HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

November 13, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Trump proposes big cuts to health programs for poor, elderly and disabled (Washington Post)
• Potential culprit found in vaping-related lung injuries and deaths (Washington Post)
• Economist: Warren is right. Her Medicare for All plan won't raise taxes on the middle class (CNN)
• Trump Administration Files Patent Lawsuit Against HIV-Prevention Drugmaker (SBUR Here and Now)
• Chronic Pain Eased With Meditation And Lower Doses Of Opioids : Shots - Health News (NPR)
• People in 33 States Can Use Medical Marijuana. Why Can’t Veterans Get It for PTSD? (Healthline)
• The Hidden Cost of Gold: Birth Defects and Brain Damage (New York Times)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• How Did a Virus From the Atlantic Infect Mammals in the Pacific? (New York Times)
• Facebook and YouTube block spread of supposed whistleblower’s name and photo. Twitter allows both (Washington Post)
• Facebook reports it took action against tens of millions of posts for breaking rules on hate speech, harassment and child exploitation (Washington Post)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

Trump proposes big cuts to health programs for poor, elderly and disabled (Washington Post)

The Trump administration is proposing a sharp slowdown in Medicaid spending as part of a broad reduction in the government’s investment in health care, calling for the public insurance for the poor to morph from an entitlement program to state block grants even after a Republican Congress rejected the idea.

Potential culprit found in vaping-related lung injuries and deaths (Washington Post)

The CDC described a “breakthrough” in finding vitamin E acetate in lung fluids of patients who vaped THC products.

Economist: Warren is right. Her Medicare for All plan won't raise taxes on the middle class (CNN)

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Medicare for All. That's why I'm impressed that Senator Elizabeth Warren's campaign reached out to me to independently review her proposed financing plan for the program. Her numbers add up and her plan fully finances the program without imposing any new taxes on middle-class families.

Trump Administration Files Patent Lawsuit Against HIV-Prevention Drugmaker SBUR Here and Now)

The Trump administration has sued drugmaker Gilead Sciences over sales of the HIV-prevention drug Truvada — a drug approved for daily use as PrEP to help prevent HIV-negative people from contracting HIV from a partner who is positive.  The government says the company is earning billions from research funded by taxpayers.

Chronic Pain Eased With Meditation And Lower Doses Of Opioids : Shots - Health News (NPR)

There's new evidence that mind-body interventions can help reduce pain in people who have been taking prescription opioids — and lead to reductions in the drug's dose.  In a study published this month in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers reviewed evidence from 60 studies that included about 6,400 participants. They evaluated a range of strategies, including meditation, guided imagery, hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy.

People in 33 States Can Use Medical Marijuana. Why Can’t Veterans Get It for PTSD? (Healthline)

A number of veterans groups are working to get medical marijuana approved as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. The Department of Veterans Affairs still refuses to provide marijuana to veterans because it’s still listed as a Schedule I drug. Veterans groups want to get that designation changed and to have more research done on the benefits of medical marijuana.

The Hidden Cost of Gold: Birth Defects and Brain Damage (New York Times)

Indonesia’s mercury trade is intertwined with illegal gold mining around the world, leaving a legacy of thousands born with birth defects and half a million people poisoned.

SCIENCE AND TECH

How Did a Virus From the Atlantic Infect Mammals in the Pacific? (New York Times)

Thawing sea ice may have opened the door, allowing the infection to cross oceans, a new study suggests.

Facebook and YouTube block spread of supposed whistleblower’s name and photo. Twitter allows both (Washington Post)

Facebook and YouTube said they would block references to the supposed whistleblower’s name under their policies against “coordinating harm.” But Twitter said it would permit such references, including posts that both name the person and show pictures supposedly depicting the whistleblower.

Facebook reports it took action against tens of millions of posts for breaking rules on hate speech, harassment and child exploitation (Washington Post)