New warnings about laundry detergent pods

Internet fame is driving the latest teen fad: biting into detergent pods. But the so-called "Tide Pod Challenge" can kill, and the problem goes beyond attention-seeking teenagers. CBS News correspondent Anna Werner explains how young children and the elderly are vulnerable, too.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/new-warnings-about-laundry-detergent-pods/

White House reveals results of Trump's physical

Dr. Ronny Jackson's very brief statement released Friday night revealed little about the results of the physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/doctor-releases-initial-results-of-trumps-first-physical/

Trump has first physical since taking office

President Trump, who is 71 years old, went to Walter Reed Friday and had his first physical since taking office. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook talks to "CBS Evening News" anchor Jeff Glor about this type of evaluation.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/trump-has-first-physical-since-taking-office/

20 children dead as flu reaches epidemic proportions

The flu has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday the virus is now widespread across the entire continental United States. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/20-children-dead-as-flu-reaches-epidemic-proportions/

Golf champ reveals heart irregularity in new interview

The 28-year-old revealed the medical issue ahead of his return to golf at the Abu Dhabi Championship next week

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rory-mcilroy-reveals-heart-irregularity-interview/

FDA approves first drug for inherited breast cancer

AstraZeneca PLC's Lynparza is for patients with inherited BRCA gene mutations​ who have undergone chemotherapy

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-approves-first-drug-to-treat-inherited-breast-cancer/

The Medicaid work requirement was just approved in this state

The change will require adults between the ages of 19 and 64 to complete 80 hours per month of "community engagement" to keep their coverage

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kentucky-medicaid-work-requirement-health-care/

Bad flu season could be reaching its peak

U.S. health officials say this year's flu outbreak is now widespread in every state except Hawaii. CBS News' Danielle Nottingham has the latest.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/bad-flu-season-could-be-reaching-its-peak/

CDC: Flu Hammering Country, With More to Come

The number of people stricken by the flu continues to increase across the U.S., closing schools and filling hospitals, according to the CDC.

From: https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20180112/cdc-flu-widesrpead-more-to-come?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Fungus, Bacteria Could Lurk In Your Dishwasher

Microbes -- from bacteria to viruses to fungi -- are everywhere, including within and on the human body. So it's no surprise, the researchers said, that a kitchen appliance would be hosting them.

From: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20180112/fungus-bacteria-could-lurk-in-your-dishwasher?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Certain UTI medications linked to birth defects

Urinary tract infections can be problematic for pregnant women and their babies, but so can two antibiotics used to treat them, health officials warn

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/uti-drugs-bactrim-macrobid-linked-to-birth-defects/

Raw Meat Not the Best Choice for Your Dog ... or You

Raw meat diets for pets have become increasingly popular, but there is no evidence that they are healthier than typical pet foods, the researchers said.

From: https://pets.webmd.com/news/20180111/raw-meat-not-the-best-choice-for-your-dog-or-you?src=RSS_PUBLIC

2018 flu season appears to hit deadly peak

Flu is now widespread in 49 states and it will take weeks before the epidemic begins to subside, health officials say

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/2018-flu-season-appears-to-hit-deadly-peak/

Parents sue for girl, 11, to use medical marijuana at school

An attorney representing an 11-year-old girl says she needs a cannabis patch and drops to combat seizures

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/school-district-facing-lawsuit-over-medical-marijuana-use/

BRCA Breast Cancer Gene Doesn't Affect Survival

BRCA mutations are inherited and increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Between 45 percent and 90 percent of women with a BRCA mutation develop breast cancer, compared with about 12.5 percent of women in the general population.

From: https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20180112/brca-breast-cancer-gene-doesnt-affect-survival?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Pregnant Women Getting UTI Meds Linked to Defects

The antibiotics -- trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim) and nitrofurantoin (Macrobid) -- have been linked to a small risk for birth defects in pregnant women when given in the first trimester.

From: https://www.webmd.com/women/news/20180112/pregnant-women-getting-uti-meds-linked-to-defects?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Asthma in America Carries $82 Billion Price Tag

That figure includes medical expenses and costs associated with work and school absences and deaths.

From: https://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20180112/asthma-in-america-carries-82-billion-price-tag?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Benevis, Kool Smiles to pay $23.9 million in settlement with Department of Justice

Washington ¬— Dental management company Benevis and more than 130 of its affiliated Kool Smiles clinics will pay $23.9 million, plus interest, to resolve allegations from the U.S. Justice Department that they knowingly submitted false claims for payment to state Medicaid programs for medically unnecessary dental services performed on children insured by Medicaid, according to a DOJ news release.

