Morning Roundup: Dec. 3, 2019

Meth Is Killing More Utahns Than Ever [Salt Lake Tribune]Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner Fight Post-Relapse [Radar Online]Teen Opens Free Mental Health Lounge For Kids In Need After Being Stabbed By Bullies [News3TV]The Class Of 2000 "Could've Been Anything." Until Opioids Hit [NY Times]Built For Counterterrorism, This High-Tech Machine Is Now Helping Fight Fentanyl [NPR]What Would A War On The Drug Cartels Look Like? [Town Hall]Public Health Crisis: 25% of Youth Are Addicted To Phone, Often With Mental Health Problems [Fast Company]"Secret Santa" Causes Millennial Anxiety [Mental Floss] 

Doctors Use "TikTok" To Teach Teens About Vaping Dangers

Figuring out a way to reach teens has been an ongoing issue for medical professionals, teachers and parents for decades. But now, a handful of doctors have found a very modern solution to raising awareness and educating teens and it's a popular app called TikTok.What Is TikTok?The app, which Slate describes as a "social network for amateur music videos," allows users to express themselves in 15-second clips that they can then upload for their followers to see.Dr. Rose Marie Leslie uses the app to inform teens about the health impact of e-cigarettes and other medical misinformation. For Dr. Leslie, it's important to dispel harmful health myths which are becoming more widespread thanks to the Internet. “I may not be the perfect health guru on social media,” Dr. Leslie told CNBC. “I don’t meditate or do yoga, I rarely get enough sleep, I’m not vegan and I don’t post inspirational quotes. But let me tell you, I have never and will never try to convince you that drinking celery juice cures cancer.”Dr. Leslie, who can be found on the app under @DrLeslie, practices family medicine at the University of Minnesota. Her TikTok videos have put a spotlight on vaping illnesses, birth control and she even busts medical myths for her 300,000 TikTok followers.Dr. Leslie is happy that her videos are making a positive impacts on teens' lives. She regularly receives letters, emails and comments from teens thanking her for helping them understand the issues. She also receives a number of medical questions that some teens are afraid to ask the adults in their lives. The Power Of Social MediaDr. Austin Chiang is also a big believer in the power of social media. He uses Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to help young doctors and to educate the public on how vaccines work. Public health experts see the use of social media in medicine as an overall positive thing. “I’ve heard the criticism that doctors and other medical professionals on social media are somehow less credible, or won’t be taken as seriously by their peers,” said Sherry Pagoto, a behavioral scientist and professor at the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut. “But I think that school of thought is going to be a thing of the past.”Pagoto added that “it would be great for public health organizations to follow the lead of these medical professionals on TikTok.”

Willie Nelson Has Quit Smoking Marijuana

Country legend Willie Nelson, who smoked his first joint in 1954, revealed in a recent interview that breathing problems have forced him to stop smoking marijuana, his notable drug of choice.“I have abused my lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days and I have to be careful,” Nelson told KSAT TV.“I started smoking cedar bark, went from that to cigarettes to whatever. And that almost killed me.”Nelson, who has a history of emphysema, was left with no choice but to give up smoking the bud. “I don’t smoke anymore - take better care of myself,” Nelson said.Leaving Cigs & Whiskey BehindThe 86-year-old singer told Rolling Stone back in April, “I’m kind of the canary in the mine, if people are wondering what happens if you smoke that shit a long time,” he said. “You know, if I start jerking or shaking or something, don’t give me no more weed. But as long as I’m all right...”While the country legend first tried marijuana in 1954, it wouldn't be until over two decades later before he opted to make it his number one vice - a decision that the singer stands behind. He cut out the cigarettes and whiskey and never looked back.“I wouldn’t be alive. It saved my life, really. I wouldn’t have lived 85 years if I’d have kept drinking and smoking like I was when I was 30, 40 years old. I think that weed kept me from wanting to kill people," he told Rolling Stone, "And probably kept a lot of people from wanting to kill me, too — out there drunk, running around.”Willie's ReserveThough he may not smoke it anymore, he is still in the marijuana business. His medicinal marijuana brand Willie's Reserve launched back in 2016 and is still going strong. “This is a culmination of Willie’s vision, and his whole life,” said Michael Bowman, Nelson’s spokesman said in a statement about the launch. “Really, he wants it, at the end of the day, to envelop what his personal morals and convictions are.”Bowman continued, “Willie has spent a lifetime in support of cannabis, both the industrial hemp side and the marijuana side. He wants to be something that’s reflective of his passion. Ultimately, it’s his, but it was developed by his family, and their focus on environmental and social issues, and in particular this crazy War on Drugs, and trying to be a bright light amongst this trail as we’re trying to extract ourselves from the goo of prohibition.” 

