(NEW YORK) — Eggs prices are on the rise due to an ongoing avian flu outbreak limiting supply, and while they are still safe to eat, many people are seeking alternatives to keep costs down, as experts say it may take months for prices to fully normalize.
Customers aren’t just looking for swaps for their morning omelets, they’re also seeking out alternatives to include in cake batters and other baked goods, as well as egg substitutes like ground flax seeds and water, tofu, or plant-based liquid egg replacers.
But while they can simulate the texture and feel of an egg, these substitutes are not a one-for-one nutritional swap, nutritionists say.
“For years there have been staple foods that we dietitians and health care professionals recommended to people, like eggs,” Maya Feller, a Brooklyn-based registered dietitian nutritionist, told ABC News. “All of a sudden we’re talking about a luxury food.”
While Feller says she believes that egg substitutes are a great option for people who don’t want to or can’t eat eggs, because eggs are such a nutrient “powerhouse,” their replacements may not be a nutritional match.
Eggs offer a complete protein with all the essential amino acids, the building blocks for our body’s proteins that we cannot produce on our own and must get from food, Feller said. Eggs are also rich with key micronutrients like vitamin A and various vitamin B’s, including riboflavin, she said.
Eggs also contain choline, which is important for various vital bodily functions, like liver function and metabolism. Other antioxidants in eggs are linked to decreased inflammation and lower risk of health conditions, including some eye diseases.
Many of the nutrients in eggs are concentrated in the yolk. The yolk also has cholesterol, but the idea that cholesterol in eggs is harmful is somewhat outdated — though it’s important to think about this in the context of your larger diet and lifestyle, Feller explained. The American Heart Association recommends one egg a day.
Nevertheless, some egg alternatives can provide nutritional benefits.
Some substitutes are more useful swaps for baking. Alternatives suggested by cooks include flax seeds and water, chickpea flour, mashed bananas and tofu. Each of these comes from different food groups and offers distinct nutritional benefits.
Flax seeds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are a rich source of omega-3 fat, an unsaturated “good fat” that has protective effects against heart disease and stroke, among other health conditions. It is also a good source of fiber. The amount of protein per recommended serving a day of one to two tablespoons of flax seeds is smaller in comparison to one egg.
Tofu, on the other hand, which is made from soybeans, is a great source of complete protein. Similar to eggs, the protein that makes up tofu contains all the essential amino acids the body can’t make on its own. It is also a great source of calcium, vitamin B, and iron, according to the USDA.
Some companies, like Just Egg, also make plant-based egg replacers that can look and feel like omelets or scrambles. These plant-based alternatives are typically made from protein isolates of various legumes and have about the same amount of protein per serving as that of a standard sized egg.
But many of the nutrients found in eggs, like vitamin A, calcium, and iron, are not in these products.
“It’s not one to one,” Feller said, adding that they can be a good substitute “so long as you get those minerals from another source.”
For plant-based eaters who are swapping out eggs as part of a vegetarian or vegan diet, getting those micronutrients can sometimes be hard. Feller said a multivitamin supplement is a good solution.
Despite high prices, eating eggs is also still an option. The risk of getting avian flu from purchased poultry or eggs is very low, given the measures in place to cull birds when the virus is suspected and the national regulatory processes in place to make sure the products arriving at your grocery stores are safe.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USDA recommend proper handling and processing of uncooked poultry and eggs when cooking to protect against not only avian flu but also against all possible viruses and bacteria. That includes washing hands before and after handling raw ingredients, sanitizing countertops and cutlery and cooking raw food fully (which means reaching 165 F for poultry).
To better incorporate eggs into your diet amid rising prices, think of creative ways to get the most out of them, Feller recommended.
Try to stretch your egg by incorporating it into a dish, or add other healthy ingredients like veggies, potatoes, or a sprinkle of low-fat cheese. The fat in eggs can help your body absorb some vitamins found in vegetables, which makes them a great pairing, Feller said.
These additions are ways to get more “bang for your nutritious buck,” she added.
(SALT LAKE CITY) — A plastic surgeon and three others in Utah were charged with allegedly selling people seeking fraudulent COVID-19 immunization records an estimated $97,000 worth of fake CDC cards without administering vaccines, the Department of Justice said in a Friday release.
Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr., 58, of the Midvale practice Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, was charged along with his neighbor Kristin Jackson Andersen, 59; surgical coordinator Kari Dee Burgoyne, 52; and receptionist Sandra Flores, 31.
Salt Lake County, Utah, resident Moore and his co-defendants allegedly ran a scheme to defraud the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States, court documents said. Moore and Andersen were members of a group trying to “liberate the medical profession from government and industry conflicts of interest,” the documents said.
The group allegedly destroyed about $28,000 or more in government-provided COVID-19 doses, usually by squirting syringes containing doses down sink drains, court documents said. They exchanged at least 1,900 doses’ worth of falsified record cards for either $50 cash payments or “donations to a specified charitable organization,” the Justice Department said. The recipient organization was linked to the group Moore and Andersen were involved with, court documents show.
Card recipients did not get COVID-19 vaccines, though some parents requested that their children receive saline shots instead so they would believe they did, court documents said.
Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Curt L. Muller vowed law enforcement would hold people who try to illegally profit from the pandemic accountable in a statement included in the DOJ release.
“By allegedly falsifying vaccine cards and administering saline shots to children instead of COVID-19 vaccines, not only did this provider endanger the health and well-being of a vulnerable population, but also undermined public trust and the integrity of federal health care programs,” Muller said.
Moore’s biography on the Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah website said he is a graduate of the School of Medicine at the University of Miami and completed a plastic surgery residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. His Utah physician and surgeon license was still listed as active on the state’s division of occupational and professional licensing website early Monday.
The complete list of charges the defendants are facing includes conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey, and dispose of government property; and conversion, sale, conveyance, and disposal of government property and aiding and abetting, with a first court appearance scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
(IDAHO) — An Idaho woman who documented her 19-day miscarriage on social media said it was days before she could receive care due to the state’s strict abortion laws.
Carmen Broesder, 35, from Nampa — 20 miles west of Boise — a mother-of-one was just six weeks pregnant when she began miscarrying on Dec. 8. However, she said it took eight days before she was given any medicine to manage her pain and to expel embryonic tissue, and several more days for the miscarriage to end.
In a series of TikTok videos — along with medical records, photos and videos shared with ABC News — she said that despite bleeding heavily and suffering intense cramps, she was denied a dilation and curettage, or D&C, which removes tissue from inside the uterus, multiple times.
Because a D&C can also be used when providing abortion care, she told ABC News she believes it’s directly tied to Idaho’s abortion ban.
“Why should I get to death’s door to get help?” Broesder said. “I am prepared to be a mother. I am a mother and I wanted to have another baby. That is my story and it almost killed me.”
Different than other miscarriages
After Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court last summer, Idaho passed a strict near-total abortion ban in August 2022 with only exceptions for rape, incest or if a pregnant person’s life is in danger.
Broesder said she wasn’t seeking an abortion when she went to the hospital the first time. She said she and her boyfriend had been trying to have a second child after the birth of her 16-month-old daughter, Lucy.
While trying to conceive, Broesder said she suffered other miscarriages, but she never experienced as much bleeding or as much pain as she did when she woke up on Thursday, Dec. 8.
“That was the most horrifying moment; I woke up and I had intense stomach pain,” she said. “I couldn’t stand up too much, and I go to the bathroom, and I was just bleeding. It was a horrific amount of blood loss where I instantly know this is not okay.”
After the bleeding wouldn’t stop with a 12-hour menstrual disc or with a super plus tampon, Broesder went to a local hospital. Broesder said she told staff she thought she was experiencing a miscarriage and after they checked her in, she said she waited for hours for someone to examine her.
She said staff eventually performed an ultrasound and confirmed there was no detectable heartbeat but, because she had an OBGYN appointment on Monday, Dec. 12, they advised her to attend as scheduled.
During the OBGYN appointment, Broesder said an ultrasound technician also confirmed the lack of a heartbeat and told her to come back for a follow-up in two days. ABC News reached out to the doctor’s office for a comment on their care for Broesder but did hear back.
