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Friday, January 31, 2020
U.S. declares public health emergency from coronavirus; misinformation about it is spreading faster than the disease itself
Trying to prevent spread of coronavirus, federal officials said Friday that the government would keep foreign nationals who recently visited China from entering the United States, and would quarantine some Americans returning from that country.
"Declaring a public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the president has imposed a temporary ban on entry for foreign nationals who have been...
Beshear wants cigarette-tax hike, new tax on electronic cigarettes
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
To pay for such things as a teacher-pay increase and 350 news social workers to fight child abuse and neglect, Gov. Andy Beshear wants to raise the tax on all tobacco products and add a new tax to electronic cigarettes, the only tobacco product in Kentucky that does not have an excise...
Hearing loss may affect brain health
Hearing is a complex sense that provides us with awareness of environmental sounds and, more importantly, the ability to communicate. The ear is the organ responsible for perceiving sound, but it may not be so obvious that the brain is responsible for processing the sound. It is necessary that both organs work properly for hearing to occur.
The link between hearing loss and cognition is not fully understood
In recent years, there has been extensive...
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Regular marijuana use may enlarge the heart's main blood-pumping chamber, limited study in United Kingdom suggests
Image from Marijuana Direct
Regular use of marijuana could cause changes in the structure of the heart, suggests a study conducted in Britain and reported in a journal of the American College of Cardiology.
"People who regularly use marijuana tend to have a larger left ventricle, which is the main pumping chamber...
Dr. Steven Stack, Lexington emergency physician and 2016 AMA president, named to lead state Department for Public Health
Dr. Steven Stack
Dr. Steven Stack of Lexington, an emergency physician and the 2016 president of the American Medical Association, will be the new commissioner of the state Department for Public Health. He will start work Feb. 10.
Acting Health Secretary Eric Friedlander said Stack is a seasoned health-care...
Food allergy, intolerance, or sensitivity: What’s the difference, and why does it matter?
Chances are that you or someone you know has experienced unpleasant symptoms after a meal or snack. Maybe you experienced some degree of sneezing, wheezing, rashes, brain fog, joint pain, nausea, bloating, diarrhea, or another symptom. This may have led you to believe you have a food allergy — and maybe you do. But it’s also possible that you have a food intolerance, celiac disease, or a food sensitivity. This is important, because some of the reactions...
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
U.S. House passes Senate bill to mainatin anti-fentanyl laws
The U.S. House passed a Senate bill Wednesday to keep deadly fentanyl and similar opioids listed as some of the most dangerous drugs, and President Trump is expected to sign it Friday, the day before the listings would expire.
The legislation would keep fentanyl compounds as Schedule I substances under the law governing the Drug Enforcement Administration, "giving law enforcement the tools they need to bring drug dealers to justice," said a...
Are you getting enough sleep… or too much? Sleep and stroke risk
The importance of getting enough sleep has been emphasized by hundreds of studies in recent years, and we’ve covered the topic many times on this blog.
Inadequate sleep has been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health problems. And, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, up to 72,000 car accidents and 6,000 deaths occur each year due to sleep-deprived drivers.
But what about too...
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
How safe is exercise during pregnancy?
Two lines on a home pregnancy test, a flickering heartbeat on ultrasound, and suddenly your world has changed: you’re pregnant! Regardless of where this new path takes you, you may start to examine your daily decisions in a new way as you discover an intense drive to protect the growing baby inside you. Even your exercise routines may come under scrutiny, particularly if late-night Googling has you second-guessing everything that you believed you...
Monday, January 27, 2020
Beyond heart health: Could your statin help prevent liver cancer?
Liver cancer is hard to treat. It’s a top-five cause of cancer-related death worldwide and a growing cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Since liver cancer is often found at a late stage, when treatment has limited benefit, there has been increasing interest in prevention. That’s where statin medications might come in.