If, When, and How You Should Talk To Others About Your Addiction

“Oh, you don’t drink? Why not?”It’s a question most people in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction have heard at least once. Although not all Americans drink, it sometimes seems like all of us are expected to. When you pass on a drink (or a drag, for that matter), it can prompt unwanted questioning. This is a situation that you’re almost guaranteed to encounter at some point in recovery, so it’s best to prepare ahead of time. If you’ve thought about how you want to talk to other people about your substance use disorder and your sobriety ahead of time, you’ll be better able to handle (or deflect) questions as they come up. Reflect On Your Comfort LevelThe first step in deciding how to talk to others about your addiction and recovery is to reflect on your general comfort level talking about addiction. Some people prefer to keep things private, while others enjoy the support they get from sharing milestones on social media and with wide circles of people they know. Both of those responses are fine; you just have to decide which one is right for you. This is a time to be honest with yourself. You might want to become an advocate for recovery eventually, but some feel that in early recovery it’s best to keep things private. It can be helpful to talk with your sponsor or other people in recovery as you decide what you want to share, if anything at all. No One Size Fits AllConsider that different people in your life might warrant different information on your addiction and recovery. The people closest to you, like your partner or children, were likely deeply impacted by your addiction, so you might feel that they deserve more insight into your recovery process. These people can likely benefit from understanding the disease of addiction and the process of recovery. Talking openly with them can help them understand your recovery process. Other people, like an acquaintance who notices that you aren’t drinking, aren’t owed an explanation at all. It’s completely fine to not discuss your addiction and recovery with these people at all. Remember, choosing not to discuss your addiction and recovery with strangers doesn’t mean you’re ashamed. After all, you likely wouldn’t discuss any other personal medical condition with someone you barely know. Then there are people who you don’t want to be particularly open with, but who were impacted by your recovery. This might include your colleagues. For these people, address the issues that need to be spoken about, without going into extra detail. You can assure your boss that you are reliable and able to do your job, without getting into the nitty gritty details about your addiction. Boundaries are always ok. Practice Deflecting QuestionsSometimes, it seems that people forget their manners when discussing addiction and recovery. No matter what type of openness you decide on, you’re likely to encounter some questions that you feel are too intrusive. Consider ahead of time how you’ll respond to these. “Why do you ask?” is a simple and polite response that puts the onus back on the person you’re talking too. Most likely, they’ll realize what they’re asking about is none of their business, giving you a chance to put the conversation back on grounds that you’re comfortable with. Check In Over TimeLike most aspects of recovery, how you discuss your addiction and sobriety will likely change over time. As you reach more recovery milestones and become more confident in your sobriety, you might want to share more of your story with people close to you and with strangers. Periodically check in with yourself, and think about your comfort level in sharing your story.Many people who deal with stigmatized conditions like substance use disorder find it empowering to speak out or advocate for changes that can make the road easier for those coming behind. Speaking out gives you the opportunity to control the narrative, and tell your story how you want it portrayed. After the disempowerment of living with active addiction, it can be powerful to feel in control. Learn more about Oceanside Malibu at http://oceansidemalibu.com/. Reach Oceanside Malibu by phone at (866) 738-6550. Find Oceanside Malibu on Facebook.