‘I’m going to die before someone helps me’
Broesder said she felt like something still wasn’t right with this miscarriage. She was still bleeding heavily and in pain but did not receive any medication.
“I’m feeling like no one’s listening at this point,” she said. “These people are supposed to help. So, I went home and kind of just suffered through.”
Broesder said she felt like something still wasn’t right with this miscarriage. She was still bleeding heavily and in pain but did not receive any medication either from the ER or her OBGYN.
“I’m feeling like no one’s listening at this point,” she said. “These people are supposed to help. So, I went home and kind of just suffered through.”
However, the pain and the bleeding became so bad that Broesder went to the ER the next day, where she said she again waited for hours for someone to see her — and where she made her first TikTok video about her miscarriage, which went viral.
“I’ve been actively miscarrying since the 8th,” she said in the video, posted on Dec. 13. “I have gone to a doctor, and this is my second visit to the ER if you’re wondering why women’s rights matter. I’m just going to [expletive] bleed out on this table before somebody comes and actually helps me.”
She said that she asked twice for a D&C, including from her own OBGYN.
OBGYNs told ABC News the “save the mother’s life” exception of abortions bans — which Broesder may have qualified for in Idaho — is often vague and the language is unclear about what qualifies as a mother’s life being in danger, what the risk of death is, and how imminent death must be before a provider can act.
Providers also may be worried about providing miscarriage care because it could be misconstrued as providing abortion care, and they could face legal repercussions.
“That’s the optimal scenario, that doctors are able to provide the care that’s necessary and evidence-based,” Dr. Beverly Gray, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Duke Health in Durham, North Carolina, who was not involved in Broesder’s care, told ABC News. “I worry about other systems that are worried about how they could come under attack for taking care of a patient or could a doctor that’s caring for the patient be prosecuted in some way. I think these are real fears that people are facing.”
Broesder was told by the second hospital that she had a complete miscarriage and was given tranexamic acid, medicine that controls bleeding and helps prevent excessive blood loss, according to medical records reviewed by ABC News, and sent home.
The hospital network, answering on behalf of both hospitals Broesder visited, said that “due to federal and state privacy laws, we cannot confirm nor deny that this patient was seen at our facilities” but that it “provides such medical care as required under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act” when a pregnant woman suffers a medical emergency that requires the pregnancy to be terminated.
During this time, Broesder said she thought she was going to die.
“I was in so much pain I didn’t know how much more my body could take,” she said. “I had gone to the ER twice and I got turned away. I go to the OB, and I got turned away. I knew I couldn’t afford much more visits for longevity afterwards to keep my family afloat. So, I was just like, well, it is what it is.”
Finally receiving care
By this time, her very first TikTok video had gone viral – the app shows it currently has more than 620,000 views – and she had been making more videos to keep those following her story updated.
She said many of her new followers told her to go to the ER again and, on Dec. 16, she decided to drive to St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center, where she was given a room and seen by a nurse.
Broesder said she requested a D&C and was denied again.
Dr. Frank Johnson, chief medical officer at St. Luke’s Health System covering Boise, Elmore and McCall, who did not treat Broesder but spoke about her case with ABC News, said “looking over this particular situation, there was no additional need for an interventional procedure by the time that she arrived here at St. Luke’s.”
So, I think in this particular case, medically appropriate care was provided to the patient,” he added.
While D&Cs are generally performed to terminate a pregnancy in the later stages, Dr. Saida Hader, an OBGYN at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, told ABC News it can be provided if a patient is bleeding heavily in early pregnancy and miscarrying.
“D&Cs can be performed at any point in pregnancy, including early pregnancy and in the case of a miscarriage if someone is bleeding heavily,” she said, commenting in a general sense and not on Broesder’s care specifically. “What I will say, as a clinician, miscarriage is a very common occurrence in pregnancy and for patients that are clinically ‘less stable,’ which is what we call them when they’re bleeding a lot, the best course of action is a D&C and that is what you use to treat an early pregnancy in this situation.”
In an audio recording of the conversation Broesder had with the physician about why she couldn’t get a D&C, he said “there is some trepidation” about performing one in the wake of Idaho’s new abortion law.
