(NEW YORK) — With the holidays approaching, many are looking forward to feasting with family and friends. Gatherings often bring a lot of homemade favorites — steaming turkey, glistening ham, tangy cranberry sauce and creamy eggnog. While preparing dishes, it’s important to follow safe cooking guidelines and limit the risk of food poisoning.
When it comes to serving dishes and dealing with leftovers, most people want to know what’s safe to eat and what needs to be tossed.
The New York State Departments of Agriculture and Markets recently issued recommendations for enjoying safe holiday feasts. The most important things to consider to avoid foodborne illness are safe storage, thawing and preparation.
When returning home with a fresh grocery haul, be sure to store away perishables as soon as possible. Leaving refrigerated and frozen food products out for extended periods of time allows for the growth of bacteria that can cause illness. Refrigerators should be set to 40°F or lower, and freezers should be set no higher than 0°F, per the FDA.
This time of year, many people purchase canned goods for cooking and to donate to food pantries. Experts recommend keeping these products in cool, dry spaces until opening and taking particular care not to leave them out on stovetops.
“Once that can is open, you really need to eat or refrigerate the contents after two hours,” says Dr. Donald Schaffner, PhD, a professor in the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University.
When thawing frozen meats, food safety specialists agree that the best method is to use the refrigerator or microwave just before cooking. Thawing meat in the refrigerator “makes sure that the food stays at a safe temperature during the thawing process,” according to Dr. Schaffner.
“As a piece of meat thaws, you may get juices running out of that piece of meat” that may contain different types of bacteria, creating a source of contamination. Submerging in hot water can also lead to the spread of bacteria into pots and bowls.
Washing hands when preparing food may seem obvious, but experts note that there is always a risk of cross-contamination when using the same knives and cutting boards for raw meat and other foods. Taking the time to wash these items with soap and hot water after handling raw meat can go a long way toward keeping the rest of a holiday feast safe to eat.
Safe cooking should also include a meat thermometer. A general rule of thumb is to cook to a minimum internal temperature of 140°F. Pork should be cooked to 150°F, ground beef to 160°F and poultry and leftovers to 165°F, per the Departments of Agriculture and Safety.
Eggs can be a forgotten source of contamination as well. According to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eggs need to be cooked thoroughly and raw forms should definitely be avoided. That means waiting until the cookies finish baking and not dipping into the raw batter.
As far as enjoying holiday cheer, Dr. Schaffner suggests, “The safest eggnog is the kind you buy from the grocery store, premade and pasteurized. If you’re going to make your own eggnog with raw eggs, you need to cook that eggnog.” Alcohol does not guarantee purification from salmonella, so those making it from scratch should follow a recipe that involves cooking, Schnaffer added.
Chris Medrano, MD, is a resident physician in Chicago and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(NEW YORK) — As the holidays arrive and people attend gatherings with family and loved ones, many will stray from their daily routines but maintaining your health is possible.
“It is hard to stick with routines when on holiday because we are no longer in our day to day pattern,” Dr. Amanda Velazquez, director of obesity medicine at Cedars-Sinai Center for Weight Management and Metabolic Health, told ABC News.
She added, “A lot of gatherings are centralized around eating. This is part of our culture as human beings.”
Here are five expert tips on how to maintain health and wellness during the holiday season:
1. Do not intentionally skip meals in anticipation of a big meal
Many will forgo meals when expecting to consume large amounts of food in one sitting.
However, this is “Priming your body to be very hungry, overly hungry. Also, you will not give yourself the fuel and energy during the day to sustain yourself,” Dr. Velazquez says. Experts recommend having balanced meals throughout the day.
Consider eating a quick and healthy snack before a large meal to help curb your hunger. Foods higher in fiber and protein will keep you more full.
2. Be mindful of what you drink
Liquid calories can be deceiving as energy-containing drinks are generally less satiating than solid foods.
“Try to minimize empty calories and avoid sugar sweetened beverages such as sodas, juices, and high calorie cocktails,” Dr. Velazquez says.
In addition, alcohol not only contains calories on its own but it may also increase appetite. Therefore, it is important to ensure you are consuming beverages in moderation over the holidays.
3. Propose a group fitness activity.
Doing things with others can be more motivating and fun than doing it on your own.
