Health

(NEW YORK) — In the more than two weeks since a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, occurred at a bowling alley and local bar and restaurant, questions have swirled about mental health care in the state.

The alleged gunman displayed glaring signals that his mental health was declining, which his family was aware of and had warned law enforcement about, according to documents obtained by ABC News.

It’s unknown why he was not taken into protective custody and then evaluated by a medical professional, but mental health experts and advocates told ABC News that, separately from the shooting, the state has been struggling to address the needs of residents for years.

Long waitlists for programs and a reduced workforce have led to a small-scale version of the larger mental health crisis sweeping across the United States.

Greg Marley, clinical director of suicide prevention at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Maine, has been working in mental health in the state since the 1980s and said there is currently a “perfect storm” of people needing help and not enough resources to address it.

“During the pandemic, people’s levels of anxiety, levels of depression, reliance on substances in an unhealthy way, rose sharply as did people’s sense of isolation,” he told ABC News. “At the same time, the pandemic did more than anything I’ve ever seen to break down the stigma about asking for help around mental health issues.”

He continued, “And so, as a result, there was a wave of people saying, ‘I need help.’ At the same time, we were seeing people getting burned out in mental health, clinical work or support work and so we had a reduction in our mental health workforce.”

Mental health care workers have left the state

Experts told ABC News there has been a lack of in-person services in the state because many health care professionals are leaving for a variety of reasons.

Stress and burnout from the COVID pandemic have caused health care workers to leave the field across the U.S., including Maine. Some people have reduced their hours or are now exclusively focusing on telehealth services, experts told ABC News.

“We’ve had an increase in people doing what’s called telehealth and telehealth is a wonderful way of accessing care, particularly if you’re in a remote area of the state, but working with someone on a screen doesn’t serve everybody,” Marley said.

In January 2023, Gov. Janet Mills proposed $94 million to support mental health and substance use disorder services, including funds to reimburse MaineCare, Maine’s version of Medicaid, according to local ABC News affiliate WMTW.

Additionally, in March 2023, Mills proposed an additional $19.7 million in state funding to address immediate needs in Maine’s behavioral health system.

Experts said these are great first steps, but more is needed to draw more workers into the state to meet the demand for services.

Jayne Van Bramer, president and CEO of Sweetser, a nonprofit community mental health provider statewide in Maine, said she would like to see more state and federal solutions to incentivize people to become behavioral health care workers in Maine.

“I think more student loan forgiveness, tuition assistance, paid internships, sign-on bonuses,” she told ABC News. “I think there’s a lot we could do to encourage folks and we are working collaboratively with the governor, the legislature in the state, but we really do need these things to happen.”

Malory Shaughnessy, executive director of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services, Maine — a statewide membership association for community behavioral health organizations — said she would like to see more resources invested in emergency responses, so that people who are having crises are met by a crisis worker, as well as the creation of more crisis receiving centers throughout the state such as the first one that opened in Portland.

“We should have crisis receiving centers everywhere, where somebody can just walk in and say, ‘I’m in the middle of this and I need some help,'” she told ABC News. “There should be one in every major community and a couple in every county that people could walk into and get the help for themselves and their child.”

“Maine has somewhere around 100 crisis response workers for the entire state, which just is not anywhere near meeting the needs,” Shaughnessy added.

Patients left on waitlists for months

Due to the reduction of the workforce, patients are often left on waitlists for months as they try to access mental health services.

Kennebec Behavioral Health told WMTW last month that it has 1,200 people on its waitlist, almost double compared to three years ago.

“By the time people call, by the time they pick the phone up and call, they already need service,” CEO Thomas McAdam said. “So, to be on the waitlist longer just makes things worse.”

Sweetser has a waitlist that it says it tries to manage aggressively via its coordination team but is still quite extensive.

“It is approximately 2,000 people [on the waitlist],” Van Bramer said. “We are one organization. You can be on a waitlist anywhere from a couple of months to up to a year. We do call you every month, check in, see if you still need services, see what we can do to help you, see if you’ve found services elsewhere. But it is difficult and it’s not acceptable.”

Van Bramer said these needs are only going to increase as people cope with the trauma experienced from the Lewiston shooting,

“I was at a program [recently], and I was hearing things like some of their clients, every time they hear a hunter’s rifle, they’re terrified,” she said. “So yeah, I think we are definitely seeing an increase in fear and anxiety, that the trauma from this event is reverberating through our community.”

Julie Redding, a licensed therapist and clinical director at the Community Caring Collaborative in Maine, said it is going to be hardest for people who were already dealing with trauma they experienced in the past.