5 Ways To Practice Compassion Among Your Family and Friends Through the Holidays

The holidays are a time when families come together to celebrate the season of gratitude and while the season is often marked by abundance, it can also be a time of great need.It can be easy to assume that everyone is doing well during the holidays, but even in seemingly stable families, there exist struggling college students, extended family who may be going to the food bank for the first time, moms who are secretly going through a divorce and wondering how to get by during the coming year, and family members facing a diagnosis that will require hospitalization.Why not use this time together to look for and help your friends and family that could use an extra hand this holiday season?Here are five ways to weave compassion – for yourself and others – into the coming holidays.1. Check In: Don’t Assume It’s All OkayDo you have a friend or family member that you think might be going through something? Check in and ask. Offer to take them out to lunch, send them a card or a text. Make a phone call. You don’t have to pry into their life but be there and listen to what they have to say. The holidays can trigger all kinds of feelings and are a good time to touch base, especially amid the flurry of holiday cards and photos.2. Listen to UnderstandThere’s a difference between “listen to talk” and “listen to understand.” Listening to understand means you’re actively listening to the other person. You’re not in the “problem solving mindset,” you’re in the “exploration” mindset. Your friend may simply need to talk. Or they might need advice or a second opinion. Whatever it is, you won’t know unless you practice listening to understand. Creating space for those story-telling family members is a great place to start – studies show that recounting stories improves self-esteem in seniors.3. Care for YourselfMaybe you’re the one who is always there for everyone and always showing up when people need it most, and maybe this year, you’re going through struggles of your own. Tell someone you need to talk and make the time to do it, whether it’s a friend, a family member, a therapist, or counselor. Your needs are valid and important and your family and friends will respect that you know how to ask for and get the help you need to live your best life. Make it the gift you give yourself this year.4. Find Causes That Speak To YouFind nonprofits and causes that you can make an ongoing part of your life. Why? Because when a cause speaks to you, you’re more likely to look for creative ways to help it. When you’re actively involved with a cause you believe in, you’re more likely to talk about it with your friends and encourage them to give back in ways that are meaningful in their lives. Giving Tuesday is just one day, but a great day to start.5. Get OrganizedWhen you know someone who is going through a hardship, like a loved one in the hospital, the birth of a new baby, a sick child, or the death of a loved one, organize your friends and family to help them. This can be done with online tools like Give InKind that help you coordinate financial contributions, calendar tasks, chores, and more on a dedicated page that helps the person in need get exactly what they need. Time spent with family is a great time to pull together and make a plan for supporting someone you love.No matter how you give and give back this holiday season and beyond, stay mindful about those in need. May we all be lucky enough to not need, but when we do, may we all have the support of our loved ones and community to help us through. Laura Malcolm is the CEO and Founder of the social support network, Give InKind.

