Double whammy for Georgia

Unlike most of the country, this year Georgia has been hit by the A(H3N2) flu strain. Now, though, the other strain — A(H1N1) — is starting to appear.

Our number two story

The gut biome (and its wide effect on health) is getting more and more attention, including research on the, er, outgoing end. But no one wants to call himself an “excrement researcher” (or worse). So scientists at the University of North Carolina have a better idea — and one that was published in the journal Gastroenterology: in fimo.

“[S]o many scientific words are based in Latin and there hasn’t been one for the experimental study of excrement, even though the scientific study of human waste is now at the forefront of biomedical research.”

What are Walgreens and CVS up to?

Both chains are moving from plain ol’ pharmacies to broader “health-focused” stores, and CNBC explains what that means.

Come to the light!

The sun* might actually help fight both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease “by lowering blood insulin and lipid levels,” according to a study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

* That’s the big yellow ball in the sky, for those of you who work too many hours

Let grandpa have his fun

America’s aging population has some health issues — and pharmaceutical needs — that insurers are still refusing to pay for. Sometimes there are over-the-counter solutions, but not always. And for prescription meds the the out-of-pocket costs might be too high for those on a fixed income.

Unfortunately, medications that treat these conditions may cost people hundreds of dollars a month if their insurance doesn’t pick up any of the tab.

Great Expectations

Teva says it expects to own 25 percent of the epi-pen* market by the end of the year.

* I could have written “generic epinephrine injection market” but that’s too many words to type.

Do you want to build a pot farm?

A bill proposed in Georgia would allow for up to 10 facilities to grow cannabis and produce low-THC oil. So let’s say the bill passed and you had $50,000 lying around. And let’s say you felt like applying for one of those licenses (and had another $100K to pay if you actually got one). How hard can it be grow marijuana? Harder than you think.

This little piggy used cornmeal

If you woke up today and thought, “What should I tell patients who ask me about toenail fungus?” — well, Men’s Health magazine has your back.

Elsewhere: Could be worse, could be Britain (take 2)

Bad enough the Brits are stockpiling meds while they await a messy Brexit. Now fake-med sellers are taking advantage. (And right next door, the Irish deputy PM said, “Pharmacists and people in general should not be stockpiling medicines because actually stockpiling in itself sometimes causes problems with supply.”)

The long read: The ketamine club

“Inside the Los Angeles Clinic That Uses Ketamine to Treat Depression”