Six natural remedies to help with hair loss: Everything you need to know

ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton shares what to know about natural remedies for hair loss. — ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Hair has been called a person’s “crown and glory,” so when a person starts to lose their hair, it can be stressful, distressing and confusing.

The causes of hair loss run the gamut, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, from age and poor diet, to significant weight loss, chronic iron deficiency, thyroid disorders, childbirth, and more.

In the United States, the most common type of hair loss, androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as male or female pattern hair loss, is hereditary and affects more than 50 million men and 30 million women, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Given that hair loss is so common, the marketplace can seem crowded with products promising to help.

The first step to treating hair loss, though, is to work with a health care provider to identify the cause, according to Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent and a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist.

Once a root cause is identified, there are natural, cost-effective remedies that may help stop hair loss and even boost hair growth.

Here, Ashton breaks down six of the most scientifically proven natural remedies for hair loss.

What to know before trying a natural remedy: Ashton notes that the natural remedies are topical solutions, meaning they should be applied to the skin and scalp, and not ingested. Because applying the remedies could potentially cause scalp irritation, Ashton suggests testing the solution on a small patch of skin for a day or two and observing the results before applying it to the scalp.

She also says each remedy below is one that should be used every other night or every two to three days, not daily. Also, patience is required, as it could take as long as three to six months to see any results. There are also FDA-approved medications available for hair loss. Talk to your doctor to see if you may be eligible.

1. Coconut oil

Coconut oil has been shown in research to potentially help prevent hair loss.

While it is more a preventive option than a remedy for regrowing hair, Ashton said coconut oil – which comes both in liquid and solid forms – is a low-risk option that she loves.

“There’s very limited data that shows a dramatic improvement with hair growth or hair thickening with a coconut oil,” Ashton said. “But … you always have to say to yourself: risk versus benefit. This is incredibly low-risk. There may not be a benefit there, but it’s certainly not going to do harm.”

Pro tip: Ashton suggests also using coconut oil as a moisturizer, noting that it is safe to be absorbed into the bloodstream and can be used “from head-to-toe.”

2. Rosemary oil

At least one study has found that rosemary oil is similarly effective as the over-the-counter hair-growth medication minoxidil – commonly sold under the brand name Rogaine – in promoting hair growth.

The oil, which is extracted from the rosemary plant, can be directly applied to and massaged into the scalp, according to Ashton.

Pro tip: Ashton suggests vigorously massaging rosemary oil into the scalp to increase absorption and blood flow.

3. Peppermint oil

Peppermint oil has been shown to stimulate hair growth in animal studies by working to increase blood flow to the scalp.

“Peppermint oil vasodilates,” Ashton said. “[That] means it takes the blood vessels and makes them larger. When you make a tube larger and you’re talking about a blood vessel, that increases blood flow. Menthol, eucalyptus, peppermint absolutely can do that.”

Ashton said peppermint oil needs to be diluted with another oil, after which it can be applied and massaged directly into the scalp.

Pro tip: Ashton recommends washing your hands thoroughly after using peppermint oil, to avoid skin irritation.

4. Red ginseng

Red ginseng is a widely-used herbal remedy that has also been shown in studies to improve hair growth in mice.

“There is some improvement in thickening [hair], in transitioning the hair follicle from the resting phase to the more active phase,” Ashton said of using red ginseng. “Again, pretty low risk, and may have some benefit.”

Pro tip: Ashton says that red ginseng also needs to be diluted with another oil, or used sparingly in droplet form on the scalp.

5. Onion juice

Onion juice has been shown in studies as well to promote hair growth in people.

It’s said to work because of its sulfur content, which is said to help strengthen hair, reduce inflammation and hydrate the scalp.

Onion juice can be rubbed directly into the scalp on its own.

Pro tip: Be aware that onion juice carries with it a potent odor, and make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after use, recommends Ashton.

6. Scalp massage

Studies show that simply massaging your scalp can help increase the thickness of your hair.

The technique works by helping to boost blood flow to the scalp, according to Ashton.

“There are a lot of different instruments out there,” Ashton said of scalp massager options. “They’re inexpensive. You can order them online or find them in in some drugstores.”

Pro tip: While there are many scalp massager products on the market, Ashton says using your own fingers to massage your scalp is equally effective.

BONUS: What ingredients to look for in hair products

Just like packaged foods have nutrition labels that list their ingredients, hair-care products do as well.

While those hair-care product ingredients may be intended to help support hair growth or treat hair loss, they can also potentially cause hair loss, as well as affect your overall health, according to Ashton.

“Anything you put on your skin, including your scalp, will be absorbed into your bloodstream,” she said. “So it really is a good idea to make sure that those ingredients are as clean and low in chemicals as possible.”

The first ingredient to look for in a hair-care product, according to Ashton, is alcohol.

“It’s oftentimes one of the first three ingredients, but it does real damage to your hair,” Ashton said of alcohol. “It literally dries out the hair, makes it subject to breakage, and, ultimately, it can also dry out your scalp, depending on where you’re applying it.”

