Here’s who is most at risk from wildfire smoke and how to protect yourself

. . . If you hear about wildfires in the news, or if the sky looks hazy, check the Air Quality Index at AirNow.gov or PurpleAir.com. If the AQI is above 100, avoid outdoor exercise. If it’s above 150, wear a tight-fitting N95 mask when you’re outside. Run your air conditioner with a high-efficiency filter installed – the EPA recommends MERV 13 or above – or use a portable HEPA air purifier.  (The EPA provides instructions for making your own HEPA air cleaner with a box fan, here.) . . .  NPR.

Washington state confirms first CWD case

. . . Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD0 is a neurologic disease caused by misfolded proteins called prions and is fatal in infected deer. It poses an ongoing threat to cervids such as deer, elk, moose, and reindeer because it can spread from animal-to-animal and through environmental contamination. The disease isn’t known to infect humans, but officials recommend not eating meat from a sick animal and using precautions when field-dressing or butchering cervids. CIDRAP.

Weight Loss Drugs Linked with Lower Risk of 10 Cancers

People with type 2 diabetes who used glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) had a lower risk of 10 types of so-called obesity-associated cancers than those who used insulin, according to findings from a retrospective cohort involving more than 1.65 million US participants. Obesity-associated cancers are those that are linked to excess body fat, which raises the risk of developing these cancers and having a worse prognosis. Participants, none of whom had been diagnosed with cancer at baseline, were followed up for 15 years. Compared with using insulin, taking GLP-1 RAs was tied to significant reductions in the risk of developing gallbladder, pancreatic, liver, ovarian, colorectal, esophageal, endometrial, and kidney cancers and meningioma and multiple myeloma, the researchers reported in JAMA Network Open. JAMA.

Nearly Half Of Online Pharmacies Selling Weight Loss Drugs Are Operating Illegally, Study Finds

Consumers who try to buy popular weight loss drugs online without a prescription risk being scammed or receiving unsafe products, a new study shows. About 42% of online pharmacies that sell semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s anti-obesity drug Wegovy, are illegal, operating without a valid license and selling medications without prescriptions, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open. NBC.

After the End of Roe, a New Beginning for Maternity Homes

There has been a nationwide expansion of maternity homes in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to abortion. “It’s been a significant increase,” said Valerie Harkins, director of the Maternity Housing Coalition, a nonprofit anti-abortion network of 195 maternity homes that has grown 23% since the court’s ruling. There are now more than 450 maternity homes in the U.S., according to Harkins; many of them are faith-based. As abortion restrictions increase, anti-abortion advocates want to open more of these transitional housing facilities, which often have long waitlists. It’s part of what they see as the next step in preventing abortions and providing long-term support for low-income pregnant women and mothers. AP.

What Are Maternity Homes? Their Legacy Is Checkered 

Maternity homes have seen a resurgence in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Across the country, homes are sprouting up or expanding. Christian anti-abortion advocates want to open more of these transitional housing facilities, believing they are the next step in helping women who carry pregnancies to term. Maternity homes differ from emergency shelters: They typically provide longer-term housing and wraparound services for pregnant women, sometimes for months or even years after birth. Many of them are faith-based, with founders who are Catholic or evangelical. AP.

When online patient portals reveal scary health news before doctors can

More Americans are learning of devastating health diagnoses through their phones and computers instead of personally from their doctors because of a federal requirement that people receive immediate access to medical test and scan results, from routine bloodwork to MRIs . . . As more people receive troubling results online at the same time as their doctors — often waiting days or weeks for treatment plans — medical associations have been pushing to give doctors more time to release records revealing cancer and other grim diagnoses, so patients don’t have to bear the news alone. WashingtonPost. 

Fentanyl Misuse During Pregnancy Can Cause Severe Birth Defects

The number of babies born with severe birth defects affecting their growth and development is rising, as researchers now have strong evidence that illicit fentanyl is causing the problems. Hospitals have identified at least 30 newborns with what has been identified as “fetal fentanyl syndrome,” NBC News has learned. The babies were born to mothers who said they’d used street drugs, particularly fentanyl, while pregnant. NBC. 

Politics Is Holding Back the Best Tool for Treating Meth Addiction 

When it comes to treating methamphetamine addiction, the use of behavioral incentives is settled science. Offering financial rewards, like gift cards, to people who demonstrate that they’ve reduced or stopped their meth use, is highly effective: Studies show that contingency management, as it is known, can promote abstinence from drugs, increase utilization of health care services, and even reduce high-risk sexual behavior. STAT.

Americans unaware of lung cancer facts, survey found

Despite recent strides in detecting and treating lung cancer, a new, national survey conducted by the American Lung Association revealed a surprising lack of awareness. The 2024 Lung Health Barometer, which examined the awareness, attitudes and beliefs of 4,000 Americans about lung cancer, found that only 28% of those surveyed knew lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in this country and 38% were familiar with lifesaving lung cancer screening, which is available for those who are at high risk. AmLungAssoc.

Healthcare Groups Want Congress to Make Assaulting a Health Worker a Federal Crime

Legislation introduced in House and Senate calls for prison sentence of up to 20 years

The legislation includes exceptions for those with physical, mental, or intellectual disabilities. It also would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the law’s effectiveness. MedPageToday.

How Much Alcohol Is Too Much for a Driver?

Experts argue the U.S. drunk-driving limit is too high.

In late 2018, Utah lowered its drunk-driving limit from a B.A.C. (blood-alcohol content) of .08 to .05. A year after the law was implemented, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that fatal car crashes in the state had dropped by nearly 20 percent. . . . Utah is currently the only state in the country with a .05 drunk-driving limit; everywhere else, the limit remains .08. But internationally, Utah is far from alone. Australia, France, Thailand and about 50 other countries have a B.A.C. limit of .05, and in more than 30 other countries, the limit is even lower. NYT.

I’m an oncologist. Here’s what I do to reduce my own cancer risk.

A recent study estimated that 40 percent of new cancer diagnoses in U.S. adults were due to modifiable factors such as diet and lifestyle. . . . 1. I take sun protection seriously . . . 2. I keep alcohol intake at a minimum . . . 3. I don’t smoke . . . 4. I exercise half an hour every day . . . 5. I avoid sugary drinks, fast food and processed meats. WashingtonPost.

When a child is mysteriously and seriously ill, here are places to turn

Rare diseases most often emerge in childhood, yet getting a diagnosis can take up to nine years, and many children die by age 5. . . . Increased awareness has contributed to unprecedented support for parents of children with serious, undiagnosed illnesses. These include online groups, myriad nonprofits and foundations — including many dedicated to specific children and single disorders — and, not least, the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN), an 11-year-old loosely affiliated association of medical sleuths at 15 academic medical centers throughout the United States. WashingtonPost.

Chronic pain patients’ mental health needs often go unrecognized

An analysis finds that those with chronic pain are underserved “at every point” in the U.S. system. . . . Overall, 43.2 percent of respondents with chronic pain had a mental health need compared with 17.4 percent of those not in pain, the researchers found. Over 44 percent of those with chronic pain received mental health treatment, yet still had symptoms of unremitted depression or anxiety, unlike 71.5 percent of those without chronic pain. Chronic pain patients were also more than twice as likely to report inadequate treatment than their counterparts. WashingtonPost.

Many people over 60 still take aspirin for their heart, despite warnings

In 2019, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association noted that aspirin’s potential risks outweighed its slight prevention benefit. Nearly 30 percent (29.7) of those over age 60 still take a daily low dose of aspirin, despite guidelines advising against the drug’s use as a primary way of preventing cardiovascular disease, a recent study says. WashingtonPost.