Kamala Harris Unveils Mental Health Plan With Charlamagne Tha God

Senator Kamala Harris unveiled her new mental health plan in South Carolina this week during an event featuring radio personality/author Charlamagne tha God. Harris sat down with The Breakfast Club host to discuss the state of mental health in America.  A Public Policy Failure"Probably one of the biggest public policy failures of America is the failure to address mental health and put the resources into it as a priority. The result of that is that people are silently suffering who should never suffer. We have so many children who are experiencing undiagnosed, untreated trauma, whether it is because they’re growing up in a home where there’s violence, which crosses socioeconomic lines, or a community where there’s violence, or growing up in poverty because — let’s be clear — poverty is trauma-inducing," Harris explained, according to Post and Courier. "All of the behaviors that result from that undiagnosed, untreated trauma are predictable. We’re failing to address it and then where we do address it is in the criminal justice system. We have basically turned jails and prisons into these gigantic mental health facilities without any mental health treatment."Charlamagne then touched on the issue of trauma and how he had to unlearn stigmatizing beliefs regarding who is affected by mental illness."They call it a correctional facility, but what are you really correcting? You’re taking these kids who are already dealing with so much trauma and throwing them in a situation that’s just putting trauma on top of trauma, and then you’re letting them out in the world — if they are blessed enough to come home — and they haven’t dealt with anything," he said. "I think one of the reasons they don’t get the help they need is because we don’t look at mental health services as something that should be part of a larger healthcare initiative. I didn’t even realize anxiety and depression was considered a mental health issue until I started going to therapy. When you think mental health, you think schizophrenia, you think somebody in a straitjacket, but no, it’s people dealing with these issues every single day and they just don’t have the proper tools and resources to go deal with it."Harris added, "And then we deal with it when it reaches a crisis level. You would never say that we should have a health care system that only deals with stage four cancer."In her new plan, Harris calls for an amendment to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that would protect healthcare providers who give out patients' private information if they are acting out of "good faith."Disabled healthcare advocate Kendally Brown tweeted Harris in response to her proposed HIPAA amendments. "I adore you, but eliminating the IMD exclusion would remove the ONE protection mentally ill people have from the state locking them up in institutions long-term. I love that you're focussing on mental health, but any solution MUST be community based, not institutional."Brown's stance is a common one among recovery and mental health advocates who fight for patients with addiction and/or mental health issues to make their own healthcare decisions.Kamala's Mental Health PlanHere is Harris's multi-pronged plan to address mental health, according to her campaign website:Focus Federal Funding on Needed Mental Health ResearchKamala will direct federal funds to seek better treatment for mental illness and research on mental health issues more broadly, including research on adults with serious mental illness (SMI) and the use of interventions that reduce homelessness, arrest, incarceration, and unnecessary hospitalization.Expand Coverage of and Access to Mental Health ServicesThrough her Medicare for All plan, Kamala will deliver mental health on demand via telemedicine, providing care by phone or video to all Americans whenever and wherever they need it—all without deductibles or copays.A shortage of mental health professionals harms American families and communities. It also drives provider stress and burnout. Kamala will authorize an educational loan forgiveness program for mental health professionals that agree to practice in areas with a shortage of providers.Increase Access to Hospitals, Housing, and Other Care FacilitiesKamala will double the number of treatment beds nationwide, prioritizing states with shortages, including Iowa, Nevada, South Carolina, and Michigan, so persons with mental illness can receive the high levels of care they need.She’ll repeal the Institutions of Mental Disease (IMD) exclusion, which precludes Medicaid funding for adults receiving care in psychiatric facilities with more than 16 beds and has exacerbated a severe shortage of acute psychiatric care beds nationwide.Focus on Vulnerable PopulationsDouble US Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs (VA) research dollars to address and treat PTSD, military sexual trauma, and traumatic brain injury.Invest in evidence-based screenings for childhood trauma—including the fact that poverty is trauma-inducing—to diagnose and treat mental illness as early as possible.End the Mental-Illness-to-Jail PipelineKamala will expand Crisis Intervention Team training, which integrates specialized police, mental health professionals, EMS, 911 systems, and hospital emergency rooms in response to mental health crisis calls.You can read more about Harris's plan here.

Harry Styles Recalls Using Magic Mushrooms While Recording New Album

Former One Direction star Harry Styles is on the road promoting his upcomg sophomore effort, Fine Line, which is slated for release on December 13. Recently, Styles sat down with Zane Lowe for an interview on his Apple TV show, New Music Daily, where he discussed the recording process and his adventures with magic mushrooms."Making this record, I just felt so much more joyous. I felt safe," Styles explained to Lowe. Styles said that he doesn't usually indulge in alcohol or drugs while he's working but he felt safe among friends in Malibu. He decided that it was time to do some experimenting. "My thing with drugs is that if you're taking anything to escape or to try and hide from stuff then you shouldn't even drink. But if you're taking anything to have fun and be creative, then great. I was with my friends and making an album, you get in your head and you hit these bumps in the road...sometimes you take something and you don't worry about it. It's kind of stress-relieving in a sense," Styles shared.Recording On ShroomsThe 25-year-old hearthrob first opened up about his experience recording on shrooms in a Rolling Stone profile this past August.“We’d do mushrooms, lie down on the grass, and listen to Paul McCartney’s Ram in the sunshine,” he says of the Malibu location where he recorded his new album. “We’d just turn the speakers into the yard. You’d hear the blender going, and think, ‘So we’re all having frozen margaritas at 10 a.m. this morning.’”Styles highlights a corner of the room where a now-infamous accident occurred while he was tripping.“This is where I was standing when we were doing mushrooms and I bit off the tip of my tongue. So I was trying to sing with all this blood gushing out of my mouth. So many fond memories, this place.”Styles pointed out that he purposefully avoided drugs and heavy drinking while in One Direction because he didn't want to destroy the band. “When I was in the band, to me it felt like it was so much bigger than any of us; I felt, I’m not going to be the one who fucked it up,” Styles said. “So I was like, I’m not going to do any of that stuff. So I was like, now is the time in my life when you probably want to go out and experiment."Back in 2017, Styles told The Sun, “On the first couple of tours it was so exciting as we’d have a drink and go to parties. But for me, the albums got higher so they become harder to sing so I knew if I didn’t come off stage and go to bed I wouldn’t be able to sing the next night. Also, it’s just not for me. I’d rather wake up with a clear head. I’m not straight edge or anything – I’ll celebrate and hang out with friends when it’s the right time. But I like knowing I’m not going to be stressing about having to do something the next day."Liam's BattleStyles' former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne has been open about his heavy alcohol use during the height of the band's fame. Payne spoke to Men's Health Australia about using alcohol to deal with the stress of being mega famous."It's almost like putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage and underneath the Disney costume I was pissed (drunk) quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on," he said. "I mean, it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic."Payne added, "It’s difficult when you have the level of fame that we had in the band. There have been a lot of people in trouble with mental health that aren’t really getting the help that they need and I think that’s a bit of a problem in our industry. It’s the same shit that happens to everyone, that’s been happening since the '70s. You know what the traps are and if you are lucky enough, like me, to be able to get out of that scenario and back into a sense of normality, then you know it’s a bit different.”