She continued, “So that’s something that’s in almost every hair product, but you want to try to pick one that either doesn’t have it at all or doesn’t have it in the first three ingredients.”

On the other hand, beneficial ingredients to look for in hair-care products include caffeine, menthol or mint, according to Ashton. She noted that those ingredients will increase blood flow when applied to the scalp, which in turn helps overall scalp health.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Daylight saving time ends this weekend. Here’s why some doctors say standard time should be permanent

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(NEW YORK) — Americans are set to change their clocks back to standard time overnight on Sunday, which some doctors say should be permanent.

“Fixed national time is the best option as it most closely matches the human sleep-wake cycle,” said New York-based clinical psychiatrist Yalda Safai in an email to ABC News. “Any changes to the body’s natural circadian rhythm has the potential to disrupt the natural functioning of the body.”

Right now, the majority of the United States “springs ahead” in the spring, setting the clocks forward by one hour, so that there’s more light later in the day. “Falling back” to standard time leads to more light in the mornings.

But experts are calling for permanent standard time year-round. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), for example, has formed a new coalition to advocate for state and federal legislation making standard time permanent across the U.S. Other organizational members include the National Sleep Foundation, Save Standard Time, Sleep Research Society, and Society for Research on Biological Rhythms.

National, year-round standard time aligns best with the natural day-to-night rhythms of the human body, so sticking to it benefits public health, experts say.

“Having more light in the mornings is beneficial,” said Rebecca Robbins, PhD, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital says to ABC News, “Some positive evidence we’ve seen from switching to standard time is having more sunlight exposure so our children can safely walk and wait for the school bus. Morning sunlight exposure stops the floodgates of melatonin, our sleep hormone, and switches to the wake phase of our circadian rhythm. This is important for our brain to say we can start our day.”

But shifting the clocks back and forth has health repercussions, experts say.

The shift in time has been associated with increased heart attacks, strokes, abnormal heart rhythms, sleep disruption, mood disturbances, and even suicide, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. “The rate of stroke rises 8% [in the spring], which is substantial,” says Dr. Leah Croll, a neurologist and assistant professor at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.”

AASM describes the change in time as a means of developing chronic “jet lag.” The body’s innate clock and the environmental clock don’t align.

“Sleep is essential for promoting cardiovascular and neurological health. Those who are sleep deprived experience headaches, brain fog, memory and concentration issues, and do not make good decisions for themselves because executive function is not at its best,” says Croll.

While the changes can be an inconvenience for most, those with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder and other mood disorders are much more negatively impacted by time changes, experts say.

Dr. Judith Joseph, board-certified psychiatrist and researcher at NYU Langone Medical Center, and chair of Women in Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, told ABC News, “Sleep is very crucial in stabilizing mood. Those individuals experience more disruptive mood changes with regards to that shift. They’re more sensitive and more vulnerable.”

Experts say there are some ways to stay healthy while preparing for the clock change. Frequent walking and exercise can help reset circadian rhythm and be a mood booster. Limiting screen time and seeking therapy can improve sleep hygiene.

“If you know there’s going to be a schedule change, then start preparing a week in advance, by changing that routine 10 minutes every day. Go to bed earlier and shift your schedule slowly,” Joseph says.

She added, “If you have a history of anxiety and depression, or bipolar depression or seasonal affective disorder, schedule more frequent therapy sessions because you’ll need more support. Don’t be hard on yourself and be very real about it. If you have these vulnerabilities and risk factors, be proactive by planning your support ahead of time.”

Dr. Avish K. Jain, DO is a resident physician at Cooper University Hospital, and is a medical contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.

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Matthew Perry Foundation launches, will help those ‘struggling with the disease of addiction’

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(NEW YORK) — The Matthew Perry Foundation has been announced and is founded in the “realization of Matthew’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction.”

“In the spirit of Matthew Perry’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction, we embark on a journey to honor his legacy by establishing the Matthew Perry Foundation, guided by his own words and experiences, and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible,” a press released said announcing the charity’s mission.

The “Friends” star died last Saturday afternoon in his Pacific Palisades home. In a statement Sunday, the LAPD said Perry “was discovered by a witness unresponsive in his jacuzzi” on Saturday at “around 4 p.m.” PT and there were no signs of foul play on the scene, according to law enforcement sources.

Warner Bros. Television, the studio behind his decade-long television comedy “Friends,” shared a statement in the aftermath of his death, saying, “We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family,” the company’s statement read. “The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans.”

“When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned — I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned,” reads a quote from the late actor that was published along with the announcement of The Matthew Perry Foundation. “And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that. Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down.”

To support the work of the Foundation, please go to matthewperryfoundation.org.

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Tobacco use falls among high school students, but is rising among middle schoolers: Study

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(NEW YORK) — Tobacco use has decreased among U.S. high school students, primarily with a drop in the use of e-cigarettes, but is on the rise among middle schoolers, according to a new federal report.

