Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
A 鈥漝rier鈥 or 鈥渄amp鈥 January might be the right approach for many people, says Aaron E. Carroll, a pediatrician, researcher, and chief health officer at Indiana University. Carroll has written extensively about the medical literature on alcohol鈥檚 health effects, especially where alcohol鈥檚 risks might be overstated by officials and news headlines. Moderation may be trite, but it鈥檚 still key. (Mehta, 1/5)
CES is like a kaleidoscope of the new and strange. Among some of the health products unveiled: a toilet sensor that analyzes your urine; a wearable that adds scent to virtual experiences for gamers, retailers and health-care providers; an anxiety pillow that breathes; and more.
The Kusnacht Practice started as an 眉ber-exclusive, ultra-expensive alcohol and drug rehabilitation program for those requiring the utmost privacy while undergoing treatment. The practice operates about a dozen lavishly appointed villas and apartments staffed by a hospitality team, including a personal chef, plus a live-in counselor who provides support and companionship throughout the stay, which typically ranges from four to eight weeks. The chef and counselor can even return home with the client to establish healthy practices in their normal lives, and a continuous care team works to ensure they stay on track.聽鈥淲e are not an institutionalized kind of place, you don鈥檛 feel like you are in treatment at all,鈥 Greghi says. ... While addiction treatment remains a specialty, 80% of clients today are not addicts, as the practice has evolved to treat myriad physical and mental health issues with a full-time staff of dedicated medical and psychiatric experts who work closely as a team to optimize results. (Kahle, 1/5)
At a malaria research conference five years ago in Senegal, scientist Timothy Wells presented an overview of medicines on the horizon, ending with a few slides focused on an outlandish idea. Wells proposed that monoclonal antibody drugs 鈥 a class of high-price medicines that has transformed the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases 鈥 had a role in preventing malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that kills more than a half-million people each year, mostly children in Africa. Scientifically, it was plausible. Practically speaking, it seemed ludicrous. (Johnson, 1/3)
Many people with disabilities face serious difficulties finding work. The unemployment rate for people with a disability was 6% in November 鈥 down from 10.8% in 2021, but still higher than the rate of 3.3% for those who do not have a disability, according to government data. (Han, 1/5)