General Health

On June 8, 2017, the FDA requested that the drug-maker Endo Pharmaceuticals stop selling Opana ER – the extended-release version of Opana – because of “public health consequences of abuse.” It is the first time the agency has made efforts to pull an opioid from the market due to its highly addictive nature. [1]
According to the FBI, Opana ER is becoming a popular drug to crush, dissolve, and inject. An outbreak of HIV, Hepatitis C, and a serious blood disorder have been fueled by drug users sharing needles.

If you’re planning to spend summer days by the pool or beach-side, you’ll likely reach for a bottle of sunscreen to prevent you from becoming red and crispy. These products are not all created equal, however, and it can be difficult to know what to purchase when you’re staring at the multitude of options available at the supermarket. Thankfully, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has put out a list of the best and worst sunscreens every year since 2007 to help you decide.

Scientists have for years theorized that the immune system and the brain are more interconnected than previously thought, with findings of recent studies backing this hypothesis. For example, researchers recently discovered there is a physical connection between the immune system and the brain’s blood supply. Now, researchers have recently begun to find out that there may be a more psychological connection.

Over the summer, like a lot of people, I purchase a bottle of aloe vera gel because, despite my best efforts, I always get sunburned when I work in the garden. Now I know where I’ll never be buying it from again: CVS. Don’t bother picking up a bottle at Walmart or Target, either. A Bloomberg News report from late 2016 shows that none of these store-brands actually contain any aloe.
Source: Bloomberg News

A study suggests that treating insomnia can subsequently reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Surprising? Here is what the researchers found.[1]
Qiao He, a researcher at China Medical University, says in a news release:

Taking antibiotics for an extended period of time in early and middle adulthood may increase your risk of developing precancerous growths called polyps in your colon, a large study suggests. [1]
The research, published in the journal Gut, adds to a growing collection of evidence that the type and diversity of gut microbes may play a significant role in the development of cancer.

The Center for Mental Health Services at the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a report citing that 3 million teens in the United States suffer from depression each year.
The number of 12- to 17-year-olds suffering from depressive episodes has been steadily increasing in the past few years. The overall rate of depression amongst teens has jumped from 9.9 percent between 2013 to 2014 to over 11 percent the following year.

Type 2 diabetes, a serious disease (especially if left untreated) that can result in amputations and lifelong complications, can usually be prevented through healthy diet and exercise, and that’s exactly what needs to happen, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns. The number of people with the condition has quadrupled in less than 40 years, with approximately 422 million people now suffering from the ailment.

Researchers at Cornell University’s Baker Institute for Animal Health are working on a test that could detect a stroke in just 10 minutes, and it requires a tiny drop of blood barely big enough to moisten the fingertip.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) was invented in the 1800’s and became the international standard for weight and health by the 1980’s. Current BMI standards were approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1998. But the BMI scale is considered antiquated by many, including doctors, scientists and nutritionists.