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Doctors Are Warning Parents About The Major Risks Energy Drinks Pose To Kids 

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A newly formed coalition of doctors are working to warn parents about the dangers that energy drinks pose to kids and young college students amid a new sponsorship deal between Monster Energy and the Big 12 Conference college athletic organization. The group of healthcare professionals are asking the conference’s leaders to pause the sponsorship, while also calling on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to review energy drink marketing to youths as a whole.

As a part of their pleas, they cited the deaths of three children, one of whom being 16-year-old Davis Cripe from South Carolina, who passed away in 2017 after chugging an energy drink and being rushed to the emergency room during school. His heart eventually fell out of rhythm, causing his death. 

Doctors have warned for years that energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine which can cause abnormal heartbeats, increased heart rates, sleep disturbances, dehydration, high blood pressure, and seizures. 

Although death is rare, the long list of intense side effects should have parents, teachers, and professionals paying attention. The doctors within the coalition also want the leaders to look at all energy drink brands, their marketing, and any other similar partnerships to the one Monster just made. 

“Kids are going to see energy drinks now promoted by the universities and the athletes that they admire and want to emulate,” said Dr. Matthew Nelson, an Idaho cardiologist involved with the group. 

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“The kids will think of them as sports drinks, which they’re not.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics has been one of the larger medical groups that has consistently warned about the impact of energy drinks on children and teenagers, recommending them to steer clear. 

However,  according to results from the federally funded Monitoring the Future survey, 23% of 12th graders, 20% of 10th graders and 18% of eighth graders reported consuming energy drinks daily, AP reports. 

In general, energy drinks contain a caffeine content in the range of 80 to 300 mg per serving. For comparison, a standard 8 ounce cup of coffee contains around 80 to 100 mg of caffeine, with some sodas containing 50 mg or less. The pediatrics academy recommends children aged 12 to 18 to limit their caffeine intake to 100 mg a day, while younger kids shouldn’t have any at all. 

“How fast things go in the body, which can create an overload of the system,” said Dr. Tamara Hannon, an Indiana pediatrician who chairs the academy’s nutrition committee.

She used the image of a running a blender until it begins to overheat: 

“The same thing can happen when you deliver stimulants to people. The heart can wear out, the nervous system can go haywire and you can have really serious consequences.”

While the more common side effect that people think of when it comes to kids having caffeine is stunted growth, which there’s no scientific evidence to back up, the cardiovascular risk is not only much more relevant, it’s actually real and should be discussed more. 

Dr. Hannon also pointed out that “children with preexisting conditions such as high blood pressure are at especially high risk, but even healthy children who get too much of a stimulant can have serious problems. That includes young athletes.”

The other major issue is kids specifically can often like a wide variety of flavors and forms of all foods and beverages, including energy drinks. For young Davis Cripe, at the time of his unfortunate passing, he drank a Mountain Dew and latte in the morning before chugging the energy drink later in the day which caused an arrhythmia; Davis also had no prior heart issues or conditions. 

“We had talked to him and let him know that they weren’t healthy. We didn’t understand they could be deadly,” his father, Sean Cripe said. 

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The American Beverage Association comprises 94% of the energy drinks on the market, including Monster. The Association stated that their members voluntarily disclose caffeine totals on product labels which also state that they are “not intended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or persons sensitive to caffeine.” They also emphasize that they do not sell or market energy drinks in K-12 schools. 

In a statement, Monster Energy specifically pointed out that “mainstream energy drinks have been marketed worldwide for more than 30 years and more than 100 billion energy drinks have been sold and safely consumed globally.”

The college deal between Big 12 and Monster will have a co-branded logo on football and basketball jerseys, fields, courts, and across digital and social media channels. 

“The energy drink category is not new to collegiate athletics,” the Big 12 Conference said. “Beverage companies are always looking for ways to reach sports fans.”

“The NCAA doesn’t have the authority to regulate conference or school sponsorship agreements,” Dr. Deena Casiero, the association’s chief medical officer, told the doctor group in a letter.

She also pointed out that the association does offer schools educational resources on caffeine and student-athlete health, and caffeine is a major topic of interest for a committee within the NCAA, which also recently commissioned a cardiac advisory group, according to reports.

