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Do you use a fan to sleep? Here's what to know.

Do you use a fan to sleep? Here's what to know.

Washington Post16-07-2025
Is it true that a fan can help you sleep?
Fans may help you sleep better for a couple of reasons: They can provide a cooling breeze and soothing white noise, sleep experts said. It is not, however, a one-size-fits-all approach as its success can depend on various factors, including how hot it is, the type of fan and whether a person has certain health conditions.
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Kroma Wellness Launches Dairy-Free Colostrum—And It Might Redefine The Supplement Industry
Kroma Wellness Launches Dairy-Free Colostrum—And It Might Redefine The Supplement Industry

Forbes

time2 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Kroma Wellness Launches Dairy-Free Colostrum—And It Might Redefine The Supplement Industry

In the ever-evolving world of wellness, it seems like new trends and buzzy bio-hacks emerge almost daily—but few have captured attention, and controversy, quite like colostrum. Touted for its immune-boosting and gut-healing benefits, the once-niche ingredient has exploded across social media and supplement aisles alike, with brands marketing bovine-derived powders and capsules as the next health and longevity essential. But while its benefits are well-documented, the $1.7 billion global colostrum market has remained oddly stagnant on one major front: nearly every product relies on the same base of bovine colostrum, sourced from mother cows in the first few days after birth. Not only does that raise ethical red flags for a large swath of consumers, but it also leaves out the 65% of the population who are lactose-intolerant and the growing number of people seeking dairy-free or plant-based alternatives. Lisa Odenweller saw this disconnect, and within it, an opportunity. As founder and CEO of Kroma Wellness, Odenweller has built her brand on premium, clean, science-backed nutrition. Now, she's launching Super Core, the world's first dairy-free, human-optimized colostrum supplement. 'The idea stemmed from a deep belief that we could do better—both for the body and for the planet,' she says. 'We saw a clear opportunity to innovate, creating a formula that offers the powerful benefits of colostrum, but designed for humans, free of dairy, and aligned with modern values.' With Super Core, Odenweller and her team have created a new category entirely, offering the benefits of colostrum without the cow. Powered by Effera™, a proprietary, human-identical form of lactoferrin made through precision fermentation, the supplement is designed to be more compatible with the human body, more effective, and more ethically aligned. And in an increasingly crowded and commoditized wellness space, it's a bold attempt to not just ride the wave but to reshape it entirely. 'Effera mirrors the colostrum that's naturally found in human breast milk,' Odenweller explains. 'It's non-allergenic, non-immunogenic, and designed to work seamlessly with human biology. We can only absorb up to 70% of bovine lactoferrin; whereas we can absorb 100% of Effera.' That distinction matters. Lactoferrin plays a key role in iron regulation, microbiome health, gut lining repair, and immune defense, but many consumers who've tried cow-derived versions experience bloating, inflammation, or hormonal issues. With Super Core, Kroma is aiming to deliver the same clinically backed benefits, minus the dairy and discomfort. While the science is compelling, the positioning is also strategic. 'We're reaching two key groups,' Odenweller says. 'People already using colostrum who are looking for something more effective and ethically aligned and people who've avoided colostrum entirely because of dairy, digestive issues, or sourcing concerns.' There's a business case for both. With more consumers prioritizing ethical formulations, transparency, and gut health, Super Core is poised to capture, and expand, the existing market. And it's not just a lateral product swap; Kroma claims Super Core is 15 times more potent than traditional cow colostrum products, requiring only one scoop per serving compared to three or four with other brands. That potency, coupled with Effera's patented technology, explains the $120 price tag, a significant premium in a category long dominated by $40 jars of powdered cow colostrum. 'Transparency and education are key,' Odenweller says. 'Effera is not a commodity ingredient—it's the result of cutting-edge biotechnology and years of R&D. When you combine scientific rigor, ethical formulation, and superior efficacy, the price reflects that investment.' For Odenweller, who previously founded lifestyle wellness brand Beaming and scaled it to 10 locations across Southern California, Super Core represents more than just a product launch. It's the opening move in what she sees as a new frontier in wellness: human-identical nutrition. From human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) to growth factor analogs, she believes the future lies in supplements that mimic and work with our biology, not against it. 'Human-identical bioactives are the future of targeted nutrition,' she says. 'We're just at the beginning of this movement.' That movement also reflects Kroma's broader approach to wellness. Since launching with its cult-favorite 5-Day Reset, the brand has expanded to nearly 20 instant, functional nutrition products designed to support everything from immunity and hydration to stress and sleep. Each product is clean, shelf-stable, beautifully packaged, and designed to be as easy to use as 'just add water.' But for all its aesthetic polish and celebrity buzz—Kristin Cavallari, Sara Foster, and Molly Sims are fans—Kroma isn't chasing trends. 'We don't do 'me toos,'' Odenweller says. 'But when there's an opportunity to do something better, with products that can truly transform how someone feels, then we're interested.' That means investing in science, even if it slows the pace of product launches. It means prioritizing efficacy and ethics over mass appeal. And it means holding fast to a brand identity that centers quality, without compromise. 'Every product must serve a clear, functional purpose,' she explains. 'If it doesn't meet our standards for efficacy, taste, and clean formulation, it doesn't launch.' Of course, building a premium wellness brand in an increasingly crowded, price-sensitive space comes with its own set of challenges. But Kroma isn't trying to be the cheapest option—it's aiming to be the best. 'We know wellness needs to be more accessible—and we're working toward that,' Odenweller says. 'At the same time, we're deeply committed to using the highest quality ingredients we can find: organic superfoods, adaptogens, organic ceremonial-grade matcha, grass-fed collagen and bone broth made in Australia through a proprietary process. Using ingredients like this cost a lot more, but we are not willing to compromise—and we know our customers can feel and taste the difference.' For Kroma, accessibility doesn't mean lowering quality—it means expanding how people can try the brand, whether through new formats, bundles, or flexible pricing tiers. The brand's customer base continues to grow through word-of-mouth and a highly engaged community that includes celebrities, influencers, and everyday users alike. 'Our ambassadors and customers alike share one thing in common: they've experienced real transformation,' Odenweller says. 'Our strategy is simple: amplify real stories, grounded in real results. That's what drives long-term loyalty.' With Super Core, Kroma isn't just launching another supplement—it's starting a conversation. One about how ingredients are sourced, who they're made for, and what it really means to support the body at a foundational level. And for Odenweller, that conversation is long overdue. 'In an industry full of noise, real disruption is about quiet, confident innovation that actually works and changes people's lives,' she says. And if Super Core is any indication, that's exactly what Kroma is setting out to do.

