Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nearly 1 in 3 Patients Misrepresent Symptoms To Get Antibiotics: Survey
CIDRAP: More Than A Quarter Of Americans Have Misrepresented Symptoms To Get Antibiotics, Surveys Show
Efforts to promote antibiotic stewardship in doctor’s offices and other outpatient settings often butt up against the pressure that clinicians sometimes feel to prescribe antibiotics to patients who believe they need them for an illness, regardless of whether their symptoms are caused by a bacterial infection. In these scenarios, patients might emphasize how sick they feel, how they need to get better quickly so they can return to work, or how antibiotics have helped them with a similar illness in the past. (Dall, 11/4)
The Washington Post: Can Hormone Therapy Lower The Risk Of Alzheimer’s And Dementia?
Neurobiologist Anna Marseglia had long studied the forces that shape the aging brain. But as she entered her 40s, amid a fierce cultural debate over hormone therapy, she found herself increasingly curious about estrogen. (Cha, 11/5)
The Washington Post: Many Diagnosed With A Peanut Allergy Don’t Realize They May Not Have It Anymore
Peanuts, and peanut butter in particular, are some of the most ubiquitous elements of a child’s diet, and so when a kid is allergic to them, it can be a unique vexation for parents. It means no PB&Js for lunch — but also an endless list of logistics, from having to check in with the parents any time their kid goes over to a friend’s house to communicating with school officials. (Wolfson, 11/4)
Newsweek: More Muscle Is Seen As Healthier. Scientists Just Complicated That Idea
More lean body mass may not mean better metabolic health for everyone, a new study has found. Research involving 59,269 adults suggests that where fat is stored in the body may be an important factor in understanding the relationship between fat-free mass and metabolic health. In particular, fat around internal organs and fat within muscle tissue appeared to largely shape associations with metabolic syndrome and elevated blood sugar. (Fleur Afshar, 11/4)
The Washington Post: The Six Steps Every Person Should Take If They’re Aging Solo
Planning for long-term care looks very different when you don’t have immediate family or adult children to step in as caregivers. (Singletary, 11/5)
In obituaries —
The New York Times: Beverly Whipple Has Died. She Introduced The G-Spot To The Mainstream
Beverly Whipple, a nurse, psychologist and sex educator whose 1982 book about the G-spot encouraged a generation of women to search for their erogenous zones, died on Monday at her home in Voorhees, N.J. She was 85. (Epstein, 11/4)