The study, published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, analyzed data from the web-based 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey.

During the survey, adolescents were asked if they had used any tobacco product in the last 30 days.

Data showed that 12.6% of high schoolers — grades 9 to 12 — in 2023 reported being current users, a decline from 16.5% last year. This was mostly driven by a drop in e-cigarette use from 14.1% to 10% over the course of a year.

Declines in the use of other tobacco products, including cigars and cigarettes, were also seen among high school students.

However, among middle school students — in grades 6 to 8 — there was an increase with 6.6% in 2023 saying they currently used at least one tobacco product, up from 4.5% in 2022.

Additionally, there was an increase among middle schoolers who said they used multiple products, from 1.5% to 2.5%, over the same period.

Federal officials said they were encouraged by many of the report’s findings, but more work needs to be done to drive down tobacco use even further.

“The decline in e-cigarette use among high school students shows great progress, but our work is far from over,” said Dr. Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of the CDC’s office on smoking and health, in a press release. “Findings from this report underscore the threat that commercial tobacco product use poses to the health of our nation’s youth. It is imperative that we prevent youth from starting to use tobacco and help those who use tobacco to quit.”

For the tenth year in a row, e-cigarettes remained the most used tobacco product among pre-teens and teenagers. Rounding out the top five most used products were cigarettes, cigars, nicotine pouches and smokeless tobacco, respectively.

For both middle and high school students who had ever used e-cigarettes, 46.7% reported being current users and 25.2% said they used e-cigarettes daily.

Among students who reported being current e-cigarette users, 89.4% said they used flavored products with fruit and candy being the most common flavors. Elf Bar was the most reported brand followed by Esco Bars, Vuse, JUUL and Mr. Fog.

“Given the number of middle and high school students that use tobacco products, sustained efforts to prevent initiation of tobacco product use among young persons and strategies to help young tobacco users quit are critical to reducing U.S. youth tobacco product use,” the authors wrote in the report.

According to the CDC and FDA, using tobacco products before adulthood increases the risk of lifelong nicotine addiction and another negative health impacts.

Nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes can hinder brain development in adolescents and young adults, which can continue into the mid-20s, the CDC says.

Additionally, e-cigarettes can contain heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals that can damage the lungs and lead to disease, disability and even death, according to the CDC.

The authors of the report said multiple factors have led to the increase in tobacco use among adolescents including companies introducing flavors and playing down the harms.

To continue reducing youth tobacco use, the CDC and FDA recommend proven policies including “price increases, smoke-free policies, counter-marketing campaigns, and healthcare interventions.”

 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

What’s the latest to know about COVID, flu vaccines as respiratory virus season begins?

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(NEW YORK) — As the United States heads into the cold-weather months, respiratory virus season has also arrived, with cases of influenza and COVID-19 likely to increase.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that everyone 6 months and older stay up-to-date and get a flu vaccine and a COVID vaccine, and that it’s safe to get both at the same time.

“For flu and COVID, not only does the vaccine reduce…the chance of getting sick, it certainly – even for those people who get sick – reduces their chance of getting severely sick,” Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Duke University School of Medicine, told ABC News.

Here’s what you need to know about what vaccines are available, and who is eligible to receive them:

What to know about COVID-19 vaccines

For COVID-19, there is an updated vaccine that’s formulated to target variants that are currently circulating that are related to XBB, an offshoot of the Omicron variant.

There are formulations made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for those aged 6 months and older, and a formulation made by Novavax for those aged 12 and older.

“There’s a different number of doses that you have to get depending on how many vaccines you’ve already received in the past,” Dr. Shivanjali Shankaran, an associate professor in the department of internal medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Rush University in Chicago, told ABC News.

For those who are between 6 months and 4 years old, the CDC recommends getting two doses of Moderna or three doses of Pfizer if they are unvaccinated. If they’ve been previously vaccinated, the CDC recommends one or two doses of Moderna or Pfizer, depending on the previous number of doses.

For those aged 5 to 11, the CDC recommends one dose of either Moderna or Pfizer, regardless of previous vaccination status.

When it comes to Americans aged 12 and older, it’s recommended that those who are unvaccinated receive one dose of Pfizer or Moderna or two doses of Novavax. Those who have been previously vaccinated are recommended to receive one dose of the Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax updated vaccine.

Those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may require more doses.

“There’s the gain for any individual by taking the vaccine and there’s the most gain for people who are immunosuppressed, have heart or lung conditions, or older adults,” Wolfe told ABC News. “You know, if you’re a 25-year-old who lives with a patient who’s had a lung transplant, this is not a bad thing for you to get. In fact, it would be highly encouraged.”

What to know about flu vaccines

For the majority of those aged 6 months and older, the CDC recommends receiving the standard quadrivalent flu vaccine, which protects against four different strains of the virus. If this is an infant or child’s first time getting a flu vaccination they should get two doses this season, each at least four weeks apart.

