Two Drug Crises Collide In Older Patients Being Prescribed Opioids While Hooked On Benzos
But even apart from the added dangers of opioids, advocates say there are too many older Americans relying on anti-anxiety drugs and sleep medications. In other public health news: genetic tests, mutations, our ancestors, heart health, CTE, adults on Adderall, and more.
The New York Times:
A Quiet Drug Problem Among The Elderly
At first, the pills helped her feel so much better. Jessica Falstein, an artist living in the East Village in Manhattan, learned she had an anxiety disorder in 1992. It led to panic attacks, a racing pulse, sleeplessness. “Whenever there was too much stress, the anxiety would become almost intolerable, like acid in the veins,” she recalled. When a psychopharmacologist prescribed the drug Klonopin, everything brightened. “It just leveled me out,” Ms. Falstein said. “I had more energy. And it helped me sleep, which I was desperate for.” (Span, 3/16)
Stat:
Genetic Tests Ordered By Doctors Race To Market, While DTC Tests Seek FDA Approval
The Food and Drug Administration is keeping tight watch on “direct-to-consumer” genetic tests but has been taking a hands-off approach with similar tests that have a crucial distinction: a physician’s sign-off. A physician order appears to be a key regulatory difference between companies like 23andMe, whose tests FDA has said must seek official approval, and companies like Color Genomics, Helix, and Veritas, who are offering some similar tests but don’t need the agency’s permission. (Swetlitz, 3/16)
The New York Times:
What’s Behind Many Mystery Ailments? Genetic Mutations, Study Finds
Gregor Mendel discovered fundamental rules of genetics by raising pea plants. He realized that hidden factors — we now know them to be genes — were passed down from parents to offspring. It wasn’t until the early 1900s, long after Mendel’s death, that doctors discovered that humans weren’t so very different. Some diseases, it turns out, are inherited — they’re Mendelian. Today, scientists have identified over 7,000 Mendelian diseases, and many are discovered with screenings of children and adults. But a new study suggests that many disorders go undetected. (Zimmer, 3/15)
NPR:
Biologists Track Mutations' Effects By Spying On Single Cells
Genetic mutations are the driving force of evolution, and now scientists have managed to study the effect of mutations in exquisite detail by watching what happens as they pop up in single cells. Only about one percent of mutations were bad enough to kill off the cell, according to a report published Thursday in Science. Most of the time, these small changes in its DNA appeared to have no effect at all. (Greenfieldboyce, 3/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Move Over, Neanderthals: Our Ancestors Mated With Denisovans Not Once But Twice, Scientists Say
Humans weren't just making babies with Neanderthals back in the day. A new study that compares the genomes of different groups of modern humans has found that our ancestors interbred with another close relative, the Denisovans, more than once. The findings, published in the journal Cell, demonstrate a special method that scientists can use to find these hidden fragments of DNA from our long-gone cousins — and shed fresh light on the complexities of human evolution. (Khan, 3/15)
The New York Times:
A ‘Sweet Spot’ For Heart Health
When it comes to our weight, is there a “sweet spot” for heart health? A large prospective study in the European Heart Journal collected data on almost 300,000 healthy men and women ages 40 to 69 and followed them for an average of five years. Researchers measured obesity in five ways: body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio and percentage body fat mass. (Bakalar, 3/15)
NPR:
High School Football Player And CTE Brain Researcher Have Chance Encounter
As Alex Rivero biked around town raising money for the Newton North High School football team last fall, the 17-year-old started getting pretty good at guessing which houses were worth the door knock. He'd look for lights on and listen for kids' voices. When he found a house that looked promising, he would stop. At one place, Dr. Lee Goldstein opened the door. Goldstein cares a great deal about high school football. It's what he was thinking about when the doorbell rang. (Leydon, 3/15)
Iowa Public Radio:
A New Documentary About Adults On Adderall — And Not Just For ADHD
Stimulant drugs like Adderall and Ritalin are commonly prescribed to kids with what's known as ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But recently, adults became the biggest users of these drugs. That's partially because more adults are being diagnosed with ADHD for the first time. But the new Netflix documentary Take Your Pills focuses on the use of these drugs to boost cognitive performance in college classrooms and the workplace. (McCammon, 3/15)
San Antonio Express News:
Don't Lose That Beautiful Smile: Good Dental Care Key To Health
When most senior citizens think about their overall health, the first things that come to mind are eating well and exercising. However, one of the most important parts of seniors' overall health that is easy to overlook is good dental care. Good dental care is more important in later years due to problems that can occur during aging. ... One problem many senior citizens face when it comes to dental care is the lack of insurance coverage, or the limited coverage by Medicare. However, there are many low-cost insurance dental policies just for senior citizens. (Maitland, 3/15)
The New York Times:
Adding Formula To Breast-Feeding May Help Some Newborns
Supplementing breast-feeding with formula may be good for some babies in the early days of life. Exclusive breast-feeding is widely recommended by experts, and rates of breast-feeding have risen. But so have rates of readmission for dehydration and jaundice attributable to inadequate nutrition. (Bakalar, 3/15)