Liver cancer is usually caused by chronic liver disease, so an important way to prevent liver cancer is to treat...
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Anti-diabetes activists hope resolution for Ketoacidosis Awareness Day will be only first of many diabetes bills to pass House, Senate
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
A resolution to increase awareness of a health condition that can kill diabetics, called diabetes ketoacidosis, has passed the state House. It is one of several diabetes-related bills filed this session, including measures to address the rising cost of insulin.
Rep. Danny Bentley...
Medical News Today: Cancer: Using copper to boost immunotherapy
Scientists have successfully destroyed cancer cells in mice by using copper-based nanoparticles and immunotherapy. Importantly, the cancer did not retur...
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Flu activity in Kentucky again drops a bit, but remains high, and nine more adults die from it in state; not too late to get a flu shot
Kentucky Health News
Nine more Kentucky adults have died from influenza, bringing the flu season's total to 30, two under the age of 18, according to the state Department for Public Health.
While flu activity remains high in the state, the latest weekly report shows the number of new cases dropped for the third week in...
Senate President Stivers, long the key obstacle to medical marijuana in Kentucky, now says he sees 'a narrow path' for it
Senate President Robert Stivers
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
The most important legislative opponent of legalizing medical marijuana in Kentucky said Friday that there is a "narrow path forward" for it. Senate President Robert Stivers said that the day after a medical-cannabis bill was filed in his chamber.
Senate...
Unanimous Senate sends female genital mutilation ban to House
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
A bill to ban female genital mutilation in Kentucky unanimously passed the Senate Jan. 22 and went to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.
Sen. Julie Raque Adams
The sponsor of Senate Bill 72, Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams of Louisville, told senators...
The new coronavirus: What we do — and don’t — know
A rapidly evolving health story broke in late December when a novel illness originating in Wuhan, China made the news. Reports of the number of infected people swiftly rose, and isolated cases of this new coronavirus — dubbed 2019-nCoV by scientists — have appeared in several countries due to international travel. At this writing, almost 1,300 confirmed cases and over 40 deaths have occurred in China, according to an article in the New York Times.
Fortunately,...
Friday, January 24, 2020
Think hard before shaming children
As a parent, it’s easy to slip into shaming your child. It can happen so easily, as you blurt out what you are thinking:
“Do you really want to go out looking like that?”
“You let your teammates down during that game.”
“Why can’t you get good grades like your sister?”
“Why do you hang out at home all the time instead of going out like other kids?”
“Why are you crying? It’s not that bad.”
As we blurt out such things, we usually don’t think of them...
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Medical News Today: Could a probiotic prevent or reverse Parkinson's?
Scientists recently tested probiotics in a roundworm model of Parkinson’s. A particular bacterium had a protective effect and improved symptom...
Bill to raise legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 passes state Senate 28-10, goes to House
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
A bill to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, from 18 to 21 passed the state Senate 28-10 and went to the House.
Sen. Ralph Alvarado
Senate Bill 56, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Alvarado, R-Winchester, would bring Kentucky's statute...
First abortion bill of session clears committee; 2 more in hopper; Beshear administration lets Planned Parenthood apply for clinic
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
A bill to require health care providers to do everything possible to save the life of a baby who is born alive has passed out of committee and now heads to the full Senate, where it is expected to pass.
Sen. Whitney Westerfield
The sponsor, Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville,...
Mental health first-aid training bill passes state House
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
A bill to create a training program for mental-health first aid has unanimously passed the stae House and is in the Senate.
Rep. Kim Moser
House Bill 153, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, would train people in how to best address the needs of someone experiencing...
Ads touting McConnell's record on surprise billing, Medicare for All could be a surprise of their own, since they confuse the issues
This ad promoting Sen. Mitch McConnell conflates the issues of surprise billing and Medicare for All.
Analysis by Al Cross
Kentucky Health News
A conservative group has started television and radio commercials in Kentucky and other states thanking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others in Congress for...
