Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Analysis Throws Cold Water On Health Claims Of Blue Light-Blocking Glasses
Despite their popularity, blue light-blocking glasses probably don鈥檛 do much to reduce eyestrain, help keep people alert or improve sleep, according to a meta-analysis looking at 17 studies聽published Thursday. The glasses, which sellers claim protect the eyes from potentially harmful blue light coming from screens, first hit the scene in the early 2000s. Search interest skyrocketed in the first year of the pandemic.聽(Sullivan, 8/18)
In other health and wellness news 鈥
The source behind a norovirus outbreak that sickened a few hundred people last year has been identified, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ... Investigators with the Tazewell Health Department and Illinois Department of Public Health concluded the outbreak was likely caused by a sick food handler at the restaurant who had ungloved contact with salad, toppings and dressings during food preparation. (Kekatos, 8/17)
Many of the people infected with Vibrio vulnificus require intensive care or limb amputations to survive, according to the CDC. Vibrio vulnificus is described as a flesh-eating bacteria because it can lead to what鈥檚 called necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies. The consequences can be deadly. (Bella, 8/17)
It was Thanksgiving 2021, and Michael Young was at Target buying a turkey baster. 鈥淚鈥檓 in the parking lot, and my chest starts to feel like somebody鈥檚 sitting on me,鈥 Young recounted. But he didn鈥檛 think too much of it and waited until February to tell the doctor about these on-and-off chest pains. 鈥8:30 a.m. Monday morning, the cardiologist calls me and says, 鈥榃e have a problem; we need to talk,鈥欌 Young said. The heart scans had found lung cancer. (Bajaj, 8/18)
Age bias doesn鈥檛 show up only as blatant discrimination (鈥淲e want someone younger for that job.鈥) or snarky birthday cards. One of the most potent sources of ageism comes from older people themselves, and like other forms of ageism, the self-inflicted kind is associated with lower levels of emotional and physical health and can slash years off people鈥檚 lives. (Laber-Warren, 8/17)
A third-year med school student, Brianna Celix doesn鈥檛 get a lot of free time. Even with the one afternoon off she gets each week at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Celix is being challenged to take care of herself. Her cat, Frankie, dense as a log, offers plenty of cuddles. But managing two autoimmune conditions requires more than animal affection. Celix, 25, has to keep up with the demands of medical school while keeping Hashimoto鈥檚 thyroiditis and celiac disease in check. (Cueto, 8/18)