NASA and Google are building an AI medical assistant to keep Mars-bound astronauts healthy
NASA and Google are building an AI medical assistant to keep Mars-bound astronauts healthy

Yahoo

time29 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

NASA and Google are building an AI medical assistant to keep Mars-bound astronauts healthy

As human-spaceflight missions grow longer and travel farther from Earth, keeping crews healthy gets more challenging. Astronauts on the International Space Station can depend on real-time calls to Houston, regular cargo deliveries of medicines, and a quick ride home after six months. All of that may soon change as NASA and its commercial partners, like Elon Musk's SpaceX, look to conduct longer-duration missions that would take humans to the Moon and Mars. That looming reality is pushing NASA to gradually make on-orbit medical care more 'Earth-independent.' One early experiment is a proof-of-concept AI medical assistant the agency is building with Google. The tool, called Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant (CMO-DA), is designed to help astronauts diagnose and treat symptoms when no doctor is available or communications to Earth are blacked out. The multi-modal tool, which includes speech, text and images, runs inside Google Cloud's Vertex AI environment. The project is operating under a fixed-price Google Public Sector Subscription agreement, which includes the cost for cloud services, the application development infrastructure and model training, David Cruley, customer engineer at Google's Public Sector business unit, told TechCrunch. NASA owns the source code to the app and has helped fine-tune the models. The Google Vertex AI platform provides access to models from Google and other third parties. The two organizations have put CMO-DA through three scenarios: an ankle injury, flank pain, and ear pain. A trio of physicians, one being an astronaut, graded the assistant's performance across the initial evaluation, history-taking, clinical reasoning, and treatment. The trio found a high degree of diagnostic accuracy, judging the flank pain evaluation and treatment plan to be 74% likely correct; ear pain, 80%; and 88% for the ankle injury. The roadmap is deliberately incremental. NASA scientists said in a slide deck about the effort they are planning on adding more data sources, like medical devices, and training the model to be 'situationally aware' – that is, attuned to space medicine-specific conditions like microgravity. Cruley was vague about whether Google intends to pursue regulatory clearance to take this type of medical assistant into doctor's offices here on Earth, but it could be an obvious next step if the model is validated on orbit. The tool not only could improve the health of astronauts in space, 'but the lessons learned from this tool could also have applicability to other areas of health,' he said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

EpiPen patent expiry opens new era for innovation
EpiPen patent expiry opens new era for innovation

Yahoo

time29 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

EpiPen patent expiry opens new era for innovation

The upcoming EpiPen patent expiration on 11 September 2025 sets the stage for a pivotal shift in the epinephrine delivery market. Mylan acquired the rights to the injector pen for treating anaphylactic reactions following the $6.7bn acquisition of Merck KGaA's generics business, Merck Generics, in 2007. Mylan has since faced criticism for inflating the price of EpiPen and constraining patient access. The company has faced numerous lawsuits over the years in relation to overcharging drug wholesalers for access. In 2020, Mylan merged with Upjohn, Pfizer's off-patent medicine division, to form Viatris. In January 2025, Mylan reached a $73.5m settlement with KPH Healthcare Services following accusations that it conspired with Pfizer and Teva Pharmaceuticals to delay the release of generic EpiPens, thereby maintaining a monopoly and inflating prices for epinephrine autoinjectors. The lawsuit contested that prices for a two-pack of EpiPens rose from around $100 in 2008 to $600 during the class period between March 2014 and February 2025. The generics upswell and innovation rise According to Dr Stuart Grant, principal consultant at UK-based medtech consultant Archetype MedTech, the patent expiration's immediate effect will lead to a rise in generic competitors. 'An increase in generic options is likely to lower prices considerably, expanding choices for consumers and healthcare providers. Greater availability of affordable options could improve access for individuals and families who previously found it too expensive,' Grant said. With the patent expiration, Grant foresees Viatris facing pressures to cut prices or introduce new financial support programmes to maintain its market share. 'The brand might also explore developing next-generation devices, improving user experience, or applying for secondary patents to stay competitive. These strategies, known as 'evergreening', could draw regulatory attention depending on their intent and market impact,' Grant explained. Epinephrine injector competitors have previously had to develop their devices around EpiPen's patented spring-loaded mechanism, a reality that limited their ability to replicate or improve upon the core delivery system. 'They will now be able to use the original design as a foundation, incorporating enhancements such as better ergonomics, child-friendly features, or smaller form factors,' Grant said. 'The removal of patent barriers also paves the way for innovative technologies – Bluetooth tracking, dose reminders, and digital health integrations can now be layered on top of the legacy design. 'Moreover, companies can explore alternative formulations and delivery methods while leveraging the expired EpiPen model for regulatory efficiency, potentially qualifying for accelerated approval pathways. This reduces both development time and cost, encouraging new entrants into the market.' Grant concluded. "EpiPen patent expiry opens new era for innovation" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio

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