However, for those who are aged 65 and older, the CDC recommends getting one of three vaccines: the high-dose flu shot, the adjuvanted flu shot, or the recombinant flu vaccine, all of which are quadrivalent.

The high-dose shot contains four times the amount of antigen — that is, the protein molecule identified with the virus — to trigger a stronger immune response, while the recombinant shot contains three times the amount of antigen. The adjuvanted shot is made with an ingredient — an adjuvant — that helps create an even stronger immune response.

“There is a broadly available shot, of course, [but] there is a high-dose vaccine that’s a stronger dose and provides that additional protection, because those who are older in age have more of a challenge to mount an effective response. So getting that high-dose shot or adjuvant is important, because it can provide that critical protection,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and ABC News contributor.

Traditionally, flu vaccines are made using an egg-based manufacturing process, so if someone has an egg allergy they can instead receive the cell-culture-based flu vaccine, which uses influenza viruses grown in cell cultures rather than in eggs. However, the CDC says the standard vaccine should be safe to receive, even for those allergic to eggs.

“The flu vaccines that are available this year are safe to be taken if you do have an underlying egg allergy,” Shankaran said. “As long as someone can monitor you, which I think most places do, anyway.”

There is also a nasal spray flu vaccine, made with a live modified virus, which can be given to those between ages 2 and 49. It’s specifically not recommended for those who are immunosuppressed or pregnant.

Health officials typically suggest getting the flu shot by Halloween but stress that it’s never too late, because the flu season can last into the spring months.

Shots that could be around the corner

In addition to the vaccines that are now available, there are several clinical trials for both flu and COVID vaccines that are currently undergoing clinical trials.

This includes a flu vaccine from Pfizer using mRNA technology, which was used to develop the COVID-19 vaccine. There’s also an mRNA universal flu vaccine, developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Vaccine Research Center.

Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are also all working to develop a combination COVID-19 and flu vaccine that would offer protection from both viruses in a single shot.

“I do think that having a combo shot – if the clinical data suggests that it’s safe and effective, clearly – will be more appealing to people to have things available in a single shot as opposed to multiple shots, especially if it’s challenging for people now that they’re trying to chase both COVID and flu vaccines, and maybe not always available at the same time,” said Brownstein. “It creates convenience, and potentially just more ease of administration overall, and hopefully reduced costs.”

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Ethiopian-born Virginia teen honored for inventing potential skin cancer-treating soap

Fairfax County Public Schools

(NEW YORK) — A 14-year-old student has created a new kind of soap that he hopes could potentially be used to treat skin cancer someday.

Heman Bekele, a high school student in Fairfax, Virginia, says it costs only $8.50 to create a batch of 20 bars of the soap, which he calls Skin Cancer Treating Soap, or SCTS.

“People might not have the equipment or have the facilities to be able to treat this disease,” Heman told ABC News about the innovation, which he said could eventually be used in the early stages of skin cancer if proven to be effective. “A bar of soap is just so simple, so affordable, so accessible in comparison to these modern new skin cancer treatments.”

According to Heman, who created the soap in 8th grade, when skin cancer cells develop, they weaken dendritic cells in the body that boost human immune responses, allowing the cancer to take over. He said SCTS contains agents that could potentially reactivate dendritic cells that help eliminate the cancer cells.

“It does this as a sort of a compound-based bar of soap,” he said. “It’s charged with different cancer fighting chemicals. And the main one, there is this drug called imidazoquinolines.”

Heman earned the title of America’s Top Young Scientist and a $25,000 prize last month after his innovation won first place in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, an annual competition that gives 5th through 8th grade students “the chance to change their world for the better with a single innovative idea,” according to the 3M Young Scientist Lab.

“He is an incredibly bright, passionate and focused young man,” Deborah Isabelle, Heman’s mentor for the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and a product engineering specialist at 3M, said about him in a statement. “Heman is both compassionate and charismatic, which are great traits for a scientist. With his curiosity and determination, I have no doubts he will change the world for the better.”

When asked the likelihood of SCTS actually treating skin cancer, Isabelle replied that it was possible, but it would need to undergo typical clinical trials that could take between five and 10 years. At this point, Heman said he has not performed any physical trials, instead using digital molecular testing, secondary data analysis and formulaic computations to reach his results.

According to Isabelle, there are topical creams that treat skin cancer, but they are more expensive than SCTS, and use different ingredients and formulations.

Heman was born in Ethiopia and moved to the U.S. at age 4. He said he remembers the toll poverty took on many of the people in Ethiopia and how they would live, work and toil under the glaring sun. According to the young scientist, those images stuck with him, leaving him to wonder how constant exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun were affecting the people of his homeland.

“This isn’t even an issue that’s strictly in Ethiopia. It’s an issue that’s worldwide,” Heman said. “So, then, when they do end up developing issues like skin cancers, it’s really just incredibly difficult for them to be able to afford the cures.”

