Today: October 06, 2024
Today: October 06, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Health

Kansas lawmakers botched the drafting of a new anti-trans law, agency attorney says

Kansas legislators botched the drafting of a new law aimed at preventing transgender people from changing how their sex is listed on their driver’s licenses, a state agency’s lawyer argued in a court filing made public Tuesday. An anti-transgender rights law that took effect July 1 conflicts with another law governing what appears on driver’s licenses, Kansas Department of Revenue attorney Ted Smith said. The department’s motor vehicles division issues driver’s licenses, and Smith said the division still must follow the older law because it applies specifically to driver’s licenses. The new law does not mention

Kansas lawmakers botched the drafting of a new anti-trans law, agency attorney says
Health

Oregon county pauses plan to distribute tin foil, straws for fentanyl users

A plan by Oregon’s largest county to distribute tin foil and straws for fentanyl users and glass pipes for methamphetamine and crack users has been halted after opposition from Portland’s mayor and other officials. “Our health department went forward with this proposal without proper implementation protocols,” Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said in a statement to KGW-TV. “And in that light, I am suspending the program pending further analysis.” The Multnomah County Health Department earlier this month updated its harm reduction program to include the distribution of smoking materials to people using drugs after noticing

Oregon county pauses plan to distribute tin foil, straws for fentanyl users
Health

The 21st Century Cures Act requires that patients receive medical results immediately – and new research shows patients prefer it that way

The 21st Century Cures Act requires that test results be released to patients even before their health care provider has reviewed them. Natalia Gdovskaia/Moment via Getty Images The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Patients overwhelmingly prefer to see their medical test results online immediately, even if that means viewing results before discussing them with a health care professional. These are the key findings from our team’s recent study, published in JAMA Network Open. Importantly, this preference remains true for patients who received results with abnormal or potentially concerning findings. We carried out

The 21st Century Cures Act requires that patients receive medical results immediately – and new research shows patients prefer it that way
Health

James Lewis, suspect in Tylenol poisonings that killed 7 people in the Chicago area in 1982, dead

The suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed seven people in the Chicago area and triggered a nationwide scare has died, police confirmed on Monday. Officers, firefighters and EMTs responding to a report of unresponsive person about 4 p.m. Sunday found James Lewis dead in his Cambridge, Massachusetts, home, Cambridge Police Superintendent Frederick Cabral said in a statement. He was 76, police said. “Following an investigation, Lewis’ death was determined to be not suspicious,” the statement said. No one was ever charged in the deaths of seven people who took drugs laced with cyanide. Lewis

James Lewis, suspect in Tylenol poisonings that killed 7 people in the Chicago area in 1982, dead
Health

A judge has ordered Kansas to stop changing trans people's sex listing on their driver's licenses

A state-court judge on Monday ordered Kansas to stop allowing transgender people to change the listing for their sex on their driver’s licenses, ahead of the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by state’s Republican attorney general against the practice. District Judge Teresa Watson issued the order three days after Attorney General Kris Kobach sued two officials in Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration over her announcement that the state’s motor vehicles division would continue changing driver’s licenses for transgender people so that the sex listing matches their gender identities. Kobach contends that a law, which took

A judge has ordered Kansas to stop changing trans people's sex listing on their driver's licenses
Health

Families with transgender kids are increasingly forced to travel out of state for the care they need

On an early morning in June, Flower Nichols and her mother set off on an expedition to Chicago from their home in Indianapolis. The family was determined to make it feel like an adventure in the city, though that wasn’t the primary purpose of the trip. The following afternoon, Flower and Jennilyn Nichols would see a doctor at the University of Chicago to learn whether they could keep Flower, 11, on puberty blockers. They began to search for medical providers outside of Indiana after April 5, when Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a law banning transgender minors

Families with transgender kids are increasingly forced to travel out of state for the care they need
Health

The FDA is being asked to look into Logan Paul's energy drink, which has the caffeine of 6 Coke cans

An influencer-backed energy drink that has earned viral popularity among children is facing scrutiny from lawmakers and health experts over its potentially dangerous levels of caffeine. On Sunday, Sen. Charles Schumer called on the Food and Drug Administration to investigate PRIME, a beverage brand founded by the YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI that has become something of an obsession among the influencers’ legions of young followers. “One of the summer’s hottest status symbols for kids is not an outfit, or a toy—it’s a beverage,” said Schumer, a Democrat from New York. “But buyer and parents

The FDA is being asked to look into Logan Paul's energy drink, which has the caffeine of 6 Coke cans
Health

Tennessee can enforce ban on transgender care for minors, court says

Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth can go into effect — at least for now — after a federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily reversed a lower court ruling. Late last month a district court judge in Tennessee found that the state’s new law banning transgender therapies like hormone blockers and surgeries for transgender youth was unconstitutional because it discriminated on the basis of sex. The judge blocked large swaths of the law from taking effect. On Saturday, however, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati granted an emergency appeal from

