Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Public Health Roundup: Risks And Rewards Of Moderate Drinking; Wide Gap In Black Infant Mortality Rates
The New York Times: Is Alcohol Good For You? An Industry-Backed Study Seeks Answers
It may be the most palatable advice you will ever get from a doctor: Have a glass of wine, a beer or a cocktail every day, and you just might prevent a heart attack and live longer. But the mantra that moderate drinking is good for the heart has never been put to a rigorous scientific test, and new research has linked even modest alcohol consumption to increases in breast cancer and changes in the brain. That has not stopped the alcoholic beverage industry from promoting the alcohol-is-good-for-you message by supporting scientific meetings and nurturing budding researchers in the field. (Rabin, 7/3)
Los Angeles Times: In The U.S., Infant Mortality Gap Costs The Lives Of About 4,000 Black Babies Each Year
If black infants born in the United States had all of the health and medical benefits enjoyed by white infants, nearly 4,000 fewer of them would die each year, new research suggests. That would amount to a nearly 60% decrease in the number of black infants that die each year. Instead, black babies are nearly 2.5 times more likely than white babies to die during their first year of life. (Kaplan, 7/3)
The Washington Post: Allergies Are Making You Sneeze. Would Putting A Filter In Your Nose Help?
If you’ve got seasonal allergies, come spring (and sometimes all the way through fall), you sneeze, you itch, your nose runs and feels as though it’s stuffed with marbles. You’ve probably tried almost every over-the-counter remedy out there and maybe some prescription drugs to get relief: nasal sprays, allergy pills, injections and even saline solutions you pour into your nose from a little pot. (Karidis, 7/1)
The Washington Post: This Man Should Have Died, But Unusual Infusions Saved His Life
Tom Patterson should have died during those weeks in March 2016 when he lay comatose, a lethal strain of multi-drug-resistant bacteria raging through his body. Antibiotics proved useless, and his doctors were grim. They were losing him. He should have died, but he didn’t. Instead, in desperation, a novel approach — giving him infusions of bacteria-killing viruses known as bacteriophages — saved his life. (Cimons, 7/2)
The Washington Post: Scientists Are Dusting Off A Long-Forgotten Weapon To Cope With Modern Bacteria
In 1915, British scientist Frederick Twort saw something weird happening to the bacteria that had invaded his viral cultures: They were disappearing, a sign they had been destroyed. Two years later, French-Canadian microbiologist Félix d’ Hérelle observed the same phenomenon in his own lab. Both researchers, working independently, concluded that the viruses they had been growing were killing the bacteria. It was an astonishing discovery, because no one had any idea that viruses had that kind of power. (Cimons, 7/2)
NPR: Scientists Aren't Good At Predicting Which Research Will Pan Out
Science relies on the careful collection and analysis of facts. Science also benefits from human judgment, but that intuition isn't necessarily reliable. A study finds that scientists did a poor job forecasting whether a successful experiment would work on a second try. That matters, because scientists can waste a lot of time if they read the results from another lab and eagerly chase after bum leads. (Harris, 7/4)
The Washington Post: Therapy Animals Are Everywhere. Proof That They Help Is Not.
A therapy-animal trend grips the United States. The San Francisco airport now deploys a pig to calm frazzled travelers. Universities nationwide bring dogs (and a donkey) onto campus to soothe students during finals. Llamas comfort hospital patients, pooches provide succor at disaster sites and horses are used to treat sex addiction. And that duck on a plane? It might be an emotional-support animal prescribed by a mental health professional. (Brulliard, 7/2)
The Associated Press: Rise In Hepatitis C Cases Leads To Arrests Of Tattooists
A rise in hepatitis C cases has led to the arrests of tattoo artists in southwest Virginia. The Roanoke Times reported Sunday that more people could be charged as the investigation continues. Police in Pulaski, Virginia, arrested four men in June for unlicensed tattooing, a misdemeanor offense. Hepatitis is a viral infection that can damage people’s livers, sometimes fatally. (7/2)
WBUR: No Tropical Paradise: Urban 'Heat Islands' Are Hotbeds For Health Problems
As coastlines recede with global warming, so-called heat islands are growing... For residents of these islands, health risks rise with the heat. (Bebinger, 7/5)
California Healthline: Why Teens Are Smoking Less, In Their Own Words
When Maya Terrell saw the anti-smoking television commercial, she knew she would never try a cigarette. It featured an ex-smoker with a hole in her throat where her larynx used to be. “I was like, ‘Never!’” recalled Terrell, 18. “I was scared.” (Browning, 7/5)
