Courtenay Harris Bond
Courtenay Harris Bond is the staff writer covering health for PhillyVoice. She enjoys writing about behavioral health, maternal health and inequities in the healthcare system, as well as human rights and criminal justice. A veteran daily newspaper reporter, Courtenay has also written for national outlets, including KFF Health News, Undark Magazine and Filter. She was a 2018 Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism and has master's degrees from Columbia Journalism School and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education.
November 21, 2024
Health News
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans report suffering from chronic pain, which can interfere with daily life
From 2019 to 2023, the percentage of adults who reported chronic pain grew from 20.4% to 24.3%, and the percentage who said they have high-impact chronic pain jumped from 7.4% to 8.5%, according to data released this month from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.November 21, 2024
Mental Health
Music can help improve mental health, but the reason for this remains a mystery
Music therapy can help treat some neurological and psychiatric disorders, and helps decrease anxiety and improve functioning in people with depression, research shows. But the precise mechanisms that give music so much power over emotions are still unclear. Here's a playlist of cove songs that I've used to boost my mood.November 20, 2024
Children's Health
Earbuds can damage kids' hearing if they listen too loud for too long
Listening to loud volumes with earbuds for lengthy periods of time can cause hearing loss in children and adolescents, audiologists warns. To protect your ears, limit the volume to 80% of the maximum setting and listen for no more than 90 minutes at a time.November 19, 2024
Adult Health
Why is it so easy to regain weight after losing it? New research sheds light on the 'yo-yo effect'
The yo-yo effect, when people diet and lose weight but regain it quickly, is partly caused by fat cells retaining the memory of being overweight, a new study shows.November 15, 2024
Addiction
Heavy drinking surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and hasn't let up since
Heavy drinking surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to rise in the years since, a new study finds. The research suggests consuming alcohol to cope with stress has become more culturally acceptable since 2020, and calls for doctors to more aggressively screen for the heavy drinking.November 14, 2024
Depression
Light lamps can help combat the winter blues, but choosing an effective one can be tricky
Light lamps, often combined with antidepressants and talk therapy, can help treat seasonal affective disorder. But choosing an effective lamp can be tricky. Here are some tips to help find lamps that are large and bright enough to be beneficial, but also filter ultraviolet rays.November 13, 2024
Children's Health
Lunchables will no longer be offered as part of the National School Lunch Program
Kraft Heinz has pulled Lunchables from the National Lunch Program citing low demand. The meal kits, which are highly processed and high in sodium, had come under scrutiny of Consumer Reports and other health advocacy groups.November 12, 2024
Senior Health
Grandchildren help combat loneliness and improve mental health among older adults
Older adults who frequently see their grandchildren report fewer feelings of isolation and greater mental health, according to the National Poll on Healthy Aging conducted by the University of Michigan. The findings underscore Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's assertion that relationships can combat the nation's loneliness epidemic.November 7, 2024
Adult Health
Movies are helping scientists map how the brain responds to audio and visual stimulation
Scientists from MIT used movies to better understand how the brain works to recognize faces, process conversations and perform more complex cognitive functions. For the study, researchers used functional MRIs to track the areas of the brain that activated as people watched scenes from 'Home Alone,' 'Inception' and 'The Social Network.'November 7, 2024
Mental Health
Magical thinking is common and often harmless – but it can be problematic, too
Many people experience magical thinking, such as knocking wood to avoid bad luck. But when confusion between thoughts and intentions or actions becomes obsessive, a person should seek help, a Philadelphia mental health expert says. It may be a sign of an anxiety disorder.Just In
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