Type Of Book You Read To Your Baby May Be Just As Important As Book Reading Experience Itself

The Washington Post: Brain Study Suggests The Type Of Book You Read To Your Baby Is Important
Parents often receive books atpediatric checkups and hear from a variety of health professionals and educators that reading to their kids is critical for supporting development. The pro-reading message is getting through to parents, who recognize that it’s an important habit. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 83 percent of 3-to-5-year-old children were read to three or more times per week by a family member in 2012. (Scott, 12/31)

The Washington Post: The Secret Experiment That Rocked Psychiatry
It was a secret experiment. There was a graduate student, a housewife, a painter, a pediatrician, a psychiatrist and three psychologists. Using fake names, they went out to 12 hospitals across the country and claimed to hear voices. Their mission was to see what would happen. What they found rocked psychiatry. David Rosenhan, a psychologist at Stanford University, published the results of the experiment in a 1973 issue of the journal Science. “On Being Sane in Insane Places” would become one of the most influential studies in the history of psychiatry. (Morris, 1/1)

The Associated Press: Few Colleges Track Suicides, Despite Prevention Investments
Nearly half of the largest U.S. public universities do not track suicides among their students, despite making investments in prevention at a time of surging demand for mental health services. Tabulating student suicides comes with its own set of challenges and problems. But without that data, prevention advocates say, schools have no way to measure their success and can overlook trends that could offer insight to help them save lives. (1/2)

Stat: Experts: Too Much Screening Has Misled Us About Cancer Risk Factors
The best-known downside of cancer screening, such as PSA tests for prostate cancer and mammograms for breast cancer, is that they often flag cancers that pose no risk, leading to overdiagnosis and unnecessary, even harmful, treatment. But widespread screening for “scrutiny-dependent” cancers — those for which the harder you look the more you find, and the more of what you find is harmless — causes another problem, two leading cancer experts argue in a paper published on Monday: increasing the apparent incidence of some cancers. That in turn is misleading doctors and the public about what increases people’s risk of developing cancers — or at least the types of cancer that matter. (Begley, 1/1)

The Washington Post: Hazards Of The Post-New Year’s Rush To Gyms
January is a boom time for the fitness industry, as millions of guilt-ridden Americans flock — at least temporarily — to health clubs to try to shed excess pounds acquired over the holidays. “People eat too much, drink too much, and everyone wants to come back to the gym,” said Jose Velasquez, 40, a restaurant worker who regularly works out at an LA Fitness gym in the District and has seen the post-holiday boom-and-bust phenomenon again and again. (Pianin, 1/1)

The Washington Post: As Zika Fades From Public Consciousness, Scientists Continue To Pursue The Virus
While the Zika virus mostly faded from the public’s consciousness last year, it’s still a hot topic among scientists — and for good reasons. After Zika emerged in the Western Hemisphere, it shook the Americas as reports of infections and devastating birth defects swept through Brazil and Colombia, eventually reaching the United States in 2016. In a welcome turn, the number of Zika cases in the hemisphere last year dropped dramatically in the hardest-hit areas. (Cunningham, 12/30)

NPR: Kids May Skip Shots Because They Fear Needles
The reasons people may skip vaccines such as the flu shot are many. They can include apathy or being too busy. They can include people believing that they won't get sick or fearing vaccines. But recent research suggests another reason some may skip shots: fear of needles. And it's a fear that may be preventable. "People who are afraid of needles are less likely to get vaccines, less likely to fully vaccinate their kids, less likely to give blood and less likely to get a flu shot," says Dr. Amy Baxter, lead study author and clinical associate professor at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. (Haelle, 12/28)

The New York Times: Fast, Cheap Testing For Tuberculosis? Soon It May Be Possible
Diagnosing a lung disease like tuberculosis with a urine test may seem illogical, but a group of American researchers is now a step closer to that goal. Scientists at George Mason University have improved by at least 100 times the accuracy of testing for a sugar shed by tuberculosis bacteria, meaning that a simple dipstick urine test may soon become possible. (McNeil, 1/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: Spinal-Cord Implants To Numb Pain Emerge As Alternative To Pills
For millions of Americans suffering from debilitating nerve pain, a once-overlooked option has emerged as an alternative to high doses of opioids: implanted medical devices using electricity to counteract pain signals the same way noise-canceling headphones work against sound. (Cortez, 12/30)

The New York Times: Vitamin D And Calcium Don’t Prevent Bone Fractures
Vitamin D and calcium supplements are widely used for the prevention of bone fractures in older adults, but a large analysis confirms earlier reports they do not work. Chinese researchers pooled data from 33 randomized, placebo-controlled trials with more than 51,000 participants to look for an association between taking the supplements and a lowered risk of fracture. The analysis, in JAMA, found none. (Bakalar, 12/28)