“If we’re thinking about who might be at risk for having felt something like the mass shooting in Lewiston the hardest, one of the best predictors of who will struggle with that is actually people who have a past trauma experience,’ she told ABC News. “For people who have experienced any form of trauma in the past, but particularly if they have experienced traumas that include a violent nature…could disproportionately be more affected and have a recurrence of symptoms.”

Leaving people on a waitlist can sometimes result in people slipping through the cracks, experts said. The majority of people with mental illness may never become violent, but experts say, sometimes, help comes later than they would like it to.

“What we see far too often is an intersection of somebody who is in a mental health crisis and unable to get help, family is unable to get them help, and they can sometimes either do damage to themselves or others because of the lack of that support that they need in that moment,” Shaughnessy said.

“It appears that is a situation that happened in Lewiston, unfortunately, and we see it in small ways every day where somebody who is in a mental health crisis or a psychotic break or something and interacts with the police. Law enforcement shows up because they’re called, and, oftentimes, it’s not a good outcome,” she continued.

To try to address some of these needs, the city of Lewiston has approved funding for a long-term community center to provide resources for victims and Gov. Mills announced last month a new website dedicated to providing resources for Maine residents affected by the Lewiston shooting and to connect them with behavioral health support.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LANSING, Mich.) — Michigan lawmakers have passed a series of 9 bills repealing certain abortion restrictions, which are now headed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk.

The package, called the Reproductive Health Act, aims to help increase access to abortion that may have remained unavailable or inaccessible in some parts of the state.

It comes a year after Michiganders voted overwhelmingly in favor of Proposal 3 (Prop 3), which enshrined abortion rights in the state’s constitution.

The new bills, which passed the state House last week and the state Senate Tuesday, repealed a law requiring the patient to receive information on abortion provided by the state, such as depiction of a fetus, and allowing residents to sue if their right to an abortion is infringed under Prop 3.

The legislation also requires private insurance companies to provide coverage for all pregnancy-related health care, including abortion, through an optional rider and removed some regulations for clinics that provide abortion that could cause them to close if they are not met.

However, due to pushback from some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, two provisions of the RHA did not pass. The first was overturning the requirement that patients wait 24 hours between seeking an abortion and receiving the procedure and the second was removing a ban on Medicaid coverage for abortion care.

The ACLU of Michigan said in a press release that not eliminating these barriers would make it difficult for marginalized groups including Black and brown people, working class residents and rural residents to access abortion.

In a statement to WPBN-TV, Whitmer praised the passage of the RHA as progress and in line with what residents voted for last November.

“Michiganders spoke loud and clear in the last election when they voted overwhelmingly to protect the constitutional freedom for people to make their own decisions about their bodies,” Whitmer said in a statement. “For years, Michigan has had politically motivated and medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion on the books.”

“These laws criminalized doctors for providing medical care, jacked up out of pocket health care costs, and imposed needless regulations on health centers. This legislation makes important steps toward expanding access and protecting our personal freedoms. We will continue to take action to ensure that Michiganders can access the reproductive health care they deserve,” the statement continued.

Last year, Michigan voters said yes to an amendment, Prop 3, that would add protections for reproductive rights and enshrine them in the state’s constitution.

The amendment defines reproductive freedom as “the right to make and carry out pregnancy-related decisions uch as those concerning prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion, miscarriage management, and infertility care.”

On Wednesday, Right to Life Michigan and 15 other plaintiffs announced they filed a lawsuit in federal court to overturn several elements of Prop 3. They are asking for a permanent injunction, claiming the proposal is unconstitutional.

“Earlier this morning, a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed challenging the constitutionality of central elements of Proposal 3,” the group said in a statement. “The provisions asserted to be unconstitutional under federal law threaten legal protections for pregnant women seeking healthcare, the rights of physicians to care for patients, and the rights of parents already under attack on many fronts.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the diabetes drug Zepbound to also treat obesity on Wednesday.

The drug’s active ingredient is called tirzepatide. As a diabetes drug, it is sold under the brand name Mounjaro, which is manufactured by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co.

It has now been approved under the brand name 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.

The drug is similar to semaglutide, the active ingredient in the medications Ozempic and Wegovy — both made by Novo Nordisk — but works slightly differently because it targets two hormones involved in blood sugar control rather than just one.

Studies suggest it could lead to more dramatic weight loss than semaglutide.

Last month, a study found that tirzepatide helped some people with obesity or overweight lose about a quarter of their body weight — when paired with an extensive diet and exercise program.

Earlier this year, Eli Lilly released clinical trial results showing participants who were overweight or obese and had type 2 diabetes — who took Zepbound compared to a placebo — lost up to 15.7% of their body weight over 72 weeks of treatment.

In general, medications like Mounjaro, Ozempic, Wegovy and Saxenda, the latter of which is also made by Novo Nordisk, and several others were originally approved to treat diabetes.

