Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China’s Xi told EU less lethal Omicron opens way for fewer COVID restrictions

Chinese President Xi Jinping blamed mass protests in Chinese cities on youth frustrated by years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said the now dominant Omicron variant of the virus paved the way for fewer restrictions, European Union officials said. The senior EU officials, who asked not to be named, recounted the main points of a visit to Beijing by European Council President Charles Michel, who met Xi along with other senior EU officials on Thursday.

United States to end mpox emergency declaration

Mpox is expected to no longer be considered a public health emergency in the United States from Feb. 1, 2023, the U.S. health department said on Friday. The months-long declaration was meant to tackle the largest-ever outbreak of cases in the country. The move signals that the crisis, which led to a spate of cases mostly among men who have sex with men, has come under control and would no longer require an emergency status meant to shore up funding and tools to fight the disease.

Amgen says experimental obesity drug has promising durability

Amgen Inc’s experimental obesity drug demonstrated promising durability trends in an early trial, paving the way for a larger mid-stage study early next year, company officials said ahead of a data presentation on Saturday. The small Phase I trial found that patients maintained their weight loss for 70 days after receiving the highest tested dose of the injected drug, currently known as AMG133.

Protests in Malta as parliament debates abortion amendment

A large picture of an unborn baby was placed outside the office of Malta’s prime minister on Sunday as demonstrators called on the government to halt plans to amend the country’s strict anti-abortion laws. The protest, the biggest in years, attracted several thousand people including Malta’s top Catholic bishop and the leader of the conservative opposition, but was led by a former centre-left president, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca.

Factbox-How many people might die, and why, if China loosens COVID restrictions

China has started taking steps to ease its zero-COVID policy, fuelling a mix of relief and worry as the public waits to see the health consequences, and impact on the medical system, of a full-blown exit. Researchers have analysed how many deaths the country could see if it pivots to a full reopening, with most pointing to the country’s relatively low vaccination rates and lack of herd immunity as some of its most vulnerable spots.

Chinese cities ease curbs but full zero-COVID exit seen some way off

More Chinese cities including Urumqi in the far west announced an easing of coronavirus curbs on Sunday as China tries to make its zero-COVID policy more targeted and less onerous after unprecedented protests against restrictions last weekend. Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region and where the protests first erupted, will reopen malls, markets, restaurants and other venues from Monday, authorities said, ending strict lockdowns after months.

(With inputs from agencies.)

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here

Pele has come out with a fighting statement, amidst reports that he’s been moved to end of life palliative care in hospital, as he battles bowel cancer.

It is not the first time that the 82-year-old has been in hospital in the past couple of years, with his health unsurprisingly a greater issue in his later years.

He has been receiving treatment for bowel cancer in recent times and has been having chemotherapy in the past few months.

On Saturday there were worrying reports that the three time World Cup winner had been moved to end of life palliative care in the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo.

Amongst those were reports it was claimed that his cancer was no longer responding to the chemotherapy treatment, and “won’t be subjected to invasive tests or treatment.”

There had been no official word from the former Santos star since the news first broke of his latest stay in hospital, but he has now put out a statement.

On Saturday night, the former striker said he wanted everyone to be calm and claimed that he was still feeling ‘strong.’

“My friends I want to keep everyone calm and positive thinking. I’m strong, very hopeful, and following my treatment as usual,” the statement read.

“I want to thank the whole medical and nursing team, for all the zeal I’ve been receiving. I have a lot of faith in God and every message of love I receive from you, coming all over the world, keeps me full of energy.

“And watch Brazil in the World Cup too! Thank you so much for everything.”

Brazil fans at the World Cup show support for Pele. Image: Alamy

The football legend is considered one of the greatest players to have ever played the game, even if modern fans consider him to be somewhat of a ‘fraud.’

He is the only player to have won the World Cup three times, and was an extremely important part of the three sides in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

The last side he won the tournament with is considered one of the greatest international teams in football history, and he scored the opening goal in the final vs Italy.

He also helped lead Santos to two Copa Libertadores titles in his club career and broke many individual records during his career.

Pele with the Jules Rimet trophy which Brazil were awarded permanently after winning it for the third time in 1970. Image: Alamy

The current Brazil side are trying to win the World Cup for the sixth time in the country’s history, and the first time since 2002, as they look to end two decades without winning it, only the third time that’s happened since 1930.