“I try to encourage patients to think about who are members of their families or friends who may want to participate in physical activities. This usually leads to them brainstorming about partnerships and keeps them accountable,” Dr. Velazquez says.
Fun activities to consider include yoga, hiking, going for walks and sports.
4. Take short mental health breaks
Keeping up with holiday demands can be stressful, experts say. Stress hormones can increase appetite and lead to weight gain, according to research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Stress causes cravings for unhealthy foods such as fast foods, snacks, and calorie-dense foods.
Consider utilizing self-care strategies like meditation, breathing exercises, journaling, yoga, and physical exercise to minimize stress.
Having someone you can talk to openly and genuinely can also be therapeutic, experts say.
5. Prioritize sleep
Per the National Institutes of Health, quality sleep can improve your brain performance, mood and overall health. Experts recommend that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night.
A consistent sleep schedule can help, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So can ensuring that you have a quality sleep environment with minimal distractions including noise and light, and avoiding caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in the afternoon and evening.
Lastly, avoid screen time before bed as blue light can disrupt sleep.
Edward King, MD, is a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(NEW YORK) — The 440 lawsuits brought against the makers of Tylenol and generic acetaminophen do not have “admissible evidence” to show that prenatal exposure to the medication can lead to autism or ADHD, a federal judge ruled this week.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote wrote in her opinion that at least one of the experts provided by the plaintiffs “cherry-picked and misrepresented study results and refused to acknowledge the role of genetics in the etiology of either ASD or ADHD.”
The ruling is largely consistent with the position of major medical bodies, which say the evidence is not sufficient to make a cause-and-effect link between the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and issues like autism and ADHD in children.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says women should talk to their doctors before taking any medications during pregnancy or if they are planning to become pregnant.
(NEW YORK) — After a monthslong investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration into applesauce pouches tainted with lead, the agency suspects the contaminated products were the result of a manufacturer cutting corners to save money, according to a senior U.S. official.
The official spoke to ABC News on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of the ongoing internal investigation.
“They think the company deliberately sourced cheap materials,” the official told ABC News of the FDA’s latest findings.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 205 total confirmed and probable cases as of Dec. 20, though that number may also include cases counted separately by the FDA.
Politico first reported on Friday that a top FDA official said a leading theory is that the tainted applesauce was an “intentional” act.
“The FDA can confirm that one of the theories the agency is exploring regarding the high lead levels in the recalled cinnamon applesauce pouches is the potential that the cinnamon contamination occurred as a possible result of economically motivated adulteration,” the agency said in a statement. “As this is an ongoing investigation, the FDA can only confirm this is one of the theories at this time.”
A second official told ABC News that not following safety protocols would be seen by regulators as intentional.
The FDA first advised parents and caregivers in an Oct. 28 health alert not to buy or give children WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches “because the product may contain elevated levels of lead.”
The company announced the voluntary recall of its 2.5-ounce fruit puree pouches on Oct. 30, which was later expanded on Nov. 9 to include products from its private label brands Schnucks Apple Sauce 90g pouches with cinnamon and Weis Cinnamon Apple Sauce.
The FDA announced earlier this week there have been 65 reports of adverse events potentially linked to the recalled product in 27 states to date. Those reports included children younger than 1 and up to 6 years of age.
On Dec. 5, the FDA “initiated an onsite inspection at the Austrofoods facility located in Ecuador” where “ingredient sample collection is underway.”
In a Dec. 12 update, the agency said it was working with Ecuadorian authorities “to gather information about Negasmart, the supplier of the cinnamon to Austrofoods, including whether the cinnamon in the recalled products was used in other products exported to the United States.”
The FDA confirmed with Ecuadorian authorities at the time that, “of Negasmart’s direct customers, only Austrofoods ships product to the US.” The agency also confirmed that “Negasmart does not directly export products to the US.”
“Cinnamon samples collected from the lots used in recalled products will undergo laboratory analysis. FDA will update this advisory to share the sample results once the analysis is complete,” the FDA stated.
The FDA first announced the investigation into WanaBana when the agency was made aware of four children with elevated blood lead levels, indicating potential acute lead toxicity, by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
Less than a week later, the investigation was transferred to the FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation Network in collaboration with the CDC. Two additional brands were added to the recall in the Nov. 3 update: Schnucks cinnamon-flavored applesauce and Weis cinnamon applesauce pouches.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services investigation initially identified the products “as a potential shared source of exposure,” the FDA said at the time, citing analysis that detected “extremely high concentrations of lead.” At that time, the firm agreed to voluntarily recall all WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches regardless of expiration, per the FDA.
