Field Notes: Pitfalls of access to your medical records, NYC bans weight discrimination & allergies really are increasing 🌺

Experts expect 50% of the world's population to have an allergic condition by 2030.

Hello, friends! Here are 6 interesting things I’ve run across lately related to wellness and illness. I hope you find something useful here!

1. FDA: The heart-checking smart toilet seat is a go (Fierce Healthcare) — A toilet seat that can calculate your pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation? And maybe one day your blood pressure or even urine-connected biomarkers (hydration, nutrients, ovulation??). Wild, but that first version exists and now has FDA approval.
   

2. Ban on Weight Discrimination Becomes Law in New York City (The New York Times, gift link) — New York City joins Michigan, Washington state, and D.C. in adding “weight and height to the list of characteristics that are protected from discrimination, along with race, gender, age, religion and sexual orientation.” The new law, which goes into effect in 180 days, applies to employment, housing and access to public accommodations.
   

3. “Memory building” — In a recent blog post on rituals to keep you happy, Eric Barker shared the concept of “memory building,” basically sealing a sweet experience into your memory so you can call upon it later and be able to share it. He encourages us to concentrate on what is happening, creating a mental snapshot: “Instagram in your phone is good. But Instagram in your head is even better.”
   

4. The Curious Side Effects of Medical Transparency. (The New Yorker) — Dr. Danielle Ofri examines the cascading and often unexpected effects of having medical records and physicians notes instantly accessible to patients. She writes: “From my end of the stethoscope, it’s always seemed obvious that patients should own their medical records, and be able to see them. But openness can be challenging in practice. When our hospital initially rolled out its patient portal, a few of my older patients asked that I remove references to erectile dysfunction from their medical records. Their adult children handled the household tech, they explained, and my patients preferred to keep their Viagra prescriptions private.”
   
   Another consequence of immediate access: “In our current transparent system, tests showing brain atrophy or liver masses are released to the portal in the same manner as cholesterol levels and blood-pressure readings. For some patients, discovering these results on their own can be empowering; for others, it can be catastrophic. In one devastating stretch of twenty-four hours, two of my patients learned of their cancers’ metastatic reappearance by way of the portal. Their in-boxes pinged with new test results; they read them before either their oncologist or I had even seen the scans, let alone called.”
   
   Have you experienced this, when test results arrive before the doctor’s call,w which only adds to the confusion and worry? (I have.) This is a healthcare realm where technology has yet to catch up with the human experience. I would rather life-changing bad news be routed differently, so we patients hear quickly from our own doctors, with compassion and context, and not read a muddled version on our phones in an unprepared, shocking moment.
   

5. As a Doctor, I Know Being Ready to Die Is an Illusion (New York Times, gift link) — Hospice and palliative medicine physician Dr. Sunita Puri thoughtfully considers clinicians’ tendencies to wait for a clear signal that a patient has come to terms with the end of their life before talking about death openly. This delay, she writes, is wrapped up in a scary question: “If a loved one or a patient isn’t ready to die, how should we respond?”
   

6. Why our allergies are getting worse —and what to do about it (NPR’s Fresh Air) — It’s not our imagination: Allergic reactions are increasing in the U.S. and globally. A mind-blowing 30-40 percent of the world’s population apparently have an allergic condition now, and experts expect that to rise to 50% by 2030. Fresh Air’s Dave Davies interviews medical anthropologist and science professor Theresa MacPhail, who has a new book out, Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World.
   
   She shares some of the many theories about why this is happening, including the “hygiene hypothesis” (our increased emphasis on cleanliness means we have less exposure to germs), our moderns diets (more processed foods and less fiber), climate change, and the increase in indoor environmental chemicals. She also points to things that seem to be protective, such as exposure to germs and food variety from a young age, dogs as pets, and daycare.
   
   And oddly, one clue that human action — such as our indoor chemicals or modern diet — is causing these new and greater allergies comes from our pets. Theresa explains: “There is no evidence that we have that we know of, that any animal in the wild develops allergic responses. So all mammals, all animals have immune systems, but only the ones that live with us are negatively reacting the way that we are.”
   
   So what do we do? Theresa hoped her research would yield tips, but it turns out there’s no easy fix, and the underlying reasons are so uncertain and complex. The single piece of advice she heard often is to eat more whole foods and fewer processed foods.

   Ah, more vegetables and fruits! Just in case we needed more reasons to eat them. (I don’t really need more reasons, but more ways, actually.) What is your favorite way to eat veggies and fruits?

   Thanks for reading. I hope you have a beautiful day ahead nurturing your health.

   To our journeys,
   Brianne