The Week in Review provides an overview of the past week’s top health care content, including industry news and trends, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Laboratories news, and upcoming events.
Ibuprofen and ulcers: What Rep. Debbie Dingell’s emergency surgery can teach us
Taking pain relievers such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve or aspirin, also known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), is one of the most common causes of ulcers, experts say. But “there’s a real education gap” among members of the public about the potentially serious side effects of these medications, said Kyle Staller, director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital. Via Washington Post
COVID Hope Over Fear
When the C.D.C. reversed its Covid-19 guidelines last month and said that vaccinated Americans rarely needed to wear masks, it caused both anxiety and uncertainty. Many people worried that the change would cause unvaccinated people to shed their masks and create a surge of new cases. On the flip side, a more optimistic outcome also seemed possible: that the potential to live mostly mask-free would inspire some vaccine-hesitant Americans to get their shots. Via New York Times
Expanding insurance coverage is top priority for the new Medicare-Medicaid chief
The new head of the federal agency that oversees health benefits for nearly 150 million Americans and $1 trillion in federal spending said in one of her first interviews that her top priorities will be broadening insurance coverage and ensuring health equity. Via Kaiser Health News
Popular DASH diet may do more than just treat high blood pressure, new study shows
DASH stands for "dietary approaches to stop hypertension," and it emphasizes consuming foods such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts. According to the Mayo Clinic, it emphasizes consuming foods such as four to five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, six to eight servings of whole grains, two to three servings of low-fat dairy products, and no more than six 1-ounce servings of lean meat, poultry and fish a day. The Mayo Clinic says the diet encourages the reduction of sodium and is a "lifelong approach to healthy eating that's designed to help treat or prevent high blood pressure." Via USA Today
Mayo Clinic offers National Cancer Survivors Day video series
To celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day, which is June 6, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is offering a series of free videos on cancer survivorship topics presented by health care experts and cancer survivors throughout the month. “Beginning on Sunday, June 6, and continuing every Monday in June, we will release a different video on a topic of interest to cancer survivors on Mayo Clinic Connect, Mayo Clinic’s secure social media platform,” says Lonnie Fynskov, a patient educator at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Education Center. Fynskov says videos are available in English and Spanish. Via Hudson Star-Observer
Mayo Clinic Health System launches southern MN mobile unit
Mayo Clinic Health System will visit rural communities throughout southern Minnesota beginning later this summer thanks to a new mobile health clinic designed to make consultation with specialists accessible and convenient for outlying regions. Patients in the mobile unit will be able to conduct virtual visits with clinicians from elsewhere across the health system, essentially driving tele-health technology directly into small towns and farm communities. "Mayo Clinic Health System patients will have the peace of mind knowing that they are always connected to the world's leading medical experts,” said Jennifer Horn, M.D., regional chair of clinical practice, Southeast Minnesota Region, Mayo Clinic Health System in a statement. Via Post-Bulletin