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Morning Briefing

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

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Wednesday, Jun 14 2017

Full Issue

Postpartum Ads Featuring Women With Pacifiers Strikes Discordant Chord For Some

Critics say the ad campaign not only infantilizes women, but also puts the onus on them to speak up rather than prodding providers to be more proactive in helping them. In other public health news: brain cell transplants, the new tobacco crisis, insulin, noise and blood pressure, and more.

The campaign鈥檚 message: 鈥淲hen it comes to postpartum depression, silence sucks.鈥 It features close-up photos of distressed, tearful women who can鈥檛 speak 鈥 because they have pacifiers stuck in their mouths. The images聽have been聽plastered on bus stops, buses, conference booths, and on a dedicated website. The ads don鈥檛 specifically mention Sage鈥檚 drug, which still needs further testing before the company can bring it to the Food and Drug Administration for possible approval.聽Instead, they聽urge women to talk 鈥渙penly and honestly鈥 about postpartum depression.聽聽An estimated 600,000 women in the U.S. alone experience symptoms, which range from insomnia and irritability to difficulty bonding with their baby. (Thielking, 6/14)

Researchers are working to revive a radical treatment for Parkinson's disease. The treatment involves transplanting healthy brain cells to replace cells killed off by the disease. It's an approach that was tried decades ago and then set aside after disappointing results. Now, groups in Europe, the U.S. and Asia are preparing to try again, using cells they believe are safer and more effective. (Hamilton, 6/13)

After decades of lawsuits, public campaigns and painful struggles, Americans have finally done what once seemed impossible: Most of the country has quit smoking, saving millions of lives and leading to massive reductions in cancer. That is, unless those Americans are poor, uneducated or live in a rural area. (Wan, 6/13)

An industry-funded study led by a Kansas City doctor found that a new type of long-acting insulin reduced hypoglycemic diabetic emergencies by 40 percent in people with Type 2 diabetes. Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar, can cause seizures and loss of consciousness in severe cases. (Marso, 6/13)

Airport noise could raise the risk for high blood pressure, a new study suggests. Greek researchers studied 420 people living near Athens International Airport, where an average of 600 airplanes take off and land every day. Maps made during construction of the airport divided the surrounding area by noise level: less than 50 decibels, 50 to 60 decibels (60 decibels is about the noise level of a room air-conditioner), and more than 60 decibels, so researchers could track noise exposure precisely. (Bakalar, 6/13)

For Gearoid Mannion and his wife, Michelle, who live in County Clare, Ireland, air travel with their two autistic sons, Conor, 9, and Darragh, 7, is usually nothing short of a nightmare. The noise level, crowds and announcements at airports overwhelm the boys, and waiting in security and boarding lines is a concept that they don鈥檛 understand, Mr. Mannion said. 鈥淭hey get red in the face and start running around and crying and screaming or run toward the exit, because they want to go back home,鈥 he said. The family鈥檚 recent experience at Shannon Airport in Ireland, when they were en route to a vacation in M谩laga, Spain, however, gave them hope that flying didn鈥檛 have to be so stressful. (Vora, 6/13)

Public water systems for towns and cities that provide about 80 percent of the supply and are tested regularly. But there are only minimal requirements for private well owners to monitor the safety of their own drinking water. (Steil, 6/14)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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