Anxiety, Depression, Poor Sleep Are Lasting Impacts For Women Of Sexual Assault, Study Shows

NPR: Sexual Assault And Workplace Harassment May Affect Women's Health For Years
The trauma of sexual assault or harassment is not only hard to forget; it may also leave lasting effects on a woman's health. This finding of a study published Wednesday adds support to a growing body of evidence suggesting the link. In the study of roughly 300 middle-aged women, an experience of sexual assault was associated with anxiety, depression and poor sleep. A history of workplace sexual harassment was also associated with poor sleep and with an increased risk of developing high blood pressure. (Gordon, 10/3)

The Wall Street Journal: A New Push To Lower Your Risk For Breast Cancer 
A regular mammogram isn’t enough to battle breast cancer anymore. Researchers have found that a third of breast cancer cases may have roots in issues like obesity, alcohol use and inactivity. Hospitals are parlaying that fact into new, personalized assessments that emphasize prevention and healthier life choices, along with other factors that increase or decrease risk. They’re using the results to guide follow-up and recommendations tailored to each woman. (Landro, 10/3)

The New York Times: Psychedelic Mushrooms Are Closer To Medicinal Use (It’s Not Just Your Imagination)
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have recommended that psilocybin, the active compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms, be reclassified for medical use, potentially paving the way for the psychedelic drug to one day treat depression and anxiety and help people stop smoking. The suggestion to reclassify psilocybin from a Schedule I drug, with no known medical benefit, to a Schedule IV drug, which is akin to prescription sleeping pills, was part of a review to assess the safety and abuse of medically administered psilocybin. (Holson, 10/3)

The New York Times: Why Elephants Don’t Shed Their Skin
The African elephant is known for its thick, wrinkly skin. But look closer and you’ll see an intricate network of tiny crevices that makes the mighty mammal’s hide resemble cracked mud or damaged asphalt. The purpose of those cracks is no mystery. An elephant doesn’t have sweat or sebum glands, so it covers its skin in water or mud to keep cool. The micrometer-wide cracks in its skin retain 10 times more moisture than a flat surface, helping the animal regulate its body temperature. They also help mud adhere to the skin, which protects against parasites and rays from the sun. (Quenqua, 10/3)

Los Angeles Times: More Than 1 In 3 Americans Eat Fast Food On A Typical Day, And We Eat It All Day Long
If you’re an adult in America, there’s a better than 1 in 3 chance that you’ll eat fast food today — if you haven’t already. New survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 36.6% of us eat some kind of fast food on any given day. That includes 37.9% of men and 35.4% of women, according to a report published Wednesday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. (Kaplan, 10/3)

The New York Times: Pret A Manger Starts Labeling Food With Allergens
Pret A Manger, the British sandwich chain that has become a mainstay of office lunches with the promise of freshly prepared food, will be adding information about allergens in its food after the death of a girl who ate a sandwich containing sesame seeds, an ingredient she was allergic to. In a statement on Wednesday, the company said it would start affixing ingredient labels to its packaging in November. (Tsang, 10/3)

Kaiser Health News: Elder Orphans Or Solo Agers, Who Lack Children Or A Spouse To Care For Them, Need A Plan B On Aging
It was a memorable place to have an “aha” moment about aging. Peter Sperry had taken his 82-year-old father, who’d had a stroke and used a wheelchair, to Disney World. Just after they’d made their way through the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, nature called. Sperry took his father to the bathroom where, with difficulty, he changed the older man’s diaper. (Graham, 10/4)