Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Increase In Chest Binding Among Gender-Variant Teens Brings Warnings About Potential Negative Health Effects
The New York Times: Chest Binding Helps Smooth The Way For Transgender Teens, But There May Be Risks
It used to be that when a 13-year-old wanted a binder for school, it meant a trip to Staples. For today’s tweens and teens who identify as gender-nonconforming or transgender, shopping for a binder may mean a compression undergarment worn to flatten breasts. Made of thick spandex and nylon, binders resemble tight undershirts, creating a masculine profile. The American Academy of Pediatrics has estimated that 0.7 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds in the United States, about 150,000, identify as transgender. (Sohn, 5/31)
NPR: "I Am A Woman": Track Star Caster Semenya Continues Her Fight To Compete As A Female
This week, the Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya of South Africa filed an appeal in a case that hinges on her right to compete as a woman. It's the latest chapter in a fight that's gone on for years, and that raises thorny questions about fairness and ethics in sport. Semenya, 28, is a two-time gold medalist in the 800 meter event. She is asking the Swiss Federal Supreme Court to throw out a ruling issued earlier this month by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or CAS, which is based in Lausanne. (Block, 5/31)
Stateline: Police Train To Be ‘Social Workers Of Last Resort’
Even when other states often viewed Washington as progressive in mental health training and crisis intervention, civil rights activists in the state demanded even more training. Lacking proper mental health resources, families and community members across the country all too often call police to respond to someone having a mental health crisis. Understanding this mental health role for law enforcement, states have had to respond with new training techniques in dealing with crises, hoping to avoid deadly encounters and further suffering to people with mental illness. (Vasilogambros, 5/31)
The New York Times: Stress Early In Pregnancy Tied To Lower Sperm Counts In Adult Sons
Stress early in pregnancy is associated with reduced sperm counts and lower testosterone levels in adult sons, a new study has found. The study, in Human Reproduction, included 643 men, 407 of whose mothers had been exposed to a stressful event within the first 18 weeks of pregnancy: death of a relative or friend, job loss, divorce, pregnancy concerns, marital problems, money issues or other stresses. (Bakalar, 5/30)
Stat: Thrive Strides Into Crowded Race To Develop A Blood Test To Detect Cancer
A new Cambridge, Mass.-based startup, Thrive Earlier Detection (“Thrive” for short), has raised $110 million to develop a much-watched blood test that aims to detect cancer when it is still soon enough to remove it. The company, whose existence STAT first reported on May 8, is entering a crowded field flooded with money. Grail, based in San Francisco, has raised $1.5 billion on a similar effort. According to Pitchbook, Grail is valued at $3.1 billion, and it will present data at cancer meeting this weekend. Other companies, including Guardant and Exact Sciences (one of Thrive’s investors) have expressed interest in the field of cancer detection via blood test, known as liquid biopsy. (Sheridan and Herper, 5/30)
Arizona Republic: Burnout Is Real And Individual Workers Can't Fix It Alone, Experts Say
The World Health Organization this week brought awareness to something Banner Health chief clinical officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel has known for years — that workplace burnout is real. ...In its new International Classification of Diseases, set to take effect in 2022, the WHO updated its definition of burnout, calling it a "syndrome" that results from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. (Innes, 5/30)
WBUR: Experimental Spinal Cord Treatment Helps Texas Man Regain Some Motion After Paralyzing Accident
Harkema and her colleagues found that when they used the device to stimulate the lower portions of a patient's spinal cord, it could help some people with spinal cord injuries regain voluntary motion in their lower bodies. That discovery meant it might be possible to restore some motion and physiological functions once thought to be lost forever, without actually repairing the neurological gap created by the spinal cord injury itself. (Hobson and Bentley, 5/30)
