This week - Shocking news: Teens still have sex. But contraception means fewer unplanned pregnancies ...Indiana residents need new homes after the discovery of toxic lead in their yards ...And, if you're overweight, here's why it's so easy to get that way. ...These stories and more.
‘America’s Other Drug Problem’: Too Many Meds For Grandma You won't be dinged for thinking America's drug problem resides solely under highway overpasses in the shadows where you're just as likely to find a syringe as a potato chip bag, but Kaiser Health News' Anna Gorman writes that there's another drug problem America is struggling with: too many prescriptions for our hospitalized elderly.
Their Soil Toxic, 1,100 Indiana Residents Scramble to Find New Homes In East Chicago, Indiana, there's lead in the soil, and it's getting in kids' blood. Now the mayor is knocking down a housing complex and shutting an elementary school, leaving residents to find new homes. The New York Times' Abby Goodnough reports that the kids show symptoms of lead poisoning, and people are wondering where their help is.
The Pill, The Condom, And The American Dream The comfortable life promised by the American dream has often seemed out of reach for the poor, who -- the popular notion goes -- use contraception less, have more babies and can't find their way out of poverty as a result. But increasing contraception use may be narrowing that gap, writes The Atlantic's Derek Thompson.
Drop In Teen Pregnancies Is Due To More Contraceptives, Not Less Sex Oh and also, breaking news here, teens still have the same amount of sex they've always had. But wider contraception use has driven down the teen pregnancy rate even further. KHN's Julie Rovnerlooks at the buffet of choices.
Quick Hits
Are you fat? Who can blame you? In America it sure is easy to get that way. Vox offers these 7 charts that explain why.
We're not saying don't drink smoothies, but maybe you should try another berry for a while. There are 40 cases of hepatitis A linked to frozen strawberries in smoothies in Virginia.
Someone's winning the information war, and it's not public health officials: 87 percent of pediatricians say they've encountered parents who don't want their kids vaccinated. Hillary Clinton is rolling out her mental health plan. The idea? Integrate mental health care fully into the health care system. Finally, the FDA says don't mix opioids and anti-anxiety meds. And they're warning the public with that foreboding "black box" warning on the label.
