Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: NICUs Pulling Probiotics May Impact Preemies; Even In Red States, Bodily Autonomy Attracts Votes
Maybe probiotics would have saved my son鈥檚 life. I鈥檒l never know because when I asked Micah鈥檚 care team to consider probiotics to counter the deluge of antibiotics, I was dismissed as senseless. My son Micah was born at 27 weeks gestation, weighing just over 2 pounds, with a head full of thick, wavy hair. By 6 weeks old, Micah weighed 5 pounds, was beginning to nurse, and was progressing toward discharge. Our lives changed forever one quiet Sunday afternoon when Micah鈥檚 health rapidly deteriorated, and he was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a disease I had never heard of and knew nothing about. (Jennifer Canvasser, 11/9)
Abortion foes thought Roe v. Wade鈥檚 reversal would usher in a more pro-life America by finally clearing the legal obstacles to the eventual abolition of abortion. But that鈥檚 not how things are panning out, even in red states. Yesterday in Ohio鈥攚hich Donald Trump won in 2020鈥攙oters approved a state constitutional amendment to make abortion a fundamental right, effectively restoring the reproductive freedom they once enjoyed under Roe. (Jon A. Sheilds, 11/8)
Ohio voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Issue 1 at the ballot, making it the sixth state to either pass a constitutional amendment protecting abortion access or reject a measure that would have specified the state constitution does not protect abortion rights. (11/8)
From head to toe, our bodies are adapting to accommodate our devices. A majority of U.S. workers spend most of each weekday seated and looking at screens. We鈥檝e thereby put ourselves in the midst of a slow-moving health crisis marked by alarming rates of early-onset diabetes and hypertension. Plus, by the end of most days 鈥 though it鈥檚 not the preferred medical terminology 鈥 we just feel like crap. (Manoush Zomorodi and Keith Diaz, 11/7)
I have long had back pain, like millions of other Americans.聽My super supportive staff ensured a chair in the hotel bathroom and, more important, a stool behind the speaking podium when standing for long periods became a challenge. Like so many others, I pushed through the pain to do my work. (Wendy R. Sherman, 11/9)
The book 鈥淭he Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic鈥 argues that students who become school shooters are often the victims of extreme bullying, rejection from peers, isolation and self-loathing. It ends when their hate turns outward toward classmates, religious groups, immigrants or anyone else they can blame. The authors have a $50 billion solution: hiring 500,000 psychologists. (Gilbert Simon, 11/7)
Also 鈥
Methadone is one of three medications approved to treat opioid use disorder, and for some patients it is the only effective option. Yet methadone is the only federally approved drug dispensed outside the traditional medical system. (11/9)
As the opioid epidemic continues to grip our nation, claiming lives, destroying families, and burdening communities, it is imperative that we explore every viable solution. Among these potential solutions is a powerful, natural, non-addictive substance known as ibogaine. (Rick Perry, Marcus Luttrell, Morgan Luttrell and Dakota Meyer, 11/8)