Talc Cancer Risk Spreads to Popular Cosmetics
As Johnson & Johnson continues to fight allegations that the
talc in its Baby Powder contains cancer-causing asbestos, two cosmetics manufacturers
have issued voluntary recalls of popular products in which recent FDA testing
revealed asbestos contamination.According to a recent FDA notification, the products in question...
“It’s Deja Vu All Over Again” – Is the History of Big Tobacco Repeating With e-Cigarettes?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, “vaping” among teenagers nearly doubled
between 2017 and 2018. Today, more than 20 percent of high school students
admit to having used e-cigarette products. That translates into 3 million
underage youth who have been drawn into the practice of “vaping,” allegedly due
to aggressive,...
FDA Orders Flavored “Vape Juices” Pulled From the Market
As part of its efforts to prevent underage youth from using e-cigarette products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered four manufacturers to stop sales of over 40 different flavored vape liquids. The agency cites violations of regulations that were instituted in 2016, although enforcement has...
The (Literally) Dirty Little Secret About Duodenoscopes
The duodenoscope is a very handy
invention which allows physicians to see “inside” a patient’s digestive tract and
makes it easier to diagnose pancreatic diseases and gall bladder issues.
However, there is one major problem. They are virtually impossible to sterilize.Because of this, thousands of
patients...
Florida Pharmacy Faces Federal Lawsuit Involving Abilify
A US Attorney in Florida has
filed federal lawsuits against a Jacksonville pharmacy and its parent company over
allegations that the anti-psychotic medication Abilify (aripiprazole)
was improperly added as an ingredient to a proprietary topical pain relief
compound. The situation was brought to the government's attention by an
employee. The lawsuits were...
Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Fell By 3 Percent Last Year: Why?
According to a recent analysis
from Georgetown University, enrollment in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) declined from 74.6 million in January of last year to 72.4
million in January of 2019, representing a drop of approximately 3 percent. It
also means that some 860,000 children of low-income families...
Unintended Consequences of the ACA: Surprise Medical Bills
Let us be clear on one thing: the
Affordable Care Act, for all its shortcomings, has successfully allowed more Americans
to access medical care services than ever before in U.S. history. That said, it
was a compromise, and is no substitute for the same guaranteed right to health
care enjoyed by...
Despite Demonstrated Dangers, Robotic Surgery Continues to Grow in Popularity
“Minimally invasive” robotic
surgery has been around since the early 1980s. A major breakthrough was achieved
in 2006 when a robot with artificial
intelligence successfully carried out heart surgery remotely on a
patient in Italy.Robotics have proven effective in
many kinds of surgeries, but in one area,...
Alternative to Statin Drugs On the Horizon
The New England Journal of Medicine has potentially good
news this month for patients struggling with elevated LDL cholesterol levels
and are sensitive to the side effects of statin drugs (of which there are
many). It concerns a new medication that has been under
investigation for the treatment of high cholesterol...
Could Side Effects of Prescription Medicines Be Due to Gluten Intolerance?
Bad reactions resulting from unanticipated
side effects have been in the news a great deal in recent years. A fair number
of new prescriptions have serious and even life-threatening
side effects – such as gliflozin drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes, the
antipsychotic medication aripiprazole, and proton
pump inhibitors indicated for...