“I felt like 50 pounds of bricks got lifted off my shoulders and got replaced with like 50 pounds of raging fire,” she said. “But I couldn’t do anything because this guy’s helping me so I’m not mad at him and it’s not his fault. I’m obviously mad at the law.”
Johnson did say, at St. Luke’s, doctors do sometimes have to consult with the legal team on cases to make sure they’re staying within the bounds of the law, although it’s not clear if this occurred in Broesder’s case.
“That’s been a new situation, really a necessity based on the ways that the laws are currently devised and written,” he said. “Traditionally, I think it is best when those conversations can occur between a physician, a woman and her family, and having to add the complexity of needing to figure out how to navigate a new law is an added challenge.”
Haider, who was not involved in Broesder’s care said the fear of criminalization and inability to provide care, even in situations where abortion providers might deem it necessary, might prevent them from acting.
“They might have initially acted sooner, they might have acted more aggressively to provide, taken more actions to intervene if they could have and by delaying that care, you’re putting the patients in a worse situation clinically and more at risk of bad outcome,” she told ABC News, speaking in a general sense.
Broesder said the doctor at St. Luke’s did discover part of the embryo was stuck in her cervix, so she received a procedure to remove part of the remaining tissue and was prescribed misoprostol, which treats postpartum bleeding, induces labor and causes an abortion.
From the day Broesder’s miscarriage started to when it ended, she said it was a total of 19 days of bleeding.
She said while she has been encouraged by the supportive comments and messages she has received on social media since her first video, she does not intend to try for another baby. She said the Idaho law worries her that if something similar happens, she could die due to fear from medical professionals about administering care.
“After this, even without the possibility or desire to have a baby, like, why would I want to go through that pain again?” Broesder said. “And why would I want to go through my daughter almost losing her mom again to have another child? That seems selfish and wrong.”
She added, “I did not deserve to have to beg for my life for eight days and nobody else does either.”
(WASHINGTON) — Starting in March, a new rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will go into effect for foods labeled organic.
The agency announced an update to the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations in an effort to crack down on fraud and further enforce the production, handling and sale of organic products to help boost consumer trust.
The rule comes in response to “industry requests for updates to the USDA organic regulations, and addresses National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendations,” the USDA said in an press release on Wednesday.
“Protecting and growing the organic sector and the trusted USDA organic seal is a key part of the USDA Food Systems Transformation initiative,” Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said in a statement.
Moffit added that the “Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule is the biggest update to the organic regulations since the original Act in 1990, providing a significant increase in oversight and enforcement authority to reinforce the trust of consumers, farmers, and those transitioning to organic production.”
SOE helps protect “organic integrity,” the USDA explained, by supporting farmers and consumers through upholding “strong organic control systems, improving farm to market traceability, increasing import oversight authority, and providing robust enforcement of the organic regulations.”
Below is a snapshot of the key updates, according to the USDA:
Requiring certification of more of the businesses, like brokers and traders, at critical links in organic supply chains.
Requiring NOP Import Certificates for all organic imports.
Requiring organic identification on nonretail containers.
Increasing authority for more rigorous on-site inspections of certified operations.
Requiring uniform qualification and training standards for organic inspectors and certifying agent personnel
Requires standardized certificates of organic operation.
Requires additional and more frequent reporting of data on certified operations.
Creates authority for more robust recordkeeping, traceability practices, and fraud prevention procedures.
Specify certification requirements for producer groups.
This rule could impact USDA-accredited certifying agents, organic inspectors, certified organic operations, operations considering organic certification, businesses that import or trade organic products, and retailers that sell organic products, the agency said.
Companies will have a year to comply with the new requirements, which officially take effect March 20, 2023.
(NEW YORK) — Fullei Fresh has issued a voluntary recall of alfalfa sprouts after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted an unannounced inspection that found a strain of E. coli in the fresh vegetables.
The recalled products’ lot number is 336, according to a company recall announcement on the FDA’s website. Affected products were shipped to distributors and retailers in Florida between Dec. 9-23, 2022.
The recall was made with the knowledge of the FDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture.
Consumers who may have purchased the sprouts can locate the lot numbers, which are printed on the 4-ounce retail packs and on 5-pound bulk cardboard boxes, in the barcode. If products are among those impacted by the recall, the last 3 digits will read “336.”
