Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Company Issues Broad Recall Of Nuts Over 'Undeclared Allergen' Risk
Anut recall was issued this week alongside warnings of a possible "life-threatening" allergic reaction. On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shared a recall announcement from the Texas Pecan company, based in Dallas. "Texas Pecan of Dallas TX is recalling 1 Lb and 8 oz products because it may contain an undeclared allergen," the announcement said. (Impelli, 5/9)
More than 200 people with diabetes were injured after technology defect caused their insulin pump to unexpectedly shut down, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The software glitch has prompted the recall of more than 85,000 versions of a mobile app, called t:connect and developed by Tandem Diabetes Care, the FDA noted on Wednesday. (Gibson, 5/9)
Lead screening conducted on west Maui residents after last summer鈥檚 devastating wildfires showed no widespread exposure to the toxic metal, Hawaii health officials said Thursday. ... Just 27 people鈥檚 screening results came out positive, and subsequent testing showed 15 of them did not have elevated blood lead levels and were determined to have had a false positive, the state health department said. (5/10)
Stephen Clark, an Atlanta-area physical therapist, sees many patients who suffer from muscle guarding after a traumatic surgery or injury. Muscle guarding, which emanates from the brain, is a physical response to pain. For some, though, protracted muscle guarding can prolong pain and inhibit recovery. ... In muscle guarding, the brain seeks to protect an injured area by subconsciously directing the surrounding muscles to not function, or to lock, ostensibly to defend the body against additional pain or injury. (Theim, 5/9)
Everyone feels lonely from time to time. ... Some people, though, experience loneliness not just transiently but chronically. ... These individuals seem to have 鈥渢his persistent emotion that then shapes their behavior.鈥 Research is mounting that this type of entrenched loneliness is bad for our health and can even change our brains, raising the risk for neurodegenerative diseases. Here鈥檚 what experts know about how chronic loneliness affects the brain, and some strategies to address it. (Smith, 5/9)
The issue of alcohol 鈥 and how much of it Americans should consume 鈥 is up for debate again as the dietary guidelines undergo updates and revisions, due in 2025. Already, there鈥檚 simmering debate over a growing body of research, plus clashing of interests and the same specter of controversy that鈥檚 followed the report since Nestle鈥檚 time. (Cueto, 5/10)