This week: A new therapeutic court offers a way to cope for victims of sex trafficking. American Stem Cell tourists might not have to leave the country to get experimental treatments anymore. When insurers stand in the way of curing opioid addiction.
For Victims of Sex Trafficking, A Therapeutic Court Provides A Way Out
It’s not something you expect to see in a courtroom: 35 women, chatting, laughing, eating lasagna. But brunch before the session is a weekly tradition at an unusual court in Columbus, Ohio. The therapuetic court helps victims of sex trafficking cope with what's happened to them. For Side Effects, Andrea Muraskin reports.
For People Recovering From Addiction, Insurance Rules Can Be A Big Obstacle
Twice a day, Angela and Nate Turner of Greenwood, Indiana, take tiny strips that look like colored scotch tape, and put them under their tongues. “They taste disgusting,” Angela says.But the taste is worth it. The strips are actually a drug called Suboxone, which helps control their cravings for opioids. For Side Effects, Jake Harper reports that it can be difficult, however, to get insurers to pay for these treatments.
A Cultural Shift For Doctors: Asking Patients 'Why?'
At Boston Medical Center, new medical residents are increasingly asking about and considering patients' backgrounds into why they are sick, but do doctors have the time to ask about such problems and can they fix them? WBUR's Common Health has that story.
How Parents Can Help Their Underage Kids Resist Alcohol
Two new studies shed light on what parents can do to help their children resist abusing alcohol at a young age. And, NPR reports, "The stakes are high. About 1 in 6 teens drank alcohol before turning 13, and about the same proportion of high school kids has binged on alcohol, according to the latest biannual." Read the story here.
American ‘Stem Cell Tourists’ Don’t Have To Travel Abroad, Study Says
A study says people looking to get stem-cell therapy don't necessarily have to leave the U.S. to get care: Such clinics are becoming more common in the U.S. — with California leading the way. California Healthline reports.