For now, Heman said he has a five-year plan: At the end of it, he hopes to have created a nonprofit organization where he can provide equitable and accessible skin cancer treatment to as many people as possible. But to accomplish his goal, he would have to get his treatment through clinical trials, obtain a provisional patent and have it certified by the Food and Drug Administration, he said.

When asked by ABC News what motivates him to reach for such lofty goals, Heman responded, “I think I can condense that answer into one word, and it all revolves around it: It’s ‘impact’ — making sure the science that you’re working on can have a direct impact on the world or make it a better place, in one way or another.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Abortion rights are on the ballot in Ohio this Election Day

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(NEW YORK) — After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, supporters of abortion rights came out on top in every statewide ballot measure on abortion. And even in races where abortion was only implicitly on the ballot, abortion rights generally won out.

This year, abortion is literally on the ballot once again, and this time, all eyes are on Ohio.

So far in 2023, we have less data on how voters are feeling about abortion more than a year removed from the Dobbs decision. The closest thing to a vote on abortion rights was an August ballot measure in the Buckeye State that technically dealt with requirements for passing constitutional amendments but was popularly framed as a battle over abortion. Supporters of abortion rights won that fight, but that was far from the main act — rather, it was preparation for a Nov. 7 ballot measure that could enshrine abortion rights into Ohio’s Constitution.

Polling indicates that Ohio voters generally support abortion rights. But that doesn’t mean the proposed constitutional amendment is guaranteed to pass. The messaging war leading up to next week’s election has complicated the question, with opponents framing it as “too extreme.”

Currently, abortion is permitted in Ohio through the first 21 weeks of pregnancy. But that’s only because the courts have temporarily blocked the state’s six-week abortion ban, which briefly went into effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and would effectively ban almost all abortions in the state. If it passes, next week’s ballot measure would obviate that ban, protecting the right to abortion up through fetal viability — or about 24 weeks of pregnancy — as well as medical providers who perform abortions.

The second ‘Issue 1’ in 4 months

You might remember that Ohio held an election on something called “Issue 1” in August. But that was a different Issue 1 from the one on the ballot next week.

In Ohio, proposed constitutional amendments approved for a statewide vote are listed as “issues,” as are referenda on laws signed by the governor. “Issue 1” is simply a moniker describing the issue up for a vote. In August, that issue was a proposed constitutional amendment that required 60 percent approval from voters for all future constitutional amendments, rather than the status quo of a simple majority.

As Republicans in the Ohio Legislature were pressing for a higher threshold to amend the state constitution, a coalition of groups — including state chapters of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood — was mobilizing to pass a constitutional amendment of their own to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. In July, the group, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, submitted 700,000 signatures — far more than the 413,446 required for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to appear on the ballot.

However, state law stipulates that at least 125 days separate the date the petition was filed and the actual vote on the measure. So the ballot measure, titled The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety, was put on the November ballot and labeled that election’s Issue 1.

In August, voters rejected the first Issue 1 — the amendment that would have increased the threshold for passing future amendments to 60 percent. As a result, November’s Issue 1 — the one enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution — needs only a majority of the vote to pass.

The amendment versus the ballot language

The proposed amendment guarantees, among other things, the “right to make and carry out one’s reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion.”

However, that’s not the exact language voters will see on the ballot. Ohio law gives a state Ballot Board, chaired by the secretary of state, the power to finalize the language that will appear on the ballot. Members appointed by Republicans, along with Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, approved the ballot language over Democratic members’ objections.

Even though the language in the constitution itself would appear as proposed (and be posted at polling locations), the text on the ballot summary uses language like “unborn child” instead of “fetus.” The ballot also summarizes the portion of the amendment stating that “abortion may be prohibited after fetal viability” by reversing its premise, saying it would “always allow an unborn child to be aborted at any stage of pregnancy, regardless of viability if, in the treating physician’s determination, the abortion is necessary to protect the pregnant woman’s life or health.” Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights filed a complaint with the state Supreme Court over the language, but the court affirmed the Ballot Board’s language with one minor adjustment, ordering the Ballot Board to clarify that references to “citizens of the State of Ohio” actually just referred to “the state.”

How campaigns are framing their messages

Groups leading the charge to get the amendment passed are airing ads that emphasize the role of the state government in decisions around abortion — making the case that Ohio’s six-week ban, which makes no exceptions for cases of rape, is extreme. One ad featured a couple that found out their fetus would not be able to survive, prompting the mother to seek an abortion out of state. “An abortion was our only option,” the father says. “But the government here in Ohio took that decision away from us.”

In another ad, a Columbus reverend calls abortion “a private, family decision.” He says that Issue 1 “gives families the freedom to make their own decisions, without judgment and without the government getting involved.”

On the other side, opponents of the amendment are moderating their tone compared to what we’ve seen in other elections across the country. There are fewer ads accusing the opposing side of murdering unborn children and more ads showing mild-mannered women and couples calling Issue 1 “too extreme.” In one ad, a woman described as an “Ohio mom” says that “even pro-choice people” agree “that late-term abortion shouldn’t be allowed,” arguing that the law is “too extreme for Ohio.”

