by tyler | Apr 10, 2023 | CNN, health
A federal judge in Texas ruled on Friday to suspend the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, the first drug in the medication abortion process, nationwide by the end of this week.
The judge sided with the coalition of anti-abortion national medical associations that filed the lawsuit. He argued that the FDA failed to adequately consider risks associated with the drug, including “the intense psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress women often experience from chemical abortion.”
However, data analyzed by CNN shows mifepristone is even safer than some common, low-risk prescription drugs, including penicillin and Viagra. There were five deaths associated with mifepristone use for every 1 million people in the US who have used the drug since its approval in 2000, according to the US Food and Drug Administration as of last summer. That’s a death rate of 0.0005%.
Comparatively, the risk of death by penicillin — a common antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections like pneumonia — is four times greater than it is for mifepristone, according to a study on life-threatening allergic reactions. Risk of death by taking Viagra — used to treat erectile dysfunction — is nearly 10 times greater, according to a study cited in the amicus brief filed by the FDA.
“[Mifepristone] has been used for over 20 years by over five million people with the capacity to become pregnant,” said Ushma Upadhyay, an associate professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the University of California, San Francisco. “Its safety is very well established.”
The Justice Department, the FDA, and Danco — a manufacturer of mifepristone that intervened in the case — have already appealed the ruling.
Within hours of the decision in Texas, a federal judge in Washington state issued a conflicting ruling that the federal government must keep mifepristone available in the 17 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia that had sued in a separate lawsuit.
If the Texas ruling is allowed to take effect this week, 40 million more women of reproductive age would lose access to medication abortion care around the country, according to data from abortion rights advocacy group NARAL Pro-Choice America. That’s in addition to the 24.5 million women of reproductive age living in states with abortion bans.
“The court’s disregard for well-established scientific facts in favor of speculative allegations and ideological assertions will cause harm to our patients and undermines the health of the nation,” said Dr. Jack Resneck, Jr., president of the American Medical Association, in a statement. “By rejecting medical facts, the court has intruded into the exam room and has intervened in decisions that belong to patients and physicians.”
Medication abortion has become the most common method for abortion, accounting for more than half of all US abortions in 2020, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
The growing popularity of medication abortion is largely because of its accessibility, said Abigail Aiken, associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin who leads a research group on medication abortion.
“It reduces the cost, it reduces barriers where people may not want to go to a clinic,” she said.
It is also a safer option than both procedural abortion or childbirth. The rate of major complications — like hemorrhages or infections — for medication abortions is about one-third of a percent, according to a 2015 study conducted by Upadhyay. That means out of more than 11,000 cases, 35 experienced any major complications.
The likelihood of serious complications via procedural abortion — performed second-trimester or later — is slightly higher than medication abortion at 0.41%, according to the same study. And childbirth by far comes with the highest risk, at 1.3%.
If access to mifepristone is cut off, abortion clinics and telehealth organizations could pivot to misoprostol-only abortions, Aiken told CNN. Although misoprostol-only abortions are used around the world, they are less effective, associated with a higher risk of serious complications and often more painful than the mifepristone and misoprostol combination, she said.
In the latest study of self-managed misoprostol-only medication abortions in the US, Johnson found misoprostol-only abortions to be a safe alternative, though less safe than using both pills. The study, published in February, analyzed data from online telehealth medication abortion provider Aid Access from 2020. Nearly 90% of 568 users reported completed abortions and 2% experienced serious complications using only misoprostol.
Mifepristone and misoprostol together is still considered the gold standard, Aiken told CNN. People who used the two-pill combination were less likely to experience serious complications than those who went with the misoprostol-only regimen.
“It’s clear people can use these medications, mifepristone and misoprostol, at home even without the help of a medical professional very safely,” said Aiken.
Because misoprostol is used to treat multiple ailments including stomach ulcers, it’s readily stocked in pharmacies and unlikely to be taken off the market anytime soon, Johnson told CNN.
However, a lesser-effective method means more people will likely have unsuccessful abortions.
“It’s possible that it might not work for some people, and it will prolong their abortions,” said Upadhyay. “Then by the time they get back to the clinic, they’re seeking abortion later in pregnancy.”
Before the ruling, 19 states already restricted telehealth abortion care, limiting access to medication abortion. Nearly half of US adults were unsure whether medication abortion was currently legal in their state as of late-January, according to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Experts say that confusion will only be exacerbated.
“People are not going to be sure mifepristone or misoprostol in fact, is available. I think it’s going to be confusing,” said Aiken. “As people look around for options or feel unsure about their options, they may end up delaying [care].”
by tyler | Apr 10, 2023 | CNN, health
As abortion rights become more restricted in the United States, a new study shows that it’s become harder for women to access reproductive health care services more broadly – such as routine screenings and birth control – in recent years.
