792512&uac=148436CN&impID=8792512 NASHVILLE — A pair of studies add to evidence of a link between sleep dysfunction and liver disease, with a lower quality, but not quantity, of sleep linked to an increased risk for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and obstructive sleep apnea linked with a higher risk for MASLD, cirrhosis, and mortality. AMA's CPT Copyright Faces New Legal Challenge https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/amas-cpt-copyright-faces-new-legal-challenge-2026a10011u9?ecd=wnl_edit_tpal_etid8792512&uac=148436CN&impID=8792512 A new federal lawsuit targeting the American Medical Association's (AMA) copyrights on Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes could eventually reshape how those codes are accessed and billed. A patient advocacy group is asking a court to invalidate the AMA's exclusive rights so the codes can be published online at no cost. Here's what to know as the case, along with a related Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) comment period, moves forward. Rise of Ob Hospitalists Reduces Maternal Health Deserts https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/rise-ob-hospitalists-reduces-maternal-health-deserts-2026a100127f?ecd=wnl_edit_tpal_etid8792512&uac=148436CN&impID=8792512 Maternal health deserts — counties where there are no obstetricians, gynecologists, or certified nurse midwives to provide maternal care — are a growing problem in the United States. According to a new March of Dimes report, 1 in 3 counties are considered maternity care deserts with 5.8 million women and 358,000 infants living in places without access to quality care.