Tennessee can enforce ban on transgender care for minors, court says
Health

Scotland wants to decriminalize drugs. The UK government just says no

The Scottish government has proposed decriminalizing possession of all drugs for personal use to tackle one of Europe’s highest overdose death rates. The suggestion was almost instantly blocked by the Conservative U.K. government in London, which said it had “no plans” to soften drug laws. The semi-autonomous Edinburgh government, led by the pro-independence Scottish National Party, said Friday that removing criminal penalties for drug possession would “allow for the provision of safe, evidence-based harm reduction services.” Scotland’s death rate from drug overdoses is three times the rate in the U.K. as a whole and the highest in

Scotland wants to decriminalize drugs. The UK government just says no
Health

Kentucky AG challenges federal judge's blocking of state law banning transgender youth treatment

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is asking a federal appeals court to lift an injunction that blocks portions of a new state law banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Cameron’s emergency motion to the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals challenges last month’s federal court ruling that temporarily blocked parts of the Kentucky law prohibiting the use of puberty blockers and hormones on minors. Seven transgender children and their parents sued to block the law, arguing it violates their constitutional rights and interferes with parental rights to seek established medical treatment for their children. U.S. District

Kentucky AG challenges federal judge's blocking of state law banning transgender youth treatment
Health

Iowa Republicans will pursue a 6-week abortion ban during a special session that starts Tuesday

Iowa’s Republican-controlled Legislature will aim to enact a ban on abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy during a rare special session that starts Tuesday, a draft of the bill released Friday shows. The proposed measure is similar to a 2018 law that a deadlocked state Supreme Court declined to reinstate last month, prompting Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds to call for the extraordinary session. Abortion is currently legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. The drafted bill, like the 2018 law, would prohibit abortion once cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually

Iowa Republicans will pursue a 6-week abortion ban during a special session that starts Tuesday
Health

Wisconsin judge: Lawsuit to repeal abortion ban can continue

A judge refused Friday to toss out a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s 174-year-old abortion ban, keeping the case inching toward a final decision in a perennial presidential battleground state where abortion has become a key issue. Wisconsin lawmakers enacted statutes outlawing abortion in all cases except to save the mother’s life in 1849, a year after the territory became a state. The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion nullified the ban, but legislators never repealed it. Then, the high court’s decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade reactivated the statutes. Republicans

Wisconsin judge: Lawsuit to repeal abortion ban can continue
Health

Tuberculosis on the rise for first time in decades after COVID-19 interrupted public health interventions and increased inequality

Tuberculosis is a dangerous bacterial infection of the lungs. Moyo Studio/E+ via Getty Images Before SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, spread across the world in 2020, tuberculosis was responsible for more deaths globally than any other infectious disease. But thanks to targeted public health efforts in the U.S. and globally, tuberculosis cases had been steadily falling for decades. I am an infectious disease clinician and public health practitioner who has been caring for underserved communities in the U.S. for more than two decades. During the pandemic, it at first appeared that, as with many other common illnesses like the

Tuberculosis on the rise for first time in decades after COVID-19 interrupted public health interventions and increased inequality
Health

Arizona governor makes contraceptive medications available over the counter at pharmacies

Adults in Arizona can now obtain contraceptive medications over the counter at a pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription under a governor’s order announced Thursday. Gov. Katie Hobbs said the rule will go into effect immediately. It applies to self-administered birth control such as hormonal and oral contraceptives, and patients 18 or older need only complete a screening and a blood pressure test. “We are building an Arizona for everyone, which means ensuring people across the state have what they need to live a free and healthy life,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. Over 20 states

Arizona governor makes contraceptive medications available over the counter at pharmacies
Health

Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi has full FDA approval now and that means Medicare will pay for it

U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease. The Food and Drug Administration endorsed the IV drug, Leqembi, for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alzheimer’s disease. It’s the first medicine that’s been convincingly shown to modestly slow Alzheimer’s cognitive decline. Japanese drugmaker Eisai received conditional approval from the FDA in January based on early results suggesting Leqembi worked by clearing a sticky brain plaque linked to the

Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi has full FDA approval now and that means Medicare will pay for it
Health

UK government loses legal bid to keep Boris Johnson's messages from COVID-19 inquiry

A U.K. court on Thursday rejected the British government’s request to keep former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries from being made public at an official COVID-19 inquiry. The Cabinet Office took the unusual step of bringing a legal challenge after the retired judge chairing the inquiry into Britain’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic ordered the Conservative government to release full copies of Johnson’s documents. Government officials argued the inquiry did not have the legal power to force them to release documents and messages that they said were “unambiguously irrelevant” to how the government

UK government loses legal bid to keep Boris Johnson's messages from COVID-19 inquiry
Health

China says 239 people died from COVID-19 in June in a significant uptick

China reported Thursday that 239 people died from COVID-19 in June in a significant uptick months after it lifted most containment measures. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention had reported 164 deaths in May and none at all in April and March. China started employing a “zero-COVID” containment strategy in early 2020 and credits the strict lockdowns, quarantines, border closures and compulsory mass testing with significantly saving lives. But the measures were lifted suddenly in December with little preparation, leading to a final surge in which about 60,000 people died, according to the official toll.