Women seeking reproductive health care were more likely to report challenges to access – and more of them – in 2021 than they were in 2017, according to the study, published Monday in JAMA Network Open. Researchers analyzed survey data from thousands of women who were asked to reflect on their experiences with reproductive health care in the three years leading up to the study.
About 45% of women experienced at least one barrier to reproductive health care services in 2021, up 10% from 2017. Nearly 19% reported at least three barriers in 2021, up from 16% in 2017.
“Reproductive health care services are among the most common health care needs of women of reproductive age, and access to such care is of paramount public health importance,” the researchers wrote. Delaying or forgoing it can have serious consequences, both to an individual’s physical health and general well-being.
The most commonly cited barrier in both years was finding a physician or clinic that felt comfortable to the patient. About 1 in 4 women identified this as a challenge in 2021, up from about 1 in 5 in 2017.
Cost became slightly less of a barrier in that timeframe, but interpersonal relationships and logistical challenges such as finding transportation or child care became more challenging.
The Covid-19 pandemic likely contributed to these shifts, according to the researchers. Fear of contracting the virus could have heightened anxieties around visiting a health care setting, for example. The child care crisis has been exacerbated in recent years, which could limit travel flexibilities. On the other hand, stimulus checks may have helped ease some financial barriers.
Broader restrictions on reproductive rights – including a significant cut in federally funded family planning clinics by the Trump administration – likely also played a role, they wrote.
The largest increases in barriers to reproductive health care were reported by individuals from historically disadvantaged populations, including low-income and Hispanic women.
Access to reproductive health care is a “persistent and pressing barrier,” the researchers wrote. “Significant” challenges that already existed in 2017 generally got worse in 2021.
“The study’s findings suggest that efforts are needed to ensure reproductive health care access, especially during disruptive events,” they wrote.
by tyler | Apr 10, 2023 | CNN, health
Is your blood type A, B, a combination of the two, or something else?
You don’t know, you say? Many people are in the same boat. In fact, only 62% of Americans reported knowing their blood type, according to a 2020 CBS News poll.
Those letters (and pluses and minuses) can be crucial information in an emergency, and there are simple but accurate ways to find out.
Most blood types are only compatible with a handful of others, according to Dr. Dayand Borge, Divisional Chief Medical Officer at the American Red Cross.
Accidental incompatible blood transfusions, while rare, can be dangerous, Borge said.
Luckily, there are easy ways to find out your blood type.
Before you go out of your way to try any of the other methods, check with your parents first. They may know or have old health records that include your blood type. You can also reach out to your health care provider, who may have that information on file.
Next time you go in to get your blood drawn, ask to know your blood type. If you’ve had blood drawn in the past, you can call the lab to see if they have the information. To request a blood test, visit your healthcare provider or a local health clinic.
You can also purchase an at-home blood test online and have it shipped to your door. The kit comes with a needle and a testing card to drop your blood on. For many at-home tests, results take only minutes.
When you donate blood, the blood goes through multiple tests, including blood type. After you’ve donated with the Red Cross, you’re given a blood donor card which will give you access to your blood type when they test it. This takes a few days and is free. If you’ve donated in the past, you may be able to check your blood type on their website.
For those squeamish of needles, a saliva test can help you determine your blood type without having to draw blood.
About 80% of people secrete the same antigens that are in their blood in their saliva, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research.
This means that the test is effective for most, but not everyone. These tests can be found online and cost more than traditional, at-home blood tests.
by tyler | Apr 10, 2023 | CNN, health
For all the joy they bring, families and close friendships often involve conflict, betrayal, regret and resentment. Prince Harry’s recent memoir, “Spare,” is a reminder of the fact that the people closest to us often have the greatest power to hurt us. He describes power struggles, conflict, challenging family dynamics and decades of guilt, jealousy and resentment.
This sort of conflict can feel impossible to resolve. It’s not easy to move past, and sometimes it simply isn’t going to happen — at least in the short term. But psychology has helped us understand more about the breakdown of close relationships and what factors make resolution more likely.
In the course of a lifetime, it is difficult to avoid hurting, upsetting or being in conflict with people we love. It is an inevitable part of most lives, and learning how to negotiate it is a more useful and realistic goal than avoiding it. The first step is understanding what makes relationship conflict so difficult and the different approaches people have to it.
Canadian psychologists Judy Makinen and Susan Johnson have used the term attachment injuries to describe the sorts of wounds inflicted when we perceive that we have been abandoned, betrayed or mistreated by those closest to us.
These wounds sting so sharply because they lead us to question the safety, dependability or allegiance of these people. They trigger a myriad of emotional and behavioral responses, including aggression, resentment, fear, avoidance and reluctance to forgive. These responses have evolved as self-protection and are rooted to our personal histories and personality.
