By NICHOLAS BAKALAR September 30, 2016 Hormonal contraceptives are associated with an increased risk for depression, a large study has found. Danish researchers studied more than a million women ages 15 to 34, tracking their contraceptive and antidepressant use from 2000 to 2013. The study excluded women who before 2000 had used antidepressants or had another psychiatric …
Dining In: Homemade Chili Gains Ground on Chili’s
By STEPHANIE STROM September 30, 2016 Sales at some of the country’s biggest restaurant chains — McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Buffalo Wild Wings, to name a few — are slumping. The culprit? People like John Reynolds, if you listen to restaurant executives. A salesman for a convenience store distributor, Mr. Reynolds used to spend several evenings a week …
10-Minute Hip-Opening Yoga Flow
Other People’s Parenting: When (if Ever) to Interfere
By MICHELE WILLENS September 30, 2016 It was an extreme example, but it struck a nerve. Last week, at a Walmart in Texas, a female bystander spotted a man pushing a shopping cart with a crying child’s hair wrapped around the handle. The woman intervened, and eventually called the police for help. The incident set off a …
Can You Believe This Fried Chicken Is Healthy?!?
“Healthy fried chicken” sounds like an oxymoron, but we make it happen with this healthy homemade Nashville Hot Chicken recipe. In this recipe makeover, we use a few clever tricks to cut down on calories and sodium while maintaining the crispy, juicy, delicious features that make fried chicken so finger-licking good. Here are a few …
Women And The Zika Virus: Smart Questions And A Few Solid Answers
This story was first published June 13; it was last updated Sept. 30. The Zika virus remains a persistent public health concern in the continental United States. After months of debate, Congress has agreed to put $1.1 billion toward fighting the virus – which can cause birth defects if a pregnant woman contracts the disease …
Viewpoints: ‘Public Option’ Doesn’t Work; Developing A Zika Vaccine; Pockets Of Innovation
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country. USA Today: Discredited ‘Public Option’ Will FailFor middle-class families with Obamacare, summer 2016 was plagued with headline headscratchers as they learned costs would be going up and choices would be going down. Today, as the fourth enrollment season nears, the news is not getting …
Research Roundup: Screening Colonoscopies For Seniors; Safety-Net Hospital Readmissions
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs. Annals of Internal Medicine: Effectiveness Of Screening Colonoscopy To Prevent Colorectal Cancer Among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 70 To 79 YearsThe Medicare program … reimburses screening colonoscopy without an upper age limit [so researchers sought to] evaluate the effectiveness and safety of …
State Highlights: Conn. Hospitals Show Weaker Financial Performance In 2015; Ohio OKs Bill To Address Infant Mortality Rate
Outlets report on health news from Connecticut, Ohio, Arkansas, California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Florida, Texas, Maryland and Georgia. The CT Mirror: CT Hospital Finances Weakened In 2015The finances of Connecticut hospitals weakened during the 2015 fiscal year, with a drop in the average margin and fewer hospitals turning a profit. Even so, the majority of hospitals …
Some States Complain Medicaid Rule To Assess Enrollees’ Access To Care Is Too Burdensome
States with at least 90 percent of beneficiaries in managed care, like Florida, say there’s no point in spending the time to conduct the assessment of its Medicaid population. “We have a tiny fee-for-service population,” said Justin Senior, deputy secretary of the Division of Medicaid in Florida at the 2016 Medicaid Health Plans of America …
Calif. Tries To Rein In Overuse Of Psychiatric Drug For Foster Kids By Monitoring Doctors
The bill, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, increases oversight of doctors who have high prescription numbers, and allows the medical board to take action. Mercury News: Drugging Our Kids: Brown Passes Two Psych Med Bills, Vetoes AnotherCapping years of efforts to stop California’s foster care system from overmedicating the state’s most vulnerable children, Gov. Jerry Brown …
Wrenching Choices Face Families Over An Aging Parent’s Living Situtation
The Philadelphia Inquirer has two stories on the challenges that face caring for elders. And Bloomberg and NPR report on developments on Alzheimer’s. The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: The Dilemmas Of Parents Aging At HomeThe story of Mary Casavecchia and the house she won’t leave began decades ago. … Her love for this house and refusal to …