Stat/ Boston Globe: 'Dr. Phil' Guests Say Show Risks The Health Of Some People With Addictions
America’s best-known television doctor presents himself as a crusader for recovery who rescues people from their addictions — and even death. But in its pursuit of ratings, the “Dr. Phil” show has put at risk the health of some of those guests it purports to help, according to people who have been on the show and addiction experts. Guests have been left without medical help as they face withdrawal from drugs, a STAT/Boston Globe investigation has found, and one person said she was directed by a show staff member to an open-air drug market to find heroin for her detoxing niece. (Armstrong and Allen, 12/28)

The New York Times: Air Pollution Contributes To More Than 20,000 Deaths A Year
Day-to-day increases in air pollution, even at levels generally considered acceptable, are associated with increased deaths among the elderly. Previous studies have suggested an association, but most have been based on small populations in metropolitan areas. This new study, in JAMA, used Medicare files and nationwide air pollution data to estimate 24-hour exposure in people who died between 2000 and 2012. (Bakalar, 12/17)

The New York Times: Fiber Is Good For You. Now Scientists May Know Why.
A diet of fiber-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, reduces the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Indeed, the evidence for fiber’s benefits extends beyond any particular ailment: People who eat more of it simply have lower odds of dying. That’s why experts are always saying how good dietary fiber is for us. But while the benefits are clear, it’s not so clear why fiber is so great. “It’s an easy question to ask and a hard one to really answer,” said Fredrik Bäckhed, a biologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. (Zimmer, 1/1)

NPR: Early-Onset Alzheimer's Poses Challenges For Marriage, Finances, Life
When Bella Doolittle heard her diagnosis last February of early-onset Alzheimer's, she sat in the car outside the doctor's office and cried. "He said, 'Well, we figured out what's going on with you and this is it.' And I'm like, 'No it's not.' "Doolittle's husband, Will Doolittle, sits next to her on the couch, recalling how she grilled the doctor. "You asked, 'How long does this take? How long do I have?' And he said, 'On average, eight years.' That really upset you." (Mann, 1/2)

Kaiser Health News: Terrifying Brush With Death Drives Doctor To Fight For Patients
The searing abdominal pain came on suddenly while Dr. Rana Awdish was having dinner with a friend. Soon she was lying in the back seat of the car racing to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, where Awdish was completing a fellowship in critical care. On that night nearly a decade ago, a benign tumor in Awdish’s liver burst, causing a cascade of medical catastrophes that nearly killed her. She nearly bled to death. She was seven months pregnant at the time, and the baby did not survive. She had a stroke and, over the days and weeks to come, suffered multiple organ failures. She required several surgeries and months of rehabilitation to learn to walk and speak again. (Andrews, 1/2)

Los Angeles Times: Exercise Is Good Medicine For Boosting Memory And Thinking Skills, New Guidelines Say
Every year, you resolve to get more exercise. And every year, you stay stuck on the couch. The American Academy of Neurology is here to help. The experts on brain health are out with new guidelines that say exercising twice a week may help preserve memory and thinking skills in people with mild cognitive impairment. (Kaplan, 12/28)

The Washington Post: How To Find Treatment For A Drinking Problem
American alcohol consumption spikes every December as the holidays descend, which may help explain why reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption is a common New Year’s resolution. If you have resolved to seek treatment for a drinking problem, there is good news and bad news. On the one hand, federal laws such as the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 make it more likely than ever that your health insurance includes an alcohol treatment benefit. But on the other hand, because of years of underfunding, stigma and segregation from the rest of the health-care system, many alcohol treatment programs are of poor quality. Fortunately, the federal government has a new tool that can help you find a quality treatment program that works for you. (Humphreys, 1/1)

Kaiser Health News: Sickle Cell Patients, Families And Doctors Face A ‘Fight For Everything’
The day before his 30th birthday, Marqus Valentine was in a panic. “I was so scared for midnight to come rolling around because subconsciously I was like, ‘This is it. Tomorrow’s my last day on Earth,’” he said. Valentine has sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder, and his doctors had warned him throughout his life that he was not likely to make it to 30. (Gold, 12/27)

The New York Times: After 2nd Bout With Cancer, Seeking To Heal His Body And Mind
Because he was in such a hurry to get to his granddaughter’s high school graduation, James Riddick did not realize he had forgotten his cane until he reached the bus. “Certain things you get so dependent on, it becomes like part of you,” said Mr. Riddick, 80. On that day, more than a year and a half ago, he stepped up into the bus, slowly and shakily but without incident. He has not used his cane since. (Otis, 12/31)