“FDA is aware that recalled WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Puree is still on the shelves at several Dollar Tree stores in multiple states,” the FDA said. “FDA is working with the firm to ensure an effective recall.”
Austrofood was asked by the Ecuadorian government to suspend all activities since Nov. 15, 2023, according to the National Agency of Health Regulation, Control and Surveillance.
The agency told ABC News it is aware of the situation and issues regarding the Pichincha-based food manufacturer and the Ecuadorian government through the National Agency of Health Regulation, Control and Surveillance has started an investigation independent from the FDA.
Officials in Ecuador also confirmed that the level of lead was above the regular numbers. The issue is in the cinnamon powder only.
Ecuador is currently preparing to withdraw a mango compote sample that used the same cinnamon powder as Wanabana, officials said.
“This is people trying to save money,” Dr. Donald W. Schaffner, a professor at Rutgers University and specialist in food science, told ABC News. “Obviously there is a recall out there; people should check their cupboards and make sure you don’t have any of these products.”
“If you think you may have been feeding your kid these products, get your kid to the doctor and get them tested,” he added.
Signs and symptoms of lead toxicity
Experts say it can be difficult to detect lead exposure in kids, because sometimes there are no obvious signs.
However, the FDA says symptoms of short-term lead exposure can include headache, abdominal pain and vomiting, with longer-term exposure symptoms also potentially including fatigue, irritability, constipation, muscle aches or a sensation of prickling/burning.
Lead exposure can only be properly diagnosed via a blood sample, according to the CDC. The FDA says anyone who notices possible lead poisoning symptoms should contact their doctor immediately.
(NEW YORK) — A COVID variant known as JN.1 has been listed as a separate “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The omicron sub variant was previously classified under its parent strain, BA.2.86, which prompted concern among some scientists earlier this year due to its high number of mutations.
There is no evidence that JN.1 causes any more severe disease, and existing tests, vaccines and treatments are still expected to work, experts say.
“We know that the COVID virus continues to change. And even in the last few weeks, it has changed again,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told ABC News.
“The good news is that, that new change to the virus…one, we can still pick it up with our tests. Two, our treatments are still effective against that change. And importantly, the updated COVID vaccine that you can get right now is still good coverage for those changes – we’ve seen that in the lab,” Cohen added.
Variants are listed under three separate categories by the WHO: variants of concern, which is the highest level; variants of interest; and variants under monitoring.
JN.1 now joins other Omicron sub variants such as XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5, and BA.2.86 on the list of variants of interest.
The JN.1 variant is currently estimated to account for 21% of new cases in the U.S., according to the CDC. The Northeast is the area with the highest proportion of variant infections, where it accounts for an estimated 32% of new COVID cases.
The public health risk of the JN.1 variant is low, according to the WHO. Even so, countries that are currently in the middle of winter, like the U.S., could see an increase in respiratory infections, the agency acknowledged.
“As we observe the rise of the JN.1 variant, it’s important to note that while it may be spreading more widely, there is currently no significant evidence suggesting it is more severe or that it poses a substantial public health risk,” said John Brownstein, Ph.D., chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s hospital and an ABC News medical contributor.
Experts urge caution as family and friends are expected to gather for the holidays, which are often followed by a rise in respiratory illnesses.
“We should continue to practice safety measures to reduce transmission, especially as the rise of this variant will likely be accelerated by upcoming holiday travel and gathering,” Brownstein said.
“I know everyone’s tired of COVID, but it is still here with us. It’s still changing, and we still need to stay ahead of it,” Cohen said.
(NEW YORK) — For many people, the holiday season is a time of holiday feasting, from dinners to cocktail parties and special desserts.
Amid all the celebrating, some people like Julie Kelly, a 41-year-old from North Carolina, are opting to hit pause on the medications they take to help them lose weight, drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Kelly, who has lost 38 pounds by taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, told “Good Morning America” that she skipped her dose of semaglutide over the Thanksgiving holiday, and is doing the same around Christmas. She said the break helps her feel less uncomfortably full at meals and brings up fewer questions from friends and family about what she is, or is not, eating.
