It seems like everywhere I go right now, people are talking about the flu. There are definitely years where it seems like it takes out more people than others, but it does actually seem to be pretty bad this year. Regarding flu deaths this year, the CDC says: The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenzaContinue reading “Get a Flu Shot!”
Author Archives: lizpride
Evidence is a Downer – But We Need It
In a season 6 episode of Parks and Recreation, City Councilwoman Leslie Knope decides to champion adding fluoride to the drinking water to prevent endemic cavities. Leslie, in her usual way, provides ample evidence in large binders supporting her position and expects everyone to join her side. However, her rival on City Council, a corrupt dentist,Continue reading “Evidence is a Downer – But We Need It”
Pop Public Health: “The Pill”
Country legend Loretta Lynn married at 15 and had 4 children before age 20. (And a few years later had twins!) Her musical success in the 1950s and 60s was a triumph for women, who had few country icons. Many of Lynn’s most successful songs discussed her family life, motherhood, and being a real countryContinue reading “Pop Public Health: “The Pill””
A Prescribed Epidemic
Prescription opioids (aka painkillers) like morphine, OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin (to name just a few) peaked in 2012, with 81.3 prescriptions per 100 persons. The rate of prescriptions has since fallen, but the United States still represents 80% of world opioid prescriptions (via 2015 data), and has high rates of opioid prescriptions among people under theContinue reading “A Prescribed Epidemic”
Health in a Natural Disaster – How to Help Puerto Rico
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria have come and gone, but the destruction of these gigantic weather events remain and will remain through the visible infrastructure damage and the threats to human health. Breaches at water treatment plants and flooded toxic waste sites in Houston pose hazards to people cleaning up and rebuilding their homes. Water-damaged structuresContinue reading “Health in a Natural Disaster – How to Help Puerto Rico”
What is Reproductive Coercion?
Reproductive Coercion is getting some surprise attention this week after actors Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder went on Dr Berlin’s Informed Pregnancy Podcast and related their pregnancy story with a few red flags. (Note: Dr. Berlin is a prenatal chiropractor, chiropractors are not medical doctors.) I’ve linked the podcast so you can listen for yourselfContinue reading “What is Reproductive Coercion?”
Mapping Abortion Access
This visual representation of abortion access in the USA from The Pudding is really fantastic and informative –albeit depressing. Since 1973, abortion has been legal (up to the third trimester of pregnancy) following the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade that asserted that pregnancy termination is part of a pregnant person’s right to privacy.Continue reading “Mapping Abortion Access”
Climate Change, Hurricanes, and Humans
This Vox video is a really helpful primer on the impact of climate change on weather events. On top of that, Houston is located in a wetland area that has largely been paved over in the last few years, decreasing drainage opportunities. Where water might go naturally into the ground, it’s now sitting on topContinue reading “Climate Change, Hurricanes, and Humans”
Links Roundup: The Wellness Industry
Maybe I’m the target demo, but wellness seems pretty inescapable right now. In the context of the “wellness industry” that is primarily marketed toward women, wellness is not just personal health but also a kind of moral superiority. The idea of wellness that is sold by Goop, fitness influencers and celebrity chefs on Instagram is aContinue reading “Links Roundup: The Wellness Industry”
Healthy Outdoor Spaces & Environmental Pollution
For people living in large, urban areas like Greater Philadelphia, access to nice outdoor spaces is really important for human health. So… what happens when those outdoor spaces are polluted?
Our Public Health 