The biggest thing that can help is ensuring parents are aware of the risks. Like with candy, parents and guardians should open up a conversation about moderation and what certain foods and beverages can do to the body.  

“To protect children, teachers and coaches can educate them about the dangers of too much caffeine and the difference between energy drinks and sports drinks,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Parents, guardians, and other adults can also set the standard by avoiding the drinks themselves in front of their kids, and talk to their kids’ pediatricians about what drinks their kids are consuming to learn all the facts.

us aid

US Withdrawal From Foreign Aid Programs Leave Africa’s Healthcare Systems ‘Under Growing Strain’

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The United States has withdrawn from key aid programs in Africa and has put their healthcare systems “under growing strain,” according to a new report. 

The report stated that the Trump Administration’s cuts to programs like the US Agency for International Development (USAID) along with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and rising cost of living has brought on a “new urgency” for the need to reform healthcare in the global south. 

The report was titled ‘A Sovereign Future For Health’ and was created by global health initiative Accra Reset and led by John Dramani Mahama, president of Ghana. Accra Reset believes that nations in Africa and the wider global south should have more control over their health development as opposed to being dependent on aid from western nations and international institutions. 

Mahama and Accra Reset said that Africa statistically produces less than 1% of its vaccines while carrying about a quarter of the global disease burden. 

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The report also said how abrupt changes to global health financing like the US withdrawal from several global health initiatives, has forced countries within the global south to urgently restrict their finances. 

The Trump administration’s decision to dissolve USAID also pushed Nigeria to absorb the 28,000 health workers who were previously employed by the agency. 

The withdrawal of the US Emergency Plan for Aids Relief funding in South Africa has led to many HIV clinics closing throughout the country. Previously, the funding provided more than $400 million annually, and is credited for saving 26 million lives around the world within the past 23 years. 

These cuts to funding have caused “severe and devastating disruption globally,” according to research that was presented at the 26th International Aids Conference in Brazil this year. 

Mahama attended the World Health Assembly in May, where he stated that Ghana alone lost $78 million after the closure of USAID programs, greatly impacting the treatment of malaria, maternal healthcare, nutrition, and HIV/Aids intervention. 

“The Accra Reset is not an argument for traditional donors to do less on global health. It is an argument for doing it differently and doing it better. As countries take greater ownership of their health futures, donor countries should step up to support that transition – following the lead of countries that set their own priorities, and work alongside them to determine where outside support is most valuable,” said Naveen Rao, senior vice-president of the health initiative at the Rockefeller Foundation. 

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“The Accra Reset shows how we can evolve to back country-led solutions while advancing our shared health and economic interests.”

Mahama stated in the report that the “past few years have shaken global health cooperation to its foundations.”

“The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the risks created by concentrated production and unequal access to essential health products; rising debt and fiscal pressures have constrained national health budgets; and declining development assistance is placing programs and services under growing strain.”

“These shocks have brought new urgency to reform debates that have continued for years with limited progress. It was in this context that we launched the Accra Reset and its Sovereign Health Agenda – to give renewed political force to the reform agenda and place the agency of countries of the Global South at its center.”

The report also noted a recent survey in which many US citizens stated that we should continue to be investing in, and providing, foreign aid. 

The survey polled more than 2,000 US adults and was commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation. The results showed that about 75% of Americans, including the 52% who support Donald Trump, believe that the US should restore disease prevention aid, specifically to help contain the Ebola virus. 

It also found that 65% of American adults support international cooperation even if it means compromising national interests.

covid

US Experiencing Covid-19 Surge In Every State 

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Every state in the US is currently experiencing a rise in Covid-19 cases, with healthcare professionals and experts warning citizens to be on the lookout for symptoms, and stay diligent with healthy lifestyle practices. 

Dr. John Brooks, an infectious disease doctor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia who also used to work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NPR about how as a country, “we’re now in the midst of a growing summer surge of Covid.” 

“I think most of us kind of feel like it’s fading away and are certainly very grateful for that. But nationally we’re seeing [Covid-19] ticking up pretty much everywhere.”

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According to the CDC, the disease is mainly spreading in the South and West, but is also rising in the Northeast and Midwest. As of right now, however, the virus is still at very low levels, and the current wave of infections is following along the trend of getting milder each year, with less people being hospitalized or dying. 

