HEALTH & WELLNESS

The Pros And Cons Of Reclassifying Marijuana To A Less Restrictive Category
HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

The Pros And Cons Of Reclassifying Marijuana To A Less Restrictive Category

DEA could reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive category – a drug policy expert weighs the pros and cons. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced in early 2024 that it would act on President Joe Biden’s call to reclassify marijuana, moving it from the tightly controlled Schedule I category that it has been in since 1970 to the less restrictive Schedule III status of the Controlled Substances Act. That triggered a long process of hearings and reviews that will not be completed until after the presidential election in November. The news drew strong reactions from critics: 25 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland protesting any changes to federal marijuana laws. They argued that the decision “was not properly researched … and is merely respondin...
Americans Get Incorrectly Billed, Especially If You’re Poor, A Person Of Color Or Don’t Have A College Degree — Although Preventive Care Is Free By Law
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Americans Get Incorrectly Billed, Especially If You’re Poor, A Person Of Color Or Don’t Have A College Degree — Although Preventive Care Is Free By Law

Preventive care is free by law, but many Americans get incorrectly billed − especially if you’re poor, a person of color or don’t have a college degree. Even though preventive care is supposed to be free by law for millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many don’t receive recommended preventive services, especially racial and ethnic minorities and other at-risk patient groups. The Affordable Care Act exempted preventive services from patient cost-sharing for large chunks of the population. This means that if you receive preventive screening and have private insurance, including through the ACA Marketplace, there should be no copay at time of service, and you shouldn’t get a bill later on. Easy enough, right? Wrong. Our team of health economists has shown that patient...
Despite Highly Effective Preventive Treatments Half Of The Black Gay Men Will Be Diagnosed With HIV
HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

Despite Highly Effective Preventive Treatments Half Of The Black Gay Men Will Be Diagnosed With HIV

Half of Black gay men will be diagnosed with HIV, despite highly effective preventive treatments − why? At a pharmacy in Iowa, a 42-year-old Black gay man couldn’t find a medication he needed. The pharmacist, a white woman, told him they didn’t stock that medication. But while he waited to pay for his other purchases, he saw another customer place the medication he just asked for on the counter. “I felt really bad,” he said. “I think (when) people place their biases alongside their profession, it makes it difficult to access (health) services.” One of these services include PrEP, or preexposure prophylaxis, a highly effective prescription medication that prevents the spread of HIV. Black gay and bisexual men made up about 38% of the estimated 37,981 new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. in 2...
Two-Thirds Of Women With The Endometriosis Condition Miss School And Work
HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

Two-Thirds Of Women With The Endometriosis Condition Miss School And Work

Endometriosis pain leads to missed school and work in two-thirds of women with the condition, new study finds. More than two-thirds of women with endometriosis missed school or work due to pain from the condition, in a study of more than 17,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the U.S. That is a key finding of new research published in the Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders. Our study also found that Black and Hispanic women were less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis compared with white women. Interestingly, women who identified as part of the LGBTQ community had a higher likelihood of receiving an endometriosis diagnosis than heterosexual women. We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is administered by the Centers for ...
Health Care Workers Dance, Write And Draw Their Way Through Burnout And On-The-Job Stress, With The Help Of Creative Arts Therapy Programs
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

Health Care Workers Dance, Write And Draw Their Way Through Burnout And On-The-Job Stress, With The Help Of Creative Arts Therapy Programs

Creative arts therapy programs can help health care workers dance, write and draw their way through burnout and on-the-job stress. Doctors and nurses seldom learn in school how to tell a family that their loved one is not going to survive. Yet health care professionals face the immense burden of tragedy, illness and dying in an intensely stressful setting as a routine, ongoing part of their jobs. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, research was documenting rampant stress and burnout among health care professionals. The effects of this crisis are widespread in the U.S. In 2022, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy raised concerns about the alarming levels of burnout in the health care community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies show that if current trends continue, the U.S. wi...
The Important Role In Anxiety And Depression Brought On By Blood Sugar Fluctuations After Eating
HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

The Important Role In Anxiety And Depression Brought On By Blood Sugar Fluctuations After Eating

Blood sugar fluctuations after eating play an important role in anxiety and depression. The proverbial “sugar high” that follows the ingestion of a sweet treat is a familiar example of the potentially positive effects of food on mood. On the flip side, feeling “hangry” – the phenomenon where hunger manifests in the form of anger or irritability – illustrates how what we eat, or don’t eat, can also provoke negative emotions. The latest research suggests that blood sugar fluctuations are partly responsible for the connection between what we eat and how we feel. Through its effects on our hormones and our nervous system, blood sugar levels can be fuel for anxiety and depression. Mental health is complex. There are countless social, psychological and biological factors that ultimately ...
The Challenges Of Psychedelics — MDMA-Assisted Therapy For PTSD Treatment Rejected By FDA
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

The Challenges Of Psychedelics — MDMA-Assisted Therapy For PTSD Treatment Rejected By FDA

FDA rejects MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD treatment – a drug researcher explains the challenges psychedelics face. Drugmaker Lykos Therapeutics announced on Aug. 9, 2024, that the Food and Drug Administration declined to approve the company’s application for the use of MDMA-assisted therapy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. It is the first such decision issued on a psychedelic drug application. Many investors and researchers have been predicting a psychedelics boom, with MDMA being just the first of a number of psychedelics in the drug development pipeline. The FDA’s decision has disappointed psychedelic therapy advocates, and the stock prices of psychedelic industry leaders tumbled with the announcement. But the FDA did make recommendations as to how the applicat...
Through Brain Network Changes, Racism And Discrimination Lead To Faster Aging
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

Through Brain Network Changes, Racism And Discrimination Lead To Faster Aging

Racism and discrimination lead to faster aging through brain network changes, new study finds. Racism steals time from people’s lives – possibly because of the space it occupies in the mind. In a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, our team showed that the toll of racism on the brain was linked to advanced aging, observed on a cellular level. Black women who were more frequently exposed to racism showed stronger connections in brain networks involved with rumination and vigilance. We found that this, in turn, was connected to accelerated biological aging. We are neuroscientists who use a variety of approaches, including self-reported data and biological measurements like brain scans, to answer our questions about the effects of stressors on the brain and body. We als...
What Do Insulin Injections And Rock Music Have In Common?
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

What Do Insulin Injections And Rock Music Have In Common?

Insulin injections could one day be replaced with rock music − new research in mice. More than 37 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, 8.4 million Americans needed to take insulin in 2022 to lower their blood sugar. Insulin, however, is tricky to deliver into the body orally because it is a protein easily destroyed in the stomach. While researchers are developing pills that resist digestion in the stomach and skin patches that monitor blood sugar and automatically release insulin, the most reliable way currently to take insulin is through frequent injections. I am a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Indiana University School of Medicine, where my colleagues and I study drug delivery systems. Researching innovative ne...
Top Ways To Improve Heart Health According To An Interventional Cardiologist
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

Top Ways To Improve Heart Health According To An Interventional Cardiologist

(BPT) - Most of us know that maintaining optimal heart health is essential to living a long, healthy life. Yet still, in the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death, and we are not putting adequate attention toward prevention. Fortunately, cardiologists, heart health experts, and new research have made it easier to take care of our health by providing simple guidelines on how to maintain optimal heart health even as we age. Renowned Interventional Cardiologist and author Dr. Heather Shenkman emphasizes the importance of "making small, easy adjustments to your daily lifestyle that add up to transformative health benefits." 1) Go for daily walks Yes, just going on one walk a day is enough exercise to do your body good. Considering how busy our lives can be, it ...