Gov. Mike DeWine and his wife Fran also star in an ad, speaking directly to the camera. “Whether you’re pro-life or pro-choice, Issue 1 is just not right for Ohio,” Gov. DeWine says, while Fran DeWine caps off the ad by saying, “Issue 1 just goes too far.”

Some groups opposed to the amendment have also framed Issue 1 as a parents’ rights issue, arguing that it would allow minors to have abortions without consulting their parents despite the fact that parental rights are not targeted in the proposed amendment. And others have gone so far as to argue that Issue 1 would open the door for children to receive gender affirmation surgery without parents’ consent, though that doesn’t appear in the amendment, either.

What do the polls say?

The limited public polling that’s available indicates that there’s a good chance the constitutional amendment will pass, although it’s far from guaranteed. With turnout so hard to predict in an off-year election, even polling that shows the issue passing could very well be missing the mark.

For example, Baldwin Wallace University conducted a poll Oct. 9-11 that found 58 percent of Ohio voters would vote “yes” on the proposed amendment, 34 percent would vote no, and 8 percent were undecided. Not surprisingly, 89 percent of Democratic voters said they would vote yes, but so did 51 percent of independents and 40 percent of Republicans. That poll also found that only 6 percent of voters thought abortion should always be illegal, while just 24 percent said it should always be legally permitted. Overall, 55 percent of respondents agreed that abortion should either always be legal or legal with exceptions, while 37 percent said it should be always illegal or illegal except in cases of rape or to save the life of the mother.

Ohio Northern University also conducted a poll Oct. 16-19 testing how Ohio voters responded to the proposed amendment when given two versions of the same question: one using the “unborn child” wording that will appear on the ballot and the other using the official language of the proposed amendment. In both cases, the amendment received a majority of the vote, but by vastly different margins. The version that included the language as it will appear on the ballot garnered 52 percent support, which could translate to a close election. But the version that used the language of the amendment itself garnered 68 percent. The poll also found that 65 percent of Ohio voters believe that abortions should be mostly legal.

Other polling since the Dobbs decision affirms that a majority of Ohio voters support abortion rights. Exit polls from the 2022 election race found that 58 percent of Ohio voters thought abortion should be legal and 37 percent believed it should be illegal.

But voters don’t necessarily see abortion — or Issue 1 — as a yes-or-no question on whether abortion should be legal. The 58 percent of voters who, in 2022 exit polling, said that abortion should be legal were split between saying it should be legal in all cases (27 percent) and saying it should be legal in most cases (31 percent). DeWine has said that, should Issue 1 be defeated, he would add exceptions for rape and incest into Ohio’s existing law. It’s a tacit admission that the law currently on the books is regarded as too extreme, as DeWine argues that Issue 1 is too extreme in the opposite direction.

There are other issues complicating the vote, including the existence of the two separate Issue 1s. In August, “no” was the pro-abortion-rights side; in November, it’s the anti-abortion-rights side. It might be confusing for some voters that, if they voted against an amendment a few months ago, then they should vote for a similarly titled amendment now.

Then there’s the theory that it’s harder to get voters to support changing an existing law than it is to convince them to keep the status quo. A 2019 study published in State Politics & Policy Quarterly found “strong evidence that voters will psychologically prefer arguments that oppose, rather than support,” ballot measures. Joshua Dyck and Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz, the authors of the study, argued that voters possess a built-in “negativity bias,” meaning that, regardless of how informed a voter is on an issue or how clearly the ballot language states it, arguments against a ballot measure are more effective than arguments in favor of one. In Ohio, that could mean supporters of abortion rights have a tougher task in the November election, when they need people to vote to affirmatively amend the constitution, than in August, when the pro-abortion-rights position was a vote for the status quo.

Whatever the outcome, political pundits on the day after the election are virtually guaranteed to frame the vote as an indicator of the political power of abortion rights messaging. And while the vote will certainly reflect Ohio voters’ views on abortion rights, it’s not quite that simple. The language on the ballot, the messaging of TV ads and the existence of the August ballot measure all complicate the idea that this vote is a straightforward measure of support for abortion rights. Plus, who turns out in an off-year election in a single state will be quite different from the turnout we can expect in the 2024 general election. The vote in Ohio next week may be a tea leaf ahead of the 2024 election, but it’s not a crystal ball.

 

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Infant mortality rate increases 3% in 2022, rising for first time in two decades: CDC

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(NEW YORK) — Infant mortality rates in the United States increased last year for the first time in two decades, according to new federal provisional data.

For the report, published early Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Vital Statistics, researchers looked at birth/infant death data collected through the National Vital Statistics System.

Provisional data showed there were 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, which is 3% higher than the rate of 5.44 per 1,000 live births in 2021.

Although rates have been declining over the last several years, this marks the first year-to-year increase in more than two decades when the rate rose from 6.8 deaths per 1,000 in 2001 to 7.0 deaths in 2002.

