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Perez Hilton Hospitalized After Apparent Self-Harm During Livestream

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Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was hospitalized after appearing to harm himself during a TikTok livestream Tuesday, authorities said.

“We can confirm that Perez is receiving medical care, and our family’s focus right now is on his well-being,” a statement published Wednesday on Hilton’s website said.

The message, attributed to the Perez Hilton Team and Family, continued: “Many of you have reached out with concern for Perez, and we are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and prayers.”

In a subsequent update, Hilton’s family said he was able to communicate, a development that had given them reason to remain hopeful about his condition.

“Our family wants to once again thank everyone who has reached out with prayers, kind messages, and support for Perez. Your compassionate humanity during this profoundly heartbreaking time has meant more than words can express.”

The family described the situation as “incredibly difficult and emotional” and said it would release further updates once additional information had been confirmed.

“We respectfully ask for your continued prayers, understanding, and grace as Perez continues to recover,” the statement said.

Deputies went to Hilton’s home Tuesday evening after the sheriff’s office received multiple calls regarding a disturbing livestream, according to a statement issued by the agency Wednesday morning. After arriving, officers spoke with Hilton’s family members and determined that he was alone inside the residence.

Dispatch audio obtained by People indicated that emergency responders were sent to investigate reports of a “possible suicide.” According to the audio, authorities entered Hilton’s home at approximately 11 p.m. and were traveling to a nearby hospital with him about 30 minutes later.

Hilton was hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act, a sheriff’s office spokesperson confirmed. The law permits authorities to involuntarily hold a person for up to 72 hours when that individual is believed to pose a threat of harm to themselves or others.

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Rather than immediately engaging with Hilton, deputies monitored the situation and worked to “prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,” the sheriff’s office said. The agency described the strategy as an approach intended to reduce the possibility of further harm.

Mental health professionals were later brought in to provide support to Hilton’s family.

Dante Rusciolelli, a representative for Hilton, said Wednesday that he had no further information about the blogger’s condition.

“Our focus remains on Perez’s health, recovery, and the privacy of both him and his family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Golden Artists Entertainment said in a separate statement that its representatives had not been able to reach Hilton directly Tuesday, despite repeated attempts. The company later said it still had no additional confirmed information about his condition.

TikTok said its automated moderation technology detected that Hilton’s livestream violated the platform’s community guidelines within minutes of the broadcast beginning. The company’s U.S.-based human moderation team was then notified to review the stream.

The initial livestream was shut down after approximately 15 minutes, TikTok said. Several additional streams that Hilton started were removed within 90 seconds. TikTok also said it contacted law enforcement about the situation.

Before the livestream was removed, graphic footage that appeared to show Hilton covered in blood had begun circulating on other social media platforms. His account was deactivated before TikTok formally banned it for violating rules prohibiting self-harm content.

Dan Romer, research director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, told The New York Times that he could not determine why Hilton chose to broadcast the apparent act. Romer has published research examining the relationship between self-harm and social media.“Often when people do self-harm, they are reaching out for help,” he said.

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Such attempts to attract attention are more commonly directed toward friends or relatives, Romer said. Hilton, however, may regard his sizable internet audience “as part of his social circle.”

Referring to the numerous viewers who contacted authorities about the livestream, Romer added, “they intervened and got him some help.”

Bryan Freedman, an attorney and friend who previously represented Hilton for two decades, told People he was working to verify that Hilton was receiving appropriate care.

“I, like many others, feel very concerned for Mario’s health, and I am trying to confirm that he is receiving the care that he needs to fully address the causes and conditions which led to this incident. It feels like a moment that deserves kindness and compassion.”

Hilton, whose legal name is Mario Lavandeira, became one of the best-known figures in online celebrity gossip during the mid-2000s through PerezHilton.com. The website’s blunt commentary about celebrities and popular culture helped turn its creator into a recognizable public figure in his own right.

