News Above the Noise—Week of July 23, 2023
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1. Does Your State Have One of the Highest Rates of Alzheimer’s in the Country?
Seniors in the eastern and southeastern United States have some of the highest rates of Alzheimer’s disease in the country, according to research published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The research team found that the three counties with the highest dementia rates include Miami-Dade County in Florida, Baltimore city in Maryland, and Bronx County in New York. For more on how this research was conducted and where your state stacks up, click here.
2. Medical Misdiagnosis Kills or Disables an Alarming Number of Americans
An estimated 795,000 American patients die or become permanently disabled each year after being diagnosed with the wrong conditions, according to a new report released this week. The enormous numbers of misdiagnoses are a public health emergency, the report's lead author told USA Today: “Diagnostic errors are, by a wide margin, the most under-resourced public health crisis we face.” To learn more about the report and the diseases doctors most commonly miss, click here.
3. What Friends of Other Ages and Life Stages Can Teach Us
Most of us are primed from an early age to see friendship as something that happens between same-aged peers. Yet a growing number of millennials and Gen Zers are prioritizing connections with others of all ages and life stages, and they’re speaking out about how it’s often what we don’t have in common with others that can lead to the most beautiful friendships. For a thoughtful look at this topic, read this Opinion piece in The Washington Post.
4. Even a Little Alcohol Can Harm Your Health
You’ve likely heard that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol—a glass of red wine a night, for example—is good for you. However, recent research makes it clear that any amount of drinking can be detrimental. Why is alcohol so harmful, how can you tell if you’re drinking too much, and is there a way to gauge your personal risk of alcohol-related health issues? This excellent piece in The New York Times has the answers to these questions and others.
5. Meet the People on a Quest to Produce Less Trash
The concept of zero waste has gained popularity in the past decade, with many people wanting to do their part to ease our collective environmental problems. But what does it actually look like to intentionally cut back on how much waste you and your family produces? For an inside look at the people setting strict goals and aiming for a zero-waste existence, click here.
Editor's Note: Every week, The Sunday Paper's team of journalists sift through the news to find what Rises Above the Noise, makes sense of what's happening in the world, and provides hope for your week to come. While we do our best to provide our own informative summary of each piece, some publications require their own subscriptions beyond our control.
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