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.
July 10, 2024
Health Stories
To save their young children's vision – and lives – a Tennessee couple quit their jobs and headed to Philly
Vivian Kneller, 1, and her brother, Thomas, 2, were treated for bilateral retinoblastoma, a rare childhood eye cancer, at Wills Eye Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The health centers are among a few places in the world that provide a specialized form of chemotherapy, so the Kneller family temporarily moved from Tennessee to Philly.July 10, 2024
Adult Health
A Mediterranean diet and omega-3 fatty acids reduce acne, a new study shows
Acne can be reduced by eating a Mediterranean diet and taking an over-the-counter omega-3 fatty acid supplement, new study suggests. Researchers said lifestyle changes should be complementary to any acne treatment plan, including prescription medications.July 9, 2024
Adult Health
People shed more weight on Zepbound than on Wegovy, study shows
People lose more weight when taking tirzepatide – the drug in Zepbound and Mounjaro – than when using semaglutide – the drug in Wegovy and Ozempic, a new study finds.July 5, 2024
Addiction
Smoking cessation programs should combine behavioral interventions with medications, new guidelines say
The World Health Organization released its first guidelines to help people quit smoking. Tobacco cessation programs need to combine behavioral interventions with medications that can help people wean from tobacco use, the recommendations say.July 4, 2024
Adult Health
Competitive eaters may have an 'innate' ability to relax their stomachs, but their habits put their health at risk
Competitive eaters expand their stomachs by gradually increasing the amount of food they ingest over a period of time leading up to competition, but they also may have an innate ability to relax their stomachs, gastroenterologists say. The greatest hazard they face is choking, but they also are at risk of other potentially fatal health issues.July 3, 2024
Prevention
Why doctors recommend sunscreens with SPF 30 or higher
The American Cancer Society recommends people use broad spectrum sunscreens with SPF 30 or higher to prevent skin cancer. Sunscreens with SPF block 97% of ultraviolet rays from reaching the skin. Spending one hour in the sun wearing SPF 30 sunscreen is the same as spending 2 minutes in the sun without sunscreen.July 2, 2024
Depression
Weight gain is a common side effect of antidepressants, but Wellbutrin causes the least, study finds
A study of eight antidepressants found that patients taking Wellbutrin gained the least amount of weight. Those taking Lexapro, Paxil and Cymbalta were more likely to gain at least 5% of their base weight than those using Zoloft, the most commonly prescribed antidepressant.July 2, 2024
Prevention
U.S. government awards Moderna $176 million to make bird flu vaccine
Moderna has been awarded $176 million by the U.S. government to develop a bird flu vaccine that can help prevent a pandemic. Avian influenza cases have spread rapidly this spring among dairy cows and also infected three people, officials say. Scientists have long feared a new flu strain sparking a pandemic.June 27, 2024
Adult Health
Taking multivitamins does not decrease risk of death, new research shows
A study that analyzed data from nearly 400,000 healthy U.S. adults over a 20-year period found no link between multivitamin use and lower risk of death from any disease, including heart disease and cancer.June 26, 2024
Illness
Dengue fever is a rising threat in the United States, CDC warns
Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness, is a rising threat in the United States, the CDC warned Tuesday. The 9.7 million cases reported in the Americas this year already have doubled the total from all of 2023. Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency, and the number of cases seen in U.S. travelers is higher than expected.Just In
- Joel Embiid probable for Sixers-Knicks on Saturday; ankle sprain no longer listed
- Girard Point Bridge to get $261 million in repairs over the next five years
- Police seek help finding SUV used in hit-and-run that killed DJ in Overbrook
- Expect delays on I-95 in Northeast Philly as PennDOT schedules lane closures for repairs
- Not all people who die by suicide are depressed — despite common thought
- Eagles-Commanders Week 18 injury report, with analysis
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