Weekly Health Digest: Medical Gaslighting, COVID-19 Nasal Spray, Sleep Disparities

Women Are Calling Out ‘Medical Gaslighting’

By: Melinda Wenner Moyer, New York Times

A large body of scientific literature has found that medical providers are more likely to dismiss the medical concerns and symptoms of women and people of color. Patients, with the encouragement of experts in the field, are pushing back against this gaslighting in the exam room. The conversation about medical gaslighting has also reignited dialogue about unconscious bias, racism, and sexism in healthcare, an issue that has gained increasing attention in recent years as well. The ramifications of biased care are severe for individuals as well as entire populations and will continue to be of interest in efforts to equalize standards of healthcare delivery within our existing system.

In Early Testing, Nasal Spray Shows Signs It Can Fight COVID-19

By: Meagan Drillinger, Healthline

Researchers at Cornell have developed a nasal spray to combat the effects of COVID-19. Unlike the COVID-19 vaccine shots, this nasal spray has the potential to stop virus transmission along with lessening symptoms. It will be self-administered and offer immediate protection to the nasal cavity and respiratory tract. First trials have been successful in mice, but the drug still must be tested in humans. If human trials are successful, the spray is predicted to be available to the general public in 6 to 12 months.

By: Yale University, Science Daily

Using the National Health Interview Survey data from 2004 to 2018, researchers found that those who reported sleeping fewer than seven hours per day increasingly slept less over a 15-year period. Such statististics were significantly higher amongst Black people with middle or low income. Disparities were highest among young and middle-aged Black adults, in which researchers suggest that key factors such as workplace conditions are preventing Black individuals from having adequate sleep.

---

Items contributed by: Zainab Molumo, Gabrielle Stearns, Sarah Du