After winning their first two group games, Tite’s side were one of the first teams to qualify, before losing their final game to Cameroon, with Vincent Aboubakar sent off for his celebration.

They’ll be hoping that Neymar can return to the starting line up soon enough as well, after missing the final two group games with his own injury.

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here

Dec. 3, 2022 — With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rising quickly, Los Angeles County may require indoor masking in public spaces soon.
Face masks would be required in indoor spaces if the county hits the metrics that move it from a medium level of community transmission into a high level as defined by the CDC, County Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said at a news conference Thursday. 
“There is this common line of thinking that the pandemic is over and COVID is no longer of concern, but these numbers clearly demonstrate that COVID is still with us,” she said.
To move into the high transmission category, the county would need to exceed these metrics: a case rate exceeding 200 per 100,000 residents, hospital admissions for COVID of 10 per 100,000 residents, and having 10% of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID patients.
The county is now reporting 185 new cases per 100,000 people, the health department said in a news release, and new COVID hospital admission rates hit 11.9% as of Thursday.  However, the percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID patients was only 5.6% as of Thursday, The Los Angeles Times reported, up from 2% in early November.
The county’s seven-day average case count is 3,053, about 44% higher than a week ago, the news release said. Over the last seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive hospital patients has grown from 760 to 1,056, the release said.
The county recently moved from a low to medium level of community transmission. If the metrics push the county into the high community transmission category, the county government could decide to implement the rule several weeks later, Ferrer said.
The BA.5 subvariant of Omicron is “rapidly losing dominance,” the health department news release said.  BA.5 snow makes up about 36% of sequenced specimens while the subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 now account for 38% of specimens.
“Given both the increases in hospitalizations and the lack of certainty in the winter trajectory for COVID-19, continuing some common-sense mitigation strategies that we know work to limit transmission and illness, including masking and being up to date on vaccines and boosters, remains a very sensible approach,” Ferrer said.
 

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here

SATURDAY, Dec. 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Winter weather brings with it plenty of hazards, including risks from carbon monoxide poisoning, and fires.

But the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers suggestions for staying safe on those cold winter nights.

When storms knock out power, a portable generator can be a go-to tool, but it does raise the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and can kill in minutes if not used properly, the CPSC warned in a news release.

An odorless, colorless gas, CO can render someone unconscious before they even have a chance to have symptoms of nausea, dizziness or weakness.

To stay safe, never operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or shed.

Even open doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO, the CPSC advised.

Portable generators should only be used outside and kept at least 20 feet from the house or any other building someone might enter, with the exhaust blowing away from the home. Keep any windows or other openings in the path of the exhaust closed.

Porches and carports are still too close to the home to operate a generator safely there, the CPSC said.

Generators should also be properly maintained and used exactly as instructions and warnings advise. When buying one, get the type with a CO shut-off safety feature, designed to shut the generator off automatically when high levels of CO are present around the machine.

These will be labeled as PGMA G300-2018 and UL 2201, with the former reducing deaths from CO poisoning by 87% and the latter by 100%, the CPSC noted.

An average of 85 people die each year in the United States because of CO from portable generators, the CPSC said. Black Americans are at higher risk, accounting for 23% of generator-related CO deaths while only comprising about 13% of the population.

Charcoal can also create a CO poisoning risk indoors. Do not cook on a charcoal grill inside or in a garage, even with the door open.

For leaking gas that has odor, leave the house immediately and call local gas authorities from outside. Do not use any electronics, including lights or phones, before leaving.

Make sure your CO and smoke alarms are in good working order, with battery-operated alarms, or those with a battery backup, on each level of a home and outside separate sleeping areas, the CPSC recommended.

Test your alarms monthly. Never ignore an alarm when it sounds. Get outside immediately, and then call 911.

Clear snow from any outside vents for appliances that burn fuel because blocking those can also cause carbon monoxide to build up.

Portable heaters and candles can be fire hazards, too. Keep all sides of a portable heater at least three feet from beds, clothes, curtains, papers, sofas and other items that can catch fire.

Always use a wall outlet to run a portable heater. Never use a power strip. Do not run the heater’s cord under a rug or carpeting, the CPSC advised.

