Medical Notes: April 23, 2023
Autism diagnoses are at an all-time high. Teens using cannabis could have major reproductive effects. Artificial intelligence could help keep people alive and more.
How Later School Start Times Affect Parents and Students
Sleep deprivation affects about three out of four teenagers in America. Inadequate sleep has been linked to depression, anxiety, weight gain, and worsened heart functioning. An expert shows through a case study how implementing later school start times allows students and parents to get more sleep.
Older Dads, Younger Kids
A National Book Award-winning author discusses his experience as a first-time dad at 56, and now as a 73-year old father with teenagers.
Medical Notes: November 21, 2021
A new analysis in the journal JAMA Network Open finds that most insurance companies are no longer waiving co-pays and deductibles for Covid hospitalization. Plus, a study finds depression rates are even higher now than they were in 2020. 17% of four and five year-olds get put on medication when diagnosed with ADHD. And finally, teenage girls have been …
Medical Notes: October 17, 2021
Research shows Covid vaccines have no effect on fertility and vaccinated mothers can pass along immunity to babies in the womb. A study shows the rules restricting how many passengers teen drivers can carry are working. Then, a new study says it's not just about how many steps you take per day, it matters how fast you walk. And finally, if the pandemic’s got …
Medical Notes: September 5, 2021
Growing up in poverty physically changes the brain, making it much more likely poor kids have cognitive and behavioral difficulties later. A study showing almost a quarter of all substances used to make plastic either cause cancer, damage organs, or are toxic. And finally, it’s no secret that people who are good looking are more likely to get hired and be …
Poor and Rural Kids in Crisis
A study by Save the Children shows on a county-by-county basis that children in poor and rural counties, especially in the south, are much less likely to survive into adulthood, and when they do, they’re often forced to become adults too soon by poverty, pregnancy, and lack of education. A Save the Children expert discusses factors that hurt children and …
Medical Notes: Week of July 4, 2021
A study shows that even a mild case of Covid produces antibodies that are still going strong 11 months later. Then, Could flickering lights help treat Alzheimer’s disease? And finally a new study shows that the flavor ban in San Francisco may have pushed high schoolers to start smoking cigarettes instead.
Medical Notes: Week of January 12, 2020
Teenagers are vaping marijuana at rapidly rising rates. Then, a report on concussions and why they can produce lifelong effects. Then, another study confirming the importance of sleep. And finally, a new survey of ERs proves that smartphones make people run into things, triggering a spike in head and neck injuries.
Medical Notes: Week of January 5, 2020
Two experimental drugs that show promise in women with certain types of breast cancer. Then, the federal communications commission has started the process to create a three-digit number similar to 9-1-1 that connects to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Then, it appears that teenagers aren’t very good at telling the difference between real and fake …
Medical Notes: Week of September 8, 2019
A new study shows that people are more likely to have heart disease if they're genetically predisposed to insomnia. Then, vaping is being called a “gateway drug” for marijuana use… After a new study showing it can more than triple the risk of becoming a pot smoker. And finally… if you want toddlers to learn something, don’t use video.
The Economics of Later School Start Times
Thirty years of research has shown that teenagers’ biology prevents them from getting to sleep much before 11pm, and with most high schools starting classes around 8 am, they are chronically sleep deprived. Experts discuss how students and even the economy would benefit and why many school districts still oppose the change.
