Kat McGowan

Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.

my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements

we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)

www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...

‘Ready to care?’ Nursing homes begin to grapple with nation’s aging HIV population HIV has been a disease of younger adults, but the need for long-term care is increasing as more patients surpass their 50th birthdays and develop comorbidties much more common in older people.

I have so many feelings about this story!

Back in the early 90s, it was *inconceivable* that HIV would be a "geriatric" disease.

This story says that by 2030, 70% of those w/HIV will be 50+, and advises nursing homes to start thinking about these residents.
www.mcknights.com/news/ready-t...

A rufous Eastern Screech Owl in his tree hole.

My buddy is back.
#birds
#owls

This Little-Known Appeal Could Force Your Insurer to Pay for Lifesaving Care. Here’s How to File It. When a health insurer refuses to pay for your treatment, you may have the right to have the denial reviewed — and potentially overturned — by an independent provider. Here are six steps experts sugges...

Insurance companies can often be aggressive with their denials because “they don’t expect people to come back,” one health care advocate said.

The lesson is simple, another expert told us: “Appeal, appeal, appeal, appeal. That’s all you have.”

By @deldeib.bsky.social

Find Out Why Health Insurance Denied Your Claim You likely have the right to access records that explain why your insurer denied your claim or prior authorization request. Use ProPublica’s free tool to generate a letter requesting your claim file f...

Your periodic reminder that you have the right to find out why your health insurer denied your claim.

We built a tool to help you do it: projects.propublica.org/claimfile/

Flat, graphic poster of a Whooping Crane standing in the negative space of many Sandhill Cranes. The poster reads "The Great Midwest Crane Fest - Nov. 15-16, 2025 Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Poster I made for the Great Midwest Crane Fest!

As a child of the Reagan years, the fact that the *Republican Party* is expropriating shares in companies and shaking companies down while saying stuff like this is wild

Press Releases | Investors & Media Reimagining the future of healthcare through the power of gene therapy.

Good news! 🛎️
For decades, drug developers avoided Huntington's disease. The nihilism and negativity around it were stifling. No treatments, no hope.
Today's gene therapy results from UniQure look brilliant. It'd be the first ever therapy for HD! www.uniqure.com/investors-me...

Health and science reporters should lead the coverage of all these health-related conspiracy theories & newsroom leaders should keep their both-sides political reporters out of their way.

I'll say it: against all expectations, the media are covering the Trump censorship story right. They're not pretending it's about Kirk, they're covering Trump as a broad threat to free press and speech, and they're speaking broadly about the stakes.

It can be done!

The Caregiving Research We Keep Sharing (And Why We Should Stop) Research from 1999 about caregiving mortality has proven flawed. Why do we keep sharing it?

Research from 1999 about #caregiving mortality has proven flawed. Why do we keep sharing it?

Large shares of “nones” in some countries say “there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it.” For instance, 61% of “nones” in Mexico and 65% in Brazil express this belief. Many religiously unaffiliated adults also express belief in God. This includes solid majorities of “nones” in South Africa (77%) and several countries in Latin America, such as Brazil (92%), Colombia (86%) and Chile (69%).3 Religiously unaffiliated adults in Europe and Australia are much less inclined to believe in God. Just 18% of “nones” in Australia, 10% in Sweden and 9% in Hungary are believers. In the United States, 45% of “nones” say they believe in God, according to our 2023 survey. Another relatively common belief among people who do not affiliate with any religion is that animals can have spirits or spiritual energies. In Greece and several Latin American countries, at least three-quarters of “nones” believe this.

In general, “nones” are somewhat more likely to say they pray than to say they light incense or candles. However, in most of the studied countries, the “nones” who pray tend to report that they do so infrequently – a few times a month or less often. For example, just 23% of German “nones” say they ever pray. That includes 16% who pray a few times a month or less often, and 7% who say they pray weekly or more often. Overall, “nones” are much less likely than religiously affiliated adults to engage in these practices. For instance, 72% of Christians in Germany say they ever pray, including 33% who pray at least weekly.

Many “nones” express negative views about religion’s influence on society. For instance, in 12 of the 22 countries studied here, religiously unaffiliated adults are more likely to say religion encourages intolerance than to say it encourages tolerance. In Germany, nearly three-quarters of “nones” say religion encourages intolerance, compared with a quarter who say it encourages tolerance.

NEW: The beliefs & practices of religious "nones" in 22 countries: pewresearch.org/religion/202...

