Health - Resources and discussion for everything health-related
- She Needed an Emergency Abortion. Doctors in Idaho Put Her on a Plane.www.nytimes.com She Needed an Emergency Abortion. Doctors in Idaho Put Her on a Plane.
In states that have banned abortion, hospitals have struggled to treat pregnant women facing health risks. A Supreme Court decision this week did not help.
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- Medicare's Part D policy is blocking progress needed to achieve Black health equitywww.statnews.com Medicare's Part D policy is blocking progress needed to achieve Black health equity
Although Medicare coverage of anti-obesity medicines would be important for all older Americans, it is extra important for Black Americans, who are more likely to be living with obesity.
- Big Pharma’s fight against drug price reforms takes weird, desperate turnarstechnica.com Big Pharma’s fight against drug price reforms takes weird, desperate turn
PhRMA claims price negotiations raise costs and that drug patents lower them.
- Living near a busy airport can make you sick, new study findswww.politico.eu Living near a busy airport can make you sick, new study finds
The effects include higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia.
The effects include higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia.
Living near an airport increases the chances of developing diseases such as diabetes, dementia or high blood pressure, a new study finds.
The paper, released Tuesday by green NGO Transport & Environment, blames fine particles and elements in jet fuel for the health impacts.
“A total of 280,000 cases of high blood pressure, 330,000 cases of diabetes, and 18,000 cases of dementia may be linked to UFP \[ultrafine particle] emissions among the 51.5 million people living around the 32 busiest airports in Europe,” estimate the researchers from the CE Delft consultancy, which authored the study.
- Chorus or Cacophony? Cicada Song Hits Some Ears Harder Than Otherskffhealthnews.org Chorus or Cacophony? Cicada Song Hits Some Ears Harder Than Others - KFF Health News
Cicadas are the song of the summer, but this year’s large broods may be especially irritating for people on the autism spectrum who have hearing sensitivity.
- WHO: Nearly 1.8 billion people at risk due to inactivitywww.dw.com WHO: Nearly 1.8 billion people at risk due to inactivity – DW – 06/26/2024
If current trends continue, 35% of people will be inactive by 2030.
Nearly 1.8 billion adults are at risk of cancer, stroke, dementia and diabetes due to insufficient exercise, according to a new report released on Wednesday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said physical inactivity has increased globally by five percentage points from 2010 to 2022, yet around 31% of adults still don't meet exercise guidelines.
The study, published in The Lancet Global Health journal, pointed out that 34% of women and 29% of men are inactive.
If current trends continue, 35% of people will be inactive by 2030, the report said.
"Physical inactivity is a silent threat to global health, contributing significantly to the burden of chronic diseases," said Ruediger Krech, director of the WHO's health promotion department.
- US surgeon general declares gun violence a public health crisiswww.theguardian.com US surgeon general declares gun violence a public health crisis
Vivek Murthy made declaration after weekend in which dozens of Americans were killed or wounded in mass shootings
Vivek Murthy made declaration after weekend in which dozens of Americans were killed or wounded in mass shootings
The US surgeon general on Tuesday declaredgun violence a public health crisis, driven by the fast-growing number of injuries and deaths involving firearms in the country.
The advisory issued by Dr Vivek Murthy, the nation’s top doctor, came as the US grappled with another summer weekend marked by mass shootings that left dozens of people dead or wounded.
“People want to be able to walk through their neighborhoods and be safe,” Murthy told the Associated Press in a phone interview. “America should be a place where all of us can go to school, go to work, go to the supermarket, go to our house of worship, without having to worry that that’s going to put our life at risk.”
- Women exposed to ‘forever chemicals’ may risk shorter breastfeeding durationwww.theguardian.com Women exposed to ‘forever chemicals’ may risk shorter breastfeeding duration
Higher PFAS exposure could cause lactation to slow or stop altogether within six months, new research finds
Higher PFAS exposure could cause lactation to slow or stop altogether within six months, new research finds
Women exposed to toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” prior to pregnancy face an elevated risk of being unable to breastfeed early, new research finds.
The study tracked lactation durations for over 800 new moms in New Hampshire and found higher PFAS exposure could cause lactation to slow or stop altogether within six months.
The findings are “cause for concern” said Megan Romano, an epidemiologist at Dartmouth University and lead author.
“For all women who are exposed, there’s a little bit of a decrease in the amount of time they breastfeed beyond delivery,” Romano said.