The heater should also not be near water and you should avoid touching it if you are wet. Keep the heater on a stable surface, where it won’t be knocked over. Don’t leave it unattended in a confined space.

If the heater’s cord or plug is hot, disconnect it and call a repairperson. If the outlet is hot, call an electrician.

Use flashlights instead of candles. If you do use candles, don’t burn them on or near anything that can catch fire and never leave them unattended, the CPSC warned. Always extinguish candles when you leave a room and before bed.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on carbon monoxide.

SOURCE: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, news release, Nov. 29, 2022

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here

Black people have historically been underrepresented in clinical trial participation in the United States, and researchers and medical professionals are looking for solutions to the problem.

The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISPCRP), hosted its Journey to Better Health-Aware For All event at Houston Community College to address challenges through a panel discussion and exhibits that provided information and resources on clinical trials and research.

Clinical trials for the most part involve the voluntary participation of individuals to evaluate medical products such as vaccines, medication or devices for safety and effectiveness.

The crucial part of the process is to ensure that people from diverse backgrounds participate to advance health equity and reduce health disparities. The event featured local clinical trial participants, healthcare professionals and exhibiting organizations that offered free onsite health screenings.

“The goal of this event is to create awareness and educate people about clinical trials and how the community can be involved,” said Bridget Chapital, founder and director of Hypothesis Haven. “Underrepresented groups like the Black community simply don’t trust these trials due to historical references like the Tuskegee Experiment, and the withholding of treatments, but things are much different now.”

Dr. Dominique Guinn is a professor at Texas Southern University. In November 2016, she was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. She said she participated in clinical trials because it was about survival.

“I was diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+ ALL), a more aggressive form of the disease,” she said. “I began treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center and was introduced to clinical trials that were approved to treat Ph+ ALL. No one forced me to do it. I had a choice. I was informed of my rights, the risks and benefits of the study. There are safeguards to protect our people during research.”

Black patients account for only 5% of clinical trial participants in the United States, while white patients make up the vast majority.

Cassandra Harris, health education manager at MD Anderson, said one of the biggest challenges to participating in clinical trials is getting to the location. Typical trials require patients to frequently travel to central sites for assessments and monitoring, which can eliminate people with limited disposable income, family obligations and few transportations options.

“We need to broaden where clinical research is conducted for easy access,” Harris said.

“People of color don’t want to listen to a talking head giving them research. We have to build trust with the community and meet them where they are.”

According to Harris, researchers should:

• Be intentional with trial designs and include underrepresented people who might benefit from the studies.

• Challenge assumptions that underrepresented groups don’t want to participate.

• Improve recruitment strategies so people from underrepresented populations can see themselves. 

Numbers do not lie

• Whites make up 67% of the U.S. population, but are 83% of research participants.

• Black/African Americans make up 13.4% of the U.S. population, but only 5% of trial participants.

• Hispanic/Latinos represent 18.1% of the U.S. population, but less than 1% of trial participants.

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Merck could keep its patent edge by shifting Keytruda cancer drug to a simple shot

U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co hopes to patent a new formulation of its $20 billion cancer immunotherapy Keytruda that can be injected under the skin, allowing it to protect its best-selling drug from competition expected as soon as 2028. For years Merck has relied on Keytruda to fuel its growth. The treatment, approved in 2014, harnesses the body’s own immune system to fight cancers with dramatic results. Advanced lung cancer, it has led to a five-year survival rate in about one-quarter of people compared to 5% of people historically.

Pfizer to invest more than $2.5 billion to expand European manufacturing

Pfizer Inc is investing more than $2.5 billion at its drug-making plants in Belgium and Ireland, gearing up to launch new products it hopes can replace lost revenue as patents expire and COVID-19 vaccine sales decline. The drugmaker said on Friday it plans to spend more than 1.2 billion euros ($1.26 billion) to expand its Puurs, Belgium, manufacturing site, matching the investment at its Dublin, Ireland, plant announced on Thursday.

Drop in COVID alertness could create deadly new variant – WHO

Lapses in strategies to tackle COVID-19 this year continue to create the perfect conditions for a deadly new variant to emerge, as parts of China witness a rise in infections, the head of the World Health Organization said on Friday. The comments by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mark a change in tone just months after he said that the world has never been in a better position to end the pandemic.

