Searching Symptoms Can Yield Scary Web Results: Google Aims To Change That
Meanwhile, news outlets cover other public health developments related to gun injuries, depression in men, the impact of modern streetlamps on sleep patterns and using breath tests to diagnose conditions.
The Washington Post:
Google Aims To Stop Terrifying You With Its Responses When You Search Medical Symptoms
Even if you're not a hypochondriac by nature, jumping on Google to do some research when you have a mysterious headache or cough has been enough to make you one. For years both patients and doctors have complained about how hard it is to distinguish between real advice and the random ramblings of a complete quack. Google has finally come up with a solution. On Monday, the company unveiled symptom search, a new feature that offers you legitimate information curated by Harvard Medical School and Mayo Clinic experts. This includes basic information about common health problems related to your symptoms and whether you can treat the issue at home by yourself or whether you should be calling for help. (Cha, 6/21)
The Denver Post:
Denver Health Center Study Shows Gun Injuries May Be Getting More Deadly
New research shows people are less likely to survive a gunshot wound today than they were nearly 15 years ago, according to a study based on data from the Denver Health Medical Center. (Cleveland, 6/21)
The Conversation:
Why Stress Is More Likely To Cause Depression In Men Than In Women
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more women are affected by depression than men. This pattern is seen in countries around the world, including the United States. Cross-national and cross-cultural studies have indicated that the prevalence of depression among women is higher at any given time than among men. (Assari, 6/22)
Wyoming Public Radio:
Bright, Bluish-White LED Streetlamps Disrupt Sleep Cycles, AMA Says
Bright, energy-efficient LED streetlamps can be bad for our health, according to the American Medical Association. Specifically, high-intensity LEDs that release mostly blue light — as opposed to the "warmer-looking" light of older streetlamps — create glare and mess with sleep cycles, the organization says. At its annual meeting last week, the AMA officially urged communities to be careful, if they choose to install such lighting, to avoid the most intense lights and choose the least-blue option available. (Domonoske, 6/21)
The Boston Globe:
How Your Breath Could Help Doctors Diagnose Illness
As modern medicine evolved, reliance on breath diminished, and today there are only a few diagnostic breath tests that have FDA approval for clinical practice. But scientists are beginning to revisit the ancient methods with new tools, resulting in a swath of breath-related research that spans the gamut from measuring “cell breath” in bodily fluids to using breath biomarkers to create personalized patient treatment programs. Researchers believe that breath-related tests could someday help diagnose certain forms of cancer. (Nanos, 6/21)