Fatal Police Shooting Of Mentally Ill Man Highlights Issue Plaguing The Country
People with severe mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police. States across the U.S. are trying to address the problem, but police officials say part of the problem is the decay of the country’s mental health system. Reuters: California Shooting Shows Police Ill-Equipped To Handle Mentally IllThe fatal shooting by …
More Options Emerging For Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer While Pregnant
Before, women were recommended to end the pregnancy, but with the right team, doctors are finding ways to deliver a health baby while still treating the mother. Meanwhile, experts say the best defense against breast cancer is being able to recognize any changes that could signal a problem. Orlando Sentinel: Pregnant Women With Breast Cancer …
Aggressive, Illegal Marketing For Powerful Painkiller Cited As Cause Of Woman’s Death
Sarah Fuller was given a prescription version of fentanyl, a drug 100 times more potent than morphine, for her back and neck pain. A year later she was found dead in her bathroom. Stat: Potent Painkiller Fentanyl, And A Drive To Sell It, Faulted In Woman’s DeathThere was a stranger waiting for Sarah Fuller when …
Wall Street Stumbles On News Of Drug Companies’ Cost Woes
Meanwhile, the controversy around the high cost of EpiPens continues to make headlines. The Associated Press: Wall St. Closes Lower As Drug-Price Scrutiny IntensifiesStocks on Wall Street skidded Thursday as drug companies and banks absorbed large losses. Drugmakers faced scrutiny over price increases, while banks fell as investors worried about the stability of Deutsche Bank …
The Weekly Health Quiz: Happy Spouses, Addictive Personalities and ‘Clean’ Marijuana
Test your knowledge of this week’s health news.
Recording the Sound of My Child’s Voice
September 30, 2016 By JEANNE BONNER Many parents these days seem to obsessively celebrate their children’s developments by snapping photo after photo on their cellphone cameras. Me? I record my son’s words in my notebook, on my phone, in my laptop. I want the audio record, and the written one; they capture one of the …
Are Wild Blueberries More Nutritious Than Farm-Raised?
Photo Credit Dan Neville/The New York Times Do you have a health question? Submit your question to Ask Well.
Six Ways to Save Money (and Sanity) on a Family Road Trip
By FREDA MOON September 30, 2016 Does a multiday, multistate drive with young kids sound like the furthest thing from a vacation? If so, you’re not alone. I asked seasoned family road-trippers for their hard-earned advice on how to make long days in the car with children less anxiety-inducing and more fun. Here are six of their …
First Edition: September 30, 2016
Sep 30 2016 Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations. Kaiser Health News: A Golden Ticket That Fast-Tracks A Drug Through The FDAKaiser Health News staff writer Sarah Jane Tribble reports: “Drugmaker Sarepta Therapeutics won a big victory when its $300,000 muscular dystrophy drug was recently approved, but the company had other reasons …
Dear Dad: We’ve Been Gay for a Really Long Time
September 30, 2016 Modern Love By MARY ALICE HOSTETTER The first letter was not mine, although my brother Charles and I had spent so much time talking about it that I felt some ownership. I was in San Francisco for the Thanksgiving holiday, and we had read and reread the letter he was planning to …
The Need To Replace EpiPens Regularly Adds To Concerns About Cost
As controversy about the pricing of EpiPens reverberates from Capitol Hill to school districts across the country, one recurring complaint from consumers is that the high cost is magnified because the drug expires quickly, forcing users to regularly bear the cost of replacing the medicine that saves lives in the event of a severe allergic …
Most Hospital Palliative Care Programs Are Understaffed
Most hospitals offer palliative care services that help people with serious illnesses manage their pain and other symptoms and make decisions about their treatment, while providing emotional support and assistance in navigating the health system. But hospital programs vary widely, and the majority fail to provide adequate staff to meet national guidelines, a recent study found. A …
A 400-Pound Hacker? Trump Comment Ignites Fat-Shaming Debate
A remark during the presidential debate has triggered a national conversation in a country where two-thirds of the population is overweight.