Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
For Therapeutic Clowns, Silliness Is Serious Business
Stat: Listening To The Inner Worlds Of Children Who Can't Move Or Speak
For a therapeutic clown, silliness is serious business. Helen Donnelly, who personifies Dr. Flap, had spent years on stages and under big tops, traveling with Cirque du Soleil, doing solo shows, speaking made-up languages, dancing in front of clotheslines hung with cuts of meat. When she started working at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, her absurdities took on a different aim: to transport kids out of the disorienting realities of medical treatment and into imaginary worlds where they had a sense of control. (Boodman, 12/13)
The Wall Street Journal: Scientists Skeptical About Gene-Edited Baby Experiment
When a Chinese scientist last month claimed to have created the first gene-edited babies, scientists around the world were stunned and alarmed, saying the research had been done without proper disclosure or oversight. Now, scientists who examined the very limited available data from the experiments are questioning whether the gene edits the scientist claimed he made were even successful. One prominent scientist has called for a moratorium on genetically editing human embryos to create a pregnancy until technical, social and scientific questions are better understood. (Marcus, 12/12)
CNN: People With Eczema At Higher Risk Of Suicidal Thoughts And Attempts, Study Says
Eczema is a common skin condition that can pack a profound psychological punch: People with eczema are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts than others without the condition, according to new research published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Dermatology. Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a skin disease that's chronic and inflammatory -- meaning it involves an immune system reaction. It affects 18 million adults (more than 7%) and 9.6 million children (13%) in the United States, according to the researchers from University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. (Scutti, 12/12)
Stat: Developmental Delays Persist As Brazil’s Zika Babies Grow Up
The Zika virus has faded from the world’s headlines. But the damage the strange mosquito-borne virus inflicted on some children whose mothers were infected during pregnancy very much remains. A new study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, reports that in a group of Zika babies from Brazil who are being followed to assess their progress, 14 percent had severe developmental problems. (Branswell, 12/12)
The Washington Post: How Many Years Do We Lose To The Air We Breathe?
The average person on Earth would live 2.6 years longer if their air contained none of the deadliest type of pollution, according to researchers at the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute. Your number depends on where you live. (12/12)
The Washington Post: Kotex Tampons: Kimberly-Clark Recalls U By Kotex Sleek Tampons After Unraveling In People's Bodies
Some Kotex tampons have been recalled after reports that the feminine-care product was unraveling and coming apart inside consumers' bodies. Kimberly-Clark, which manufacturers personal-care products, announced Tuesday that the regular absorbency U by Kotex Sleek Tampons have been recalled in the United States and Canada because of “a quality-related defect,” explaining that some consumers reported having to seek medical attention “to remove tampon pieces left in the body.” (Bever, 12/12)
CNN: Salmonella: 87 More Cases Linked To Recalled Beef
Eighty-seven more people have been sickened with salmonella linked to recalled beef products, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. A total of 333 have become ill and 91 have been hospitalized since illnesses began in August. No deaths have been reported. Illnesses have been reported in 28 states; Michigan, Mississippi and West Virginia are the latest. The CDC said the outbreak investigation is ongoing. (Thomas, 12/12)
WBUR: Many Top Medical Training Programs Lack Paid Family Leave Policies, Study Finds
Crafting a good paid parental leave policy requires balancing sometimes-competing needs — the pulls of parenthood, hospital staffing concerns and the importance of graduating competent doctors, the study says. It is not prescriptive, though it does suggest a need for more research into optimal policies. (Wasser, 12/12)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Study: Many Diabetics Are Testing Their Blood Sugar Levels Too Often
Many believe adults with stable Type 2 diabetes, who are on medications that don't cause hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, do not need to regularly test their glucose levels. Previous research has deemed daily tracking unnecessary. (Parker, 12/12)
Reuters: Longer Breastfeeding Tied To Lower Risk Of Liver Disease
Mothers who breastfeed for six months or more may have less fat in their livers and a lower risk of liver disease, a U.S. study suggests. Breastfeeding has long been tied to health benefits for women, including lower risks for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. The current study focused on whether nursing might also be tied to a reduced risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFDL), which is usually linked with obesity and certain eating habits. (12/12)
PBS NewsHour: Even A Haircut Can Prompt A Conversation About Health Care
In the old days, a man went to a barber shop for a haircut and a shave. But at Urban Kutz in Cleveland, patrons are more likely to be wearing a blood pressure cuff than a neck wrap. Gabriel Kramer of the PBS station Ideastream shares a story about a barber whose customers were “starting to disappear” and who decided to turn his shop into a health care resource as a result. (Kramer, 12/12)
The New York Times: Starting School Later Really Does Help Teens Get Sleep
Delaying school start times has helped Seattle teenagers get a better night’s sleep. During puberty, circadian rhythm is altered, and sleeping and waking are typically delayed to a later time. This creates a problem: Adolescent wake-sleep patterns do not coincide with those of conventional social life, and teenagers rarely get the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. (Bakalar, 12/12)
NPR: Later School Start Times Really Do Work To Help Teens Get More Sleep
In Seattle, school and city officials recently made the shift. Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the district moved the official start times for middle and high schools nearly an hour later, from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. This was no easy feat; it meant rescheduling extracurricular activities and bus routes. But the bottom line goal was met: Teenagers used the extra time to sleep in. Researchers at the University of Washington studied the high school students both before and after the start-time change. Their findings appear in a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. (Neighmond, 12/12)