Inside China’s fight over the future of zero-COVID

Samuel Ren is sick of zero-COVID. “Omicron is not a threat, it is just like a normal cold,” said the IT worker in his mid-20s in Shanghai, describing China’s ongoing lockdown measures as “ridiculous”.

Beijing, Shenzhen loosen more COVID curbs as China easing gathers pace

Beijing residents cheered the removal of COVID-19 testing booths while Shenzhen followed other cities in announcing it would no longer require commuters to present their test results to travel, as an easing of China’s virus curbs gathered pace. Although daily cases hover near all-time highs, some cities are taking steps to loosen COVID-19 testing requirements and quarantine rules as China looks to make its zero-COVID policy more targeted amid an economic slowdown and public frustration that has boiled over into unrest.

China’s Xi told EU less lethal Omicron opens way for fewer COVID restrictions

Chinese President Xi Jinping blamed mass protests in Chinese cities on youth frustrated by years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said the now dominant Omicron variant of the virus paved the way for fewer restrictions, European Union officials said. The senior EU officials, who asked not to be named, recounted the main points of a visit to Beijing by European Council President Charles Michel, who met Xi along with other senior EU officials on Thursday.

United States to end mpox emergency declaration

Mpox is expected to no longer be considered a public health emergency in the United States from Feb. 1, 2023, the U.S. health department said on Friday. The months-long declaration was meant to tackle the largest-ever outbreak of cases in the country. The move signals that the crisis, which led to a spate of cases mostly among men who have sex with men, has come under control and would no longer require an emergency status meant to shore up funding and tools to fight the disease.

Factbox-How many people might die, and why, if China loosens COVID restrictions

China has started taking steps to ease its zero-COVID policy, fuelling a mix of relief and worry as the public waits to see the health consequences and impact on the medical system, of a full-blown exit. Researchers have analyzed how many deaths the country could see if it pivots to a full reopening, with most pointing to the country’s relatively low vaccination rates and lack of herd immunity as some of its most vulnerable spots.

Reckitt expects U.S. infant formula shortage until spring

The near year-long infant formula shortage in the United States that prompted the intervention of the White House is likely to “persist” until spring, according to Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of what is now the biggest brand in the market, Enfamil. Panicked parents had earlier this year emptied the baby formula aisles at supermarkets after former top U.S. manufacturer Abbott Laboratories in February recalled dozens of types of its Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare formulas. The products, made at a plant in Michigan, were pulled after complaints of bacterial infections. Supermarkets like Target and Walgreens Boots Alliance were forced to limit sales, putting pressure on the Biden administration to address the crisis.

Uganda discharges last known Ebola patient, raising hopes – ministry

Uganda has discharged its last known Ebola patient from the hospital, a senior health official said on Friday, raising hopes that an outbreak that has killed at least 56 people could be coming to an end. Officials first confirmed the outbreak in September and said it was the Sudan strain of the disease, which kills 40%-60% of those it infects, and for which there is no proven vaccine.

(With inputs from agencies.)

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here

FRIDAY, Dec. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing lower-extremity bypass, cannabis use is associated with reduced graft patency, increased amputation, and increased opioid use, according to a study published online Sept. 22 in the Annals of Vascular Surgery.

Drew J. Braet, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues queried a large statewide registry from 2014 to 2021 to assess the association between cannabis use and postoperative outcomes after lower-extremity bypass. Data were included for 11,013 patients who underwent lower-extremity bypass procedures.

The researchers found that 91.0 and 9.0 percent of patients reported no cannabis use and cannabis use in the past month, respectively. Patients using cannabis had higher opioid use at discharge (odds ratio, 1.56), reduced bypass patency at 30 days and one year (odds ratios, 0.52 and 0.64, respectively), and an increased rate of amputation at one year after lower-extremity bypass (odds ratio, 1.25) compared with noncannabis users.

“Our results serve as an important framework for physicians and vascular surgeons to use when counseling patients who use cannabis about the risks of lower extremity bypass,” the authors write. “Patients should be screened for cannabis use and counseled appropriately when considering vascular procedures.”