The FDA testing detected “Shiga toxin producing E.coli (STEC) — an organism that can cause foodborne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it,” according to the recall announcement.
In the company statement, Fullei Fresh said that STEC “is a bacterial strain that is not part of our routine microbial testing conducted in compliance with the FDA’s Produce Safety Rule Subpart M on every lot we produce,” adding that it was “detected upon sampling of finished product by the FDA.”
The company said no known illnesses had been reported in connection with the product.
The company has urged people to discard the products if they are in their possession.
People can become sick one to 10 days after consumption of STEC bacteria. Symptoms can include severe stomach cramps, vomiting or diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people recover within a week, while some may develop a more severe infection.
(JACKSON, Miss.) — Reports of children in Mississippi who found and ate marijuana-laced candies and chocolates at home resulting in emergency room visits increased sharply last year, the state’s poison control center said in a statement.
In 2019, the medical center received two calls concerning the ingestion of edible marijuana products. By 2022, the total number of calls had spiked to 36. Fourteen of those calls were in children ages 0 to 12 and three were in teenagers ages 13 to 19, according to Jenna Davis, the managing director of the Mississippi Poison Control Center which is part of the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
“In the past 10 days, we’ve already had four calls for kids ages 0-6,” Davis said in a statement Tuesday. “And statewide, these cases are underreported.”
The medical center warned the calls will continue to rise with marijuana dispensaries slated to open across the state this year.
Davis also warned that products laced with THC such as candy, gummies and chocolates appeal to children and adults should store them like they would medication, in a secure place out of the sight and reach of children.
“It’s hard to overdose on marijuana, but some of these gummies contain very large doses and some kids are eating a whole lot of them,” Davis said.
In addition to central nervous system depression, overdoses can cause rapid heartbeat, vomiting, confusion, difficulty walking and drowsiness, and in extreme situations, respiratory distress and seizures, Davis said.
Davis said there is a growing number of children who get their hands on the products containing Delta 8 THC which are available online and in convenience stores and are not regulated.
“It has very similar effects to the other components of marijuana that produce euphoria,” Davis said. “We receive tons of calls on this, and it’s increasing, for all ages.”
An study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics earlier this month found there was a surge in reported cases of children exposed to edible cannabis resulting in acute toxicity from 2017 to 2021.
In 2021 there were reported 3,054 cases, up from just 207 reported cases in 2017, representing a 1,375% increase in cases. Seventy percent caused central nervous system depression, according to the article.
MORE: Reports for child marijuana use rose 245% over past 20 years
Most exposures happened in a residential setting, according to the article.
Of all the reported cases, nearly 23% of patients were admitted to the hospital, according to the article.
(NEW YORK) — Spice jars are among the top germ-ridden surfaces in the kitchen, according to a recent study.
The study, commissioned by the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, looked to determine the prevalence and degree of cross-contamination over a variety of kitchen surfaces during meal preparation.
Researchers observed 371 people, who were all instructed to season and cook with raw, ground turkey patties that contained a harmless tracer virus called MS2 in kitchen settings of various sizes.
Overall, 48% of spice containers that were sampled showed evidence of the bacteria from the turkey, indicating MS2 cross-contamination. According to the findings, spice containers had the highest MS2 concentrations across kitchen surfaces, making them a key vehicle for cross-contamination.
After the directed meal was prepared, 12 areas throughout the kitchen were swabbed for testing, including kitchen utensils, cleaning areas, kitchen surfaces and two discretionary samples, which were “taken based on researcher observation during meal preparation and represented possible cross-contamination hot spots.”
The swabs used to collect samples were put over ice and transported to the North Carolina State University food microbiology laboratory, where they were processed for MS2 detection.
In between each individual observation, each kitchen was sanitized with 10% bleach solution for one minute before wiping the surface with a clean, disposable paper towel.
The study found that in most of the meal prep, two or fewer swabs showed evidence of cross-contamination, but 81% of the time, one or more surfaces were positive for MS2. The authors said they believe people are mindful of wiping down surface areas, along with things like cutting boards, sinks, cabinet handles, but may not think about those spice jars.