China says 239 people died from COVID-19 in June in a significant uptick
Health

Tainted Taps: Potentially Harmful Chemicals in Drinking Water Across Half of US Faucets

Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday. The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small towns — and in private wells and public systems, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Researchers described the study as the first nationwide effort to test for PFAS in tap water from private sources in addition to regulated ones. It builds on previous scientific findings that the chemicals are widespread,

Tainted Taps: Potentially Harmful Chemicals in Drinking Water Across Half of US Faucets
Health

Ohio man guilty of raping a 9-year-old who traveled for legal abortion gets life sentence

A man accused of raping and impregnating a 9-year-old Ohio girl, who had to travel out of state for an abortion, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of rape. Gerson Fuentes, 28, was sentenced to life in prison but, as part of his plea deal, will be eligible to seek probation after serving 25 to 30 years. He will also have to register as a sex offender. The case became a flashpoint in the national discussion about access to the procedure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The girl, who turned 10 before having

Ohio man guilty of raping a 9-year-old who traveled for legal abortion gets life sentence
Health

Iowa's Republican governor calls a special legislative session to revive abortion restrictions

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday day called a special legislative session to pursue new abortion restrictions after the state Supreme Court declined to reinstate a 2018 ban after about six weeks of pregnancy. The court was split 3-3 last month and did not issue a decision on the merits of the law, leaving open the possibility that the GOP-controlled Legislature would try to pass a similar ban. In the meantime, abortion remains legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Lawmakers will meet on July 11. Most Republican-led states have significantly curbed abortion

Iowa's Republican governor calls a special legislative session to revive abortion restrictions
Health

Ohio abortion rights backers submit nearly double needed signatures for fall ballot measure

Groups hoping to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio’s constitution delivered nearly double the number of signatures needed to place an amendment on the fall statewide ballot, aiming to signal sweeping widespread support for an issue that still faces the threat of needing a significantly increased victory margin. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights said they dropped off more than 700,000 petition signatures on Wednesday to Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office in downtown Columbus. LaRose now will work with local election boards to determine that at least 413,446 are valid, which would get the proposal

Ohio abortion rights backers submit nearly double needed signatures for fall ballot measure
Health

'From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma' – a college course explores nature's medicine cabinet and different ways of healing

People for millennia have used what grows around them as medicine. LorenzoT81/iStock via Getty Images Plus Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Title of course: “From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma” What prompted the idea for the course? I’m from the foothills of the Appalachians in southern Ohio, where my Grandma Mildred would go out into the woods, which she called her medicine cabinet, to find herbs to use as medicine. I grew up to be an anthropologist, interested in how people around the world heal themselves. In the 1990s, I

'From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma' – a college course explores nature's medicine cabinet and different ways of healing
Health

Spain calls an end to COVID-19 health crisis and obligatory use of masks in hospitals, pharmacies

The Spanish government on Tuesday declared an end to the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and says people no longer have to wear masks in health and care centers as well as pharmacies. Over the past two years, Spain has gradually ended the mandatory mask wearing, first in public and then on public transport. The country has registered 14 million cases and 122,000 deaths from the coronavirus since 2020. The government approved the measure at a weekly Cabinet meeting. It takes effect once it’s published in the State Gazette in the coming days.

Spain calls an end to COVID-19 health crisis and obligatory use of masks in hospitals, pharmacies
Health

US maternal deaths more than doubled over two decades in unequal proportions for race and geography

Maternal deaths across the U.S. more than doubled over the course of two decades, and the tragedy unfolded unequally. Black mothers died at the nation’s highest rates, while the largest increases in deaths were found in American Indian and Native Alaskan mothers. And some states — and racial or ethnic groups within them – fared worse than others. The findings were laid out in a new study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers looked at maternal deaths between 1999 and 2019 — but not the pandemic spike — for every state and five racial and

US maternal deaths more than doubled over two decades in unequal proportions for race and geography
Health

Fiber is your body's natural guide to weight management – rather than cutting carbs out of your diet, eat them in their original fiber packaging instead

Whole foods like unprocessed fruits, vegetables and grains are typically high in fiber. Tanja Ivanova/Moment via Getty Images Fiber might just be the key to healthy weight management – and nature packages it in perfectly balanced ratios with carbs when you eat them as whole foods. Think unprocessed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Research suggests that carbohydrates are meant to come packaged in nature-balanced ratios of total carbohydrates to fiber. In fact, certain types of fiber affect how completely your body absorbs carbohydrates and tells your cells how to process them once they are absorbed. Fiber slows

Fiber is your body's natural guide to weight management – rather than cutting carbs out of your diet, eat them in their original fiber packaging instead

Follow