In Cateura, a Paraguay slum, impoverished children make beautiful music on instruments constructed almost entirely of materials reclaimed from the dump. These children are part of the Landfill Harmonic Orchestra, led by local musician Favio Chávez. Rodolfo Madero, executive producer of a documentary about the orchestra, says, "It's been an important change for the community to see these kids rising above the reality that they live in a landfill." Some parents were even inspired to quit using drugs after their children joined the orchestra. And money from the orchestra's concerts goes into a fund that gives small no-interest loans to families to repair their homes or build extra rooms. 

Mother Jones, 5/13/2013

Angelina Jolie's announcement that she had both breasts removed- after finding out she had an 87% chance of getting breast cancer due to the BRCA1 gene- has brought much attention to the procedure. Apparently, rates of women opting for preventive mastectomies have increased by an estimated 50 percent in recent years. Since genetic tests for breast cancer risks have become available, the numbers of women choosing to be tested has increased, too, even though the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that only women with a strong family history even think about getting a BRCA genetic test– which is only 2 percent of U.S. women. Dr. Todd Tuttle, chief of surgical oncology at the University of Minnesota, says, “I have postulated that one of the downsides of breast cancer awareness is that there is a situation of hyperawareness. Women in the United States are just assuming they are going to get breast cancer." Meanwhile, the actual rate of women developing breast cancer in the U.S. is about 12 percent, and survival rates for breast cancer are 93 percent if it’s caught at the earliest stages and 88 percent at stage 1. Many doctors are puzzled by women's choices, because the mastectomy operation doesn't carry a 100 percent guarantee, it's major surgery with a significant recovery period, and women have other options, from a once-a-day pill to careful monitoring. Still, Jolie's point is that "Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of." 

NBC News, 5/15/2013

To help fight the impact of depression on the workforce, the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, a program of the American Psychiatric Foundation, and Employers Health, a national employer coalition based in Ohio, are launching Right Direction, an initiative to raise awareness about depression in the workplace and its effect on productivity, promote early detection, and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Now that new concerns have emerged regarding the safety of swaddling, U.S. maternity wards are starting to use sleeping sacks (wearable blankets) instead of swaddling blankets as part of a campaign to promote safer sleep for babies.

The Wall Street Journal, 5/14/2013

During the Words of War fundraiser, which raised money for nonprofit organizations that support comprehensive mental health care for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, actors performed theatrical readings of poetry and prose related to the experience of war.

The Daily Beast, 5/9/2013

Jane Brody's article emphasizes how important it is to our well-being to have close, loving, meaningful relationships. Dr. John T. Cacioppo, Univeristy of Chicago psychologist, is quoted as saying, "Is it any wonder that we turn to ice cream or other fatty foods when we're sitting at home feeling all alone in the world? We want to soothe the pain we feel by mainlining sugar and fat content to the pleasure centers of the brain, and absent of self-control, we go right at it.” What can you do to combat loneliness? Dr. Cacioppo points out that doing "random acts of kindness" for others, volunteering, or even paying someone a compliment can make you feel better. He refers to this phenomenon as the "helper's high," and it can even lead to new friendships.

The New York Times, 5/13/2013

Four years ago, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics revealed that Johnson & Johnson's gentle, mild baby shampoo contained the carcinogen formaldehyde. Now, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, along with 30,000 consumers who've provided their signatures, are praising Johnson & Johnson for reformulating its products. Janet Nudelman, cofounder of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, says, "The small companies demonstrate to the big cosmetic giants that making safe products is not only possible, but it's also profitable. It's what consumers want."

Good News Network, 5/8/2013

Dr. Oz said it was his wife who first encouraged him to get involved with television: "She was moping around about how many of my patients didn't appreciate how they had brought these illnesses upon themselves and the things they could have done to avoid me doing invasive procedures on them." Oz came to realize that television offered him the opportunity to address health care issues dear to his heart. He explains how, through television, "I can talk to people who would never be my patients."

New York Daily News, 5/7/2013