Hilton, the older of two children raised in a working-class Cuban-American family, initially pursued a career as an actor. He later worked as a publicist and became a reporter for Star magazine before finding widespread fame through his website.

His rise was propelled by relentless self-promotion and provocative public statements that frequently attracted media coverage. As his audience grew, Hilton produced a steady stream of unrestrained commentary about entertainers, relationships and celebrity scandals.

By 2006, Hilton said he was spending 17 hours each day creating and publishing items for the website. The business had become highly lucrative by the following year, when a single advertisement on the site could bring in $9,000 per week.

“I’m like Madonna, I’m not afraid to offend,” Hilton said in a 2007 interview with The New York Times.

Hilton’s relationship with TikTok has been turbulent in the past. The platform banned him in 2020 for violating its community guidelines.

Hilton said at the time that losing his account had been emotionally difficult. He said he had been “very depressed” and that the social media app “gave me something to really look forward to every day.”

Earlier this year, Hilton publicly discussed another serious health crisis. In March, he said on social media that he had spent three weeks in the hospital while being treated for an ulcer and sepsis.

Hilton said that during the hospitalization, “God presented himself to me.” The following month, Hilton announced through social media that he had returned to TikTok. In the announcement, he expressed gratitude to both the platform and Jesus.

Marijuana Joint

Marijuana Use Linked with Heart Problems and Increased Risk of Stroke

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Marijuana has long been one of the world’s most frequently used recreational drugs, and the public perceives the drug to be relatively safe, leading to its legalization in several US states as well as Canada. However, due in large part to its federal classification as a schedule I substance, available research on the health effects of the drug is limited, as scientists have long had severely restricted access to the substance. As its use continues to develop across multiple demographics, however, scientists are escalating their research of marijuana and its effects. It’s long been understood that marijuana use during adolescence can lead to lifelong psychological problems, including problems with memory and diminished IQ. However, recent research is uncovering marijuana’s negative effects on other parts of the body including the lungs, and surprisingly, the heart.

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Marijuana is well-known for causing among its effects changes in heart rhythm. As the drug’s effects are felt for roughly three hours when smoked, these changes are temporary, and heart function returns to normal after the drug wears off. However, arrhythmia experienced during marijuana use can cause greater circulatory problems afterwards, particularly in heavy users. As such, sufferers of cannabis use disorder, who use the drug frequently and compulsively, are at increased risk of being hospitalized for arrhythmia. Though arrhythmia, a condition in which the heart’s rhythm is disturbed and irregular, is often benign, it can also lead to life-threatening complications. Lower doses of marijuana are associated with a too-fast heartbeat, whereas higher doses are linked with a too-slow heartbeat. The concern about the link between arrhythmia and marijuana use is particularly strong for young people, who in the study were shown to have the greatest risk of hospitalization.

While some methods of consuming marijuana are less dangerous than others, the safest and healthiest option is to avoid using recreational drugs altogether.

In addition to being linked with heart rhythm problems, marijuana use has also been shown to be linked with an increased risk of stroke, with frequent marijuana users being more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared to non-users. Again, this is true even in young people, who normally are much less likely to suffer a stroke than older people. This risk is compounded among people who use marijuana in addition to tobacco and have other health problems, including high blood pressure, that are known to increase one’s risk of stroke. Though the study does not establish a direct causal relationship between using marijuana and suffering a stroke, previous studies have shown that marijuana use leads to increased blood clotting and a narrowing of the arteries, suggesting a likely explanation.

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Researchers behind both studies, which are scheduled to be presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association this Saturday, November 16th, conclude that doctors should ask patients who have suffered a stroke or have heart problems whether they use marijuana so as to better prepare treatment options. As the studies have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, their findings are considered preliminary. Though the American Heart Association takes no position on the legalization of marijuana, it recommends that public health protections such as age restrictions on purchasing the drug and smoke-free air laws be put into place.

