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A scented room spray. It never occurred to Lylah Baker’s family that a seemingly innocuous product sold by one of the world’s largest retailers would be capable of delivering a deadly foreign bacteria directly into one of their Texas homes. Yet on Tuesday evening, disease detectives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that genetic tests confirmed that Better Homes & Gardens “Lavender & Chamomile with Gemstones” aromatherapy spray or one of its ingredients caused a highly unusual outbreak of infections this year in Lylah and three others who lived in Georgia, Kansas and Minnesota. (Alison Young, 10/27)

In my work as a registered dietitian for kidney patients on dialysis, I’ve been advocating for reduced salt intake for more than 40 years. The best way to avoid the tragedy of kidney failure is to follow a healthy, low-sodium diet. There is a strong relationship between salt intake and high blood pressure: Eating more salt raises blood pressure. Prolonged high blood pressure causes heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, tying people to a lifetime of invasive medical therapy and consuming more than $28 billion in Medicare costs for dialysis alone. (Katy G. Wilkens, 10/26)

Americans have a tendency to fixate on what’s commonly thought of of as “a good death” — surrounded by loved ones, a peaceful, quiet passing that looks like falling asleep. But physician Joel B. Zivot and medical philosopher Ira Bedzow are cautious about how this preoccupation can shield people from the reality of death. When they read a recent report in JAMA on using medication to eliminate the “death rattle” — a soft moan or gargling sound sometimes made by people when death is near — they knew they needed to write about the dangers of curating death for the witnesses rather than focusing on those who are dying. (Patrick Skerrett, 10/27)

Minnesotans who rely on Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare shouldn't have to drive 70 miles or more to see a dentist. Or, forgo dental care altogether for themselves or their children because they can't find a provider who sees patients in either program. But for years, both scenarios have too often been a frustrating reality for the 1 in 4 Minnesotans who get their health care through these two publicly funded health programs. Medical Assistance serves low-income adults and families. MinnesotaCare aids those who make too much to qualify for medical assistance but not enough to comfortably afford private health insurance. (10/27)

From my teenage years on, I benefitted from what I thought was a positive personality: high levels of energy, enthusiasm, drive, extroversion, positivity, happiness, and optimism. This was the personality that led me to success as a high school student and athlete, through West Point, and during my first 24 years of Army service. It amplified my natural talents and played a major factor in all my success. All that changed in 2003 when, as a brigade commander leading thousands of troops in the Iraq War, the intense stress of combat triggered what I later learned was my genetic predisposition for bipolar disorder. I went into my first up/down cycle of true mania and depression. Fortunately, it was mostly of a high-performing nature, and the lows were serious but not crippling. (Gregg Martin, 10/28)