Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Is Social Media Causing Tourette Symptoms?; Chicago Must Eliminate Lead From Drinking Water
The Atlantic: The Twitches That Spread On Social Media
Three years ago, the psychiatrist Kirsten Müller-Vahl began to notice something unusual about the newest patients at her clinic in Hannover, Germany. A typical Tourette’s patient is a boy who develops slow, mild motor tics—blinking or grimacing—at about age 5 to 7, followed later by simple vocalizations such as coughing. Only about one in 10 patients progress to the disorder’s most famous symptom—coprolalia, which involves shouting obscene or socially unacceptable words. Even then, most patients utter only half a dozen swear words, on repeat. (Helen Lewis, 2/27)
Chicago Tribune: Our Leaders Ignore The Real Pandemic Damaging Our Children, Lead In Drinking Water
The only thing worse than denying science and inflicting damage on children through closed schools has been ignoring science and doing next to nothing to remove lead from drinking water. Brain damaging lead is the real pandemic inflicting incalculable damage on successive generations of children. For years, reporters such as Michael Hawthorne of the Tribune (among others, including me) sounded the alarm about lead in our drinking water that elected and appointed officials paid little more than lip service. (Paul Vallas, 2/28)
Modern Healthcare: Will We Maintain The Momentum On New Therapy Breakthroughs?
Scientists had an astoundingly productive 2021. The Food and Drug Administration fully approved more than 50 new drugs—one of the best years on record—and granted emergency use authorization to numerous other therapies, including antiviral pills that reduce the risk of death from COVID-19 by up to 89%. (Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, 2/25)
Crain's Detroit Business: Pandemic Proved Fee-For-Service Healthcare Payment Model Is Broken. Here's How To Fix It
It's no shock to anyone reading this that there is an affordability crisis in American healthcare. And while much of the focus is rightly centered on the cost of services, how those services are paid for also is a factor that influences the pocketbook pressures consumers face every day. The COVID pandemic continues to spotlight the heroic efforts of those within our healthcare system — particularly those on the front lines of delivering care. (Todd Van Tol and Dr. James D. Grant, 2/25)
Miami Herald: Heart Disease Kills More Americans That Cancer Does
February is Heart Disease Awareness Month. It is recognized during the shortest month of the year, and now it’s almost over. Sadly, I’ve heard next to nothing about the topic during the month dedicated learning more about heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease accounts for more deaths than any other disease, killing about 690,000 people a year in this country. It’s a staggering number, that merits more attention. The media, the CDC, elected officials and health organizations need to push heart disease to the forefront, especially because people do not seem to understand how important this is. We should not let another year go by, without hearing the words “heart disease” or seeing the cute “Go Red” campaigns — that really do not say much. After all, it’s that No. 1 killer disease in the United States. (Liliam M. Lopez, 2/26)
Scientific American: Doctors Prescribing Opioids In Good Faith Should Not Be Prosecuted
On March 1 the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could have an enormous impact on American medicine. The case, which involves combined appeals from two doctors, Xiulu Ruan and Shakeel Kahn, is intended to resolve an important question that has had a chilling effect on both pain and addiction care. If the court decides against these defendants, people in the U.S. who are in agony may be unable to get needed relief. (Maia Szalavitz, 2/25)
Stat: Treating Kids With Sleep Disorders Echoes A Lifetime Of Restless Nights
When I was about 7 years old, I lost the ability to place my head on my pillow, close my eyes, and trust that I would soon slide away into that mysterious state of sleep. Since then, some nights I drift in and out of sleep, others I lay awake all night. Why did this happen to me? An easy answer is genetics. (Christopher Hartnick, 2/27)
USA Today: Surgeon Denied My Sister Care Because Of 'Low Quality Of Life'. She Proved Him Wrong
When my older sister was 6 years old, she needed surgery to rebuild her chest, which was caving in and beginning to crush her organs. The surgeon at our local children’s hospital who was most qualified to perform it declined, saying Heidi had too low a quality of life to be worth his time. What had Heidi, with dark brown hair that our mom arranged with brightly colored bows, done to offend him? What had Heidi, who giggled and bopped around the community swimming pool with assistance from her bright red plastic innertube, done to be deemed unworthy of medical care? (Holly Kearl, 2/27)
