Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Not All Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers Are Created Equal
The New York Times: Picking The Right Over-The-Counter Pain Reliever
Picking the pain reliever that’s best for you can be a confusing task. Pharmacy and supermarket shelves are lined with a dizzying array of boxes, names and labels describing the symptoms the medications are intended to address. While they all share the same goal, making you feel better, their active ingredients vary, and all have potential drawbacks. (Mele, 2/6)
The Wall Street Journal: A New Device May Mean Fewer Breast-Cancer Surgeries
A new device may hold the promise of eliminating an anguishing part of many breast-cancer surgeries: a follow-up operation to remove lingering cancer cells. Several surgeons are using a tool that shows promise in reducing the number of repeat procedures. (Lagnado, 2/6)
Sacramento Bee: Crash Test Dummies Get Bigger To Reflect American Body Types
In an effort to more accurately reflect the U.S. car-driving population, at least one manufacturer is making crash-test dummies – the pretend people used to test automobile safety features – bigger and older. “The typical patient today is overweight or obese – they’re the rule rather than the exception,” said Dr. Stewart Wang, director of the University of Michigan International Center for Automotive Medicine, in a statement. “You can’t talk about injuries without talking about the person.” The new crash-test models include a 273-pound dummy, more than 100 pounds heavier than normal, as well as a prototype based on an overweight 70-year-old woman. (Buck, 2/6)
The Washington Post: A Young Boy, A Devastating Brain Tumor And Parents Who ‘Will Do Anything’
It was the most ordinary of family dinners, with pizza and cauliflower. Two exhausted parents sipped red wine. Two children giggled over silly jokes and squabbled over a stuffed animal named Baby Jaguar. A few moments later, 8-year-old Elijah Simpson-Sundell, his face slightly swollen and his speech slurred, walked unsteadily away from the table. His father gently reproached 6-year-old Genevieve: “When your brother wants something, and he doesn’t feel well, we should try to accommodate him.” (McGinley, 2/6)
The Washington Post: At 12, He Had Stopped Growing. Doctors Were Stumped. The Answer Was In His Gut.
Why is he so tired, Jackie Mann wondered, not for the first time, as Evan, the middle of her three children, wandered off to his bedroom to take an after-school nap. Small for his age, the 12-year-old seemed to fall asleep easily and anywhere: in the car on the way to soccer or gymnastics, on the afternoons he came straight home from school, while doing his homework and, once, while waiting to see the pediatrician. (Boodman, 2/6)
Sun Sentinel: Experts Warn Against Supplements For Brain Function
Promoting fixes for fading memories has become big business.Yet consumer advocates and scientists like Dr. Bob Speth, of Nova Southeastern University in Davie, say some dietary supplement marketers are making millions by tapping into the deepest fears of seniors and aging baby boomers. They say there is little proof such products can stave off cognitive decline by beefing up brain function, as some of the companies selling them advertise. The latest example Speth and others are pointing to is the supplement Prevagen. (Lade, 2/6)
Arizona Republic: How Safe Is Your Salad? Follow Produce From Yuma, Arizona, To Your Grocery Store
Yuma is the nation's largest supplier of winter greens — lettuce, cabbage, spinach, kale, spring mix and more. The speed of the process often astonishes those outside the industry. In some cases, leafy greens picked one day could end up on your plate the next. They are harvested, packaged and shipped from the field directly to the store.Before the fork gets to your mouth, lots of effort is put forth to assure the produce is safe. After E. coli outbreaks jolted the nation and industry a decade ago, the nation's food-safety net tightened up. (Anglen, 2/6)
