Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads For Your Holiday Weekend
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: More Than Just Turkey; Why Holiday Gatherings Are A Great Time To Share Family Health History
For many modern families, holiday get-togethers present a rare but important opportunity for parents and grandparents to bridge the generational divide by sharing their health stories, said Dr. Daniel Sullivan, an internist at the Cleveland Clinic. “The greatest need is as children become adults,” said Sullivan. “Family history is an extremely important determinant for someone understanding their own personal health.” (Kroen, 11/22)
The Washington Post: Biden Turns 80 And Joins Growing Ranks Of Octogenarians Who Still Work
Since there are more octogenarians around, it stands to reason that more of them are still working — and if they are healthy, experts say there is no reason they shouldn’t. The number of years since a person’s birth, or chronological age, matters less than their biological age — how well their bodies and brains are functioning, said Dan Belsky, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. (Bahrampour, 11/19)
Reuters: As Biden Turns 80, Americans Ask 'What's Too Old?'
Stuart Jay Olshansky, an expert on aging at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said President Biden may be a member of a subset of older Americans who are "super-agers," with the mental faculties of people decades younger. "Age has been weaponized and people from the other party, whatever party you're dealing with, will always try to say that there’s something wrong with this individual," he said. "Those of us who study age as a profession say: 'Stop using age as a weapon.'" (Holland and Lange, 11/11)
Undark: Scientists Debate The Role Of A Virus In Multiple Sclerosis
Epstein-Barr virus has infected about 95 percent of adults. Yet only a tiny fraction of them will develop multiple sclerosis. Other factors are also known to affect a person’s MS risk, including genetics, low vitamin D, smoking, and childhood obesity. If this virus that infects nearly everyone on Earth causes multiple sclerosis, it does so in concert with other actors in a choreography that scientists don’t yet understand. (Preston, 11/21)
Yahoo: The Clitoris Has 10,000 Nerve Endings. Here's Why Experts Say The Discovery Is 'Just The Beginning' For Sexual Health
When it comes to sexual pleasure, there’s one spot on the female anatomy that tends to get the most attention: the clitoris. Yet despite the clitoris's association with orgasms and female pleasure, not much is known about the organ. For years, the clitoris was said to have 8,000 nerve endings — stated as fact in the 1976 book The Clitoris by Thomas Lowry and Thea Lowry, who cited a study on bovines. Now, thanks to a new study led by the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), which was presented at an Oct. 27 conference hosted by the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and the International Society for Sexual Medicine, we know that there are actually a lot more nerve fibers packed into the tiny sexual organ. (Reilly, 11/21)
The New York Times: Can Sensor Technology Help Keep Office Workers Healthy?
OpenSensor’s devices measure carbon dioxide using internet of things, or IoT, technology, in which sensors publish real-time data over a network. Respiration produces CO2, which is exhaled along with aerosols, so the sensors can be used to measure the buildup of exhaled air within a space — and therefore the potential level of pathogens. (Essentially, CO2 serves as a proxy for potentially high levels of pathogens.) This, in turn, allows building managers to monitor and adjust air quality as necessary. (Smith, 11/23)
Digital Trends: Gaming To Boost Mental Health: 5 Tips From A Psychologist
A sign of problematic play is that the play isn’t enjoyable anymore — it feels like work, or a grind, or that if you don’t log on, that something bad will happen (e.g., progress lost, missing an opportunity, letting others down). Sometimes games are frustrating, and there can be a sense of grind or drudgery, but if that’s the bulk of your experience, it’s probably a good idea to reevaluate your relationship to the game. (Beaton, 11/22)
The New York Times: Jail Is A Death Sentence For A Growing Number Of Americans
Matthew Shelton was contending with diabetes and periodic substance abuse when he moved in with his sister outside Houston in order to get his life together. Three months later, facing an old criminal charge of driving while intoxicated, he turned himself in to the Harris County Jail one day in March with a supply of the insulin he relied on to stay alive. After two days, he told his family that no one was allowing him access to the insulin: He was trying to manage his illness by discarding the bread from the sandwiches he was served. He was alone, frightened and cold, he said. (Dewan, 11/22)
Anchorage Daily News: ‘I Watched It Rapidly Turn Into Absolute Chaos’: Inside The Deepening Dysfunction At North Star Psychiatric Hospital
Nick Petito saw a lot in the six months he worked at North Star hospital in Anchorage. Petito wasn’t a therapist. He wasn’t a social worker. He was the maintenance manager, charged with fixing what was physically broken at Alaska’s only psychiatric hospital for children. (Theriault Boots, 11/20)