Related: The rise of religious "nones" as part of a global secular transition nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪

Good morning, Gerhard Richter
Seestuck, 1969
oil on canvas
78 3/4 x 78 3/4 inches

How does lava sound when it comes to the surface of the Earth? Listen to a lava flow oozing out of its effusive vent high on the southwestern side of #Etna, 28 August 2025. That day no visits by tourists were allowed on the site, which permitted this (relatively) clean recording

It's Minnesota State Fair time! It's time for Minnesotan folk art! Here, for example, is Saturn Devouring His Corn, in the seed art category!

People with brain damage (strokes, dementia) make up plausible-sounding justifications for their bizarre experiences. My mom would tell me we weren't at home--clearly, somebody had moved all her stuff into this new house. I had the same feeling listening to market experts discuss Lisa Cook today.

A screenshot that says "AI Overview: The phrase "judge box of wine" is most likely a misspelling of Judge Jeanine Pirro, a former New York judge, prosecutor and current TV host and author. THe phrase may also refer to the act of a judge ruling on or sentencing someone regarding a box of wine..."

Don't know what you all are complaining about. AI is terrific!

An early Byzantine mosaic of a giraffe, c.450 - c.550,

An early Byzantine mosaic of animals, fruits, vases and other objects, c.450 - c.550,

🦒 For #mosaicmonday an early Byzantine mosaic of a giraffe & other animals, fruits & vases (?), c.450-550,

⛪ Petra, Jordan

Read/watch fascinating details about Byzantine art & culture, here: ideasroadshow.substack.com/p/byzantium-...

🗃️ #arthistory #art #Byzantine #mosaic #medievalsky #culture

Much like #agriculture, where fruits and vegetables are rotting on trees, I'm waiting for the line of Americans willing to provide basic hygiene to older adults and clean infected rooms.
...but unlike the former, which causes 40% price hikes, the latter means you can't access medical care and die

Mom burrowing owlet glaring at the camera while three of her goofy kids stand next to her. One kid has his head tilted 90 degrees to the side and two kids are panting because it's so hot.

Good morning! 🪶

Scruffy scrub jay

I love this time of year for the high levels of #bird derp—scruffy half-grown juveniles and molting adults that look like they were at the bar too late. Mr. Peanut is normally a dazzling fellow, but now he looks like a scrub

🚨Journalism job alert🚨

We're hiring an investigative reporter to join my team at @wired.com. We're looking for someone who has both traditional and non-traditional reporting skills (coding/data work/OSINT, etc). Fit the bill? Come work with me! condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers...

Not for nothing, but the way some of the press releases in my inbox are written, I long for the day AI replaces these knuckleheads.

Nursing homes face 10 percent rate cut as states begin to grapple with federal Medicaid rollbacks Providers are facing a 10% decline in state reimbursement as NC leaders grapple with a $319 million Medicaid shortfall.

North Carolina proposes 10% cuts in Medicaid payments to nursing homes in the wake of the reconciliation bill. Nationwide, Medicaid pays for 63% of long-term nursing home stays. Four out of five *middle-class* people who need care >5 years will go on Medicaid.
www.mcknights.com/news/nursing...

For young adults, caregiving can put a big strain on their relationships with their siblings. Who is responsible for what? How much help does mom/dad/greataunt Rose really need? Some new research probes what's going on: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Family Caregiver Support Must Be A Public Health Priority: Lessons From The VA | Health Affairs Forefront The national Caregiver Support Program implemented in the Veterans Affairs more than a decade ago offers a roadmap for health care systems nationwide.

The successes of the VA caregiving support programs shows that improving the lives of caregivers isn't rocket science: Loop them in to the care. Train docs and others to talk to caregivers. Train caregivers and provide them with support.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

Powerful article in @nytimes.com about the hidden impacts of Medicaid cuts on care for disabled people & older adults in the home & community.

t.co/Z88K8vpwfX

This study tackles a hidden issue: caregivers who lash out at their person with dementia. Caregivers stretched beyond their limits can be short-tempered, and people with dementia can try anyone's patience. This explores a way to improve that dynamic: formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e73778/

Never thought of this before but W really belongs with T and U, and V belongs with XYZ. Why isn't it TUWVXYZ.

If our chef-scientist influencers knew their audience they’d be doing test kitchen experiments with sandwich aerodynamics right now. Attack angles, velocity decay, lots to measure here