My favorite blog post is the one about overdose. I like it because not only is it a very prevalent topic, but I was able to connect it to a personal anecdote which I think makes it more real for everyone reading it. It’s not just statistics on a piece of paper, but it’s affecting real people that we care about. It’s been really interesting to stay connected to health in the public sphere. I have really enjoyed being connected to the public sphere. Before this class I didn’t pay much attention to a lot of news (I know that’s bad), but this class has really opened up that door for me. Not only am I thinking about my public sphere, but I’m staying up to date on all kinds of current issues and constantly thinking about how different events affect other peoples’ ambassadorship topics. This class has really fostered growth for me in both my writing and my general awareness of the world around us outside of the gates of Trinity. Have a great holiday season and enjoy the well deserved break!

A new study has shown that children with auditory impairments benefit from singing and other musical hobbies. Regularly partaking in these activities actually increases the ability for the child to perceive speech in a noisy space. This is incredibly helpful for busy environments that children are often placed in. The study also points toward the fact that families singing to their children who have hearing impairments can also strengthen the child’s communication and language skills. Read more here.

For our final paper my topic is grief. In my early research stages I have discovered that there are actually different kinds of grief. This was really interesting to me because I know grief is different for everyone because different situations that may trigger grief (death of a loved one, losing a job, or ending a relationship) affect everyone differently. Grief is put into two categories: normal and complicated. Normal grief is what you would expect to see someone go through when experiencing a significant change in life style such as crying, change is sleep schedule, and lack of energy. While complicated grief is defined as having much more severe effects such as suicidal thoughts and the inability to focus on anything but that tragedy that has occurred. I had no idea that grief was such a complex process, but I think this information should definitely be taught at some point in everyones life in order to recognize when someone may be struggling with complicated grief. Read more here.

In Dayton, Ohio Opioid overdose deaths have decreased by 54%. This is great news considering that Dayton had one of the highest rates of overdose related deaths in 2017. There are several factors that are believed to be facilitating the fall of this rate. Some of which include Medicaid paying for addiction and mental health treatment, the falling popularity of fentanyl, and easy access to Narcan. Dayton has done a particularly good job with supplying the population with Narcan. Narcan training is being held in schools, businesses, and rehabilitation clinics. This enables the general population to be prepared if they happen to witness an overdose. In addition, now that Medicaid covers treatment people are far less hesitant to seek help. This is great news especially to me. Unfortunately I come from a long line of addicts, and my cousin recently overdosed on Heroin. It gives me hope to know that cities are taking to steps to help and prepare their populations rather than ignore the issue and hope it resolves itself. Read about it here!

Rest in Peace to our fellow Bantam, Chase Hyde. Chase was a member of the senior class who tragically passed away on Monday at age 23. According to many sources he had become ill on Saturday with what appeared to be some kind of stomach bug. We are still unsure of what exactly caused his death. An autopsy was performed, and there were no signs of malicious activity or overdose. The tox screen results could take several weeks to complete. Please keep the Hyde family in your thoughts and prayers through this difficult time, especially Sadie Hyde. Sadie, Chase’s sister, is a member of the class of 2021 at Trinity College.

Unrelated to my public sphere, many of you may have seen in the national news that a 19 year old boy got arrested at the Red Sox parade. Unfortunately, he happens to be my friend, Patrick Connolly. He got arrested for hitting Alex Cora, Red Sox manager, with a full beer can. He was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, and minor in possession of alcohol. Moral of the story- think twice before throwing your beer ladies and gents.

The a cappella group I’m apart of on campus, the Trinity College Trinitones, released an album today! It’s called Rolling Tones and is currently available on Apple Music and will be available on all other streaming sites in the next week or so. Go check it out!!

A study that followed 70,000 adults has finally given us evidence that eating an organic diet does in fact benefit your health. Adults who eat organic foods are 25% less likely to get diagnosed with cancer especially lymphomas or bread cancer. Better start eating your organic greens!

Three new preventable medications are hitting the market for migraines. These are ideal medications for people like me who don’t get relief from the typical drug “cocktail” that’s prescribed for migraines. Instead of taking a trip to the emergency room every time a migraine comes on, patients simply get an injection in the thigh every three months. Studies have proven these treatments to be extremely effective! This is great news to the world of neurology. Read about it here.

A new cholesterol lowering drug, a PCSK9 inhibitor has been proved to be very effective in patients with or have a history of heart disease. Unfortunately, this drug is hard to get your hands onto. The drug is incredibly pricey, which leads insurance companies to deny access to patients as they’re waiting for something new and cheaper to come on the market. Most patients that did get the drug were originally denied access, but granted it after an appeal. Insurance companies should not sit around waiting for more cost beneficial options, as these are people’s lives on the line and a life is priceless. Read about it here.