Why pain varies by state

How bad someone’s joint pain is could be dependent on which state they live in. That may seem odd, but it’s because of the breadth of each’s states social programs.

“The risk of joint pain is over three times higher in some states compared to others, with states in the South, especially the lower Mississippi Valley and southern Appalachia, having particularly high prevalence of joint pain.”

Essentially, found the University at Buffalo researchers who did the study, the better the social safety net for the poor, the less chronic pain overall — and it’s not just about medical care.

Different states can have dramatically different policies that affect many aspects of life including opportunities, resources, and social relationships, which can in turn influence individuals’ pain.

Food insecurity, for example, increases stress levels and thus inflammation … and pain. That makes working harder, leading to lower wages and a downward spiral that ends up costing everyone more.

Can semaglutide lead to suicide?

The EU is looking into reports that about 150 people have attempted suicide or self-harm after using one of the hot new GLP-1 inhibiting weight loss drugs (semaglutide or liraglutide). They don’t know that there’s a link — it might be underlying conditions — but there’s enough of whatever it is to be worth a look-see.

How gum disease can cause Alzheimer’s

The idea that gum disease and dementia are linked isn’t new, but now researchers at the Forsyth Institute have figured out that yes, periodontal disease can lead to Alzheimer’s — and they know how.

In short, bacteria from gum disease can make its way to the brain, where it prevents microglial cells from doing their cleanup job.

[W]hen exposed to oral bacteria the microglial cells became overstimulated and ate too much. “They basically became obese. They no longer could digest plaque formations.”

Deer me (or, rather, don’t)

A new CDC study found that not only does Covid-19 spread in white-tailed deer, it can go from deer to humans and back, increasing the risk of the virus mutating into yet another strain we’ll have to deal with.

It’s the coffee

Yet another study confirms that the magical powers of coffee are about more than just caffeine. This time, Portuguese researchers scanned the brains of people who drank coffee and who drank caffeinated water.

Caffeine alone, they found, caused a “readiness to transition from a state of rest to engaging in task-related activities.”

However, drinking a cup of coffee also boosted connectivity in the higher visual network and the right executive control network, which are linked to working memory, cognitive control, and goal-directed behavior ― something that did not occur from drinking caffeinated water.

Health spending’s a-rising

It cost more than $6,000 to pay for the average American’s healthcare in 2021, up 24% from 2017. Sure, you might say, there was a pandemic in 2021! Good point. But the folks at the Health Care Cost Institute who crunched the numbers found that sure, “service use” was up 14%, but prices went up 9%.

Why? It ain’t just inflation. Market consolidation and less competition — plus private equity firms getting into the game — are a big part.

Who’s paying? Per the AMA, patients’ out-of-pocket costs are a bit more than 10%, while private insurance pays 28.5% and Medicare/Medicaid pays 38.4%.