“What I noticed was I was still able to eat the things that I really wanted, to indulge a little bit,” Kelly said of her experience over Thanksgiving. “I just had to be really conscious about how I was feeling, what I was eating, how fast I was eating it.”
Over the past year, use of drugs that can lead to weight loss has skyrocketed in popularity.
Both Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, but some doctors prescribe the medication “off-label” for weight loss, as is permissible by the FDA.
Wegovy is FDA-approved for weight loss.
Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro require a prescription and are not sold over the counter.
In November, the FDA approved another drug, known as Zepbound, as a weight loss management treatment for people with obesity, or those who are overweight with at least one related underlying condition, such as high blood pressure. As a diabetes drug, it is sold under the brand name Mounjaro, as the two medications contain the same active ingredient, tirzepatide.
Clinical studies show users of the medications can lose between 5% and 20% of their body weight on the medications over time.
Caley Svensson, a 39-year-old from New Jersey, said she has lost 90 pounds on Mounjaro. During the holiday season, she said she is also opting to cut back on the medication, but for financial reasons.
Svensson said her prescription is not covered by insurance, so she pays more than $1,000 out-of-pocket total for four single-use doses. Over the holidays, Svensson said she is stretching her doses beyond the usual week so that she can use the money for other expenses, including Christmas presents.
“If I can stretch it for 10 days instead of every week, that helps me push off, you know, the expense a little bit,” Svensson told “GMA,” adding that by stretching out her doses, she can save a few “hundred extra dollars.”
On the flip side, when Oprah Winfrey revealed earlier this month that she is using a medication to help her maintain her weight loss, she said she took the medication strategically prior to Thanksgiving to help her eat less.
“I knew I was going to have two solid weeks of eating, and instead of gaining eight pounds like I did last year, I gained half a pound,” she told People magazine. “It quiets the food noise.”
Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are all injectable medications that are typically prescribed to be taken once per week.
Side effects of the drugs can include severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation.
Dr. Veronica Johnson, an obesity medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine, told “GMA” that while there are no known long-term side effects of pausing and restarting the medications, doing so may lead to increased side effects such as increased appetite and nausea, as well as weight gain.
“If a patient skips their medication for one to two weeks, there is a potential for them to have some increased side effects,” said Johnson, who does not treat Winfrey, Svensson or Kelly. “They might not see those improvements in their hunger and appetite, and so they’ll inevitably eat more and that may contribute to some weight gain.”
It is advised to consult a physician before stopping weight loss medications to minimize the risk of side effects.
(NEW YORK) — The “winter blues” season is upon us.
As our exposure to daylight decreases over the winter months, millions of Americans suffer each year from the effects of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, a form of depression that for some can surface like clockwork each year.
SAD is defined as a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons, typically arriving in the late fall and early winter and going away during the spring and summer. SAD can also occur with the change of season to summer, but that type is much less common than the winter episodes, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Since diagnosis of SAD emerged in the 1980s, the mainstay of treatment has focused on the one thing most of us aren’t getting enough of in the winter: sunlight. One at-home treatment option, light therapy, works by using electric lamps to artificially simulate the natural light received from the sun.
For people with SAD, light therapy can help regulate and restore disrupted circadian rhythms caused by the lack of natural light, providing a non-invasive way to help mitigate the symptoms of SAD, which can include feelings of sadness, decreased energy and changes in sleep patterns and mood.
Despite the potential benefits, however, many people inadvertently misuse SAD lamps, reducing their full effectiveness.
“It sounds like, ‘Oh, you have to sit by a light, and it’ll be better,’ but it’s not as straightforward as that,” Dr. Judith Joseph, a board-certified psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU Langone, told ABC News. “The risk is that you can misuse it.”
ABC News spoke with Joseph and other experts about how people can maximize the effectiveness of lamps to treat SAD. Here are their tips:
1. Ensure the lamp provides 10,000 lux.
Intensity matters when it comes to SAD lamps. Experts recommend opting for a lamp that emits at least 10,000 lux of light — roughly the equivalent of full daylight — when positioned 11 inches away from your face.
Many online retailers may promise that their devices reach 10,000 lux without specifying the effective distance. Users can verify lux on lamps at home by using a mobile phone app that employs the phone’s camera to measure the light’s intensity.