On the Other Side of Addiction, Only Love Remains

In my darker moments I’d search the obituaries for his name.Orlando Reyes JimenezPreparing to grieve my ex-husband’s death had become familiar; a routine performed in solitude. My procedure was always the same. I’d fill his favorite silver mug with chamomile tea and type his name into a search engine. I would scroll the death notices and inhale the steam; it smelled of sunlight and grass. I would wrap my hands around his mug until the tea grew cold. After four years I still hadn’t found an obituary but I knew he could be dead. I knew he had been homeless. I knew his health was spiraling downward. I suspected he still drank heavily. I was tired of the shame and silence that surrounded loving him. Alcoholism overshadowed his life. I did not want it to overshadow his death.My Second FamilyAt the end of our ten-year marriage I had become terrified that he’d die. Almost daily I would help him to bed after whiskey binges led him to black out. He never remembered the way he crawled down the hallway and how I turned him on his side so he wouldn’t choke on his vomit. In the mornings I’d wipe his clammy forehead and smooth his black bangs. His thick hair still curled at the ends just as it had when we met. We were just kids then, only 12 years old. During our teens I spent so much time at his house that his parents and brothers became my second family. His mom fed me bowls of molé with tortillas while his dad and I discussed books and music deep into the twilight. By the time we got married in our twenties, the wedding ceremony made formal what we had known all along: we were family. In our twenties we partied, but I assumed it was just a college thing. I grew out of it and into graduate school. By the time I began teaching college and seeing music therapy clients his party binges had turned into daily drinking. He began punching holes in the walls of our apartment. When I confronted him, he began to hide his drinking. A drunk driving arrest led to rehab and a year of sobriety. But he relapsed and refused help. He began verbally abusing me. I contracted my world around him until the threat of physical violence became obvious. Eventually I got counseling and spiritual advising and we divorced. I no longer sat with his mom and dad at the kitchen table.But Orlando and I stayed in touch. After all, we had been friends since seventh grade. He’d call and tell me about his homelessness, his ejection from a halfway house for being drunk. I remarried, moved, and built a healthy life. The gap between our lives widened. After a few years he stopped calling.A Way to Feel ConnectedI began my search for his obituary. My search began as a way to feel connected to him. All typical social contact had been severed by both the divorce and his behavior. At first, acquaintances had fallen away after his violent outbursts in public. Then friends stopped calling after he borrowed money and didn’t pay it back. Even his siblings seemed to become disillusioned after he passed out during a backyard barbecue in front of his nieces. By the time we divorced his family had taken over his care and I dropped out of contact with them. United in our love for him, yet fearing for his life, we seemed to retreat from each other as if disconnecting would help us move forward. When his phone calls stopped and he dropped off social media, I was shadowed by the sense of him wandering the world alone. I would picture him drunk and in constant danger of an accident or cumulation of uncontrolled diabetes keeping him a hair’s breadth from death. I could no longer turn him on his side and wipe his forehead. My search became the only way I could care for him. Each time I didn’t find an obituary, it meant there was still a chance he was alive. Six years after our divorce, his family sent me an email. Orlando had died from a pulmonary embolism, just four days from what would have been our eighteenth wedding anniversary. They did not invite me to the funeral or burial and I craved a way to externalize my grief. I sent a request to the Michigan coroner for his death certificate. When it arrived a few weeks later, I went into my garden and read it repeatedly as in ritual. The cause of death was listed as accidental. I tried not to imagine what had happened. I ran my fingers along the coroner’s signature as if the letters could connect me to everyone who loved Orlando.I Needed a Place to Put My PainMost family written death notices are quite simple, and I’m not sure why his family didn’t write one. Perhaps their grief was too heavy to share publicly. Perhaps they were ashamed of him. Or maybe it just wasn’t a meaningful part of their grieving process. It wasn’t the length of the obituary I needed, nor its ability to express the complexity of his life. It was the simple and public recognition that he had existed. That his life warranted notice. The grieving process needs two things: solitude and community. An obituary would have allowed me the feeling of sharing my loss with others. I knew that when we divorced I had abdicated my rights to the family. But I still loved him as I had since childhood. I needed a place to put my pain.So I once again returned to brewing chamomile tea in his favorite mug, a silver travel mug that was the only thing of his I’d kept after our divorce. I would cup my hands around its rotund shape and for a moment feel his warmth again. I opened my computer, but instead of typing his name into the search engine, I typed it across the top of a new document. I wrote all the words I had searched for. I gave him an obituary. Jimenez, Orlando Reyes, 42, of Waukegan died on August 20, 2016 at a hospital in Detroit. His death was ruled accidental. Orlando will be remembered for the way he loved to make people laugh and for his engulfing hugs. He is survived by his parents, two brothers, and two nieces. He is also survived by his ex-wife, his childhood sweetheart. She continues to use his favorite silver mug in which she brews tea that smells of summer and hope. In lieu of flowers please forgive the addiction and remember the soul. On the other side of addiction only love remains. 

