Boston leaders march for science, religion in drug treatment, and more

Having trouble viewing this email? [Click here]( Saturday, April 22, 2017 [Like us on Facebook]( [Follow us on Twitter]( [View on Instagram]( [Leaders Of Boston Medical Powerhouses Back 'March For Science']( The March for Science, says Dr. Jason Wasfy of Massachusetts General Hospital, "is not about politics so much as it is about really hammering home that science matters. And in biomedical science, it matters for our patients' lives." [On Point: Let's Talk About Mental Health]( Most of us would hesitate to open up publicly about our emotions, even to a small audience of family or friends. So for many, it came as a surprise when the United Kingdom's Prince Harry openly shared his history of mental health struggles during a conversation with a British journalist. [Churches Step Up To Help With Opioid Epidemic, But Spirituality's Role In Treatment Is Controversial]( The issue of spirituality and addiction treatment is complicated and controversial. The vast majority - by some estimates more than 85 percent - of substance use disorder treatment in the U.S. is based on the 12 steps. Among other things, the steps ask adherents to believe that a "power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity." [Seeking The Strength To Accept My New Life In A Wheelchair]( "As I lay on the floor, I thought back to my fall on the crosswalk in 2014. Just like that night on Mass. Ave., I felt the clarity of an unwanted truth, one that I had fought and suppressed time and again. Now it was time to get a wheelchair. Accepting my circumstances has not been easy, but I've had help in fighting the emotional battles." [Radio Boston: Lawyer Says Hernandez's Family Will Donate Brain To CTE Researchers]( Aaron Hernandez's lawyer, Jose Baez, claims the medical examiner's office is illegally holding Hernandez's brain. He said Hernandez's family will donate Aaron's brain to Boston University's CTE Center. [Here And Now: New Study Says Diet Soda Linked To Stroke, Dementia]( A new study has found an association between frequent drinking of diet sodas and an increased risk of both stroke and dementia. On the study's findings: "It's important to note that our results are observational, which means we observe trends amongst a large group of people, but our results certainly do not suggest causality. In other words, we can't be sure that diet sodas are causing stroke or causing dementia. But we are seeing associations between those who more frequently consume diet soda, and a higher risk of both stroke and dementia within the next 10 years." [Cognoscenti: Accepting Death, Gaining Peace At The End Of My Mother's Life]( My mother understood she was dying. Indeed, at the hospice she told her social worker just that, then added, "But I'm not sure my children know." We knew, Mom, we knew. It's just that we had so much wished it weren't true. [Like us on Facebook]( [Follow us on Twitter]( [View on Instagram]( WBUR, 890 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215 [SafeUnsubscribe™ {EMAIL}]( [Forward this email]( | [Update Profile]( | [About our service provider]( Sent by wburtoday@wbur.org in collaboration with [Constant Contact]( [Try it free today](