But the pain can linger indefinitely, continuing to influence us from the shadows. So what have psychologists learned about how people heal, move through the hurt and even learn and grow from it?
READ MORE: ‘Love languages’ might help you understand your partner — but it’s not exactly science
Much research has been carried out studying conflict resolution. Social psychologist David W. Johnson studied conflict management “styles” in humans and modeled the typical ways we respond to conflict.
He argued that our responses and strategies in conflict resolution tend to involve an attempt to balance our own concerns (our goals) with the concerns of the other people involved (their goals and preservation of the relationship).
Johnson outlined five main styles or approaches to this balancing act.
READ MORE: Moving in with your partner? Talking about these 3 things first can smooth the way, according to a couples therapist
Research has suggested that our conflict resolution styles are related to our personalities and attachment histories. For example, people whose early attachment experiences taught them that their feelings are unimportant or invisible may be more likely to develop conflict management styles that instinctively minimize their needs (for example, the teddy bear).
Some psychologists have also suggested that our conflict management styles can be modified in long-term relationships but do not tend to change dramatically. In other words, while a teddy bear may have the potential to develop conflict management characteristics that reflect other styles, they are highly unlikely to turn into a shark.
Psychologists Richard Mackey, Matthew Diemer and Bernard O’Brien argued conflict is inevitable in all relationships. Their research found the duration of a relationship heavily depends upon how conflict is dealt with, and the longest-lasting, most fulfilling relationships are those in which conflict is accepted and constructively approached by both parties.
So, while a relationship between two sharks might be enduring, the likelihood that it will be harmonious is significantly less compared with a relationship between two owls.
READ MORE: Should I stay or should I go? Here are the factors people ponder when deciding to break up
Forgiveness is often hailed as the ultimate goal in relationship conflict. Jungian analysts Lisa Marchiano, Joseph Lee and Deborah Stewart describe forgiveness as reaching a place where we are able to “hold in our hearts at the same time, the magnitude of the injury that has been done to us and the humanity of the injurer.” That’s not an easy place to reach because it can feel as though we are minimizing our suffering by forgiving someone.
Psychologists Masi Noor and Marina Cantacuzino founded the Forgiveness Project, which provides resources to help people overcome unresolved grievances. They include a set of essential skills or tools that they argue can help us reach forgiveness.
These include understanding that all humans are fallible (including ourselves), giving up competing over who has suffered more, finding empathy for how others see the world and acknowledging that other perspectives exist, and accepting responsibility for how we might have contributed to our own suffering, even if it’s a bitter pill to swallow.
As Mark Twain put it: “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
READ MORE: Sex, love and companionship … with AI? Why human-machine relationships could go mainstream
by tyler | Apr 7, 2023 | CNN, health
A lot of people find it difficult to embrace the idea of regular exercise, even though they know it’s good for their physical and mental health. Yet committing to a workout routine doesn’t necessarily entail going to the gym or running around your neighborhood.
Gardening is a great example of a popular hobby that’s accessible and can also be used as a workout.
Working in your garden or yard is a source of moderate to vigorous physical activity in younger adults, while providing low to moderate physical activity in older adults, research has shown. The pastime is also a muscle-strengthening activity, according to the US Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and one of the physical activities with the lowest injury rates.
More good news: Puttering in your garden just two hours a week could help boost your mood, while the communal gardening that’s proliferating in communities and schools provides social benefits that can alleviate stress and help combat isolation and even dementia, according to studies.
With all these benefits, gardening for fitness will be a trend this year, predicts Rishi Mandal, San Francisco-based cofounder and CEO of the fitness coaching app Future. “Our clients at Future have already been asking their coaches to add gardening and landscaping activities into their routines,” Mandal said, “because it’s easy to access, fits into their lifestyle and offers meditative benefits.”
This demand fits with the overall interest he’s seeing among clients for less intensive fitness routines that are accessible and mesh with an on-the-go lifestyle.
Gardening engages all the major muscle groups, such as the arms, legs, shoulders, back and abdomen, Mandal said. The activity also improves mobility, helps build endurance, and is a comparable workout to walking or Pilates.
All the necessary digging, planting, mowing, raking and weeding torches calories, too. A 154-pound person burns an average of 330 calories per hour through gardening, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Such activity is similar to what that same person would burn playing golf or dancing.
Tom Adkinson of Nashville has long been on board with the notion of gardening to stay fit. The 72-year-old has three gardens, which he uses primarily to grow tomatoes, sweet banana peppers and okra. The work varies in intensity during the growing season.
“Every year I turn the soil by hand,” Adkinson said, “and I consider that serious exercise.”
