Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
CNN: Science Got Peanut Allergies All Wrong – Until The Scientific Method Got It Right
After conventional wisdom seemed to make peanut allergies worse, a 15-year scientific journey led to “landmark” recommendations that now appear to be reducing their incidence. (Tirrell, 11/3)
The Washington Post: At 89, She’s A Top Nutrition Expert. Here’s What She Eats In A Day.
For more than three decades, Marion Nestle has been telling people what to eat. In the late 1980s, she edited the first Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health, then went on to co-write the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans and co-found New York University’s influential food studies program. Nestle, now an emerita professor at NYU, says her time in government opened her eyes to the multi-billion-dollar food industry’s enormous influence over Congress. (O'Connor, 11/5)
The Washington Post: How The Psychiatrist Who Discovered SAD Deals With Seasonal Depression
Norman Rosenthal uses light in his home to help with depression related to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Spoiler alert: He has a lot of light boxes. (Sima, 11/6)
The Washington Post: He Was Given 2 Years To Live. 3 Years Later, He Helps Other Cancer Patients Fight.
Three years ago Jordie Poncy was 39 years old and about to start his dream job: counseling patients at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. His father had been treated there for bladder cancer years earlier and Poncy saw it as a chance to give back. In the weeks before he was supposed to start, he was having stomach aches. Poncy has a history of ulcerative colitis. He decided to go to the emergency room and get it checked out. After tests, Poncy learned that he had a rare and aggressive form of cancer, neuroendocrine carcinoma. The data suggested he had two years to live. (Penman, 11/4)
The Washington Post: She Thought She Had A Kidney Stone. It Was A Full-Term Baby Girl.
“Never once did pregnancy cross my brain,” said Rebecca Johnson, a Virginia schoolteacher. (Page, 11/6)
CNN: Scientists Are A Step Closer To Testing Ancient Skeletons For Pregnancy
Scientists say they have found a way to test ancient human remains for hormones linked with pregnancy, a breakthrough that may allow archaeologists to determine whether a woman was pregnant or had recently given birth at the time of her death. (Guy, 10/31)