2. Maintain proper distance from the lamp.
While generally safe, prolonged direct exposure to the light source may cause eye discomfort. To avoid this risk, experts say to position the lamp 11 inches away from the face, allowing the light to indirectly reach the eyes.
Incorrect lamp positioning, such as placing it too far away or too close, can prevent users from receiving an effective therapeutic level of light exposure.
3. Use the lamp on a regular schedule.
Establishing a regular pattern of using SAD lamps helps to regulate the body’s internal clock.
Researchers at the Yale Winter Depression Research Clinic suggest using the lamp at the same time each day, before 8 a.m. and for approximately 30 minutes, seven days a week, at 10,000 lux intensity. Using the lamp later in the day can run the risk of impairing the ability to sleep at night, making it more difficult to feel energized and well-rested, according to the clinic.
It is also important to understand that SAD lamps, while a simple treatment option for seasonal affective disorder, shouldn’t serve as a replacement treatment for other mental health disorders.
“If somebody’s really suffering from a major depressive disorder, typically it’s going to take more than a light box to treat,” Dr. Mimi Winsberg, chief medical officer and founder of Brightside Health, a mental health care provider, told ABC News. “I think consulting with a physician or psychiatrist preferably is of value in that situation.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Even if you feel like it, you are not alone.
(NEW YORK) — Meagan and her husband Jon considered their wedding day, in April 2022, to be the best day of their lives.
A year later, the Wisconsin couple believed they had topped that day when they found out Meagan was pregnant.
Their pregnancy journey had been a challenge. Meagan, who has polycystic ovary syndrome, which can make it difficult to get pregnant, told ABC News she had been taking medication to help with ovulation.
They were so excited at the news that they began preparing a nursery in their home.
“This was my first pregnancy, so there’s a lot of nerves, but I actually wasn’t super anxious because everything seemed to be fine,” Meagan, who asked that her last name be withheld to protect her privacy, told ABC News in December.
But at a routine 20-week ultrasound appointment last July, Megan’s physician, Dr. Jordan Crow, said he noticed something was wrong.
“Their baby was extraordinarily small and unusually small in a way that is not just indicative of you have a small baby, but something is very abnormal,” Crow told ABC News in an interview.
More testing revealed that Meagan’s fetus had skeletal dysplasia — a severe, life-limiting anomaly, in which rare genetic disorders result in an abnormal development of a baby’s bones, joints and cartilage.
The couple was devastated.
In addition, Meagan, who had been experiencing some bleeding, was diagnosed with placenta previa, a dangerous pregnancy complication in which the placenta covered her cervix.
“It would be unsafe to have a standard, natural delivery because the baby would go through the placenta and she [Meagan] would bleed out,” Crow said.
“Every day that Meagan stays pregnant with her placenta previa, especially when there is probably not a clear tangible benefit to her pregnancy, that is going to be a riskier day,” Crow said.
In July, when ABC News first interviewed Meagan as part of an in-depth series into life in America after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Wisconsin’s total abortion ban was in effect and the only exception was to save the life of the mother. The ban required three doctors to approve the abortion and agree that it is lifesaving care.
After determining that the pregnancy could put Meagan ‘s life at risk, Crow said he reached out to his colleagues at a hospital in the state to tell them about her case and get approval for an abortion. While he said his colleagues agreed that the situation posed a threat to her, they would not sign off on an abortion procedure.
Crow said that the law set a bar for when abortions are permitted, and physicians are staying far away from the bar so that “no one would dare claim that people even got close to it.”
“People don’t want to touch it because as soon as you had done that investigation potentially for that hospital, that could lead to whole departments, whole hospitals being shut down and that would impact the care of thousands of people. Not just one,” Crow said.
“You look around and the world keeps moving and goes on, and for me, it just feels like it’s stopped,” she said.
Meagan details grief of fetal diagnosis in a video diary
“You look around and the world keeps moving and goes on, and for me, it just feels like it’s stopped,” she said.
So Meagan was faced with the decision to either continue a pregnancy to term — with her life at risk for a fetus with a severe, life-limiting anomaly — or travel out of state to get abortion care. The couple was also mourning the loss of their child, who they had planned for and were excited to meet.
“Anyone who’s dealt with grief, I’m sure has felt that you look around and the world keeps moving and for me it’s just stopped in this in-between time where we’re just waiting. What do you do?” Meagan said in a video diary recording from July.