Kirstie Alley Shares Hot Take On Psychiatric Meds

Actress Kirstie Alley's Twitter feed has been the topic of debate over her controversial tweets on psychiatric drugs.Before her Sunday hot take on psychiatry, Alley shared a heartfelt revelation on the popular app. The Cheers actress opened up about what she does with the money she used to spend on cocaine back when she was battling an addiction to the drug. "For u who don't know much about me, I used to be a coke head," Alley who is now 40 years drug-free tweeted on Thursday. "I quit drugs in 1979 & vowed to spend the same $ weekly on flowers that I'd spent on drugs."The 66-year-old added, "I buy & arrange my own flowers as a gift to MYSELF. I buy them in the grocery store."Alley's fans congratulated the actress for her four decades of being drug-free and shared their own sober tales. A couple days later, Alley upset some Twitter users when she called into question the prevalence of psychiatric drugs. Hot Takes"Does anyone else worry about how unconscious we are being rendered by pharmaceutical drugs? Is anyone else concerned that we are the most psych drugged country on the planet? I tell you what, if I was an evil dictator & wanted to control a society, I would drug them into apathy," Alley tweeted on Sunday. Her tweet received mixed reviews from her followers, with some lauding Alley, a long-time Scientologist, for speaking out against what she perceives as an overall overprescription of psychiatric drugs. Alley's views echo those of Tom Cruise, inarguably the world's most famous living Scientologist.Cruise caught a wave of backlash from mental health experts and patients after proclaiming his disdain for psych meds in a now-infamous 2005 interview with Matt Lauer.“I’ve never agreed with psychiatry, ever,” Cruise said. “Before I was a Scientologist I never agreed with psychiatry, and when I started studying the history of psychiatry, I understood more and more why I didn’t believe in psychology.”Prior to the Lauer interview, Cruise had taken Brooke Shields to task with accusations that she was "promoting" antidepressants by saying that the medication Paxil helped her deal with postpartum depression."As far as the Brooke Shields thing, look, you have to understand, I really care about Brooke Shields – she’s a wonderful and talented woman, and I want her to do well, and I know psychiatry is a pseudoscience,” Cruise stated. “The thing that I’m saying about Brooke is that there’s misinformation, okay. And she doesn’t understand the history of psychiatry. She doesn’t understand in the same way that you don’t understand it, Matt.”"There's No Such Thing As A Chemical Balance"Cruise went on to denounce the prescription of Ritalin to children and suggested that "vitamins and exercise" could resolve personal issues.  “Drugs are not the answer,” said Cruise. “I think there’s a better quality of life.”Shields responded to Cruise's comments in an interview with People. “I agree with him about his feeling on prescribing drugs to kids. We are in accord,” she said. “I don’t think Ritalin should be prescribed to kids. Postpartum depression is a different matter. I think I’m more qualified to talk about that (than he is).”According to Shields, Cruise offered her a "heartfelt apology" in 2006 for bringing her into his psychiatric debate.

