Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Standard Advice On Finishing Antibiotics Is Being Challenged By Disease Experts
The Wall Street Journal: The New Conundrum About When To Stop Antibiotics
Remember the doctor’s advice to always finish your antibiotics, even if you feel better? That message is being upended by concerns that taking antibiotics when they are no longer needed is contributing to the growing danger of antibiotic resistance. (Reddy, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal: Why Some Companies Want You To Take A Mental-Health Day
More companies are trying to destigmatize mental illness and encourage workers to use mental-health days for their original intent. EY, or Ernst & Young, has an initiative called “r u ok?”, which encourages workers to check in with each other and offer support to those who might be struggling. American Express Co.’s employee-assistance program offers on-site access to mental-health professionals and free counseling. Prudential Financial Inc. gives employees flexible work arrangements and access to mental-health professionals. (Fontana, 8/15)
PBS NewsHour: Amazon Recalls Potentially Hazardous Solar Eclipse Glasses
As customers prepare for next week’s total solar eclipse, Amazon has issued a recall for some of the eclipse glasses sold on its internet marketplace, saying it was unable to confirm whether the protective ware was made by a recommended manufacturer. NASA and the American Astronomical Society have been urging solar gazers to use glasses engineered by reputable vendors that carry the international safety standard number “ISO 12312-2.” (Akpan, 8/14)
KQED: Can Joining A Band Fight Cognitive Decline? Just Ask ‘The 5th Dementia’
When you think of the debilitating, painful trauma of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, you probably don’t think of people climbing onstage to belt out feel-good classics from the Great American Songbook. But then you’re probably not thinking of The 5th Dementia, a Los Angeles group that keeps folks with neurodegenerative disease in the moment by playing music of the past — with help from a few teenage musicians. (Gilstrap, 8/14)
NPR: Work Can Be Stressful, Dangerous And Sometimes Great
If you think your job is more stressful than it should be, you're not alone. Americans work hard, and it takes a physical and mental toll, not to mention that it frequently cuts into personal time, according to a comprehensive survey on working conditions the nonpartisan RAND Corporation published Monday. But having a good boss and good friends on the job can make work feel less taxing. (Fulton, 8/14)
Los Angeles Times: Drink To Your Health? It Depends On How Much Drinking You Do, Study Shows
This just in, and it’s definitive (for now): People who drink alcohol in moderation — especially older people, women and non-Latino white people — are less likely to die of any cause than are teetotalers or people who consume heavy doses of alcohol either on occasion or in an average week. In follow-up periods that hovered around eight years, moderate drinkers were no less likely than alcohol abstainers to die of cancer. But they were roughly a quarter less likely to die of heart disease or stroke than were people who never consumed alcohol. (Healy, 8/14)