Disturbing evidence about the negative health effects of marijuana also recently arose in the aftermath of a spate of hospitalizations in connection with a series of mysterious vaping-related lung injuries, some of which lead to death. Recently, the CDC revealed that the ingredient believed to cause these emergencies is Vitamin E acetate, a chemical sometimes added to THC vape products to change the consistency of the oil, particularly on the black market. Of course, smoking marijuana also harms the respiratory system, as tar accumulates inside the lungs and carcinogens enter the body. While some methods of consuming marijuana are less dangerous than others, the safest and healthiest option is to avoid using recreational drugs altogether.

Girl Vaping

Health Scares Spell Trouble for Vaping Industry

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Recently, a string of vaping-related hospitalizations made headlines and led to growing concerns about the safety of e-cigarettes marketed as healthier alternatives to cigarettes and other tobacco products. In the aftermath of this news, a number of states have moved to ban flavored vaping products, and the federal government even contemplated the idea of banning all flavors of vapor except tobacco nationwide. This sudden spike in concern has led to problems for the vaping industry, as blame is being placed squarely on the manufacturers of nicotine-containing products for the public health epidemic, and as the growing popularity of vaping among teenagers and young people threatens to undo the work of several decades of public campaigns aimed at curbing nicotine addiction.

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Juul, a brand which has become synonymous with vaping as it controls roughly 70% of the e-cigarette market, recently saw a change of leadership as it replaced its CEO with a former tobacco executive. A sudden change in leadership is never a good sign for a company, particularly one as large as Juul, and this news comes amidst other troubling developments for the company. Recently, the F.D.A. claimed that Juul broke the law by implying that e-cigarettes were safer than traditional cigarettes despite the lack of scientific evidence concerning the long-term health effects of using the products. Even more disconcertingly, the F.D.A found that Juul was marketing their products to teenagers in high schools as part of a campaign ostensibly targeted at reducing tobacco use by young people. Juul has said that it intends on fully cooperating with the F.D.A.’s regulations, and has announced it will not fight a proposed ban on flavored nicotine cartridges. Next year, e-cigarettes are scheduled to be banned in San Francisco, and Juul is considering whether or not they should abandon a ballot initiative to overturn the ban.

In order to stay on the market in the United States, Juul and other similar companies have to be able to prove that their products promote public health more than they harm it, which is growing increasingly difficult as the news reports of vaping-related hospitalizations and an epidemic of nicotine addiction in young people. While initially envisioned as a tool to help people quit smoking, vaping has instead become a fashionable trend, and many who are addicted to nicotine have no history of smoking cigarettes. The rise in popularity of e-cigarettes has been explosive, and while F.D.A. regulations concerning the sale of nicotine products have long been in effect, regulatory bodies have yet to catch up with the specific public health problems that e-cigarettes in particular pose. 

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Health professionals across the country are in virtual consensus in advising against the use of e-cigarettes, except as replacements for cigarettes as smoking cessation devices. Even then, there are nicotine delivery systems, such as chewing gum and patches, that are likely safer than vaping as they do not involve any inhalation of chemicals. The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora Volkow, said that e-cigarettes should be clinically tested to determine whether they are effective as smoking cessation tools, and if they are they should only be available by prescription, which is the same standard to which other potentially dangerous drugs are held.

While recent develops certainly don’t bode well for the e-cigarette industry, it’s difficult to make any concrete predictions about the fate of affected companies. Famously, the tobacco industry spent millions of dollars lobbying against the notion that cigarettes cause cancer and other health problems, and were very successful in doing so for several years. Vaping has become so widespread that its popularity perhaps even eclipses that of the tobacco products that preceded it, and as a result, the industry has a lot of money to spend on resisting regulatory efforts. However, the government has fought Big Tobacco before, pioneering widespread public health campaigns in an attempt to stop tobacco use, and as such has plenty of relevant experience to apply to fighting Juul and similar companies. Meanwhile, a meaningful segment of an entire generation of young people who otherwise would not have been exposed to nicotine are addicted to vaping, and only time will tell how they will be able to get their nicotine fix in the years to come.

