Physical Therapy For Back Pain; Keys To Well-Being; Health Insurance Hustle

Parenting Challenges: Sleep And Stress

How To Raise A Human  This week, our series on parenting covers two big topics: sleep and anxiety.  More moms in the U.S. are sharing their bed with their babies — even as doctors strongly oppose the practice. But a close look at the research on the subject reveals a different picture. Read the story here.  A growing number of elementary schools are teaching social and emotional skills to kids. It can help them cope with stress and anxiety and deal with relationship issues like bullying, name-calling or even being blocked by a so-called friend on social media. Read the story here.    PeopleImages/Getty Images   Trying Physical Therapy First For Low Back Pain May Curb Use Of Opioids Aching back? You might try physical therapy instead of drugs. Researchers who analyzed more than 150,000 insurance claims found that people with low back pain who saw a physical therapist before seeking other treatments had an 89 percent lower probability of eventually needing an opioid prescription. The odds were also lower for having an advanced imaging test, like an MRI or CT scan, or making a trip to the emergency room visit were also lower. What’s more, as NPR’s Patti Neighmond reports, people who got physical therapy spent less out of their own pocket for care. "People who get trained in physical therapy have very specialized knowledge about pain management, especially with the muscular skeletal system," says says Bianca Frogner, a health economist at the University of Washington. "They might actually understand this pain better than the average family physician."   Amanda Hall/Robert Harding/Getty Images   Where You Live Affects Your Happiness And Health, But How? What factors in the community contribute to a sense of well-being? Yale researchers flagged some obvious ones, including higher levels of education and income, and a few that might be surprising, such as a higher percentage of black residents and bike commuters. A dozen characteristics turned out to explain over 90 percent of the variation in well-being across the country. "We are starting to move in the direction of trying to understand at the community level how we can actually work to improve well-being for all members of the community," Yale’s Dr. Brita Roy told Dana Bate, a Shots contributor.     Annie Tritt for ProPublica   Why Your Health Insurer Doesn't Care About Your Big Bills After Michael Frank, an actuary, had successful hip surgery, he found his bill hard to believe. Aetna, his insurer, had agreed to pay NYU Langone Medical Center $70,000 for the operation.That's more than three times the Medicare rate for the surgery and more than double the estimate of what other insurance companies would pay for such a procedure. Why? "As bad as NYU is, Aetna is equally culpable because Aetna's job was to be the checks and balances and to be my advocate," Frank said. The story from ProPublica’s Marshall Allen is the first in a series with NPR that will look at the health insurance industry. If you have you worked in health insurance and want to share your insights and experience, please complete our brief questionnaire. Your Shots editor, Scott Hensley   You received this message because you're subscribed to our Health emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002