The neonatal mortality rate — infant deaths at less than 28 days of life — also rose 3% from 3.49 per 1,000 live births in 2021 to 3.58 in 2022 and the postneonatal mortality rate — infant deaths between 28 and 364 days of life — grew 4% from 1.95 per 1,000 to 2.02 over the same period.

Dr. Tracey Wilkinson, an associate professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine who is an expert on women’s access to reproductive health care, told ABC News she’s not surprised by the findings and that she sees a couple of reasons for the increase in infant mortality rates.

One is maternity care deserts — where’s there a lack or absence of maternity care — which limits the ability to care for infants properly. The second is limiting of access to abortion, particularly following the Supreme Court decision of Dobbs v. Jackson in June 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade.

“Any pregnancy that is intended and planned tends to be a healthier outcome and healthy infant outcome,” Wilkinson, who was not involved in the report, said. “So, when you remove the ability for people to decide if and when to have families and continue pregnancies, ultimately, you are having more pregnancies continue that don’t have all those factors in place.”

She added, “Furthermore, we are hearing over and over again, women with non-viable fetuses with diagnoses that mean that they will not survive outside of the womb for any significant period of time, being forced to continue those pregnancies. And so that will also contribute to infant mortality because once those infants are born, they’re counted in these numbers.”

A recent analysis from ABC News and Boston Children’s Hospital found more than 1.7 million women, nearly 3% of women of reproductive age in the U.S., live in a county without access to abortion and with no access to maternity care.

The CDC report also looked at infant mortality rates when broken down by race/ethnicity of the mother.

Data showed increases in this rate among almost all ethnicity groups, except for Asian women, but the only statistically significant increases were for infants born to American Indian/Alaskan Native women and white women.

For American Indian/Alaskan Native women, the rate increased from 7.46 infant deaths per 1,000 to 9.06 deaths in 2022. For white women, the rate rose from 4.36 per 1,000 to 9.06.

“Disparities in health care and outcomes exist in everything,” Wilkinson said. “When you have restrictions to health care access, that always impacts minoritized communities more and what this data is showing is that now it’s also impacting non-minoritized communities like white women.”

When broken down by state, the report showed significant increases in the infant mortality rate in four states — Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Texas — in 2022 compared with 2021 and a decrease in one state, Nevada.

Mortality rates also increased significantly for two of the 10 leading causes of death: maternal complications and bacterial sepsis.

Wilkinson said in her state of Indiana, and likely others, hospitals have been closing their labor & delivery wards, meaning many centers are lacking the capacity of people providing care for labor and delivery.

“You’re gonna have people delivering at hospitals that don’t have the expertise to take care of moms that get sick during pregnancy and delivery and infants that gets sick very soon after delivery, which is what I think of as bacterial sepsis of newborns,” she said.

She also added that in many states that have limited access to abortion and other reproductive health care, OB/GYNs may leave, which dwindles the number of experts available to care for pregnant patients in life-threatening situations, which could lead to even higher rates of infant mortality.

“As OBs decide to leave and not practice in certain areas, their ability to staff these hospitals decreases,” she said. “Not to ding any of my colleagues, but like emergency room doctors and internal medicine doctors are not experts in this field, but they might be the only people at that hospital when somebody presents in an obstetrical emergency.”

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Why can fear be so much fun? Doctors break down the science of being scared

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(NEW YORK) — Halloween brings spooky seasonal activities that fear and thrill seekers flock to. While many may think of fear as a largely negative reaction, doctors say it can stimulate the same centers of the brain as happiness and is positively reinforced by social bonding when it’s experienced without a threat of real danger.

Below, two doctors break down the science of being scared and explain why fear can be so much fun.

The body reacts to fear with a primitive fight-flight-or-freeze response

When someone is experiencing fear, hormones and neurotransmitters are released that allow the body to react quickly — called the “fight-flight-or-freeze” response. This is considered an evolutionary adaptation for survival when early humans were evading threats, such as predatorial animals.

“[Fear] kicks off a reaction of stress hormones and neurotransmitters, namely adrenaline and dopamine, that then follows and goes down the body and sort of kicks in that fight, flight, freeze reaction,” Dr. Michele Bedard-Gilligan, Ph.D., a specialist in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UW Medicine who studies fear, said in a UW Medicine blog post.

“In our bodies, that’s going to feel like shakiness and racing heart and sweaty, and all of those sorts of reactions that we need to react quickly and either escape the danger, or fight back, or freeze, if that’s the best thing that’s going to keep us safe,” Bedard-Gilligan said.

The same part of the brain that reacts to fear also responds to happiness

People who seek out scary experiences for fun aren’t “wired differently.” In fact, the same part of the brain that reacts to fear, also responds to pleasurable experiences associated with joy or happiness. This can tie fear and fun together when it’s known that what’s causing the fear response is not actually dangerous.

“There’s this real interplay between our stress hormones and our feel-good hormones,” Dr. Leah Croll, M.D., a board-certified neurologist and assistant professor at Temple University, told ABC News.

