Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How To Tell If You're Burning Out; Why Dry January Is Good And Bad for You
The Washington Post: Burnout Is Real. Here’s How To Know If You Have It And How To Cope
When Jacinda Ardern announced her decision to resign as New Zealand’s Prime Minister, she didn’t cite burnout as the reason. But she described it. “I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice,” she said. “It is that simple.” The World Health Organization in 2019 acknowledged burnout as an “occupational phenomenon,” but job or work burnout can still take a significant toll on your mental and physical health, and is closely linked with depression and anxiety. (Soong, 1/19)
The Hill: Here Is How ‘Dry January’ Can Help And Hurt You
Even for light drinkers, or someone who has 3 drinks or fewer a week, forgoing alcohol for a month will have some immediate cosmetic benefits. Alcohol dehydrates the body and takes a serious toll on the skin causing dryness and dark undereye circles among other things. So, skipping that bedtime glass of wine can result in clearer and more hydrated skin. (O'Connell-Domenech, 1/19)
NPR: Thinx Settled A Lawsuit Over Chemicals In Its Period Underwear. Here's What To Know
If you live in the U.S. and bought Thinx underwear recently, you could soon be getting some money back. That's because the period panty brand has just settled a class-action lawsuit alleging that its products — long marketed as a safer, more sustainable approach to menstrual hygiene — contain potentially harmful chemicals. (Treisman, 1/19)
PBS NewsHour: A Look At The Environmental And Health Effects Associated With Gas Stoves
There's been quite a bit of heated debate lately about gas stoves and potential government regulation. The fire was lit last week after recent studies linked asthma with the use of gas stoves, and a member of a federal consumer agency briefly suggested that perhaps the federal government might even ban them in newly built homes. But that was quickly shut down by the White House. (O'Brien and Toubman, 1/19)
KHN: The ‘KHN Health Minute’ Debuts On CBS News Radio
Tune in to the first “KHN Health Minute” to hear how noise pollution affects health and why an optimistic outlook may help people live longer. (1/20)
KHN: NFL Has Been Slow To Embrace Mental Health Support For Players
When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field in the middle of the “Monday Night Football” game in Cincinnati on Jan. 2, Carrie Hastings, half a continent away, understood what she needed to do — and right away. “I had a few guys that I sort of immediately knew I should check in on,” said Hastings, the Los Angeles Rams’ sports psychologist and mental health clinician. “A couple of spouses and significant others, too.” (Kreidler, 1/20)
The Washington Post: Colorado Taco Bell Investigated After Accusation Of Rat Poison In Taco
The sheriff’s office in Arapahoe County, Colo., is investigating a Taco Bell location after a customer there ate a taco containing a substance he suspected to be rat poisoning. Investigators are searching video and other evidence from a Taco Bell in Aurora after a man who had gotten into a verbal argument with fast-food workers while ordering food later became violently ill and was hospitalized on Sunday, Deputy John Bartmann of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said in an interview. The man told hospital personnel that he had ingested rat poison in a taco he was served, and a deputy confirmed that the item contained “a greenish-gray substance.” (Heil, 1/19)
