Bouncing Back From Trauma Is Possible, But Some People Have To Work Harder Than Others
Dr. Dennis Charney has spent years studying trauma. And then he joined the ranks of the patients he worked with. In other public health news, ADHD, embryo editing, effects of gender stereotypes, the science of weight loss, the flu and more.
Stat:
As A Scientist, He Studied Trauma Victims. Then He Became One
Dr. Dennis Charney stepped forward to address the court here, the man who tried to kill him standing no more than 20 feet away. He stated his full name for the record and then began detailing what happened. How one morning as he picked up his iced coffee and lightly buttered bagel, he heard a shotgun boom and saw blood pouring from his shoulder and chest. How he spent five days in the intensive care unit and then was scared to sleep with the lights off. How even now, a year later, he carried buckshot in his body. (Joseph, 9/21)
The Washington Post:
Could ADHD Be A Type Of Sleep Disorder? That Would Fundamentally Change How We Treat It.
Over the past two decades, U.S. parents and teachers have reported epidemic levels of children with trouble focusing, impulsive behavior and so much energy that they are bouncing off walls. Educators, policymakers and scientists have referred to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, as a national crisis and have spent billions of dollars looking into its cause. They've looked at genetics, brain development, exposure to lead, the push for early academics, and many other factors. But what if the answer to at least some cases of ADHD is more obvious? (Cha, 9/20)
NPR:
Embryo Editing Yields DNA Clues To Early Human Development
For the first time, scientists have edited the DNA in human embryos to make a fundamental discovery about the earliest days of human development. By modifying a key gene in very early-stage embryos, the researchers demonstrated that a gene plays a crucial role in making sure embryos develop normally, the scientists say. (Stein, 9/20)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Gender Stereotypes And Gender Norms Effect On Children, Teens, Adults
New research from the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows exposure to rigid gender norms can be established in children by age 10 or 11, norms that can lead to damaging consequences in adolescence and beyond. (Pirani, 9/20)
Minnesota Public Radio:
The Science Of Weight Loss
We've all heard the conventional wisdom on how to lose weight: eat less and exercise more. But new research shows that shedding pounds and keeping them off may be more complicated than a "one-size-fits-all" approach. (Miller and Franz, 9/20)
Chicago Sun-Times:
Mother Says Insurers Failed Her Suicidal Son
It was a year ago this week that Joseph “Joey” Dailidas took his own life with an intentional overdose of prescription medicine. ... Despite laws intended to require insurers to provide parity between coverage for mental health treatment and other medical conditions, many believe mental health and addiction treatment are still getting short shrift. (Mark Brown, 9/20)
Baltimore Sun:
Mosquito Emoji: A Pair Of Public Health Workers Have An Itch To Make It Happen
Why shouldn’t people who hate the little blood suckers in the backyard, as well as those who love them in the lab, be able to express their feelings about them in a single character via text or on social media, ask Marla Shaivitz, a digital communications manager at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs, and Jeff Chertak, a senior program officer for malaria advocacy and communications at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (Cohn, 9/20)
Kaiser Health News:
Caregivers Draw Support By Mapping Their Relationships
Every time Jacque Pearson tried to devise a plan to move her 81-year-old dad, who has Alzheimer’s, from his home in Boise, Idaho, to hers in Denver, she felt stuck. Then, two weeks ago, she had a breakthrough. It happened at an AARP-sponsored session in which Pearson created a “CareMap” — a hand-drawn picture showing all the people she cares for as well as the people surrounding those individuals and her own sources of support. (Graham, 9/21)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Should Employers Be Able To Fire Workers For Not Getting A Flu Shot?
Many people line up to get flu shots every fall to avoid coming down with the illness and its rotten symptoms: fever, sniffles and body aches. But some people get vaccinated against the flu to avoid losing their job, Time Magazine reports. (Kilpatrick, 9/20)
Arizona Republic:
Flu Season Is Starting Early In Arizona; 4 Cases In Maricopa County
Flu season is off to an early start in Arizona, with at least six cases of influenza already confirmed. Records show four people fell ill with the flu in Maricopa County between Aug. 27 and Sept. 9, and two others were in Pima County. (Morse, 9/20)