“I’m pregnant and I look pregnant and I feel pregnant. Just knowing that I’m not gonna be; I’m just not ready to be done. It’s scary,” Meagan said.
Crow and the couple spent days doing research and looking for a place where she could get abortion care out of state.
“Prior to Dobbs, she would have had it in Wisconsin, she would have had it near her support system, but instead she has to cross state lines to be able to do that,” Crow said.
Crow said he started reaching out to organizations that could help Meagan access care. He said he had to be put in touch with several people until he was able to find someone who could provide Megan with abortion care in-network, so that it would be covered by her insurance.
“Which ultimately is no way to provide care to patients,” Crow said. “If someone found out ‘Yeah the way that my doctor found a good doctor for me was going through seven different degrees and texting and calling people after hours just to find me routine care,’ I think that would be deeply unsettling to most people.”
Ultimately, Meagan was able to get an appointment for a termination at a hospital in Minnesota. While it was only an hour drive, Meagan said the trip felt like it was 10 hours long.
Despite Meagan, Jon and Crow working hard to find a facility where her care would be covered by insurance, her insurance declined to cover the procedure itself and her recovery in the hospital. But it did cover other costs of her care, like anesthesia.
While her health insurance provider does cover the procedure, Meagan learned that her company’s plan does not cover it.
The procedure itself cost around $1,500. In total Meagan — who said she had already met her deductible for the year before the procedure — will have to pay just over $3,000 for her care.
“Had nothing been covered and I went there out of network, it would have been like $20,000 for the two-day procedure. I’ve seen the explanation of benefits,” Meagan said.
Meagan was able to get an abortion fund – groups that financially help women pay for abortion care — to cover $1,500 in costs.
‘A huge advocate for me’
Meagan said Crow was with her every step of the way.
“My doctor, Dr. Crow, was a huge advocate for me and my heart goes out to all of you women who didn’t have a doctor like that to fight for you. But I do feel fortunate in that way that I had someone that was able to put their job on the line and risk things to get me the care that I needed,” Meagan told 17 other women who faced similar pregnancy journeys in a group interview with ABC News.
“He called hospitals all over the state of Wisconsin to try and find us care and no one would take my case because there was a total ban,” Meagan said.
She also said that Crow used his contacts in the state to find Meagan care in Minnesota.
Weeks after Meagan traveled to get care, a Wisconsin judge ruled that an 1849 law did not apply to abortion, but only applied to the termination of a pregnancy without the mother’s consent. Two Planned Parenthood Facilities have resumed offering abortions. The lawsuit challenging the ban is expected to head to the state’s Supreme Court for a final ruling.
Meagan said being able to get care at home would have made a huge difference for her.
“It’s such a private thing to go through making a decision like that and opening yourself up for judgment and the more you can get care from your own doctor in your own area and be, you know, in bed in your own house the night before and the night after,” she said.
“It was a very uncomfortable and painful procedure not to be at my own house and my own bed; was horrible. It was the worst night — probably of my life — the night before,” Meagan said.
Meagan said she isn’t sure if she will ever want to try to get pregnant again.
“I just feel completely traumatized by a situation that I just don’t know some days, if I would ever want to try again. Every day is different,” Meagan said.
“I haven’t felt the need to get pregnant right away again after all this. It just seems so fast and too soon. The whole situation was scary and devastating. I don’t know. It just kind of seems like I’ll never be able to have like a blissful, happy pregnancy again now that I’ve gone through this. So, it’s just scary to think about trying again,” Meagan said.
Meagan said she decided to share her story in hopes that the next woman who is in the same position that she was in doesn’t have to travel away from home to get care. She said this has been the “saddest, most terrifying thing I have ever been through.”
“[Abortion] affects a lot more people across a lot more women and families across the country than anybody realizes. I’ve joined a lot of support groups for termination for medical reasons,” she added. “And there’s just so many of us, it seems like people should know more about it and they don’t.”
Matthew Perry attends the GQ Men of the Year Party 2022 at The West Hollywood EDITION on November 17, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GQ)
(NEW YORK) — An autopsy report from the Los Angeles County coroner on Friday named acute effects of ketamine as the cause of death for Friends star Matthew Perry.