“What we’re seeing is very likely evidence of growing herd immunity if you will,” Dr. Brooks said. 

“More and more people have had one or more infections that give them some immunity against the virus and have had more than one vaccination, or maybe both, and all of that really has begun to offer us a lot of protection.”

The most important thing that doctors want US residents to remember is Covid-19 never disappeared, and is still greatly impacting communities around the nation. Many are still finding themselves feeling intensely sick for up to two weeks, and for some people, Covid can still cause serious disease, hospitalizations, and in the worst of cases, death. 

Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, emphasized this point to NPR, stating that “Covid-19 is still dangerous, particularly for older adults, infants, and people who are immunocompromised.” 

“In a typical office if you have 20 colleagues, it’s likely that one or two of them are some degree of immunocompromised. So it’s very common that people have risk factors that make Covid-19 dangerous.”

Rivers also pointed out that unlike flu season, which sees a major surge in the winter months, Covid-19 has seen spikes twice a year since the initial pandemic in 2020. That biannual surge remains a mystery to experts. 

“It’s a big mystery as far as I’m concerned. It is the only seasonal respiratory virus that has a summer season. To my knowledge, we don’t know what is causing this seasonality.”

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Rivers advises the general public to stay up to date on their vaccines, and pointed out how she still wears a mask when she’s in crowded places. Staying consistent with your vaccines also allows the body to stay strong against the new and dominant strains that emerge. 

The CDC has not issued any updated recommendations for Covid-19 vaccinations due to litigation over the Trump administration’s work to overhaul immunizations in the US, according to reports. 

The administration itself no longer recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older routinely get an annual shot. Major medical groups, however, still highly recommend it. 

Major insurance companies throughout the nation have also emphasized that they will continue to cover the costs of vaccinations, and the shots themselves will also still be free through other government programs. 

Public health experts are worried about the opposing messages regarding vaccines and how they might confuse more vulnerable populations as well. 

Claire Hannan, for example, is an executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers which works to advocate for immunization and the multiple free programs that offer them throughout the US. 

“The message is that the Covid-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine will be available, they’re covered by insurers, they’re recommended by medical societies. People should get them and get them for their kids.”

Dr. Brooks also pointed out that there’s also now a new drug called Xocova that individuals can take right after they’ve been exposed to the virus to decrease their chances of getting sick from Covid-19. This will especially be useful for individuals working in the healthcare industry who are exposed to a myriad of sick patients every day. 

“It is something for people to just have in the back of their mind.”

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Doctors Skeptical Of New AI Program That Automatically Refills Prescriptions 

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A new program recently launched in Utah that uses artificial intelligence to refill prescriptions without having to talk to your healthcare provider. Doctors, lawyers, and public health experts, however, are skeptical over the safety of this new chatbot, Doctronic, and how well it will actually work to protect patients and their medical needs.

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Supreme Court Restores Access To Abortion Pill Through Telehealth, Mail, And Pharmacies 

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This week, the Supreme Court restored broad access to the abortion pill mifepristone, blocking a lower-court ruling that initially threatened to remove one of the main ways abortions are provided across the US, according to reports from AP. 

Justice Samuel Alito signed the order to temporarily allow women seeking abortions access to the pill at pharmacies or through the mail without needing an in-person visit to their doctor. These practices have been permitted for several years until a federal appeals court imposed new restrictions last week. 

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The order will remain in effect for another week while both sides work to respond and the higher courts take a deeper look into the issue. 

AP reported that a majority of abortions in the US are provided through medications. Democratic-led states have laws that work to give legal protection to individuals who prescribe the drugs via telehealth to patients in states that have abortion bans in place. 

These prescriptions have also cushioned the major impact of abortion bans in mainly Republican-led states after the 2022 Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. “One recent report suggested that in the 13 states where abortion is banned at all stages of pregnancy, more women obtained abortions with pills prescribed by telehealth last year than by traveling to other states,” Mark Sherman and Geoff Mulvihill wrote for AP. 

Typically, mifepristone is taken with a second drug misoprostol for abortions. According to the FDA label on mifepristone, the combination completes a full medical abortion 97.4% of the time. 

Sometimes misoprostol can be used on its own to terminate pregnancy. Some studies placed its solo effectiveness at around 80% or higher. 

