By Joy Burkhard, MBA

SO, I just posted a “What We’re Reading” blog post a week ago, but I have more to share. Here are some of the highlights: More about the gut-biome brain connection, the latest article by our favorite journalist, April Dembosky. April calls out that America is lacking adequate inpatient treatment facilities for mothers and their babies, that reimbursement is an issue, and how lack of sleep is a public health emergency.

Kaiser Health News: Postpartum Psychosis is Rare, Real, and Dangerous

There had been no crime after all — Lisa Abramson’s destination that day wasn’t a jail cell, but rather the general psychiatric ward at Sutter Health’s California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. The other patients were there for drug overdoses or alcohol withdrawal. People were screaming. Read it here.

The New York Times: Germs In Your Gut Are Talking To Your Brain. Scientists Want To Know What They’re Saying

In 2014 John Cryan, a professor at University College Cork in Ireland, attended a meeting in California about Alzheimer’s disease. He wasn’t an expert on dementia. Instead, he studied the microbiome, the trillions of microbes inside the healthy human body. Dr. Cryan and other scientists were beginning to find hints that these microbes could influence the brain and behavior. Perhaps, he told the scientific gathering, the microbiome has a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. (Zimmer, 1/28)

Stat: To Improve Mental Health Treatments, Scientists Try To Dissect Why They Work

Successful mental health treatments can function like a conversation: The brain hears some kind of message — whether it’s from a drug or another other approach — and the brain responds in a way that alleviates some symptoms. Some scientists are listening in on those conversations — and trying to “back translate” them to figure out how successful treatments actually work. And that effort is about to get a big boost: The nonprofit Wellcome Trust recently announced a $200 million commitment to support more mental health research, including scientists studying the underpinnings of existing treatments. (Thielking, 2/1)

The New York Times: Shortage Of Anxiety Drug Leaves Patients Scrambling

A sudden shortage of one of the safest anti-anxiety drugs on the market has spread alarm among people who rely on the medication, buspirone, to get through the day without debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. Physicians are also expressing concern, because there is no information about when the supply will resume, making it difficult to manage patients. Shelby Vittek, a 27-year-old writer in New Jersey, fruitlessly called dozens of drugstores in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in an attempt to locate the medication after her pharmacist told her the drug was on back-order with no end in sight. Read it here.

Washington Post: Go to bed! Brain Researchers Warn That Lack of Sleep is a Public Health Crisis

Brain research is now delving into exactly how sleep works in disease and in normal cognitive functions such as memory. The growing consensus is that casual disregard for sleep is wrongheaded and even downright dangerous. Read it here.

The Hill: Gum Disease Bacteria May be Cause of Alzheimer’s Study
More research is needed to show causation

Read it here.

Forbes: Workplaces Aren’t Paying Attention to the Growing Caretaking Crisis, and it’s Costing Them Talent

Though not new, the fact that caretaking can take a toll on any of us, is now being quantified and called a ‘crisis’ hitting America and it’s workplaces. Read it here.

NY Times: Prince William Calls for Action on Mental Health

Price Williams who has long spoken publicly about his emotional struggles has taken his campaign for mental health awareness to global leaders to help break the stigma. In this article, Prince William shares the difficulty he faced trying to get celebrities to sign on to his cause. Read it here.

Choosing a Sleep Training Method that Works for Your Family

One of the first real-life lessons new parents learn is that the old adage about sleeping like a baby is a farce. Sure, some people are blessed with contented little creatures who seem to sleep through the night. For most other parents, sleep is one of the early battles. Read it here.