Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
When Someone Is Grieving A Loved One's Suicide, Even Well-Intentioned Words Can Hurt
The New York Times: What To Say (And Not To Say) To Someone Grieving A Suicide
It can be hard to know what to say to a person in the thicket of grief; when someone is grieving a loved one’s suicide, the right words — any words, even — can feel all the more elusive and fraught. Suicide can leave survivors racked with anger, confusion and guilt, and in this state, sometimes even well-intentioned words can hurt. (Brandeis, 5/8)
NPR: For Domestic Violence Survivors, Finding Strength To Leave Abusers Is A Process
Many women have a hard time admitting — even to themselves — that they're being abused by their husband or partner. Suzanne Dubus' first husband hit her, but still, she didn't initially identify herself as a victim of abuse. "I attributed it to alcohol," Dubus says. "I knew that his father abused his mother. And I thought, 'Well, this is just poor learning, and I can help him with this.' " (Gross, 5/7)
USA Today: Mental Health: Talking To Your Pets Is Good, Combats Loneliness
Owning a pet increases human interaction and combats the increasing health concerns around loneliness, prompting some researchers Tuesday to suggest the government should do more to encourage it. Researchers released new data Tuesday that show about 40% of people support a government push to increase interaction with pets. The research was presented at the first Summit on Social Isolation and Companion Animals by Mars Petcare and its Human Animal Bond Research Institute. (O'Donnell, 5/7)
The Associated Press: NFL Concussion Fund Pays Out $485M, But Legal Fights Resume
The NFL concussion fund has paid out nearly $500 million in its first two years, but some players’ lawyers say there aren’t enough doctors in the approved network to evaluate dementia claims. They went to court Tuesday to oppose a rule to require retired players to be tested by doctors within 150 miles of home to prevent “doctor shopping” and suspected fraud. Fund administrator Orran Brown said ex-players from around the country had flocked to four doctors now dismissed from the program who had “high-volume” traffic and some suspect findings. (Dale, 5/7)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: More Blood Pressure Medications Recalled Over Cancer-Causing Impurity
Vivimed is recalling 19 lots of losartan potassium tablets of 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg because of the detection of an impurity — N-Nitroso-N-methyl-4-aminobutyric acid (NMBA) — that is above the Food & Drug Administration’s interim acceptable exposure limit of 9.82 ppm. Based on the available information, the FDA wrote in its recall summary, the risk of developing cancer in a few patients following long-term use of the product containing high levels of the impurity NMBA cannot be ruled out. (Clanton, 5/7)
Kaiser Health News: Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?
It was early morning in an operating theater at Providence Hospital in Portland, Ore. A middle-aged woman lay on the operating table, wrapped in blankets. Surgeons were about to cut out a cancerous growth in her stomach. But first, an anesthesiologist — Dr. Brian Chesebro — put her under by placing a mask over her face. (Foden-Vencil, 5/8)
The New York Times: Track And Field Tries To Understand New Rules For Intersex Athletes
The 800-meter women’s race in the Diamond League meet in Doha, Qatar, on Friday included only the best of the best female middle-distance runners. And it was the last chance for athletes affected by a new ruling on testosterone levels to run in a women’s race without medical intervention. That ruling, which requires these athletes to take hormone-suppressing drugs and goes into effect Wednesday, began a week unlike any other in track and field history when it was delivered on May 1. (Kolata, 5/8)
The New York Times: The Stoner As Gym Rat
Defying stereotypes, many people who frequently use cannabis also seem to be people who frequently exercise, according to the first large study of legal marijuana and exercise habits. The study finds that many people who report using cannabis in the hours before or after a workout believe that it makes their exercise more enjoyable and may help motivate them to get out and be active. Fewer of those who exercise and use pot maintain that it actually improves their physical performance while exercising. (Reynolds, 5/8)
The New York Times: Eating Nuts During Pregnancy Tied To Brain Benefits In Baby
Eating nuts during pregnancy may lead to improved cognitive ability in children, Spanish researchers report. Their study, in the European Journal of Epidemiology, included 2,208 children. Mothers filled out food questionnaires during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, and researchers administered tests of motor and intellectual ability when the children were 1 and a half, 5 and 8 years old. (Bakalar, 5/7)
