Health Policy InsightHealthcare management online analysis and intelligence
Health Policy InsightPatients are showing up ‘later and sicker’ for abortion care as more US states adopt bans and significant restrictions
Providers are seeing more patients in need of abortions later in pregnancy as abortion bans and restrictions proliferate in US states, all while access to insurance falls.
Those bans and restrictions have also meant that later abortion care access has grown over the past decade in a handful of haven states and cities.
Continue reading...Widely used chemical TBBPA may present a danger to US public, and especially children, independent research finds
The Environmental Protection Agency is manipulating safety data around a highly toxic flame retardant deployed across the US economy, public health advocates allege.
The chemical, TBBPA, has been found in dust in US homes and in consumer goods at combined levels that independent research has found may present a danger to the public, and especially small children.
Continue reading...The cholesterol-busting drugs are more effective the earlier in life they are taken, 15-year research project indicates
Statins can lower the risk of dementia by 15%, and the earlier in life they are taken the higher the chances of avoiding the disease, a 15-year study suggests.
The number of people living with dementia globally is forecast to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050. But experts believe almost half of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed.
Continue reading...From Jergens and Naturium to CeraVe and Eucerin, there’s a potion on this list that will keep every body soft and moisturized
The best facial cleansers in the US for every skin type, recommended by dermatologists
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Your skin is the largest organ on the body. Taking care of it can feel like a full-time job, especially if you struggle with anything from dryness and sun damage to psoriasis, not to mention allergies and hormone fluctuations over time. Picking the right lotion for your skin is crucial – and it’s much more of a health decision than many people realize.
Packaging, brand loyalty, fragrance or recommendations from your favorite influencers might factor into your decision. But when considering a lotion for long-term use, the best options are those that will actually benefit the skin.
Continue reading...Healthy eating rules are forcing brands to recook their recipes. Are consumers noticing the difference?
Bite into a Ritz cracker today and you’re eating 80% less saturated fat than you would have been just a few years ago. The biscuit looks and snaps the same, and tastes close enough that most buyers have no idea they’re eating a new recipe.
One of the biggest changes was swapping palm oil for sunflower oil, but there was much more to it than that. The reformulation took years to perfect in a laboratory, where scientists tested everything from density to how the cracker responds to heat, moisture and packaging.
Continue reading...My partner, Clive Parkinson, who has died aged 63, was reader in arts, health and social justice at Manchester Metropolitan University. Working across the NHS, higher education and the voluntary sector, Clive became one of the UK’s leading voices in arts and health.
Born in Morecambe, Lancashire, Clive was the son of George, a lorry driver, and Betty (nee Thurlby), a shop worker; both helped nurture the compassion and sense of community that would shape his life. After leaving school at 16 in 1979 with few qualifications, Clive attended Lancaster & Morecambe College before establishing an art studio for the residents of the Royal Albert, a large Victorian hospital for adults with learning disabilities – an experience he would later describe as the most formative of his life. While there, he completed a part-time degree in independent studies and visual art at Lancaster University, where his research focused on the relationship between creativity, culture, the arts and health.
Continue reading...Leading cardiovascular health groups reclassify overlooked causes and introduce sex-specific diagnostic thresholds
Doctors have agreed the world’s first universal definition of a heart attack, paving the way for millions of women to finally receive better treatment after decades of being “deprioritised”.
In one of the biggest procedural shake-ups in a generation, the world’s four leading cardiovascular health groups have signed off on new guidance for healthcare professionals when seeing suspected heart attack patients.
Continue reading...Experts say imported eggs served in cafes and restaurants may be behind hundreds of infections and one death
Salmonella cases in the UK are expected to rise until the common source is identified, something that is notoriously difficult to establish, experts have warned.
There have been 474 confirmed cases and one death linked to the current outbreak, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), with the latest investigations suggesting it is associated with eating imported eggs in cafes and restaurants.
Continue reading...Brazil has failed to prove compliance with EU rules on use of antibiotics in cattle and poultry farming
The UK’s leading farming organisations and animal health experts have called for an urgent ban on imports of Brazilian meat, in light of concerns over the safety of imports.
The National Farmers’ Union in England and its sister organisations in the devolved administrations wrote to the government on Friday warning that public health was at risk.
Continue reading...Anti-vaxxers are spreading conspiracy theories after two recent measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania
Anti-vaccine activists are trying to track down the families of two people, including at least one newborn, who died after contracting measles in Pennsylvania, as Governor Josh Shapiro tangles with Robert F Kennedy Jr over his “inaccurate and misleading claims”.
Kennedy, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), suggested late on Wednesday that the deaths in the state may have been “fabricated” after a Republican coroner – an elected political office in Lancaster county – claimed one of the measles-associated deaths was unrelated to the virus, although the given cause would be consistent with measles.
Continue reading...High blood levels of xylitol associated with higher risk of major cardiovascular events, in largest study of its kind
A common sweetener used in products such as chewing gum, toothpaste, jam, yoghurts and ice-cream has been linked to an increased risk of strokes, heart attacks and death.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol present in some natural foods in very low amounts. It is also added – often in amounts 1,000 times higher – to artificially sweeten foods, beverages and oral care products.
Continue reading...Experts warn the 336-page plan from RFK Jr’s advisers deflects federal dollars into unreliable alternative therapies
Autism groups and researchers have reacted with alarm to a federal research roadmap drawn up by advisers handpicked by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, fearing it will promote unproven fringe therapies at the expense of promising genetic research.
A slew of scientific bodies and groups within the autism community are warning that the 336-page plan risks deflecting federal dollars away from potentially groundbreaking genetic research in favor of unreliable alternative therapies.
Continue reading...Soaring demand for services has led to tenfold increase in spending in a year in some areas, says NHS Alliance
NHS leaders have warned that the costs of meeting soaring demand for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism services in England are “running out of control” and have become unsustainable, with spending in some areas rising by as much as tenfold over the course of a year.
The NHS Alliance, which represents health managers, said the rise in demand since the coronavirus pandemic was forcing some to close waiting lists and look at reining in other services they provide.
Continue reading...Decision allows manufacturers to begin shipping doses, but confusion remains about insurance coverage
The US Food and Drug Administration approved updated Covid-19 vaccines on Thursday, allowing manufacturers to begin shipping doses to pharmacies and doctors’ offices across the country.
The FDA approved Moderna, Novavax-Sanofi and Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated Covid vaccines, the companies said on Thursday, after an advisory panel recommended that the shots should target the dominant XFG variant.
Continue reading...Experts call for joined-up support through the postnatal period amid concerns GPs are not trained to spot symptoms
Thousands of UK women develop undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childbirth every year, research has found.
The frightening and dangerous condition is being missed in at least 15,000 women a year across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the true toll could be double that or more, according to the authors of research in a leading medical journal.
Continue reading...Newly obtained records indicate health secretary lied about Samoa trip during Senate confirmation hearings last year
A senior Democratic senator is calling for a criminal investigation into the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, following reporting by the Guardian that indicated he lied during Senate confirmation hearings last year.
Ron Wyden of Oregon said: “RFK’s platform is built on lies and grifts that leave a trail of dead children in their wake. There are consequences for lying to Congress.”
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