Among the articles:

• Breaking the cycle: A roundup of innovative approaches to care, helping patients thrive despite their chronic illnesses — including the development of an affordable, widely accessible treatment for sickle cell disease; a fight against autoimmune disorders that destroys self-attacking cells and replaces them with healthy cells; the study of a miniaturized version of a brain’s pain pathway to better understand pain and how to treat it; and the creation of a diabetes tracking system so physicians can assess, in real time, if a patient is in crisis.
• Gut feelings: Stanford Medicine gastroenterologists are using discoveries about the intestinal microbiome and psychology to help patients with unexplained symptoms reset their relationship between gut and brain and feel well again.
• Improving the lives of people with chronic conditions: In his letter to readers, Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Stanford University, notes that breakthroughs in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases are possible thanks to decades of research that laid the groundwork for understanding the complexities of human biology and disease progression.
• A school is born: Minor and Alice Walton reflect on the collaboration between Stanford Medicine and the recently launched Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, in Arkansas, and their vision of readying a new generation of doctors to care for America’s underserved and rural populations.
• Infection connections: Researchers are discovering that acute infections early in life, like Epstein-Barr virus, can lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis in later years and are investigating how this happens.
• A taste of health: A collection of stories about the food-health connection — from research into how our diet affects our physical and mental health to factoring nutrition into medical education and patient care.
• Did you know?: Specialists in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and stroke recovery reflect on ways targeted treatment, emerging therapeutics and advanced technology have led to improved care.
• Farewell to the couch: The latest research on the impact of exercise at a molecular level details the benefits of sitting less and moving more — and shows they’re beyond what any pill could bring about.
• Too small to fail: In a Q&A, behavioral health thought leader Arianna Huffington talks about ways tiny actions that fit easily into busy lives can add up to new habits that lead to better health.
• Laugh, cry, repeat: Psychologist Diana Naranjo, PhD, discusses the psychological challenges that accompany chronic illness and offers patients this advice: Be kind to yourself, connect with someone who knows what you’re going through, therapy helps.

Also included in this issue:

• Paging Dr. Algorithm: Stanford University’s medical school is revamping its curriculum to incorporate lessons on how AI works and how to use it. It’s also providing AI-based apps so students can practice interacting with patients and making diagnoses.
• Mysteries of life and cancer treatments: In a personal essay, writer Jeanie Kortum recounts her husband’s harrowing battle with multiple myeloma, exploring the emotional toll of cancer treatment, the hope offered by CAR-T therapy and the fragility of existence.
  
• A killer in the fields: Nephrologist Shuchi Anand, MD, and a team of scientists are trying to pinpoint causes of a stealthy kidney disease that affects farm workers who work in extreme heat conditions.

Interviews on many topics included in Stanford Medicine magazine are featured on the Health Compass podcast at stan.md/health-compass. The magazine is available online at stanmed.stanford.edu as well as in print. Request a copy or subscribe by sending an email to medmag@stanford.edu.