Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 11-18-20

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26 I HEALTH I November 18, 2020 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE @MIDRIVERSNEWS MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings will likely look different this year – and many may not happen at all – due to the pandemic. (Source: Adobe Stock) health capsules By LISA RUSSELL It’s finally time to celebrate the holidays together … or not The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently poured cold water on the Thanksgiving plans of many families, warning that holding even small holiday celebrations with loved ones may put Americans at increased risk for contracting COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and now-controversial White House advisor, backed up that warning with a public announcement that his own children won’t be coming home for Thanksgiving this year because of the risk. “You may have to bite the bullet and sacrifice that social gathering,” Fauci advised as cases of the virus continue to spike in many areas … including Missouri, where hospitalizations and deaths hit a new record in October. However, deciding whether to host or attend a particular Thanksgiving celebration or other holiday gathering remains in the hands of each individual and family. Following are guidelines the CDC has provided to help people make those decisions. • Number of people at the gathering – Gatherings with more people pose more risk than gatherings with a few, although the CDC does not have a limit or recommend a specific number of attendees. Instead, the size of a holiday gathering should be determined based on the ability to reduce or limit contact and virus spread between attendees along with state and local safety regulations. • Food and drinks – Self-serve bars or meals served buffet style pose more risk to attendees. • Community levels of COVID-19 – Family and friends should consider the number and rate of COVID-19 cases in their own community and, just as importantly, in the communities their guests are coming from. • The location and duration of the gathering – Indoor gatherings generally pose more risk than outdoor gatherings – for indoor gatherings, keeping windows and doors open to increase ventilation can help to decrease risk. Gatherings that last several hours also pose more risk than shorter ones. • The behaviors of guests prior to the gathering – People who are generally not adhering to social distancing, mask wearing, hand washing, and other preventive behaviors pose more risk and should potentially be left off the guest list, as should those who refuse to follow these behavior rules during the gathering. Everyday habit may reduce household COVID-19 spread A large percentage of COVID-19 cases to date have been due to the virus spreading among family members or others living in the same household … with a transmission rate as high as 50% in some studies. But taking the simple step of using mouthwash or another oral antiseptic on a daily basis may help to contain the spread by inactivating the virus in the mouth and throat, Penn State scientists have discovered. A group of doctors and scientists at the university’s College of Medicine tested several different types of oral and nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) products in a lab for their ability to inactivate human coronaviruses similar in structure to SARS- CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The products included various brands of mouthwash, peroxide-based antiseptic mouth rinses, a 1% solution of baby shampoo, and a neti pot. They allowed these solutions to interact with the viruses for periods of 30 seconds, one minute and two minutes before diluting them to prevent further virus inactivation. They found that many of the mouthwash and oral rinse products effectively inactivated greater than 99.9% of the infectious virus after only 30 seconds of contact time, while others took longer but also did so. The 1% baby shampoo solution – which is often used by head and neck specialists to rinse the sinuses of patients – inactivated Regular use of mouthwash/oral antiseptic products may limit the spread of COVID-19 within households. (Source: Adobe Stock) more than 99.9% of the virus after two minutes of contact. The team said that while more specific studies are needed, these products may have real potential to reduce the amount of virus spread by people who are positive for COVID-19, especially inside their own homes. New FDA guidelines warn about NSAID use during pregnancy In mid-October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced new labeling requirements for all prescription and overthe-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These changes will include warnings that if taken after about 20 weeks of pregnancy, the drugs can cause rare but serious kidney problems in unborn babies which can lead to low levels of amniotic fluid, which is essential for their protection in the womb. NSAIDs include medicines such as ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, and celecoxib. While aspirin also is an NSAID, the new recommendations do not apply to the use of low-dose aspirin (81 mg), which is an important treatment for some women during pregnancy. At about the 20-week mark, an unborn baby’s kidneys begin producing most of the amniotic fluid that surrounds it. In some cases, fetal kidney problems and lowered amniotic fluid levels have been detected after as little as two days of maternal NSAID use. The condition usually goes away if the mother stops taking the NSAID. Many Americans receive ‘surprise’ bills for colonoscopy expenses Having regular colonoscopy screenings is known to be the most effective way to prevent colorectal cancer. Current federal regulations require coverage of those screenings as preventive care – meaning that commercially insured patients should pay nothing as long as their colonoscopies are performed by providers that participate in the medical insurer’s network. For that reason, Americans who are covered under their employers’ medical plans and use the plans’ in-network providers
FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM November 18, 2020 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE I HEALTH I 27 The FDA has ordered new label warnings regarding the use of NSAIDs during pregnancy. (Source: Adobe Stock) don’t usually expect to receive a bill. However, about one in every eight commercially insured patients nationwide who had an elective colonoscopy between 2012 and 2017 – even though they were performed by an in-network provider – received “surprise” bills for out-ofnetwork expenses, according to a recent review. Those bills often totaled hundreds of dollars, with an average unexpected bill of $418. To get that information, researchers from the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan reviewed 1.1 million claims for elective colonoscopies from a large national insurer. They found that even when all of the endoscopists and facilities used were in-network, more than 12% of cases included out-of-network claims, because those in-network providers used the services of out-of-network anesthesiologists and/or pathologists. The bills for those services were then passed on to patients. These findings are concerning, they said, because receiving surprise bills once may deter many people from getting recommended colonoscopies in the future. They suggested that hospitals and endoscopy centers should make sure they are partnering with anesthesia and pathology providers who are in-network for most patients. They should also consider cost saving strategies, such as endoscopist-provided sedation. Researchers test new way to deliver medicine … like a parasite Extended-release drug formulations are valuable because they involve fewer pills, less side effects and a steady amount of medication for patients …but health experts say a common problem with these drugs is that they don’t stay in the intestine long enough for people to receive the full dose. Recently, scientists at Johns Hopkins University cooperated to address that problem. They designed and tested a completely new type of medicine delivery system inspired by a parasite. Similar to a hookworm – a parasitic worm that digs its sharp teeth into its host’s intestines to feed – Johns Hopkins bioengineers designed tiny, star-shaped microdevices they named “theragrippers,” each about the size of a dust speck, that can latch onto a patient’s intestinal wall and release drugs into the body. Made of metal and thin, shape-changing film and coated in a heat-sensitive paraffin wax, thousands of theragrippers can potentially be administered at once. When the paraffin wax coating on the grippers reaches the internal body temperature, the tiny devices close and clamp onto the colon wall, gradually releasing the medicine they contain. They eventually lose their hold on the tissue and are cleared from the intestine by normal GI muscular contractions. David Gracias, Ph.D., a professor in the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, said the devices don’t rely on electricity, wireless signals or external controls. “Instead, they operate like small, compressed springs with a temperaturetriggered coating that releases the stored energy autonomously at body temperature,” he explained. On the calendar American Red Cross blood drives will be held on Monday, Dec. 7 from 3-7 p.m. at St. John United Church of Christ, 405 South Fifth St. in St. Charles; and on Wednesday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Centene Community Ice Center, 750 Casino Center Ave. in Maryland Heights. Sign up for an appointment time and view other area drives online at redcrossblood.org. • • • BJC offers a one-hour Zoom orientation for its Head to Toe weight management program on two dates in December – Tuesday, Dec. 8 and Wednesday, Dec. 16 – from 6:30-7:30 p.m. At this free online orientation, families will learn about the family-focused program, which helps children and their parents learn to make healthier lifestyle choices, set goals and get regular exercise, making a positive impact on a child’s self-esteem. Program is for kids ages 8 through 17. The Head to Toe Program begins on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Please register all family members attending at classes-events.bjc.org. • • • BJC of St. Charles County sponsors a free Grow Your Reader program on Wednesday, Dec. 9 from 6-7:30 p.m. This virtual online program is aimed at parents and caregivers of children from birth to age 5. Register at bjcstcharlescounty.org. In today’s world, wouldn’t it be nice to hold your investments in the palm of your hand? Here at LaMarche & Associates, we offer gold and silver to help make your future secure. Give us a call at 636-978-8850 today to take charge of your investments. 9101 Phoenix Village Parkway O’Fallon, MO 63368 Office: (636) 978-8850 focusedfutures.com Investment advisory services offered only by duly registered individuals through AE Wealth Management, LLC (AEWM). AEWM and LaMarche & Associates are not affiliated companies. Let our family take care of your family's heating and cooling needs. THE AIR INSIDE YOUR HOME IS DRIER THAN YOU THINK. A whole-home humidifier is the answer. $ 20 OFF HUMIDIFIER INSTALL Not applicable with any other offer. Expires 1/31/21 Ask about other offers. 636-332-4141 www.johnson-heatingandcooling.com
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Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 11-18-20

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