Girl Vaping

After String of Vaping-Related Hospitalizations, Walmart Ends E-Cigarette Sales

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On Friday, Walmart said that it would stop selling all e-cigarettes after their inventory runs out, citing “the growing federal, state, and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes.” The announcement comes in the midst of a number of reports linking use of e-cigarettes, or other electronic vapor inhalation devices, to health issues, including hospitalizations and in a few cases death. Walmart joins Rite-Aid, Costco, and Dollar General in retailers who have decided to stop selling electronic nicotine delivery systems. And Target, Walmart’s biggest competitor, has never sold e-cigarettes and stopped selling cigarettes in 1996. That being said, Walmart is the largest retailer in the country, and other retailers tend to follow Walmart’s lead, as Walmart Chief Executive is the chairman of the Business Roundtable, an influential lobbying organization that includes among its members some of the biggest companies in the world.

While the exact causes of the recent string of vaping-related health scares are as of yet unknown, many affected individuals reported vaping THC products, including some which were acquired illegitimately, and some patients reported using nicotine products. Nevertheless, Walmart’s decision reflects a rapidly-rising anti-vaping sentiment, as e-cigarette use among adolescents has skyrocketed, owing in part to the success of Juul, a company that manufacturers nicotine cartridges and diffusers which can easily be mistaken for USB drives. 

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The Trump administration had seriously considered banning all flavored vape products in an effort to curb their appeal among young people, but abruptly changed course. Other ways of fighting the popularity of vaping among youth, such as ultra-sensitive vapor detectors which can be installed in schools and other public places, have been proposed. And while manufacturers like Juul claim their products are intended as smoking cessation aids, to allow nicotine addicts to gradually reduce their intake of the drug, these manufacturers profit tremendously off of the sales of e-cigarettes to people who have no intention of quitting, particularly young people. The National Institute on Drug Abuse this week released survey results indicating that the prevalence of vaping among teenagers has doubled since 2017.

Walmart’s action will likely have little impact, as there’s no end in sight for the resilient and centuries-old tobacco industry, which now has more loyal customers than ever before.

It should be noted that Walmart continues to sell regular cigarettes, which have been found definitively to cause major health problems, including cancer, lung disease, and early death, whereas the long-term negative health effects of vaping are still unknown. Additionally, Walmart continues to sell assault-style weapons even in the aftermath of a string of mass shootings in the United States, though the company has imposed limits on the sale of ammunition and discourages open carry of guns in stores. Three major television stations, CNN, CBS, and Viacom have also said they’d stop airing advertisements from e-cigarette companies on their networks in response to fear about illnesses. Additionally, several politicians have returned donations that they received from e-cigarette companies like Juul, unwilling to be associated with companies that have the potential to become the face of a public health epidemic in this country. 

Some fear that Walmart’s decision will drive people who ordinarily vape to take up smoking cigarettes instead, as the retailer still offers the latter nicotine product. Others criticize the view that flavored e-cigarettes should be banned, noting that adults also enjoy flavored e-cigarettes, and banning flavors would negatively impact those who use e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool. Regardless of Walmart’s decision to no longer sell e-cigarettes, the nicotine products are easy to find and acquire, even for teenagers, as they continue to be featured in gas stations, convenience stores, and smoke shops. As such, Walmart’s action will likely have little impact, as there’s no end in sight for the resilient and centuries-old tobacco industry, which now has more loyal customers than ever before.

Featured image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vaping360/31014695273

Vaping

Concerns About Vaping Grow as Hospitalizations Increase

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E-cigarettes, once thought to be a safer alternative to cigarettes and a tool for helping smokers quit, are drawing criticisms after a spike in vaping-related hospitalizations. While most people who use e-cigarettes as their preferred method of nicotine delivery experience little to no detrimental health effects, the consequences of vaping can be serious.

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