According to the report, Perry reportedly was on ketamine infusion therapy and had a ketamine infusion one and a half weeks before his death. However, the medical examiner concluded that the ketamine in his system could not have been from that infusion, as ketamine has a half-life of three to four hours or less.
The report also listed drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects as contributing factors not related to the immediate cause of death. Perry’s death was ruled an accident.
Buprenorphine is a medication used to treat Opioid Use Disorder, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Here is a look at what ketamine is and how it is used in medical treatment:
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is part of a class of medications called dissociative anesthetics.
“It can interrupt a person’s perception of the reality and what that looks like is when someone might be awake but not fully conscious,” ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton explained on Good Morning America Monday.
Ketamine may be used medically to induce anesthesia. In more recent years, it’s also been used for treatment-resistant depression, according to StatPearls, an online library published in the National Library of Medicine.
“Ketamine, at low doses, can be prescribed. It’s most often used in a clinical setting under close cardiac monitoring,” Sutton explained.
“In terms of using it with someone who might have a history of substance use disorder, it also has been studied for the use of substance use disorders and found benefits. For example, ketamine has been shown to be beneficial in helping patients decrease their cravings and helping them with abstinence away from drugs,” Sutton continued.
Ketamine has a “potential for recreational misuse,” according to American Addiction Centers.
“It can negatively affect your heart rate, your blood pressure, it can cause deep levels of sedation and even stop breathing and for these reasons are reasons why it needs to be always be used under the close monitoring management of a medical professional,” Sutton said.
“The use of ketamine recreationally or anything outside of a prescription can cause danger,” Sutton added. “Ketamine can cause you to be in a vulnerable state where you might be at harm, at risk from your environment. And it also, again, causes deep levels of sedation and you just don’t know exactly how much is in whatever dose you have so you always have to pay attention and again, consult a medical professional.”
What is ketamine therapy?
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, ketamine was approved in the 1970s as a rapid-acting anesthetic by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In recent years, off-label ketamine has been used to treat psychological disorders like depression and PTSD.
“The average antidepressant takes about two months to produce a reduction in symptoms,” Dr. John Crystal, co-director of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, told ABC News’ Eva Pilgrimin November. “Ketamine produces those same kinds of improvements within 24 hours in many people.”
Ketamine therapy made headlines in 2021 when former NBA player Lamar Odom opened up to Good Morning America about his use of the drug therapy to help him battle addiction. “I went to rehab and did some other things, but ketamine came into my life at the right time,” Odom told ABC News’ Steve Osunsami.
“I think of ketamine as an intervention that is part of an overall treatment,” said Crystal. “Ketamine can be something that can facilitate and enhance the impact of psychotherapy.”
An IV drip treatment on an IV pole.
Potential risks of ketamine therapy
“Death by ketamine overdose rarely occurs if ketamine is the only drug someone takes,” according to American Addiction Centers.
The lethal dose of ketamine is estimated to be about 5.6 milligrams per pound for a 154-pound human, according to the StatPearls journal in the National Library of Medicine.
Beyond the risk of death, Dr. John Crystal, co-director of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, told Eva Pilgrim in November that ketamine therapy should not be used by people with schizophrenia or people who are developing a psychiatric illness.
(NEW YORK) — For the first time, researchers say they’ve found a possible cause of one of the most common, and life-interrupting, symptoms of pregnancy: morning sickness.
This possible cause, according to a study published Wednesday in the medical journal Nature, is a hormone called GDF15.
The amount of GDF15 that a woman has in her blood before and during pregnancy may affect the severity of morning sickness, the symptoms of which include nausea and vomiting.
Morning sickness affects around 70% of pregnant women and is most common in the first three months of pregnancy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hyperemesis gravidarum is the medical term for a less common but more extreme form of morning sickness that includes “persistent vomiting and nausea during pregnancy,” according to the CDC.
Hyperemesis gravidarum can result in dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities and weight loss and can often require more significant medical intervention, including hospitalization.
In the United States, hyperemesis gravidarum is the leading cause of hospitalization in early pregnancy and the second most common cause of pregnancy hospitalization overall, according to data published by the National Institutes of Health.
The discovery of this possible cause of morning sickness may eventually lead to better treatment options for pregnant women, though more research is needed.
One potential avenue for treating women with hyperemesis gravidarum, for example, would be to block the effects of GDF15.