The hours Adkinson spends staking the tomatoes, then watering and weeding all three gardens, involves a lot of bending and stretching, which he likens to performing garden yoga.
Just as with traditional exercise, Adkinson warms up beforehand, doing various stretches. That’s wise, said Christine Zellers, an assistant professor of family and community health sciences at Rutgers University.
“Even though gardening may not appear strenuous, using the body in new ways can make you stiff if you don’t work up to the movement and prepare by limbering up a little,” said Zellers, who teaches at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County in New Jersey.
In addition to stretching, going for a short walk before you begin gardening can also serve as a warm-up. While working in your garden or yard, it’s important to bend at the knees to lift heavy objects, she said, and pace yourself if you’re new.
Just as a new runner would slowly build up miles before tackling a marathon, new gardeners should start with short sessions, gradually increasing the time and intensity spent in their gardens.
Once you’ve got some experience working in your garden or yard, you can ramp things up for more of a challenge. If you’ve purchased a flat of flowers, bring them to the backyard one at a time. When it’s time to mow the lawn, increase the pace of your mowing or switch to a push mower. For some strength training, fill two large watering cans, then carry them around your yard to water the plants.
“Gardening can provide a sense of accomplishment and reward, in addition to movement, by doing something with your hands that is fulfilling, like feeding your family or making your yard look wonderful,” Zellers said.
For Adkinson, one of the biggest benefits of gardening as exercise is the tangible reward he receives for his efforts. “Getting fresh tomatoes and fresh okra well into the fall is way better than going to the gym,” Adkinson said. “There’s really nothing better than your own sliced tomato for a sandwich.”
by tyler | Apr 7, 2023 | CNN, health
Most convenient store shelves are well stocked with sugary marshmallow chicks and bunnies in time for Easter.
The original yellow-colored chick is still the best-selling product sold under the Peeps brand, but the popular springtime candy brand is being criticized for containing red dye No. 3 in its pink- and purple-colored candies.
Consumer Reports called out several Peeps candies as containing the dye that it said is “a known carcinogen,” according to a Monday news release from the nonprofit.
Consumer Reports sent a letter on March 17 to Just Born Quality Confections, which makes the candy, asking for a response by the end of the month. Consumer Reports said the company did not announce “any plans to change its manufacturing process.”
In a statement to CNN via email, Just Born said, “FD&C Red #3 is currently an approved colorant for use in candy by the (US Food and Drug Administration). We manufacture all our candies in compliance with FDA regulations, sourcing our ingredients and packaging exclusively from reputable suppliers who adhere to high quality and safety standards.”
The company noted that the ingredients are listed on packaging and websites.
Just Born added that its product development team is “continually exploring opportunities to provide expanded options for our consumers, including colors derived from natural sources that can deliver the same visual impact and stability as their certified counterparts.”
Consumer Reports has started a petition for the removal of the colorant in Peeps.
“The widespread use of Red Dye 3 is particularly concerning since it is found in many products marketed to children who are especially at risk of developing health problems from exposure,” said Michael Hansen, senior staff scientist for Consumer Reports, in a statement.
“Just Born Quality Confections should stop making its iconic marshmallow treats with this dangerous food chemical since other less risky alternatives are readily available,” Hansen added.
This move is not the first push to ban red dye No. 3. In October, Consumer Reports joined more than 20 other organizations to urge the FDA to remove the color additive from its approved list of ingredients.
Recently, a California State Assembly bill was introduced that would ban the sale of food products containing red dye No. 3 and other food additives thought to be harmful by January 2025.
The confectionery industry’s trade group, of which Just Born is a member, said US companies follow government standards.
“Chocolate and candy are safe to enjoy, as they have been for centuries. Food safety is the number one priority for U.S. confectionery companies, and we do not use any ingredients in our products that do not comply with the FDA’s strictest safety standards,” said Christopher Gindlesperger, senior vice president of public affairs and communications at the National Confectioners Association, via email.
“Chocolate and candy companies will continue to innovate as new information becomes available and consumer preferences change,” Gindlesperger added.
Nearly 3,000 food products contain the red colorant, according to the Food Scores database created by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization.
Red dye No. 3 is approved for use in food and oral drug forms but has been banned in cosmetics since 1990 due to a carcinogenic response in rats.
A 2021 study by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found that the consumption of red dye No. 3 can cause hyperactivity and other behavioral difficulties in children, concluding that some may be more sensitive than others. And a study published in 2012 suggested that the common food dye can cause cancer in animals, although there is no evidence that it is the same case for humans.
While the yellow Peeps do not contain the red dye, concerned consumers should check food labels of other candies when putting together this year’s Easter baskets. Any food products containing red dye No. 3 will have the additive listed as FD&C Red #3, as required by the FDA.