- I Started Taking a Walk Every Morning. Here's What Happened to My Health | The Art of Manlinesswww.artofmanliness.com I Started Taking a Walk Every Morning. Here's What Happened to My Health
Since March, I’ve been waking up earlier. Before that time, I’d typically go to bed at 11 p.m. and naturally wake up between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. Then, for some reason, regardless of what time I went to bed, I started spontaneously waking up between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Consequently, I moved my bedtime ear...
Since March, I’ve been waking up earlier. Before that time, I’d typically go to bed at 11 p.m. and naturally wake up between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. Then, for some reason, regardless of what time I went to bed, I started spontaneously waking up between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Consequently, I moved my bedtime earlier, […]
- Loneliness can increase stroke risk by up to 56%, finds researchwww.theguardian.com Loneliness can increase stroke risk by up to 56%, finds research
People who feel chronically lonely over long period of time at higher risk, finds first study of its kind
- Transmasculine reproductive healthcare is rarely talked about. Let's change that.www.lgbtqnation.com Transmasculine reproductive healthcare is rarely talked about. Let's change that. - LGBTQ Nation
Transmasculine people need information and support when it comes to abortion, pregnancy, HIV, and other sexual health topics.
- Novo Nordisk to build $4.1 billion North Carolina facility to boost output of Wegovy, Ozempicwww.cnbc.com Novo Nordisk to build $4.1 billion North Carolina facility to boost output of Wegovy, Ozempic
The new plant in Clayton, North Carolina, will be responsible for filling and packaging syringes and injection pens for Wegovy, Ozempic and other drugs.
- Young Gay Latinos See Rising Share of New HIV Cases, Leading to Call for Targeted Fundingkffhealthnews.org Young Gay Latinos See Rising Share of New HIV Cases, Leading to Call for Targeted Funding - KFF Health News
Since being diagnosed with HIV in 2022, Fernando Hermida has had to move three times to access treatment. A KFF Health News-Associated Press analysis found gay and bisexual Latino men account for a fast-growing proportion of new diagnoses and infections, showing they are falling behind in the fight ...
- Experts: US hospitals prone to cyberattacks like one that hurt patient care at Ascensionkffhealthnews.org Experts: US Hospitals Prone to Cyberattacks Like One That Hurt Patient Care at Ascension - KFF Health News
Clinicians working for Ascension hospitals in multiple states described harrowing lapses, including delayed or lost lab results, medication errors, and an absence of routine safety checks to prevent potentially fatal mistakes.
In the wake of a debilitating cyberattack against one of the nation’s largest health care systems, Marvin Ruckle, a nurse at an Ascension hospital in Wichita, Kansas, said he had a frightening experience: He nearly gave a baby “the wrong dose of narcotic” because of confusing paperwork.
Ruckle, who has worked in the neonatal intensive care unit at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph for two decades, said it was “hard to decipher which was the correct dose” on the medication record. He’d “never seen that happen,” he said, “when we were on the computer system” before the cyberattack.
A May 8 ransomware attack against Ascension, a Catholic health system with 140 hospitals in at least 10 states, locked providers out of systems that track and coordinate nearly every aspect of patient care. They include its systems for electronic health records, some phones, and ones “utilized to order certain tests, procedures and medications,” the company said in a May 9 statement.
More than a dozen doctors and nurses who work for the sprawling health system told Michigan Public and KFF Health News that patient care at its hospitals across the nation was compromised in the fallout of the cyberattack over the past several weeks. Clinicians working for hospitals in three states described harrowing lapses, including delayed or lost lab results, medication errors, and an absence of routine safety checks via technology to prevent potentially fatal mistakes.
- Popular weight loss drug may help treat severe sleep apnea, new research findswww.nbcnews.com Popular weight loss drug may help treat severe sleep apnea, new research finds
Drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co., who paid for the research, has asked the FDA to expand use of the weekly medication to treat moderate to severe sleep apnea
A popular obesity drug may help treat a dangerous disorder in which people struggle to breathe while they sleep, a new study finds.
Tirzepatide, the medication in the weight loss drug Zepbound and also the diabetes treatment Mounjaro, appeared to reduce the severity of sleep apnea along with reducing weight and improving blood pressure and other health measures in patients with obesity who took the drug for a year.
Eli Lilly and Co., the drug’s maker who paid for the research, has asked the Food and Drug Administration to expand use of the drug to treat moderate to severe sleep apnea, in which people stop and start breathing during sleep, a spokesperson said Friday. A decision is expected by the end of the year.