From:

By David Burger

http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/january/benevis-kool-smiles-to-pay-239-million-in-settlement-with-department-of-justice

One Goal - Lexi's Story

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv3tfUCLGSs

ADA Wellness Survey reveals dentists’ ergonomic issues

The ADA Council on Dental Practice’s Dental Wellness Advisory Committee conducted a 2015 survey to study the well-being of dentists.

From:

By David Burger

http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/january/ada-wellness-survey-reveals-dentists-ergonomic-issues

Mayo Clinic Minute: Are you adding too much sugar to your diet?

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeX3D3UM2EI

What could we learn from Trump's first physical?

President Trump will get his first physical exam Friday since taking office. CBS News has learned that he will fly to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland for a checkup with the White House physician. When he stepped into office last year, President Trump was the oldest person ever to become commander in chief. Jonathan LaPook reports.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/what-could-we-learn-from-trumps-first-physical/

The ghost in the basement

Follow me on Twitter @BillEduTheater

We are fortunate to have a country home in the Catskills where we can escape city life. An eight-year-old neighbor often crosses our meadow or bikes over to stop by for a visit. While I’d like to think I’m the featured attraction, his visits are not just to see me; of much greater interest is our basement with its shelves of toys and games. Particularly appealing to this lad is the sports equipment: hockey sticks, goalie pads, a goal to shoot on, baseball mitts, a batting helmet, a catcher’s mask, soccer balls, and more. Name the sport and it is most likely we have equipment for it, even in different sizes.

I’ve given my young friend a few items: retaping a hockey stick that’s the right size for him, a pair of batting gloves, a cracked bat from a Bat Day at Yankee Stadium. He knows these were things that belonged to my son. Visits have been frequent, offering a chance to go to the basement so we could play some more floor hockey, or perhaps do a review of our inventory again, maybe hoping to catch me in a generous frame of mind. Downstairs amongst the gloves and balls and pads, waiting to be discovered, was The Question. “Where is your son, where is William?”

Knowing that sooner or later The Question that would come up, I had a conversation with his parents. Who explains William’s permanent absence to the young fellow? What is age-appropriate detail? Is there a better time for the discussion?

The Answer is, sadly, that William died from an accidental heroin overdose. At the time my wife and I became aware that William was using heroin, he was 22. He was already seeing a psychotherapist. Over the next two years we added an addiction psychiatrist, outpatient treatment, treatment with Suboxone, inpatient detox, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, outpatient detox, treatment with Vivitrol, more outpatient treatment, another inpatient treatment, more outpatient treatment, a revolving door of well over a dozen trips to and from the emergency rooms of at least four different hospitals, an attempt to work with another addiction psychiatrist, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and a home life fraught with tension, despair, sometimes hope during intermittent periods of sobriety, and always filled with the apprehension of misfortune.

That apprehension became fact when William accidentally overdosed shortly before his 24th birthday. Just four days prior he had gone to a hospital to ask to be admitted to inpatient detox. His insurance company denied the request as “not medically necessary.” Six weeks of comatose and/or heavily medicated hospitalization followed before the ultimate realization that William was consigned to a persistent vegetative state.

When we decided to permanently remove him from a respirator we attempted organ donation. Organ donation in William’s condition required an expedient demise within a tight one-hour time frame once removed from the respirator. William continued on and survived for another 21 hours before breathing his last in our arms. Ultimately, we made an anatomical donation of his body to Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Once, William was young, curious, engaging, and adventuresome, much like our eight-year-old neighbor. I continue to question, puzzle, and agonize over the path that takes a boy from building with Legos, playing catch, bocce on our lawn, snow forts, an entertaining sense of humor, late night talks, fierce and courageous loyalty to friends, right-on-the-money analysis of people, situations, and numbers, a flash of the pads for a save, and the sweetness, strength, inspiration, and love that was William… to a death certificate that reads death due to “complications of acute heroin intoxication.”

One thing I do know. When my young neighbor asks about William, I have to answer him openly and honestly. There’s more of William to share than some old hockey sticks and baseball bats. William’s story, like that of so many others, has to come out of the basement so that it can be the cautionary tale every growing boy should hear.

Bill Williams Blog

The post The ghost in the basement appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Bill Williams https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ghost-basement-addiction-2018011213078

Why are teens putting detergent pods in their mouth?

Government watchdog is expressing concern over the latest social media fad called the "Tide Pod Challenge"

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tide-pod-challenge-ingesting-detergent-risks/