Transcript:
Welcome to your Weekly Dose, a quick recap of some of the health related headlines that caught my attention this week.
On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that a pig in a backyard, non-commercial Oregon farm was found to have bird flu, otherwise known as H5N1. This is the first time bird flu has been detected in U.S. pigs and it raises the concern about the bird flu becoming a threat to humans. So far this year 40 human cases have been reported with mostly mild symptoms and all but one of those people had contact with infected animals.
A KFF Health News yearlong examination of how government decisions undermine Black health showed that from cradle to the grave Black Americans suffer worse health outcomes than white people. Black Americans continue to experience worse health outcomes compared to white Americans across various conditions, including heart disease, cancer, and infant mortality. This disparity is rooted in systemic factors like poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to quality healthcare. Significant change will be needed to address these inequalities and achieve health equity for all.
Next up, an opinion published in the Journal of the American Medical Association argues that dental care in the United States is in need of reform and lags behind on other medical fields which have moved to evidence-based treatment. The opinion authors argues that “most dental care relies on practice patterns influenced by the economic pressures of running a dental practice, dentists’ professional training and opinions, and patients’ expectations, all of which tend to favor excessive diagnoses and interventions.”
In our Research Rundown this week I want to bring your attention to a study funded by the NIH that showed sex-based differences in pain processing. Prior research has shown that females are more likely than males to have chronic pain and that opioid pain medication is less effective in females. With the findings of this study one researcher said that the sex-based differences in pain processing “need to be taken more seriously when developing and prescribing treatment for pain.”
In our Creator Spotlight this week I want to bring your attention to Chronically Candid Memes on Instagram. If you have chronic illness, I guarantee you will find a meme for you. Go give her a follow.
Thank you for joining me for your Weekly Dose. If you made it this far you are clearly interested in health news so why not follow for more? See you next week.
Story Source Links:
Bird flu has been found in a pig for the first time in the U.S.: https://www.npr.org/2024/10/30/nx-s1-5172615/bird-flu-pig-oregon-first-infection-h5n1
Black Americans Still Suffer Worse Health. Here’s Why There’s So Little Progress.: https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/racist-policies-black-health-south-carolina/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaazC4nM4kbRCzGTabkM34oAJFj1fhR4wnn2YUq0tqNhmRr7aAqgvQ4J7ZI_aem_awSGn0OaXt5XJYPwiqkEXw
Is your dentist looking out for your best interests — or theirs?: https://ktla.com/news/dentist-treatment-report/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1pSYmZ890s0_zFofywFlQBY4ib4fgbYleeXBrF-V7hP0TZopXMi1uaNqc_aem_KhMkvCha2gkbO6HccPobEA — https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2818193
Research Rundown – Sex differences in how the body reduces pain: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/sex-differences-how-body-reduces-pain
Creator Spotlight – Chronically Candid Memes: https://www.instagram.com/chronicallycandidmemes/?hl=en