In certain countries where mifepristone is banned or unavailable, misoprostol is often used alone. 

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Misoprostol has never been formally approved by the FDA for abortion while mifepristone has been. 

Dr. Angel Foster, founder of The Massachusetts Abortion Access Project, said her organization “was prepared to send misoprostol only on Monday afternoon but was able to switch back to the two-drug combination.”

“Regardless of what happens with this regulatory issue, we and other groups will continue to provide high-quality abortion care to patients in all 50 states,” she said.

Foster said that her organization spent the weekend guiding different groups of patients: individuals who were sent mifepristone but have yet to receive it, and those who had been approved for the drugs but had not been paid or sent them. 

“We have a little bit more time to navigate this new landscape with the stay,” said Julie Burkhart, the founder of Wellspring Health Access, a Wyoming abortion clinic.

Elizabeth Ling, associate director of legal services at If/When/How, an organization that provides legal guidance for individuals considering abortion, said that “wherever the legal battle goes next, there’s one thing women need to understand: ‘The outcome is not going to make it a crime for people to access care.’”

“Monday’s ruling is a temporary procedural step that leaves unresolved the very real concerns about the safety of these drugs and the decision under the Biden administration’s FDA to recklessly remove longstanding safeguards,” Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said.

Bipartisan Bill Works To Minimize The Cost Of Insulin 

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A bipartisan group of senators is working to relieve the cost burden that comes with high insulin costs. The bill is called the INSULIN Act, and it’s working to cap the cost of the lifesaving medication at $35 per month for Americans using private insurance plans, AP reports. 

Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-Maine, Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and John Kennedy, R-La introduced the bill last week. The INSULIN Act would also start a pilot program to provide more affordable insulin to uninsured Americans throughout 10 states. 

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In 2022, a similar bill passed as a part of the Inflation Reduction Act during the Biden-era. That bill successfully capped the drug at $35 a month for older adults on Medicare. This new legislation is the latest in an ongoing effort from both congressional parties who want to reduce the cost of the drug for the millions of Americans who rely on insulin to live. 

If passed, this bill would mark a momentous bipartisan feat at a time where health care costs are continuing to rise. Voters from both parties have voiced their concerns and frustration with health care costs increasing, and this would mark a victory in the effort to make it more affordable for the average American. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around 8.1 million people in the US use insulin, including over 2 million who have Type 1 diabetes and would die without consistent access to the drug; which also helps control glucose levels for people with other types of diabetes. 

The price of insulin has always varied vastly throughout the nation. Some individuals with access to private insurance pay close to zero, while others pay hundreds of dollars monthly. For those with diabetes, insulin isn’t the only monthly cost they have to worry about. They also need to think about the price of pumps, blood glucose sensors, and other medical supplies to help manage their disease. 

Over half of the states in the US have taken matters into their own hands as well when it comes to this specific insulin cost issue. The states have passed their own insulin co-pay caps that range from $25 to $200 monthly for individuals with state-regulated insurance plans. 

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Insulin makers have also worked to help Americans with the cost. Eli Lilly, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk all cut the cost of insulin either by cutting list prices, capping out-of-pocket costs, and expanding affordability options, AP writes. 

According to Matthew Fielder, a senior fellow with the Center of Health Policy at Brookings Institution, around 57% of Americans with private health insurance have self-insured plans that states can’t regulate, meaning they’re left out of state cost-cap bills. 

“It puts the onus on the patient, I think, to try to navigate and get the cost down,” said Dr. Leslie Eiland, an adult endocrinologist, who is also advocating for the bill.

Chanse Jones, a spokesperson for the leading trade association for pharmaceutical companies, PhRMA, said “pharmacy benefit managers and insurers are creating access and affordability barriers for patients even as manufacturers try to expand access.” 

“We look forward to working with policymakers to ensure middlemen don’t stand between patients and their medicines.”

Advocates are hopeful that the bill will pass, emphasizing the difference it will make for people who require insulin, as well as young people and the future generations who will benefit from the drug. 

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Nearly 20 States Restrict H.I.V. Assistance Programs, Threatening Access to Treatment

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About 20 states are restricting access to assistance programs that help people pay for H.I.V. treatment, a shift that could leave tens of thousands of Americans without reliable access to lifesaving medications. Several additional states are considering similar changes, according to an analysis released Monday by the health research group KFF.

