Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Head Impacts From Football May Be Linked To Parkinson's Risk: Study
USA Today: Playing Football May Increase Risk For Parkinson's, New Study Finds
While the risk of concussions from playing tackle football has received considerable attention, a new study indicates the game's repetitive head impacts could also increase participants' risk factors for Parkinson's disease. The study, conducted by Boston University researchers and released Friday, also showed that players who had longer careers or played at higher levels of competition experienced even higher odds of being diagnosed with Parkinson's or having symptoms associated with the disease. (Gardner, 8/11)
More health and wellness news —
The Washington Post: Early MS Treatment May Lead To Less Disability Later
Starting treatment for multiple sclerosis soon after first experiencing symptoms of the disease may slow its progression. People who start treatment quickly are 45 percent less likely to advance to moderate disability in the next decade or so, compared to those who delay treatment, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. (Searing, 8/13)
Stat: Kim Kardashian Sparks Debate On Benefits Of Full-Body MRI Scans
The last time Kim Kardashian posted about medical imaging, it was to prove her butt was real. Now, she’s praising its ability to find aneurysms and cancers before they turn deadly. Kardashian’s Instagram post this week about Prenuvo, which sells full-body MRI scans that can run in the thousands of dollars, has renewed a long-running debate about whether the tests are actually valuable or just run the risk of clogging hospitals with false positives and unnecessary follow-ups from wealthy and largely healthy patients. (Ravindranath and Lawrence, 8/11)
CNN: How Water-Bottle Fill Stations Can Impact Children’s Health, According To A New Study
Making water more accessible to kids leads to an increase in hydration and a decrease in children being overweight, according to a new study. And the change didn’t require a focus on children’s weight. The study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, included more than 1,200 students across 18 schools in California’s Bay Area. (Holcombe, 8/10)
KFF Health News: Parents See Own Health Spiral As Their Kids’ Mental Illnesses Worsen
After her teenage daughter attempted suicide and began to cycle through emergency rooms and mental health programs during the past three years, Sarah Delarosa noticed her own health also declined. She suffered from mini strokes and stomach bleeding, the mother of four in Corpus Christi, Texas, said. To make things worse, her daughter’s failing behavioral and mental health caused Delarosa to miss hours from her job as a home health aide, losing out on income needed to support her family. (Rayasam, 8/14)