However, researchers have learned over the past several years that the drugs can also lead to weight loss.

Wegovy was approved by the FDA for long-term weight management in people who are overweight or obese in 2021 while Saxenda was approved for adults in 2014 and in those aged 12 and older in 2020.

Ozempic is still only approved for diabetes, although some physicians have prescribed it as a weight loss drug.

Increasingly, obesity specialists have recognized that obesity is a metabolic condition that cannot be adequately managed with diet and exercise alone for most people.

For some people, surgery or lifelong medication management may be an appropriate way to help manage obesity.

Currently, 41.9% of the U.S. adult population is living with obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Obesity raises the risk of heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer — all of which are leading causes of preventable, premature death, the CDC said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the diabetes drug Zepbound to also treat obesity on Wednesday.

The drug’s active ingredient is called tirzepatide. As a diabetes drug, it is sold under the brand name Mounjaro, which is manufactured by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co.

It has now been approved under the brand name 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.

The drug is similar to semaglutide, the active ingredient in the medications Ozempic and Wegovy — both made by Novo Nordisk — but works slightly differently because it targets two hormones involved in blood sugar control rather than just one.

Studies suggest it could lead to more dramatic weight loss than semaglutide.

Last month, a study found that tirzepatide helped some people with obesity or overweight lose about a quarter of their body weight — when paired with an extensive diet and exercise program.

Earlier this year, Eli Lilly released clinical trial results showing participants who were overweight or obese and had type 2 diabetes — who took Zepbound compared to a placebo — lost up to 15.7% of their body weight over 72 weeks of treatment.

In general, medications like Mounjaro, Ozempic, Wegovy and Saxenda, the latter of which is also made by Novo Nordisk, and several others were originally approved to treat diabetes.

However, researchers have learned over the past several years that the drugs can also lead to weight loss.

Wegovy was approved by the FDA for long-term weight management in people who are overweight or obese in 2021 while Saxenda was approved for adults in 2014 and in those aged 12 and older in 2020.

Ozempic is still only approved for diabetes, although some physicians have prescribed it as a weight loss drug.

Increasingly, obesity specialists have recognized that obesity is a metabolic condition that cannot be adequately managed with diet and exercise alone for most people.

For some people, surgery or lifelong medication management may be an appropriate way to help manage obesity.

Currently, 41.9% of the U.S. adult population is living with obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Obesity raises the risk of heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer — all of which are leading causes of preventable, premature death, the CDC said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The CDC is warning about “dire” levels of babies born with syphilis in the U.S., with a new analysis showing a tenfold increase from 2012 to 2022. The agency’s data shows that 3,761 babies were born with syphilis in 2022, and more than 200 babies died from the disease that year.

Nine in 10 of those cases of babies born syphilis could have been prevented with better testing and treatment for syphilis in pregnant people, according to the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that has been on the rise in recent years. The infection can be dangerous if left untreated — particularly during pregnancy. “You may not know you have syphilis, and that’s why it’s so important, particularly when pregnant, to get tested,” said Dr. Debra Houry, the chief medical officer at the CDC.

CDC data shows that more than half of the babies born with congenital syphilis in 2022 were born to women who tested positive for syphilis during pregnancy but did not get appropriate treatment. “This increase in cases of congenital syphilis really speaks to a large issue about healthcare disparity, including awareness and access to prenatal care,” said ABC News Medical contributor Dr. Alok Patel.

Syphilis is easily treated with antibiotics, which can be given safely during pregnancy. “Treating at the right time can prevent nearly all congenital syphilis cases,” Patel said. “So any case of syphilis in a newborn baby represents a failure of healthcare access.”

The CDC is calling for “exceptional measures” from healthcare providers and public health officials to slow these trends. That includes testing pregnant people in more settings, including at emergency departments, jails and needle exchange programs.

The CDC recommends screening for syphilis during pregnancy at all first prenatal care visits or as soon as pregnancy is identified. People with higher risk should also be screened again at 28 weeks and at delivery, according to the CDC.

Houry defined “high risk” as “people who live in a community that has high rates of syphilis, engage in unsafe sexual behaviors, or had prior sexually transmitted infections.”

In addition to increased testing, Houry said doctors should also consider using more timely “rapid tests” which can give a quick response and don’t require days of waiting for results to be sent to a laboratory. Rapid tests, while less accurate, could give doctors an opportunity to start patients on treatment if they are concerned the patient might not be able to come back for a follow up visit.

The new uptick in congenital syphilis could signal a “very concerning warning of a looming public health disaster that we will see if you continue to have poor access to maternity and prenatal care,” Patel said. “We can’t let this get any worse.”

Anna Roesler, MD, is a resident physician in pediatrics at Jacobi Medical Center and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

 

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(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.

(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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(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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(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.”

 

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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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