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When Pharmacists Allowed to Give Anti-Opioid Med Without Rx, Access Soars

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Allowing pharmacists to provide the opioid overdose drug naloxone without a prescription led to a huge increase in dispensing of the lifesaving drug in Ohio. Ohio state lawmakers gave that permission in 2015. Since then, there’s been a 2,328% increase in naloxone dispensing, according to University of Cincinnati researchers. The study also found that counties with low-employment rates had 18% more naloxone dispensed per month than high-employment counties. The findings were published online Jan. 31 in JAMA Network Open. “Our study shows that this change in the Ohio law allowed pharmacists to have more opportunity to participate in the management of patients addicted to opioids,” said lead researcher Pam Heaton, a professor of pharmacy practice. Most states allow pharmacists to dispense naloxone (commonly known as Narcan) without a prescription. As of May 2019, about 75% of Ohio’s community pharmacies were registered to do so. Heaton said the dispensing rate in low-employment counties probably owes to the fact that the local pharmacy is often the only health care contact for people there. “We do not know whether the naloxone was for personal use, a family member or a friend, because the law was written to specifically allow access,” she said in a university news release. Heaton also noted that the study focused on access and didn’t examine the impact of increased naloxone distribution on the rate…  read on >

Your Game Plan for Keeping ‘Super Bowl Flu’ at Bay

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Don’t get tackled by the flu if you go to a Super Bowl party this weekend. Some simple precautions can protect you and others, said Libby Richards, an associate professor who specializes in public health at Purdue University School of Nursing in West Lafayette, Ind. “If you are sick or a family member or friend you are planning on visiting for a Super Bowl gathering is sick with the flu or influenza-like illnesses, you should avoid contact,” Richards said in a university news release. “Don’t visit until the symptoms have resolved — even if that means having to stay home for the big game,” she advised. If you’re hosting a party, encourage people to wash their hands before eating and to use utensils when they handle food. Have antibacterial hand gel near common gathering places and provide paper towels, not cloth, in bathrooms. After high-fiving with others to celebrate a great play: “Don’t touch your face, eyes, nose or mouth afterward, as that is an easy way to transfer germs,” Richards said. The United States has recently seen an increase in flu activity, according to the latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 15 million people have been diagnosed with the flu this season, resulting in 140,000 hospitalizations and 8,200 deaths, including 54 children, the CDC said. The best…  read on >

Too Much Super Bowl Can Mean Too Little Sleep

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Your Super Bowl party this Sunday may leave you feeling beat on Monday morning, a new survey finds. A survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that nearly 40% of U.S. adults are more tired than usual the day after the Super Bowl. “It’s easy to stay up too late after enjoying a night of football, food and friends,” said academy President Dr. Kelly Carden. “”To get the sleep you need after the Super Bowl, it is recommended that you plan ahead and prioritize your bedtime on Sunday night to avoid a tired day at work on Monday,” Carden said in an academy news release. Here’s a post-Super Bowl sleep plan: Don’t eat or drink after halftime. Heavy eating and drinking can make it hard to sleep. Turn the TV and other electronic devices off after the game. Don’t stay up for postgame commentary on social media. Take time to unwind. Make bedtime a priority. You need at least seven hours of sleep to feel your best in the morning, so don’t go to bed too late. More information For more on getting a good night’s sleep, see the National Sleep Foundation.

Health Tip: Treating Chicken Skin

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(HealthDay News) — Keratosis pilaris, sometimes called chicken skin, is a condition that causes small rough bumps, says the American Academy of Dermatology. Though the condition is generally harmless, some people opt for treatment. To treat chicken skin, the academy suggests: Apply a moisturizer with urea or lactic acid after a shower or bath. Using a loofah or microdermabrasion kit to diminish bumps. Talk to your doctor about medication to exfoliate your skin. Consider laser treatment if moisturizer and medicine both fail.

Smoking While Pregnant May Weaken Baby’s Bones

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Mothers who smoke during pregnancy put their infants at increased risk of fractures in their first year of life, researchers warn. The study looked at more than 1.6 million people who were born in Sweden between 1983 and 2000, and followed for an average of 21 years. Over that time, nearly 378,000 fractures were recorded. But the rate among those whose moms smoked during pregnancy was higher than among those whose mothers didn’t smoke. And the more a woman smoked while pregnant, the greater her child’s fracture risk, the findings showed. Those whose mothers smoked one to nine cigarettes a day had a 20% higher risk, while 10 cigarettes or more per day brought a 41% higher risk. While smoking during pregnancy increased fracture risk during an infant’s first year, it was not associated with a higher risk later in life. This suggests that smoking during pregnancy has only a short-term impact on bone health, according to the authors of the study published Jan. 29 in the BMJ. Epidemiologists Judith Brand and Scott Montgomery, of the School of Medical Sciences at Orebro University in Sweden, led the study. They pointed out that their observational study doesn’t prove cause and effect. In addition, they noted that the findings also have some limitations, including the possibility that some women would not admit to smoking during pregnancy or…  read on >