“Once the body or brain has recognized that the immediate stressor is no longer posing a threat, then the adrenaline stops working and essentially, you’re left with this euphoric rush of dopamine and serotonin,” Croll said.

“The kind of scare and surviving that kind of scare leads us to feel good. We feel confident, right? That feels like, ‘Look, we did it,'” Bedard-Gilligan said. “For many of us, that feels fun and exciting to kind of have that type of reaction, particularly when it’s happening in a space that we know is actually not objectively dangerous.”

The fun of frightening experiences may be enhanced by social bonding

“There is a real social aspect to fear,” Croll said.

Socialization is known to positively enhance experiences, and doctors say this can hold true even when that experience is scary, helping people feel closer to one another and bond faster.

“Serotonin, when it’s released as part of our reward circuit with dopamine, will ultimately also trigger the release of oxytocin, which is a chemical that makes you feel closer to other people,” Croll said. “You’re sort of stimulating these warm and fuzzy type of feelings towards one another with the stress response.”

Doctors say this is the same reason why people often laugh when coming out of a haunted house or when they get off of a rollercoaster, and having a scary shared experience can positively reinforce the fun of it.

“I think watching other people’s reactions influences our own reactions, watching other people get scared at the same things that we’re getting scared at, or watching them react bigger or smaller than us, those are often sort of social-building and connection-building and really are sort of, I think, key reinforcing human interactions,” Bedard-Gilligan said.

Still, doctors say that thrill-seeking isn’t going to be enjoyable for everyone, and among those who do enjoy a fright night, there are normal variations in the level of enjoyment people will experience.

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Eye drops sold at stores including CVS, Rite Aid and Target could cause blindness, FDA warns

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(NEW YORK) — Consumers are being warned against using more than two dozen eye drop products sold over-the-counter at major retailers including CVS, Target and Rite Aid.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the eye drop products were manufactured in a facility with “insanitary conditions” and carry a “potential risk of eye infections that could result in partial vision loss or blindness.”

“These products are intended to be sterile. Ophthalmic drug products pose a potential heightened risk of harm to users because drugs applied to the eyes bypass some of the body’s natural defenses,” the FDA said in a news release Friday. “FDA recommended the manufacturer of these products recall all lots on October 25, 2023, after agency investigators found insanitary conditions in the manufacturing facility and positive bacterial test results from environmental sampling of critical drug production areas in the facility.”

The impacted products are marketed under the brands CVS Health, Leader (Cardinal Health), Rugby (Cardinal Health), Rite Aid, Target Up&Up and Velocity Pharma, according to the FDA, which shared a full list of the 26 products on its website.

The federal agency says consumers should “immediately stop using” the products and dispose of them properly, which includes either dropping off the product at a drug take back site or following the FDA’s steps to dispose the product in the trash.

The FDA also says that consumers should not purchase any of the 26 impacted products if they see them on store shelves.

The agency noted it has not yet received any reports of eye infections caused by the eye drop products, but is encouraging health care professional and patients to report any “adverse events or quality problems.”

Target, Rite Aid and CVS are removing the eye drop products from their stores and websites, according to the FDA.

Products branded as Leader, Rugby and Velocity “may still be available” in stores and online and consumers should not purchase those products, the FDA said.

Cardinal Health, the company behind the brands Rugby and Leader, told ABC News it is working to “initiate a recall” of its impacted products.

“FDA notified us of a possible eye infection risk affiliated with some of our Rugby Laboratories and Leader branded eye care products, and immediately upon being notified, we placed all identified impacted eye drop products in our inventory on hold and contacted Velocity Pharma, the supplier of the impacted eye drop products,” Cardinal Health said in a statement. “We are in the process of working with Velocity Pharma and FDA to initiate a recall of all impacted Rugby Laboratories and Cardinal Health Leader branded eye drop products to further safeguard public health and safety.”

The statement continued, “We take FDA’s consumer notification regarding the risk of using impacted Rugby Laboratories and Leader branded eye drop products very seriously. We are working with Velocity Pharma, the supplier of the impacted eye drop products to gain additional insight regarding the unsanitary conditions identified by the FDA at the manufacturing facility.”

Rite Aid confirmed to ABC News that it is removing its impacted products from stores, saying in a statement, “Due to safety concerns identified by the FDA, we are removing the applicable Rite Aid branded products from our store shelves.”

CVS told ABC News the company is offering customers a full refund if they purchased an impacted product.

“Upon receiving notification by FDA, we’ve immediately stopped the sale in-store and online of all products supplied by Velocity Pharma within the CVS Health Brand Eye Products portfolio,” CVS said in a statement. “Customers who purchased these products can return them to CVS Pharmacy for a full refund. We’re committed to ensuring the products we offer are safe, work as intended and satisfy customers, and are fully cooperating with the FDA on this matter.”

ABC News also reached out to Target and Velocity Pharma for comment.

 

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