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here

FRIDAY, Dec. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) — With wind power picking up as a viable energy source, new research shows U.S. air quality is getting better, benefiting all Americans’ health.

There was one caveat to the findings, however: Only about a third of the potentially enormous health benefit is being seen in low-income areas and those with a concentration of minority residents.

“Wind power has gained huge momentum in the U.S.,” noted study author Noelle Selin, director of the technology and policy program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society.

Nearly 10% of electricity nationwide is now generated by wind power, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise be produced by power plants that rely on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, she said.

In fact, wind power is now the largest source of renewable energy in the United States.

In 2010, around 2% of U.S. electricity was generated through wind power compared to virtually none in 2000, Selin added.

In the new study, she and her colleagues noted that wind power had made a significant impact as early as 2014.

As of that time, “the development of wind power did reduce generation from certain fossil fuel plants, and improved air quality,” Selin said. “The value of these benefits totaled $2 billion.”

In general, the study found, in periods when wind power was available, power output of coal- and natural gas-fired plants was scaled back. Researchers said the plants that were turned off were likely chosen for financial reasons, as some were less costly to turn off than others.

The findings are based on a deep dive into U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data collected between 2011 and 2017 on electric generation and emissions across seven regions in the country. Collectively, the regions make up the U.S. power grid.

Researchers said the main reason for the improved air quality over that period was a reduction in fine particulate matter, which is made up of hundreds of chemical pollutants.

While elevated levels of these tiny particles can create visible haze, the EPA noted that individual particles are incredibly tiny — at least 30 times smaller in diameter than a human hair. That means they can easily be inhaled, and ultimately make their way deep into the bloodstream and lungs.

As such, wind power’s contribution to reducing such fine particle levels offers “substantial health benefits,” Selin said.

But these are not being maximized, the researchers said.

“We found that these benefits could have been about three times higher if the electricity sector had used that additional wind to reduce the output of the most polluting fossil-fuel-based power plants,” Selin said.

The fact that the most polluting energy sources were not targeted in this way “suggests that there is much additional opportunity to [further] reduce the damages from fossil fuels in the U.S. electricity system in the near term,” she said.

Researchers also highlighted apparent disparities in pollution exposure across different communities.

In all, just 29% of drops in air pollution due to wind power were benefited by racial and ethnic minorities, the study found. And just 32% helped people in low-income neighborhoods.

“Our research suggests that large-scale efforts like deploying wind power are broadly beneficial,” Selin said. “But by themselves, they are not targeted enough to address the existing inequities in air pollution exposure across the U.S.”

This finding appears to fly in the face of a federal target announced last year stipulating that 40% of all the benefits stemming from federal investments in clean energy should go to disadvantaged areas.

“Going forward,” said Selin, “more targeted policies are needed to reduce the disparities at the same time, for example by directly targeting [fossil fuel] sources that influence certain marginalized communities.”

Dr. Aaron Bernstein, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Environmental Health, reviewed the findings.

“The research presented in this paper shows that when it comes to health, not all renewable energy is created equally,” said Bernstein, who is also interim director of the Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

He said the findings demonstrate that “the health gains of renewable energy depend on where it gets built and whether it takes offline some of the dirtiest power plants.”

And that’s a particular concern when it comes to the well-being of American youth, Bernstein added.

“[Despite] extraordinary progress in the United States in reducing children’s exposure to pollution, many children have not gotten their fair share of relief from its harms,” he said.

On the upside, however, Bernstein acknowledged that “studies like this one can help us push investments in renewable energy that will most benefit those children who have had to bear the brunt of pollution in the past.

“This path isn’t a moral imperative alone,” he said. “It may afford the greatest aggregate gains for health and even economic welfare across the life span.”

The findings were published Dec. 2 in Science Advances.

More information

Learn more about wind power and the environment at U.S. Energy Information Administration.

SOURCES: Noelle Selin, PhD, professor, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and director, Technology and Policy Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; Aaron Bernstein, MD, MPH, chairman, American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change, and interim director, Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston; Science Advances, Dec. 2, 2022

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here

FRIDAY, Dec. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) — If you’ve ever left a medical appointment confused, it’s probably not you: A new study finds that the medical jargon doctors use can be completely misunderstood by patients.