Checklist: What You Need to Know About Coronavirus

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The coronavirus that has rapidly infected nearly 6,000 people in China is spreading across the globe, with five cases confirmed in the United States. The death toll in China so far has topped 130. Here’s what else you should know about the new coronavirus, called 2019-nCoV, which originated in the city of Wuhan: “This is a new virus that has not been previously identified in humans,” said Debra Chew, a former epidemic officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It belongs to a large family of viruses called coronaviruses. These viruses can cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold, and more severe illnesses such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS),” Chew said. “Currently, a lot is unknown about the Wuhan coronavirus, but the CDC and the World Health Organization are actively investigating to learn more about this virus, the way it spreads and its severity of illness,” added Chew, a professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Should Americans be concerned? “While any new virus is a serious public health concern, the immediate health risk to the American public is deemed low at this point,” said Chew. “The virus is thought to have some limited person-to-person spread, and the CDC and WHO are conducting ongoing investigations to learn more about the degree of…  read on >

Eating Out: A Recipe for Poor Nutrition, Study Finds

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Whether you’re stopping at a casual fast-food place or sitting down to eat in a full-service restaurant, eating out is an easy way to fill up when you’re hungry. But those meals may not deliver much nutritional value, a new study suggests. The researchers found that 70% of fast-food meals consumed in the United States were of poor nutritional value. For full-service restaurants, around half of the meals were of poor nutritional value. Less than 0.1% of the restaurant meals analyzed during the entire study period — 2003 to 2016 — were considered to be of ideal nutritional quality. “On any given day, nearly one-third of American adults eat at a full-service restaurant, and nearly half at a fast-food restaurant. The nutritional quality of most of these meals is poor and almost none are ideal, and this is true for both quick-serve and full-service restaurants,” said senior study author Dariush Mozaffarian. He’s dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston. “Today, more American adults are sick than are healthy, and much of this is due to diet-related illness. Looking for healthier restaurant options should be a priority for all Americans,” he added. Over the past 30 years, American meals have largely shifted away from meals prepared at home to restaurant meals, the study authors said. Today, the typical…  read on >

Health Tip: Preventing Ankle Sprains

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(HealthDay News) — Ankle sprains can occur when the ankle is rolled, twisted or turned the wrong way, says Mayo Clinic. Pain, tenderness and swelling are typical symptoms of a sprained ankle. To help prevent ankle sprains, Mayo Clinic suggests: Warm up before exercising or playing sports. Be careful when walking, running or working on an uneven surface. Use a support brace or tape on a weak or previously injured ankle. Wear shoes that fit well. Minimize wearing high heels. Don’t participate in activities you are not conditioned for. Keep your muscles strong and flexible. Practice stability training and balance exercises.

Americans Toss Out Nearly a Third of Food at Home

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Before you throw any leftovers away, heed new research that suggests the choice could hit you right in your pocketbook. It turns out that almost one-third of food in American households goes to waste, costing each household thousands of dollars a year, researchers report. “Our findings are consistent with previous studies, which have shown that 30% to 40% of the total food supply in the United States goes uneaten — and that means that resources used to produce the uneaten food, including land, energy, water and labor, are wasted as well,” said study author Edward Jaenicke. He’s a professor of agricultural economics in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Jaenicke and his team analyzed data from 4,000 households that participated in a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey and found that, on average, about one-third of the food they obtained was wasted. Nationwide, the cost of wasted food could total $240 billion a year. Divided by the nearly 128.6 million households in the United States, that works out to about $1,866 for the average household. “Based on our estimation, the average American household wastes 31.9% of the food it acquires,” Jaenicke said in a university news release. “More than two-thirds of households in our study have food-waste estimates of between 20% and 50%. However, even the least wasteful household wastes 8.7% of the food it acquires.”…  read on >

Health Tip: What to Know About Turmeric

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(HealthDay News) — Turmeric has been used across the globe for many health conditions, such as pain, fatigue, breathing issues and rheumatism, says the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. It mentions this information about turmeric: Long-term turmeric use may cause gastrointestinal problems. There isn’t enough evidence that turmeric helps reduce inflammation. Preliminary studies show that turmeric could be helpful in controlling knee pain and skin irritation. The center says you should always inform your healthcare provider about any alternative health approaches you use.