Courtenay Harris Bond
Courtenay Harris Bond is the staff writer covering health for PhillyVoice. She enjoys writing about behavioral health, maternal health and inequities in the healthcare system, as well as human rights and criminal justice. A veteran daily newspaper reporter, Courtenay has also written for national outlets, including KFF Health News, Undark Magazine and Filter. She was a 2018 Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism and has master's degrees from Columbia Journalism School and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education.
June 18, 2024
Children's Health
To reduce childhood obesity, U.S. task force advises intensive counseling
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends children and adolescents with obesity receive behavioral interventions, including counseling on goal-setting and problem-solving, and supervised exercise sessions. It did not recommend the use of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy, saying more research is needed on their long-term effects.June 13, 2024
Illness
Honeybees can detect lung cancer by smelling a person's breath, research shows
Honeybees can detect lung cancer in humans through their powerful sense of smell, new research shows. A new study found they could differentiate the breath of healthy people and those with lung cancer. Dogs also have shown capable of sniffing out lung cancer and other illnesses.June 13, 2024
Health News
EPA warns of unhealthy air quality levels in Philly region on Friday
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is warning vulnerable groups to limit outdoor activities Friday due to high temperatures and humidity and unhealthy air pollution levels in Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware counties.June 13, 2024
Health Stories
A nurse learned she was pregnant and had MS on the same day. An advanced therapy helps her thrive
Shanel Gamboa, a nurse with Lehigh Valley Health Network, learned she was pregnant and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis on the same day. Doctors used to recommend that women with MS not get pregnant, but new treatments now allow them to safely control the illness while they are expecting.June 11, 2024
Health News
Diamond Shruumz microdose chocolate may cause seizures, FDA warns
At least 12 people, including one Pennsylvania resident, have fallen ill after eating Diamond Shruumz chocolate bars, cones and gummies, U.S. health officials say. The FDA issued a warning advising people not to consume Diamond Shruumz products because they have caused a variety of 'severe symptoms,' including seizures, loss of consciousness and abnormal heart rates.June 11, 2024
Adult Health
Getting gray hairs and wondering why? There often are many factors at play
There are many factors that impact when a person's hair turns gray, including age, gender, race and genetics. Medical conditions, stress and smoking also can play a role. Gray hair tends to be thinner and more course, so people may want to change the way they care for their hair.June 7, 2024
Health News
Temple Hospital revamps Episcopal Campus to better serve people with substance use, mental health disorders
Temple University Hospital is expanding its Episcopal Campus in Kensington in hopes of better serving the community's complex behavioral health and emergency medical needs. It has opened a new substance use clinic and is upgrading its emergency department and crisis response center.June 6, 2024
Health Stories
A Bucks County mom gave birth to a premature baby on a Caribbean vacation, and a CHOP team flew in to save the day
When Lindsey Offner, of Bucks County, gave birth to her second child on May 12, 2023, she was 27 weeks pregnant and on a vacation with her husband, Joe, in Turks and Caicos. To ensure baby Logan got the care she needed, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia sent its emergency transport team to fly the newborn baby to Philly.June 6, 2024
Prevention
To combat the spike in syphilis, the CDC now recommends using a common antibiotic as a 'morning after' drug
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends certain people at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases take a common antibiotic – doxy PEP – within 72 hours of having unprotected sex. The guideline aims to help curtail the spread of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. It's specific to gay and bisexual men and transgender women who have had a sexually transmitted infection within the last year.June 5, 2024
Mental Health
FDA advisory panel votes against MDMA for treatment of PTSD
An FDA advisory board rejected a proposal to approve MDMA – a psychedelic drug known popularly as ecstasy or "molly" – for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, citing concerns about the safety of the psychedelic drug and the way studies were conducted.Just In
- Ranking the Eagles' 10 best Day 3 picks of the Howie Roseman era
- Pa. Attorney General Dave Sunday signs letter supporting federal PBM transparency rule
- New boozy ice cream shop that's coming to Rittenhouse to offer a spiked water ice sundae
- State awards $2.3 million grant to restore West Fairmount Park's 19th century fountain
- Montgomery County realtor charged with possessing child pornography
- Flyers playoffs: Game 1 vs. Penguins set for Saturday night in Pittsburgh
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