Aaron E. Carroll's Blog, page 19

A Fentanyl Vaccine Shows Promise

Fentanyl is many times more potent than heroin or morphine, and is responsible for a lot of overdose deaths. Recent news reports have covered a potential fentanyl vaccine – how does that work, and how far are we from human trials?

 



The post A Fentanyl Vaccine Shows Promise first appeared on The Incidental Economist.

Noise is more than a nuisance

I recently moved into a city’s downtown from the suburbs and was immediately greeted with noise. I started thinking about the impacts of noise pollution on health, both mental and physical, and what I learned is that it isn’t good.

I wrote about this recently in The Valley Breeze, a Rhode Island newspaper:

First declared a public health hazard in 1968, the cacophony around us is growing. There is no “on/off switch” for our ears either, so we can’t mitigate our own exposure…This trend isn’t without consequence. Not only does noise pollution reduce our quality of life but it also hurts our health.

Read the full article here.

Research for this piece was supported by Arnold Ventures.

The post Noise is more than a nuisance first appeared on The Incidental Economist.

Beauty Products, Hair Chemicals, and Uterine Cancer

There’s a lot of buzz around beauty products and how the chemicals in them may affect hormones, and thus contribute to the development of certain cancers. How much weight should we give to studies that report these associations?

 



The post Beauty Products, Hair Chemicals, and Uterine Cancer first appeared on The Incidental Economist.

Ketamine for Mental Health Treatment: How Promising Is It?

Since the pandemic’s start, rates of depressive symptoms among U.S. adults have nearly tripled. The search for fast-acting and sustainable mental health treatments has gained more traction in academic and public discourse. This piece, recently published in Behavioral Health News, covers the benefits and potential risks of one emerging (and unorthodox) treatment that’s been receiving a lot of attention — ketamine.  

We explore why traditional treatments may not work and where ketamine comes in, particularly how ketamine works, the risks, and the potential benefits of this treatment. While there is a wealth of excitement and some promising research, using ketamine to treat depression and other mental health conditions is still in its early stages. The associated risks are significant and need to be better understood. Nonetheless, this new approach provides hope to those who struggle with depression and feel left behind by conventional treatments. 

Read the full article here.  

The post Ketamine for Mental Health Treatment: How Promising Is It? first appeared on The Incidental Economist.

Are Video Games GOOD for Kids?

Many people like to argue about whether video games cause violence, but what about evidence for the positive effects games might have? The research is out there, so what do we think about it?

 



The post Are Video Games GOOD for Kids? first appeared on The Incidental Economist.

Does Cold Weather Cause Colds?

Did your parents ever tell you to put your coat on before going outside so you didn’t catch a cold? I’m sure they meant well, but did all those efforts on their part actually save you some sniffles? Let’s ask the data.

 



The post Does Cold Weather Cause Colds? first appeared on The Incidental Economist.

Is Marijuana Safe During Pregnancy?

Marijuana is the most commonly used recreational drug among pregnant people, and there are a lot of clashing opinions about whether or not it’s safe. So whose side are the data on?

 



The post Is Marijuana Safe During Pregnancy? first appeared on The Incidental Economist.

Smartphones, Early Puberty, and Bad, Scary Headlines

A recent headline sounded the alarm about a study reporting that smartphone use was related to the early onset of puberty in children. This headline was a real triple threat: fear of technology, children under threat, and sexualization of kids. BUT. The study was not a study. It was an abstract presented at a conference talking about an unpublished paper. And critically, the study in question looked at rats that had been exposed to blue light for upwards of 12 hours a day. There are a lot of problems with the connections being made here and with all the fearmongering. Let us tell you about them.

 



The post Smartphones, Early Puberty, and Bad, Scary Headlines first appeared on The Incidental Economist.

Healthcare Triage Podcast: Regenerative Medicine and Reprogramming Tissues Using Your Body

Dr. Chandan Sen talks with Dr. Aaron Carroll about regenerative medicine, including some of his current research in diabetic wound healing and ongoing work to help other people in the future. Sen talks about his research into reprogramming tissues without using a laboratory, since it has the potential to be done inside a patient’s body.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts!

This Healthcare Triage podcast episode is co-sponsored by Indiana University School of Medicine, whose mission is to advance health in the state of Indiana and beyond by promoting innovation and excellence in education, research, and patient care, and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, a three way partnership among Indiana University, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame, striving to make Indiana a healthier state by empowering research through pilot funding, research education and training. More information on the Indiana CTSI can be found by visiting IndianaCTSI.org.

The post Healthcare Triage Podcast: Regenerative Medicine and Reprogramming Tissues Using Your Body first appeared on The Incidental Economist.

Depression and Saint John’s Wort

St. John’s Wort has been used for centuries as a treatment for a wide variety of ailments. It’s often promoted in modern times as a treatment for depression, ADHD, and many others. So, what does the research say? Is St. John’s Wort likely to help with depression, and what are the risks of taking it?

 



The post Depression and Saint John’s Wort first appeared on The Incidental Economist.