The tightening rules affect the Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, known as ADAPs, which help cover the cost of H.I.V. medications, provide drugs at no charge to some patients, and pay insurance premiums for others. Roughly a quarter of the 1.2 million people living with H.I.V. in the United States rely on these programs.

H.I.V. medications can suppress the virus to undetectable levels, preventing transmission to others. Interruptions in treatment, however, may increase the number of new infections and lead to more cases of AIDS.

Some patients facing shortages may try to stretch their prescriptions by skipping doses or sharing pills, a practice that can allow the virus to replicate and develop resistance to medication. Drug-resistant strains can then spread to others.

The H.I.V. Medicine Association released a statement warning the cuts “will threaten the lives of people with HIV and will lead to spikes in new HIV diagnoses and a rise in health care costs as people with HIV develop serious infections requiring hospitalization.”

“H.I.V. treatment disruptions of this magnitude will result in a public health disaster. Florida must follow due process and work with health care professionals, people with H.I.V. and the state legislature to address any funding challenges.”

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The changes are being driven largely by financial pressure. ADAPs are funded through the federal Ryan White H.I.V. program, but the amount of federal support has remained largely unchanged for more than a decade, even as drug prices and insurance premiums have risen. Enrollment has also increased, with participation climbing about 30 percent from 2022 to 2024 after states began removing people from Medicaid rolls that had been expanded during the pandemic.

“Effectively, programs are being asked to do more with less federal funding,” said Lindsey Dawson, associate director of H.I.V. policy at KFF.

So far, 18 states have adopted at least one cost-cutting measure, including lowering income eligibility limits or reducing the number of covered medications. Five more states are weighing changes that could take effect as early as next month. Experts say additional states may follow, especially as new work requirements push some people off Medicaid and into ADAP programs.

“We’re expecting to see more states anticipating or contending with budget deficits, and we do anticipate a growing number of states having to implement cost-containment measures,” said Tim Horn, director of medication access at the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors.

The alliance began tracking state policy changes last fall, when Pennsylvania reduced its income eligibility threshold from 500 percent of the federal poverty level to 350 percent.

Florida has enacted the most sweeping rollback so far. On Sunday, the state ended benefits for at least 16,000 residents living with H.I.V. and stopped covering Biktarvy, the most commonly prescribed H.I.V. medication. The move is part of a broader overhaul of the state’s ADAP program, the largest in the country, which serves more than 32,000 people.

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Earlier this year, Florida officials notified participants that the income limit for eligibility would drop from 400 percent of the federal poverty level to 130 percent — about $20,748 a year for an individual, down from $63,840.

The consequences, advocates say, could extend far beyond those directly affected.

“This is really an economic disaster, a public health disaster, a moral disaster,” said Esteban Wood, director of advocacy and legislative affairs at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has filed for an injunction to stop the changes.

“We’re seeing patients across the state full of anxiety and fear rationing their lifesaving medication. These are people who have no other safety net. ADAP is the safety net.”

State health officials have said the changes are necessary to address a projected $120 million budget shortfall. However, the department has not released detailed figures and did not respond to requests for comment.

On Friday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services opened a special enrollment period for Floridians losing help with insurance premiums, allowing them to choose new plans through April 30.

Advocacy groups attempted to block the restrictions, arguing that the state had not followed proper procedures in changing the rules. On Tuesday, Florida filed an emergency regulation allowing the limits to take effect.

Animal-To-Human Organ Transplantation Is Advancing, And Could Save Millions Of Lives

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Getting an organ transplant is an incredible feat of medical advancement, however, it’s incredibly hard to achieve. With over 100,000 people on the national waiting list in the US, thousands of patients die every year while waiting, and thousands of others aren’t even able to be added to the list.

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Loss Of Top Officials In CDC Could Harm US Health, Experts Say 

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Many top officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have left the agency under Robert F Kennedy Jr’s leadership. Now, many of those leaders and healthcare officials are saying that “Americans should be alarmed” about the future and rising public health threats.

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Group Of Health Professionals Call For Removal Of RFK Jr From Department Of Health And Human Services

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Defend Public Health, a grassroots organization of health professionals, recently released a report outlining the multitude of health challenges in the US and called for the removal of Robert F Kennedy Jr from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

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