Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Losing Wisdom Teeth Improves Taste; Eating A Southern Diet May Kill You
Philadelphia Inquirer: Penn Finds A Surprising Benefit To Wisdom Tooth Surgery: Better Taste
Having wisdom teeth removed has long been associated with at least a temporary loss of the ability to taste, but no one had studied what happened long-term. Richard Doty, director of Penn Medicine’s Smell and Taste Center, decided to use his center’s extensive database to find out. He and Dane Kim, a third-year student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, were surprised by the results. When they analyzed taste tests of people who had had wisdom teeth removed decades earlier, they found that those who had had surgery actually were better able to detect key flavors — salt, sugar, bitter, and sour — than patients who still had their wisdom teeth, also known as third molars. (Burling, 7/3)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Study: Southern Diet May Raise Risk Of Sudden Cardiac Death
The good news is that a Southern diet is delicious and makes us happy. The bad news is that it might raise the risk of our dying early. The other good news is that switching to a Mediterranean diet might reduce that risk. Sudden cardiac death, which is the abrupt loss of heart function that leads to death within an hour of symptom onset, accounted for 1 in every 7.5 deaths in the United States in 2016, or nearly 367,000 deaths, according to 2019 American Heart Association statistics. (Clanton, 7/2)
In other public health news —
ABC News: Why A Focus On Mental Health Is Essential For Students Returning To School In The Fall, Experts Say
It's been a school year like no other in recent memory -- combining the challenge of remote and hybrid learning for millions with the agony and strain of a pandemic that has killed more than 600,000.Mental health has taken a toll on many students and staff alike. (Deliso, 7/5)
The Boston Globe: Hand Sanitizer Is Here To Stay, But It’s Not Without Risks. Here’s What Doctors Have To Say
From stores to schools to restaurants, hand sanitizer dispensers have become a fixture of our lives amid the COVID-19 pandemic. At first, the product was hard to come by. A national shortage in March 2020 caused it to disappear from shelves and forced stores to limit the amount customers could buy. The demand was so great that numerous local distilleries became temporary producers. All told, hand sanitizer sales boomed more than 620 percent in 2020, totaling about $1.45 billion, according to NielsenIQ. Manufacturers like GOJO Industries, the maker of Purell, expanded their operations to meet consumers’ needs. Demand for it has tailed off, but it is expected to remain a fixture in stores and households even as the pandemic abates in many areas. (Caldera, 7/5)
The Washington Post: Sunburn And The Dangers Of Skin Cancer
Each year, more than 33,000 people seek emergency room treatment for sunburn, according to the National Cancer Institute. Overexposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays causes sunburn, which can be painful because of the reddened, swollen and sometimes blistered skin that it creates. But beyond the discomfort, sunburn comes with longer-term health risks. It accelerates the aging of your skin and increases your risk for skin cancer. Essentially, the more often you have sunburn, the more likely you are to develop skin cancer, the most common type of cancer. (Searing, 7/4)
The Washington Post: Mold Can Trigger Allergies, Asthma, Other Health Issues. Here Are 6 Ways To Keep It Out Of Your House
Dampness brought on by rain, flooding and humidity can increase the likelihood that mold will take up residence indoors. This home invader can trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks, and even if you’re not allergic, it can irritate your eyes, nose and throat. Plus, mold can damage the surfaces that it grows on. Because mold needs moisture to thrive, keeping water from collecting where it doesn’t belong inside your home is key. (7/5)
Also —
ABC News: Opera Singer Delivers Her Own Baby In The Car While Husband Drives
One woman was prepared for every aspect of her daughter's birth -- except for the location. Emily Geller Hardman, 35, was 37 weeks pregnant when she attended a family wedding in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Travis Hardman. Still far enough out from her projected due date, she figured it was fine to attend and felt nothing out of the ordinary during the wedding. Just hours later, when they were back in their hotel room, however, the opera singer said her water broke. But she didn't rush to the hospital. (Azari, 7/5)
AP: Motorcycle Parade Held For Mississippi Girl With Brain Tumor
A motorcycle club held a holiday weekend parade to celebrate a Mississippi girl suffering from a brain tumor. WLOX-TV reports about 50 members of the Asgard Motorcycle Club held the event Saturday for seventh-grader Jami Mosley, who has a condition that causes abnormally large increases in her heart rate, in addition to the brain tumor. (7/5)