But an outside expert cautioned in an editorial that more research will be needed to tell if the drug can be used as “a sole treatment” for obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when tissue in the throat relaxes and collapses during sleep, fully or partially blocking the airway. It affects an estimated 20 million Americans and can cause short-term issues such as snoring, brain fog and daytime sleepiness but also severe long-term issues such as heart disease, dementia and early death.
- Abortion clinics reinvented themselves after Dobbs. They're still strugglingwww.usatoday.com Abortion clinics reinvented themselves after Dobbs. They're still struggling
Two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, former abortion clinics that reinvented themselves are struggling to keep their doors open.
- Blisters from sunburn. Does it look bad?
I went in the sun Thursday around 90°F temperature and didn't put on sunscreen. Now I'm kind of feeling pretty bad.
- Bisexual and transgender adults report loneliness twice as much as straight adults: CDCwww.advocate.com Bisexual and transgender adults report loneliness twice as much as straight adults: CDC
Bisexual and transgender adults also reported having the highest rates of stress, frequent mental distress, and histories of depression.
- New Study Reveals Heightened Fear And Mistrust Of Health System in Black Communitynewsone.com New Study Reveals Heightened Fear And Mistrust Of Health System in Black Community
The Black community is even more distrustful because of the way the system continues to treat them in disparate ways, a new study has revealed.
- Missouri is breaking federal law by housing mentally ill in nursing homes, DOJ findswww.stlpr.org Missouri is breaking federal law by housing mentally ill in nursing homes, DOJ finds
A majority of Missourians sent to restrictive nursing homes because of mental illness would be better served in a less restrictive setting, a year-and-a-half federal investigation determined.
- Abortion is becoming more common in primary care clinics as doctors challenge stigmawww.kpbs.org Abortion is becoming more common in primary care clinics as doctors challenge stigma
More family medicine and primary care doctors are doing abortions and questioning why it’s been separated from other care for decades.
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In lieu of standalone clinics offering abortions, or telehealth appointments where patients get abortion medication by mail, family doctors are offering an abortion option in a familiar setting.
This trend of primary care integrating medication or procedural abortions, usually in early pregnancy, is growing in states where abortion is legal. While there is little data on how common this is becoming, NPR heard from primary care doctors across the country who said they are expanding their practices to provide abortion care.
“There's no reason for this care to be siloed,” says Arnold, who is very public about her offerings, which include abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and gender-affirming care. “I don't feel like it's any different than my management of diabetes or chronic pain or endometriosis — this is just a routine part of my day.”
- Bird Flu Pandemic 'Very Likely', Warns Former CDC Directorplantbasednews.org Bird Flu Pandemic 'Very Likely', Warns Former CDC Director
The former health chief has said a bird flu pandemic is a matter of when, not if, and would be much more deadly than Covid.
- ‘We’re Flying Blind’: CDC Has 1M Bird Flu Tests Ready, but Experts See Repeat of Covid Misstepskffhealthnews.org ‘We’re Flying Blind’: CDC Has 1M Bird Flu Tests Ready, but Experts See Repeat of Covid Missteps - KFF Health News
Three months into the U.S. bird flu outbreak, only 45 people have been tested. Laboratories that are the foundation of diagnostic testing have yet to get approval to detect the bird flu virus. They say their path forward has been slowed by miscommunication and uncertainty from the CDC and FDA.
- Substance use experts are sounding the alarm on another addiction: gamblingwww.statnews.com Substance use experts are sounding the alarm on another addiction: gambling
LAS VEGAS — Downstairs was a sensory overload: Roulette wheels spun, slot-machine chimes rang, and dealers hurried to scoop up stacks of casino chips
- Gilead’s twice-yearly shot to prevent HIV succeeds in late-stage trial, found 100% effectivewww.cnbc.com Gilead’s twice-yearly shot to prevent HIV succeeds in late-stage trial
Gilead's experimental twice-yearly medicine to prevent HIV was 100% effective in a late-stage trial, the company said Thursday.
- Global alert issued over fake-Ozempic drugswww.bbc.com Global alert issued over fake-Ozempic drugs
The World Health Organization says fake drugs, used for type-2 diabetes and weight loss, are a danger to health.
A global alert about fake Ozempic - which has become popular as a way of losing weight - has been issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The drug is sometimes known as a "skinny jab" despite its main purpose being a treatment for type-2 diabetes.
The WHO said the fake medicines could pose a danger to health.
The organisation advised people to source the drug only through reputable sources, such as a doctor, rather than obscure sites online or through social media.