To keep your spice containers clean and free of germs from cross-contamination, experts suggest washing hands often during food prep and making sure to wipe down any spice bottles used.
(NEW YORK) — When researchers learned that a class of drugs initially used to treat type 2 diabetes could also bring weight loss, the drugs Victoza and Ozempic gained popularity as a treatment option for obesity.
Given as daily or weekly injections, these drugs called GLP-1 RAs, help people produce insulin and lower the amount of sugar in the blood. First approved for use in type 2 diabetes patients in 2005 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the medications were quickly noted to promote weight loss.
The FDA, in 2014, later approved a GLP-1 RA for chronic weight management. Additional drugs in the class have since been approved for weight loss.
Of the nearly 35 million Americans with type 2 diabetes, more than one in 10 were estimated to be taking these drugs in 2019, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“I prescribe these medications 10 times per day,” Dr. Amanda Velazquez, director of Obesity Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told ABC News.
“Obesity is a chronic relapsing disease,” Velazquez added and said that the weight loss effects of the medications wear off after drug discontinuation.
Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that makes Ozempic, Victoza and another drug called Wegovy — which is specifically meant for weight loss — said last December, “While we recognize that some healthcare providers may be prescribing Ozempic for patients whose goal is to lose weight, it is up to the clinical discretion of each healthcare provider to choose the best treatment approach for their patients.”
Through the fall, there have been intermittent shortages of various dosages of Ozempic and Wegovy.
“There is high demand overall, more awareness of the medications because of their efficacy, and shortages in the supply chain with making the drug from manufacturers,” Velazquez said.
Off-label use of the drugs may be contributing to this shortage.
“It is very frustrating for everyone,” said Dr. Heather Sateia, assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, told ABC News. “Pharmacies are so short-staffed that they won’t let people know when it is back in stock so it is like a scavenger hunt- time-consuming and anxiety-provoking for patients.”
A recent study from from the University of Montpellier published in Diabetes Care looked at type 2 diabetes patients who were treated with GLP-1 RAs from 2006-2018 and identified a link between the long-term use of these drugs and a higher likelihood of thyroid cancer. Specifically, the study found that people who took the drugs for one to three years were 58% more likely to develop thyroid cancer. Medullary thyroid cancer, a rare form of the disease, carried an even higher risk, according to the study.
“The newer findings provide interesting additional data to this clinical discussion, though are not independently enough to set a new standard for screening,” Dr. Erik K. Alexander, chief of the Thyroid Section in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told ABC News. “[These drugs] should only be used when the benefit of treatment outweighs known or suspected risk, and this assessment should be continually reconsidered by each patient with their physician on a regular basis.”
Forty-five thousand Americans are diagnosed with thyroid cancer, but it is notably not a death sentence according to the American Cancer Society. With surgery and therapy, five-year survival is 98% but this largely depends on the type of thyroid cancer and the stage of the disease. Medullary thyroid cancer has a relatively poor prognosis compared to the other types, according to the American Cancer Society.
In a statement, Novo Nordisk says extensive data from randomized trials, long-term studies, and real-world evidence “have not shown a causal relationship between use of GLP-1 receptor agonists and risk of thyroid tumors.”
The company “remains confident in the benefit risk profile of its products and remains committed to ensuring patient safety,” the statement said.
The drugs can sometimes cause nausea, injection site pain, and inflammation of the pancreas. Some patients taking concurrent diabetes medications can also experience low blood sugar levels.
Patients are currently monitored every three to four months with liver, diabetes, kidney, cholesterol, and electrolyte testing. Thyroid testing is currently not recommended.
“The data on thyroid cancer certainly gives me pause,” said Sateia. “There is not currently a recommendation for thyroid ultrasound or serum calcitonin monitoring, but we are keeping an eye out for changes in those recommendations. I suspect we’ll see a shift in this soon.”
“This probably wouldn’t change the way one prescribes but it is something to be aware of,” Dr. Yufei Chen, assistant professor of general surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told ABC News.
(NEW YORK) — Gender-affirming hormone therapy improves the mental health of transgender adolescents and teenagers, a new study released Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine showed.
