Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Twice-Yearly Time Changes Can Harm Your Health, Study Says
The Washington Post: Switching The Clocks Results In Higher Stroke And Obesity Rates For U.S.
Twice a year, Americans grumble about the inconvenience and sleep disruption of seasonal time changes, but there’s more to our grudge against springing forward and falling back. New evidence shows we’d all be a little less prone to obesity and strokes if we ditched the switch, according to a study Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Johnson, 9/15)
More health and wellness news —
CNN: Rare ‘Tooth-In-Eye’ Surgery Restores Man’s Vision After Two Decades
When Brent Chapman was 13, he took ibuprofen during a Christmas basketball game. It was a drug he had taken before, but what happened next was anything but routine: He had a severe reaction that caused burns all over his body, including on the surface of his eyes. Chapman was in a coma for 27 days. He lost his left eye to an infection and lost most of his vision in the other. His body recovered, but his vision fully never returned. (Koda, 9/15)
MedPage Today: Eye Drops Can Help People Ditch Their Reading Glasses
Patients with presbyopia had consistent and durable vision improvement across multiple doses of a combination eye drop solution, a large retrospective review showed. From 69% to 99% of patients had two to three lines of vision improvement (by Jaeger criteria) when they used eye drops containing three different concentrations of pilocarpine plus the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac. The improvement persisted for a median duration of 434 days and for up to 2 years in many cases. (Bankhead, 9/15)
The Hill: FAA Received Thousands Of Reports On Toxic Jet Fumes
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has received thousands of reports since 2010 about toxic fumes from jet engines leaking into the cockpit and cabin of airplanes, according to an investigation done by The Wall Street Journal. The leaks are due to a commonly used airplane design known as “bleed air” that pulls air from the engine into airplanes so those onboard can breathe. (Anderson, 9/15)
Phys.org: Mental Health Benefits Of Retirement Not Evenly Shared Among Different Income Levels, Study Says
The impact of retirement on mental health depends on income level, the nature of the job left behind, and the age at which people leave the workforce, a study suggests. Researchers found that although retirees' well-being generally improved once they finished work, some groups were at risk of dips in mental health. People on an average income who had a physically demanding job before they retired and those on a high income who retire at a later age are at risk of feeling low during the retirement process, experts say. (9/15)
Yahoo: Costco's Latest Recall Is So Dangerous, They Advise Not To Return The Item To The Store
No one likes to hear about a product recall, especially if there's any risk of injury involved. Unfortunately, Costco has issued a notice like this for one of its sparkling wines, and anyone who has bought the item is being advised to dispose of it immediately, rather than returning it to a store. The item in question is the Kirkland Signature Prosecco Valdobbiadene, an in-house private label product popular for its low price point. The company warned that there was a risk of certain bottles shattering, even before they're opened. (Brennan, 9/15)
Also —
AP: Gender Testing Returns To Track And With It Harsh Memories And Doubts That Date To The 1980s
The woman whose genetic test in the 1980s led sports leaders to conclude it was too intrusive, not definitive enough and, ultimately, not worth keeping, said she was faced with “a sadness that I could not share” after results from that test upended her life. The man who discovered the gene that led to that test being developed called it “surprising that, 25 years later, there is a misguided effort to bring the test back.” (Pells, 9/13)
