Welcome to this week’s Peel!

This week’s stories are a reminder that effective clinical care sits at the intersection of science, public health, and real-world decision-making—not in isolation. Advances in epilepsy treatment highlight how evolving evidence informs patient selection and escalation of care, while measles resurgence and shifting life-expectancy trends underscore how fragile population-level gains can be when prevention falters.

On the innovation front, tools like ingestible “smart pills” raise practical questions about adherence, monitoring, ethics, and feasibility in routine care. Paired with reflections on rest, burnout, and system-level pressure, these pieces speak to the clinical, operational, and human factors shaping care delivery today. Taken together, this week’s Peel connects emerging evidence with the realities clinicians face on the ground—where progress, constraints, and tradeoffs are always in play.

And if you want to apply what you’re learning outside the office, don’t forget to apply to Grapefruit Health to gain more patient-facing experience while you grow.

Let’s get into it.

Latest In Medical Innovations 🩺

These pieces focus on where clinical progress is tangible—and where it remains vulnerable. From expanding treatment options for epilepsy to the reversal of measles elimination and updated life expectancy data, these stories highlight how advances in care coexist with persistent gaps in prevention, access, and population health resilience.

1. Latest Treatment Options Offer Relief From Seizures for People With Epilepsy: https://pennstatehealthnews.org/2025/11/the-medical-minute-latest-treatment-options-offer-relief-from-seizures-for-people-with-epilepsy/

2. U.S. Life Expectancy Hits a New High in 2024, CDC Says: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-life-expectancy-hit-time-high-2024-cdc-129674368

3. UK and European Nations Lose Measles Elimination Status: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/uk-european-nations-lose-measles-elimination-status

4. How Rest Became the Biggest Four-Letter Word in Healthcare: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/how-rest-became-biggest-four-letter-word-healthcare-2026a100031g

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AI & Health Technology 💻 

This section examines how emerging technologies and policy are beginning to collide with real-world clinical practice. From ingestible adherence-monitoring tools to federal efforts to regulate healthcare AI, these articles raise practical questions about implementation, trust, and whether innovation is truly aligned with the realities of care delivery.

1. MIT’s Smart Pill Knows When You Swallow It: https://scitechdaily.com/mits-smart-pill-knows-when-you-swallow-it/

2. The Health AI Act (H.R. 5045), Explained: https://www.latimes.com/doctors-scientists/innovations/news/story/health-ai-act-h-r-5045-explained

Healthcare Worker Discounts 💸

Not sponsored! Just a little something for the hard work you do, every day. Whether you’re a nurse, pharmacist, physician, or any other healthcare profession, there may be something for you:

Freshly Squeezed Jokes 🍊

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