The study tracked over 300 trans and nonbinary youth across the country for two years as they took testosterone or estradiol to help their physical appearance align more closely with their gender. The participants were in various stages of puberty.
The report found that depression and anxiety symptoms decreased for trans adolescents and teenagers, and life satisfaction increased after starting and continuing gender-affirming hormone therapy.
Many studies over the past few years have reached similar conclusions, but this is one of the larger studies to date.
The findings highlight what activists say are the dangers of denying trans adolescents and teens gender-affirming medical care, which has been under attack in states across the country.
At least 11 states have introduced bills for the 2023 legislative sessions that would ban or restrict the use of hormone therapy for trans people. States like Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Arizona, Florida and Texas have implemented policies or laws that restrict gender-affirming care broadly for trans youth.
Some introduced bills no longer affect just minors — some states like Oklahoma introduced prospective bans into adulthood, restricting access to this care until the age of 26.
Top national medical associations such as the American Medical Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and American Academy of Pediatrics support gender-affirming care as safe, effective and proven to save young people’s lives.
The team behind this study is also researching the effects of puberty blockers, which have also come under scrutiny by legislators.
Puberty blockers suppress puberty for transgender children so they don’t have to experience the effects of puberty that do not align with their gender, as defined by Planned Parenthood.
That data has not yet been released. However, puberty blockers are considered to be a safe treatment for children, and have also been used for non-transgender related care.
(NEW YORK) — Pharmacies have announced they are dropping their restrictions on how much over-the-counter cold medication for children that customers can buy.
Due to a respiratory virus season that began earlier than usual — followed by an earlier and unprecedented demand of certain medications — national pharmacy chains limited purchases of Children’s Tylenol, Motrin and ibuprofen in some locations.
However, now that cases of the flu and RSV have been declining steadily and supply challenges are improving, Walgreens and Rite Aid told ABC News they are lifting their caps on pediatric fever-reducing medications.
As of last month, Walgreens was limiting online purchases to six per customer while Rite Aid was limiting to five per customer, although there was no limit in store.
“Walgreens has worked diligently with our suppliers to ensure we have enough supply to meet customer demand nationwide,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Due to the improved in-stock conditions of over-the-counter pediatric fever-reducing products, we have removed the online-only purchase limit. This was originally put in place to prevent excess purchasing behavior.”
Meanwhile, Rite Aid said it will lift the limit it had for online purchases “by the end of the week.”
Not everybody’s ready to lift their caps yet, with CVS telling ABC News there are currently no plans to lift their purchase limit of two boxes of medication both online and in store.
Kroger placed a cap of two pediatric pain medications and four cold and flu items per customer but has not yet announced a change in plans. Kroger did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
The Consumer Health Products Association, which represents the makers of over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements, said manufacturers will continue to produce the drugs and get them on shelves as quickly as possible.
“Manufacturers are still producing 24/7 and shipping children’s pain and fever reducers to retailers, with no intention of letting up,” Anita Brikman, senior vice president of communications & public affairs at the CHPA, told ABC. News.
“We were heartened to see Walgreens lifting the purchasing limits due to ‘improved in-stock conditions.'”
According to Brikman, sales of over-the-counter pain relievers and fever reducers were up 30% in December 2022 compared to December 2021.
She noted this is “less of an increase in unit sales” than in November 2022, when sales were up 65% compared to November 2021.
Brikman added that demand “may also be lessened thanks to the continued decline in reported flu cases since the numbers peaked the first week of December.”
Experts previously told ABC News that if customers cannot find brand-name medication to look for generic options.
Additionally, if parents cannot find children’s medication, they should not give them adult medication because medicine for children is dosed based on weight and age. Giving them adult doses can have serious consequences.
“Parents should be cautious and don’t give your child a full adult dose because that could be harmful to them,” Dr. Stephen Schondelmeyer, a professor of pharmaceutical care and health systems at the University of Minnesota, told ABC News in December. “Do not use aspirin. If you find that the shelves are empty at the pharmacy, ask your pharmacist what alternatives are there or consider looking at other pharmacies as well, and the pharmacist can advise you on what the appropriate dose is for a child.”
