Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Has New Powers Over Cosmetics Regulation Starting Today
Axios: Makeover Of Cosmetics' Regulation Takes Next Step
Starting Monday, the Food and Drug Administration will wield new regulatory powers over makers of lipsticks, shampoos, baby wipes and other cosmetic products that account for more than $40 billion in sales annually. It's part of the phase-in of a 2022 law that calls for more oversight of adverse events and requires companies to clearly label allergens, register their facilities and disclose every product they sell. (Reed, 7/1)
The Washington Post: Study Suggests Connection Between Anxiety And Parkinson’s Disease
People over 50 with anxiety may be up to twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease as their peers without anxiety, a new analysis suggests. The study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, looked at primary care data from the United Kingdom. Researchers compared a group of 109,435 people 50 and older who were diagnosed with a first episode of anxiety between 2008 and 2018 with a control group of 987,691 people without anxiety. (Blakemore, 6/30)
The New York Times: Pattern Of Brain Damage Is Pervasive In Navy SEALs Who Died By Suicide
David Metcalf’s last act in life was an attempt to send a message — that years as a Navy SEAL had left his brain so damaged that he could barely recognize himself. He died by suicide in his garage in North Carolina in 2019, after nearly 20 years in the Navy. But just before he died, he arranged a stack of books about brain injury by his side, and taped a note to the door that read, in part, “Gaps in memory, failing recognition, mood swings, headaches, impulsiveness, fatigue, anxiety, and paranoia were not who I was, but have become who I am. Each is worsening.” Then he shot himself in the heart, preserving his brain to be analyzed by a state-of-the-art Defense Department laboratory in Maryland. (Philipps, 6/30)
The Washington Post: In Head Lice Outbreaks, ‘Selfies’ May Be A Surprising Culprit
Anecdotal reports about a global rise in head lice cases have prompted warnings from some experts about a popular and universal activity among children and teenagers: taking selfies. Head lice, itchy parasites that live on the scalp, are typically spread through direct head-to-head contact, mostly among children. And getting close for group selfies — which often means pressing two or more heads together to fit into a cellphone frame — could give head lice an opportunity to crawl from one head to another, as they cannot jump or fly. (Bever, 6/28)
NPR: When Little Kids Don’t Have Stable Housing, It Can Affect Their Health Later
Not having secure housing is a huge stress for anyone. But when children experience this, especially in early childhood, it can affect their health years down the line. That’s the finding of a new study in the journal Pediatrics, which says that teens who experienced housing insecurity earlier in life were more likely to report worse health. “Pediatricians, for a long time, have suspected that housing insecurity is associated with negative health outcomes,” says Dr. Hemen Muleta, a pediatrician at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York City. (Chatterjee, 7/1)