American Medical Association Calls For Ban On Vaping Products, E-Cigs

The American Medical Association has gone on the record against vaping and are calling for a total ban of all vaping products and e-cigarettes that are unapproved by the FDA to be used as "cessation tools."On Monday, the organization published a press release announcing the call for a ban as well as new vaping-related policies.The new policies include:Urgently advocate for regulatory, legislative, and/or legal action at the federal and/or state levels to ban the sale and distribution of all e-cigarette and vaping products, with the exception of those approved by the FDA for tobacco cessation purposes and made available by prescription only;Advocate for research funding to study the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarette and vaping products for tobacco cessation purposes;Call for immediate and thorough study of the use of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment strategies for tobacco use disorder and nicotine dependence resulting from the use of non-combustible and combustible tobacco products in populations under the age of 18;Actively collaborate with health care professionals, particularly pharmacists and other health care team members, to persuade retail pharmacies to immediately cease sales of tobacco products;Advocate for diagnostic codes for e-cigarette and vaping associated illnesses, including pulmonary toxicity.“The recent lung illness outbreak has alarmed physicians and the broader public health community and shined a light on the fact that we have very little evidence about the short- and long-term health consequences of e-cigarettes and vaping products,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A. “It’s simple – we must keep nicotine products out of the hands of young people and that’s why we are calling for an immediate ban on all e-cigarette and vaping products from the market. With the number of young people using e-cigarettes spiking it is not only critical that there is research into nicotine addiction treatments for this population, but it is imperative that we continue efforts to prevent youth from ever using nicotine.”The AMA's full-court press on vaping comes as a wave of illnesses continue to afflict vape users across the country. The CDC announced in early November that vitamine e oil acetate has been found in a high number of  e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) cases. Here is the CDC's Latest Outbreak Information on vaping-related illnesses and deaths:As of November 13, 2019, 2,172* cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) have been reported to CDC from 49 states (all except Alaska), the District of Columbia, and 2 U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands).Forty-two deaths have been confirmed in 24 states and the District of Columbia (as of November 13, 2019):Alabama, California (4), Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia (3), Illinois (4), Indiana (4), Kansas (2), Massachusetts (2), Michigan, Minnesota (3), Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon (2), Pennsylvania, Tennessee (2), Texas, Utah, and VirginiaThe median age of deceased patients was 52 years and ranged from 17 to 75 years (as of November 13, 2019).CDC continues to work closely with FDA, states, public health partners, and clinicians on this investigation. Youth Vaping EpidemicThere is another vaping-related epidemic wreaking havoc across the country and it is affecting teens and adolescents at worrisome rates. Around 2.1 million adolescents were using e-cigarettes in 2017 alone. E-cigarette company Juul has been accused of creating the youth vaping epidemic by deceptively marketing their products to underage individuals. Juul denies these allegations.Government officials have reportedly been meeting behind the scenes to discuss new regulations, potential bans on vaping products, specifically flavored ones. This week Trump is set to meet with the vaping industry executives and public health advocates as he decides whether or not to ban flavoring products.