The active ingredient in Ozempic - semaglutide - helps people with type-2 diabetes control the amount of sugar in their blood.
- ‘Space hairdryer’ regenerates heart tissue in studywww.bbc.com ‘Space hairdryer’ regenerates heart tissue in study
Gentle shockwaves could regenerate the heart tissue of patients after bypass surgery, research suggests.
Gentle shockwaves could regenerate the heart tissue of patients after bypass surgery, research suggests.
A study of 63 people in Austria found those given the new treatment could walk further - and their hearts could pump more blood.
“For the first time, we are seeing the heart muscle regenerate in a clinical setting, which could help millions of people,” Prof Johannes Holfeld, from Innsbruck Medical University, said.
Larger trials of the device, dubbed a "space hairdryer" by researchers, are now planned to try to replicate the results in a wider group of patients.
- Regular walking can reduce back pain recurrence, study findswww.dw.com Regular walking can reduce back pain recurrence, study finds – DW – 06/20/2024
A new study found that walking for half an hour five days a week made recurrences of lower back pain almost half as frequent. The authors said more focus on preventive care could lead to large future savings.
A new study found that walking for half an hour five days a week made recurrences of lower back pain almost half as frequent. The authors said more focus on preventive care could lead to large future savings.
A study published in the medical journal The Lancet this week recommends regular walks as a cheap and easy way to potentially prevent recurring back pain.
Trials showed that patients who went for half-hour walks five times a week and received coaching from a physiotherapist had fewer flare-ups than a control group.
The researchers said patients also reported improved perceived quality of life and that the amount of time they took off work was reduced by almost half.
- It's been 60 years since Freedom Summer, yet the fight for affordable, compassionate, and equitable health care is still going onwww.statnews.com It's been 60 years since Freedom Summer, yet the fight for affordable, compassionate, and equitable health care is still going on
Six decades after Freedom Summer, the fight is still on to increase access to affordable health care for millions of Americans.
- Can a newly discovered genetic trait open the window to delaying Alzheimer's?www.usatoday.com Could a genetic trait delay Alzheimer's?
Researchers say a rare genetic trait could delay the onset of Alzheimer's in high-risk group and be used to develop antibody drugs.
- The biggest unknown in psychedelic therapy is not the psychedelicswww.vox.com The biggest unknown in psychedelic therapy is not the psychedelics
Why critics call the company pushing to legalize MDMA a "therapy cult."
- Miserable, Aggressive, Dull- How Heat Affects the Brain - The New York Times (Free article)www.nytimes.com How Heat Affects the Brain
High temperatures can make us miserable. Research shows they also make us aggressive, impulsive and dull.
Looks like critical thinking deteriorates above 72f/22c. Crime swings higher. Lowering your core temperature seems to help, even if you live in a climate with unavoidable heat.
- Bird flu pandemic risk high as cow cases appear and officials warn of humans’ rolewww.theguardian.com Bird flu pandemic risk high as cow cases appear and officials warn of humans’ role
USDA report finds transmission likely happening when workers, cows, vehicles and equipment go to multiple farms
USDA report finds transmission likely happening when workers, cows, vehicles and equipment go to multiple farms
Bird flu cases among animals continue to rise as US officials warn about the role of humans in spreading the virus.
There are now 102 herds in the US with H5N1 cases, though given the prevalence of inactivated virus in commercially available pasteurized milk, experts believe the true number may be even higher.
Poultry operations have reported cases likely linked to dairy farms, indicating the virus may be spilling back from cows into birds. Nearly 97m domesticated birds in the US have been affected by the highly pathogenic influenza since 2022.
Although officials believe this outbreak was originally sparked by a single introduction from migratory birds into cows – for instance, via feed contaminated by bird feces – late last year, genomic analyses now suggest it is being spread between animals and farms by human activity, according a report released by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Thursday.
- On the road to eliminate rabies deaths, Gavi announces plan to improve human vaccinationwww.statnews.com On the road to eliminate rabies deaths, Gavi announces plan to improve human vaccination
Rabies is one of few diseases that can be effectively treated by vaccines after exposure — but many countries lack access to the shots. A new global health effort aims to change that.
- Older Women Are Different Than Older Men. Their Health Is Woefully Understudied.kffhealthnews.org Older Women Are Different Than Older Men. Their Health Is Woefully Understudied. - KFF Health News
The White House has launched an initiative on women’s health. Studying the health of older women, a largely neglected group in medical research, should be a priority.