Common medical lingo that makes perfect sense to doctors often gets lost in translation when conveyed to laypeople, the new research found. It turns out that many people mistakenly believe it’s good news if a tumor is “progressing” or a chest X-ray is “impressive.”

And it’s no wonder, experts said: In a frustrating quirk, medical meanings of certain words are exactly the opposite of their meaning in plain English.

“There are words with perfectly good meanings in English, and we’ve co-opted them in medicine and given them different meanings,” said senior researcher Dr. Michael Pitt, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, in Minneapolis.

A classic example is in the reporting of test results, said Michael Wolf, a professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.

A “positive” result on a cancer screening test, for example, means you might have cancer. A “negative” result, therefore, is good — the opposite of how people use those words in everyday language. (And by the way, if it is cancer, your doctor might call it a “malignancy” instead, Wolf pointed out.)

Wolf, who wasn’t involved in the new research, studies healthcare communication and also directs Northwestern’s Institute for Public Health and Medicine. He said he wasn’t surprised by the findings: It’s well recognized that medical jargon is a problem, that it confuses patients, and that doctors need to be more clear in their language.

To Pitt, the findings highlight an additional point: It’s not just fancy disease names or foreign acronyms that confuse patients — as many doctors may believe.

“It’s not enough to just tell doctors not to use jargon,” Pitt said. “They have to know when they are using it.”

The study, published Nov. 30 in the journal JAMA Network Open, involved 215 adults who were attending the Minnesota State Fair and agreed to listen to and read some standard — and potentially confusing — medical phrases.

In some cases, they fared pretty well: 80%, for example, knew that an “unremarkable” chest X-ray was a good thing. On the other hand, only 21% realized that an “impressive” chest X-ray was not good news.

When doctors use that phrase, they mean they’ve spotted something concerning. To a patient, “impressive” could easily translate to admirably healthy.

Study participants were also tripped up by phrases like “positive lymph nodes” (one-third did not know that means a cancer has spread) and “your tumor is progressing” (one-fifth didn’t know that was bad news).

And then there’s the word “occult.” When doctors use it, they mean they’ve detected something that was hidden — like tiny amounts of blood in the urine that cannot be seen by the naked eye. To most people, though, “occult” conjures up thoughts of the supernatural.

In this study, people rarely understood the meaning of an “occult infection,” and were more likely to think it had something to do with a curse.

That begs the question: Why do doctors use words that can be easily misinterpreted? It may come down to “jargon oblivion,” according to Pitt.

“You’re taught during your training to use these words that make you sound smart,” Pitt said. And along the way, he explained, doctors may forget there was a time when they didn’t know what those words meant — or, at least, didn’t know their medical meaning.

Pitt said he hopes this study serves as an “aha moment” for doctors — showing that words they assume are clear frequently are not.

It’s not that the jargon problem is going unaddressed. The American Medical Association, for example, encourages doctors to use the “teach back” method — where, at the end of a conversation, they ask patients to state in their own words what they just heard.

Both Pitt and Wolf said it’s a good approach, but whether doctors are using it is another matter.

When doctors fail to be clear, patients should not be afraid to speak up, Wolf said. “Even if they appear rushed,” he added, “you have the right to ask questions.”

Pitt recommended “demanding” that teach-back time. “You can say to the doctor, this is what I’m hearing. Tell me if I’ve got this right,” he said.

As for his advice to doctors, Pitt said that one thing he encourages is “emotion words.” That is, it’s OK — and clearer — to say, “this worries me,” rather than call an X-ray impressive.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has advice on questions to ask your doctor.

SOURCES: Michael Pitt, MD, associate professor, department of pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis; Michael Wolf, PhD MPH, professor, medicine and medical social sciences, director, Center for Applied Health Research on Aging, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; JAMA Network Open, Nov. 30, 2022, online

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here

Thank you for your interest in supporting Kaiser Health News (KHN), the nation’s leading nonprofit newsroom focused on health and health policy. We distribute our journalism for free and without advertising through media partners of all sizes and in communities large and small. We appreciate all forms of engagement from our readers and listeners, and welcome your support.

KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). You can support KHN by making a contribution to KFF, a non-profit charitable organization that is not associated with Kaiser Permanente.

Click the button below to go to KFF’s donation page which will provide more information and FAQs. Thank you!

>>> ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here