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What your patients are reading: Week of November 27, 2023

December 1, 2023

Sharon Osbourne reflects on her weight loss from Ozempic

During a recent appearance on a British talk show, Sharon Osbourne, 71, admitted that her "Crazy Train" rocker husband Ozzy Osbourne is concerned that her recent 42-pound weight loss from Ozempic may be putting her health at risk. The former host of The Talk says that although she'd like to gain back "a few pounds," her body won't cooperate. Although she says Ozempic has worked effectively for her, she worries about teenagers using Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs: "I don't think it's for teenagers at all. I'm scared for like 16- to 20-year-olds because it's easy to say, 'This is it. I can eat what I want. I keep taking this injection and I'm like this.'" (Clack, 2023)

Nebraska kitten triggers multistate investigation of deadly rabies

A stray tuxedo kitten named Stanley was behind a multi-agency effort to eradicate a strain of rabies, commonly found in raccoons, but never seen west of the Appalachian Mountains. After Stanley was found to have contracted rabies in Omaha, Nebraska, USDA wildlife biologists trapped and vaccinated more than 700 raccoons in an area about 61 miles around where the kitten was found. The CDC estimates that the virus, if not contained, could in five years' time make its way toward South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas, potentially endangering an estimated 7 million people.

Large study finds surgery not any safer when patient, surgeon are same gender

University of California Los Angeles researchers found little evidence that patient-surgeon "gender concordance" factors into mortality outcomes: Death rates after major surgery in the U.S. are similar regardless of whether a male or female surgeon operates on a male or female patient. Researchers examined data on more than 2.9 million Medicare patients who underwent one of 14 surgery types between 2016 and 2019. Among other procedures, the surgeries evaluated in the study included abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, appendectomy, coronary artery bypass surgery, knee or hip replacement, hysterectomy, spinal fusion, prostatectomy, and thyroidectomy. (Mundell, 2023)

Cleveland Clinic: What to know about cold plunges

Cold plunges or ice baths have been trending on social media. A sports medicine physician explains how to safely take an ice bath: Start with 5 minutes but get out before 10 minutes. Some benefits that cold plunges can provide after a workout include easing sore muscles, reducing core body temperature and inflammation, and improving mental focus and sleep. However, individuals with CV disease, high BP, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, poor circulation, venous stasis, cold agglutinin disease, or those with an underlying fracture, ​tendon or ligament tear, or another injury, should skip cold plunges altogether. (Cleveland Clinic, 2023)

Can air pollution from traffic increase your BP?

Breathing air near busy highways can increase blood pressure, comparable to the effect of a high-salt diet, according to a small study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The University of Washington study involved driving 16 healthy subjects ages 22 to 45 through traffic in Seattle for three days. Study authors report that riding in automobiles and breathing unfiltered air was associated with a 4.5 mm Hg increase in BP, an increase that peaked within 60 minutes but persisted for up to 24 hours. (Thompson, 2023)

Sources:

Clack, E. (2023, November 26). People. Sharon Osbourne Says Husband Ozzy Osbourne 'Doesn't Like' Her Weight Loss from Ozempic. https://people.com/sharon-osbourne-says-ozzy-osbourne-doesnt-like-her-weight-loss-ozempic-8406636

Thompson, D. (2023, November 29). HealthDay. Commuting on a Highway? Your Blood Pressure May Pay a Price. https://www.healthday.com/health-news/environmental-health/commuting-on-a-highway-your-blood-pressure-may-pay-a-price

Sun, LH. (2023, November 26). Washington Post. How one rabid kitten triggered intensive effort to contain deadly virus. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/11/26/rabies-kitten-omaha-raccoon/

Mundell, E. (2023, November 27). US News & World Report. Surgery Doesn't Get Safer When Patient, Surgeon Are Same Gender. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-11-27/surgery-doesnt-get-safer-when-patient-surgeon-are-same-gender

(2023, November 27). Cleveland Clinic. Brrr! What to Know About Cold Plunges. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-to-know-about-cold-plunges/amp/