Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Benefits Of Tiny Amounts Of Ingredient In 'Magic Mushrooms' Piques Scientists' Interest
Stat: ‘Microdosing’ Is Touted By ’Shroomers And Reddit Users. Science Is Starting To Test Their Claims — And Finding Some Truth
Microdosing involves taking roughly one-tenth the “trip” dose of a psychedelic drug, an amount too little to trigger hallucinations but enough, its proponents say, to sharpen the mind. Psilocybin microdosers (including hundreds on Reddit) report that the mushrooms can increase creativity, calm anxiety, decrease the need for caffeine, and reduce depression. There is enough evidence that trip doses might have the latter effect that, on Wednesday, London-based Compass Pathways received Food and Drug Administration approval for a Phase 2B clinical trial of psilocybin (in larger-than-microdoses) for treatment-resistant depression. But research into microdosing is minimal. (Begley, 8/23)
The New York Times: Immunotherapy Drugs Slow Skin Cancer That Has Spread To The Brain
A new study offers a glint of hope to people in a desperate situation: Patients with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, that has spread to the brain. A combination of two drugs that activate the immune system shrank brain tumors in many melanoma patients and prolonged life in a study of 94 people at 28 medical centers in the United States. The drugs were ipilimumab (brand name Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo), and they belong to a class called checkpoint inhibitors. (Grady, 8/22)
The New York Times: Air Pollution Is Shortening Your Life. Here’s How Much.
Air pollution is shaving months — and in some cases more than a year — off your life expectancy, depending on where you live, according to a study published Wednesday. Worldwide, outdoor air pollution reduces the average life expectancy at birth by one year. The effect is much more pronounced in some countries: It cuts the average Egyptian’s life span by 1.9 years and the average Indian’s by 1.5 years. In Russia, it’s around nine months. (Sengupta, 8/22)
The New York Times: How You Felt About Gym Class May Impact Your Exercise Habits Today
Think for a moment about your school gym classes. Did you just grin with fond reminiscence or reflexively shudder? A revealing new study suggests that these disparate responses to memories of physical education classes are both common and consequential. (Reynolds, 8/22)
WBUR: Harvard Scientists: 'Smoking-Gun Evidence' Of Key To Hearing In Ear's Hair Cells
New research in the journal Neuron converts that "somehow" into a very specific protein, called TMC1, a critical key for hearing. I spoke with Jeffrey Holt, a Harvard Medical School professor of otolaryngology and neurology and a senior author on the paper. (Goldberg, 8/22)
Arizona Republic: Survey: More AZ Student Athletes Leaving Football Due To Concussions
With high-school athletics starting up again for the academic year, Ellis on Friday joined his Barrow physician, Dr. Javier Cárdenas, to release the results of an annual Barrow survey that suggests more youths are reconsidering playing football because they fear concussions. Seventy-eight percent of the teenagers surveyed who had sustained a sport-related concussion said they have concerns about the long-term consequences of the concussion — a significant increase from the 58 percent of Arizona teen athletes who said they had concerns in 2017. (Innes, 8/22)
