Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The New York Times: It’s Time To Talk About Survivor’s Guilt
For many Americans, the post-vaccine transition to activities paused during the pandemic has brought a sense of joy and relief, even as they keep wary eyes on reports of rising case counts and the spread of the Delta variant. But this new phase of the pandemic for many people has also unleashed uncomfortable and unexpected feelings of survivor’s guilt. Survivor’s guilt — those feelings of shame or regret experienced by someone who lived through a crisis — can take many forms: discomfort with feeling joy or positive emotions, regret for actions taken or not taken, a nagging voice that wonders “why me?” when others didn’t make it. It’s common after natural disasters or mass tragedies, even when the survivor isn’t directly responsible for the event in question. (Purtill, 7/20)
The Washington Post: For Some Women Giving Birth In The Pandemic, The Trauma Led To Personal Growth
Corie Hess gave birth to her second child during the pandemic. Like many pandemic mothers, Hess’s experience was tinged with isolation and anguish. “My baby was born six weeks too soon, and he couldn’t breathe on his own,” said Hess, 37, of Muncie, Ind. Evan, her tiny infant, spent nearly two weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit. “The whole experience was somewhat terrifying and traumatic,” Hess said. Hess isn’t alone. (Fraga, 7/18)
Bloomberg: US Isn’t Prepared To Track Covid Variants As Delta Mutation Spreads
There’s no good place to stand inside the Pandemic Response Lab’s sequencing facility in Queens, N.Y. Take a wrong step, and you’re blocking a gowned-up lab tech as she ferries a plate with the RNA from 384 Covid-19 test samples to a machine that runs a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, identifies positives, and extracts them with a robotic arm. A data scientist hurries by, bringing more RNA samples to a device that will convert them into DNA. In the corner are genomic sequencing machines that piece together chopped-up bits of that DNA to identify what form of SARS-CoV-2 a patient has. Name a mutation you’ve heard of, and this lab has seen it, as it takes part in the national and global efforts to sequence virus genomes, spot new and dangerous variations, and stem their spread. (Koons, 7/21)
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The Wall Street Journal: Diabetes And The Miracle Of Insulin
The human body runs on glucose, a type of sugar that travels through the bloodstream to the cells where it converts into energy. Some 34.2 million Americans are diabetic; their bodies are unable to produce the hormone insulin, which regulates how glucose is processed and stored in the cells. Without treatment the condition is terminal. The discovery of insulin a century ago this year was one of the great medical breakthroughs of the 20th century. Diabetes was first recognized some 4,000 years ago. The Ebers Papryus, an Egyptian medical text written around 1550 B.C., refers to patients suffering from thirst, frequent urination and weight loss. An ancient Indian text, the Sushruta Samhita, composed after the 7th century B.C., advised testing for diabetes by seeing whether ants were attracted to the sugar in the urine. (Foreman, 7/22)
AP: 50-Year War On Drugs Imprisoned Millions Of Black Americans
Fifty years ago this summer, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Today, with the U.S. mired in a deadly opioid epidemic that did not abate during the coronavirus pandemic’s worst days, it is questionable whether anyone won the war. Yet the loser is clear: Black and Latino Americans, their families and their communities. A key weapon of the war was the imposition of mandatory minimums in prison sentencing. Decades later those harsh penalties at the federal level and the accompanying changes at the state level led to an increase in the prison industrial complex that saw millions of people, primarily of color, locked up and shut out of the American dream. (Morrison, 7/21)
The Washington Post: Boredom’s Link To Mental Illnesses, Brain Injuries And Dysfunctional Behaviors
In 2014, psychologists at the University of Virginia conducted a simple experiment to showcase the power of the human mind. They placed subjects in a room by themselves with no distractions for roughly 10 minutes, letting them be alone with their thoughts. Given the infinite possibilities that our imaginations hold, it aimed to promote the sheer pleasures we can derive from just thinking .“We thought this would be great. People are so busy that it would give them a chance to slow down, sit quietly and daydream for a few minutes,” said Erin Westgate, a young graduate student at the time. “So we started running these studies, and they were complete failures.” (Kim, 7/17)
Newsweek: We Are All At Risk Of Being 'Evil', Says Violent Offenders' Therapist
What drives people to commit terrible acts of violence, such as murder and sexual assault?This question is the subject of a new book, written by internationally renowned forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr. Gwen Adshead and co-author Eileen Horne, which aims to explore the true nature of evil. The Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion is based on Adshead's 30 years of experience working with people convicted of violent crimes. (Georgiou, 7/18)
The New York Times: You’re Missing Microbes. But Is ‘Rewilding’ The Way To Get Them Back?
As the sun set in Tanzania on a September evening in 2014, Jeff Leach inserted a turkey baster filled with another man’s feces into his rectum and squeezed the bulb. The feces, he said, came from a hunter-gatherer who was a member of the Hadza people and lived nearby. Mr. Leach said he was trying to “rewild” his microbiome, giving himself microbes that can protect against chronic and autoimmune diseases that plague people in Western societies — including obesity, diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome. The theory relies on the idea that people like the Hadza have diets and lifestyles that are more like those of ancient populations, and harbor such microbes. Channeling tropes that could have come from colonial era literature, Mr. Leach said the man he got the feces from “had only recently dined on zebra and monkey.” (Kolata, 7/19)
CBS News: Recruiting For Talent On The Autism Spectrum
Autism is a developmental disorder that can affect how the brain processes information. People with autism have a spectrum of abilities and disabilities. Some are unable to speak, or care for themselves, while others can live on their own and have unique skills like excellent memory or attention to detail. No matter where they are on the spectrum, many adults with autism have a difficult time finding a job. Even making it past a first interview can be challenging. But that may be starting to change. As we first reported last October, more companies are discovering the potential of people with autism, and some are now actively recruiting for talent on the spectrum. ... Last year, before the pandemic, five adults on the autism spectrum agreed to talk with us about their struggles finding work. (Cooper, 7/18)
NBC News: How The Media Has Traditionally Covered Asian Olympians’ Bodies
In 2010, the figure skating coach Frank Carroll, who has coached Asian American Olympians such as Michelle Kwan and Mirai Nagasu, said that skaters of Asian descent had found success on the ice because their bodies are “often small and willowy.” “They have bodies that are quick and light; they’re able to do things very fast,” Carroll told The New York Times. “It’s like Chinese divers. If you look at those bodies, there’s nothing there. They’re just like nymphs.” (Namkung, 7/19)
CBS News: "Helping People, That's What It's All About": 101-Year-Old Pediatrician Pushes Off Retirement
Dr. Andy Margileth shows no sign of slowing down. The longtime pediatrician turned 101 years old on Saturday and he doesn't have plans to retire. "It's a feel-good job. It's not even a job. It's just fun," he said. "What is more important than helping other people?" Margileth has defied the actuaries. He's one of a dozen century-old doctors in the United States who are still practicing medicine. (O'donnell, 7/19)
