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  • RFK Jr. promised to ‘Make Our Children Healthy Again.’ Here’s how he plans to do it

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    (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s strategy to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ includes investigating vaccine injuries and pharmaceutical practices but stops short of new regulatory action, for now.

    US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled the MAHA strategy on Tuesday, joined by Agriculture Department Secretary Brooke Rollins, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, and other top Trump officials.

    The report hews closely to a draft document circulated in August that cites earlier Trump administration announcements — developing a definition for ultraprocessed foods, educating the public about synthetic kratom — but largely bypassed industry crackdowns.

    Language around pesticides strategy also remained unchanged. Environmental and food activists had rallied for the administration to include steps to reduce pesticide usage and probe potential health risks of commonly used chemicals such as RoundUp.

    The report says that USDA, EPA and the National Institutes of Health will develop a framework to study cumulative exposures to chemicals including pesticides and microplastics. USDA and EPA will also invest in new farming approaches to reduce chemical use, and EPA will launch a public awareness campaign about the limited risk of approved products.

    The commission’s first report this May suggested a broad range of factors driving chronic disease in the US, including ultraprocessed foods, environmental exposures, and overprescription of pharmaceuticals like antidepressants.

    The report noted previous announcements that HHS, the NIH and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are studying the causes of autism. Kennedy had previously promised some answers on the root causes in September; NIH is expected to announce autism research grants this month.

    Recent reports suggest that HHS will issue a report that links the development of autism to taking Tylenol during pregnancy.

    Medicines and vaccines

    Kennedy has drawn criticism for suggesting antidepressants, particularly those that are part of a family known as SSRIs are as addictive as heroin and can be dangerous. Following the August 27 shooting in Minneapolis, he told Fox News that HHS is launching studies “on the potential contribution of some of the SSRI drugs and some of the other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence.”

    SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are the most prescribed class of antidepressants for depression, anxiety disorders and many other mental health conditions. Several SSRIs have been on the market in the United States since the 1990s, including Prozac, Zoloft and Celexa. Experts agree that there is no scientific evidence or correlation between these drugs and violence towards others.

    Tuesday’s report states that HHS will assemble a working group of federal officials to evaluate SSRI prescribing patterns, specifically among children. HHS will also “evaluate the therapeutic harms and benefits of current diagnostic thresholds,” or the current common practices doctors use to diagnose patients with mental health disorders.

    Dr. Theresa Miskimen Rivera, president of the American Psychiatric Association said access to care, not over-medication is the bigger problem when it comes to helping kids’ mental health in the country, and there is no mention of the issue in the report. The report said addressing a child’s nutrition, screen time, and exercise can improve their mental health, but can’t address everything. “Psychiatric conditions are complex in nature,” she said. Extreme poverty, post traumatic stress disorder, trauma-related factors should also be addressed, but there is no mention in the report of any of those issues either.

    “In terms of over medication, that’s not what we do. We have a comprehensive evaluation and we are evidence based. We diagnose than create a comprehensive treatment plan, “ Miskimen Rivera told CNN. “Medication can save lives, not only in children, but in adults and elderly.”

    When asked about whether or not the commission chose to consider gun violence – the leading cause of death for children – as one of the issues to be investigated, Kennedy doubled down on the issue of prescription drugs, saying “We are doing studies now, or initiating studies to look at the correlation and the connection, potential connection between over medicating our kids and this violence.”

    HHS will also work with the White House Domestic Policy Council on a new vaccine framework that, the report said, will ensure “America has the best childhood vaccine schedule” and ensure “scientific and medical freedom.”

    The report comes as Kennedy continues to defend his shakeup of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over vaccine policy, including the ouster of CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez.

    The administration will also increase oversight of “deceptive” direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceutical products, including from social media influencers and telehealth companies, it said.

    Food policy stays the course

    FDA will continue work on developing a definition for ultraprocessed foods, but the report bypasses recommendations, like those of former FDA Director Dr. David Kessler, to essentially order certain additives off the market until they are reviewed.

    Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of Tufts Food is Medicine Institute said a definition of ultraprocessed foods would be “really important.” With more than half of calories in the food supply coming from ultraprocessed foods, addressing this and other issues involving the nation’s diet would mean a “massive fight with the industry and is going to be incredibly controversial, but is much needed.”

    “Overall, this is really quite thorough, quite specific, and even if parts of this are accomplished, this could have tremendous positive impact for Americans,” Mozaffarian told CNN.

    Other experts, like Marion Nestle, agreed the report was ambitious in scope, but noted it fell short on regulatory action. “What’s still missing is regulation. So much of this is voluntary, work with, promote, partner,” said Nestle, who is the Paulette Goddard professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University.

    The report also nods to new, user-friendly dietary guidelines expected later this year. Kennedy has promised a vastly shortened set of recommendations that will emphasize whole foods.

    The commission also cited ongoing work to reduce ultraprocessed foods in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Head Start.

    While the report also touches on agriculture deregulation with the aim of making it easier for small farms to get greater access to markets and schools, Ken Cook, co-founder of the Environmental Working Group, a health advocacy organization said the report abandons earlier MAHA promises to ban toxic pesticides and instead “echoes the pesticide industry’s talking points.”

    “Secretary Kennedy and President Trump cynically convinced millions they’d protect children from harmful farm chemicals – promises now exposed as hollow,” Cook said in a statement.

    There were minor changes from the draft document leaked in August. For instance, the August 6 draft stated that the FDA and other agencies will crack down on “Illegal Chinese Vapes,” while the final version promises enforcement on vapes more broadly.

    “We support the goal of making children healthier and addressing and preventing chronic disease, but unfortunately, the recommendations fall short in some really critical ways,” Laura Kate Bender, vice president nationwide advocacy and public policy for the American Lung Association told CNN.

    “They continue to cast doubt on vaccines, one of the most, important, proven public health interventions that we can have for kids health. They don’t address some major contributors to diseases in kids like pollution, tobacco use, beyond the mention of vaping, and this report is coming out at the same time that we’re continuing to see dramatic cuts in staff and funding of a lot of the programs that could make the good parts of the report a reality.”

    The report’s emphasis on kids’ health can help overall, Dr. Michelle Macy, director of the Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research and Evaluation Center in Chicago told CNN. “I’m really trying to look for bright spots in this report, and I think that the focus on data and infrastructure for us to be able to answer big questions about what environmental and food exposures and medication exposures do to shape the trajectory of someone’s health and chronic disease across the lifespan is something that has promise and potential.”

    Dr. Richard Besser, pediatrician and president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said that having a focus on preventing chronic disease in children is a good thing, but he said, with Kennedy’s track record that includes firing thousands of federal health employees, slashing millions in health research funding, dismantling entire offices that managed important issues like smoking and chronic disease specifically, in addition to his “assault on vaccinations” will undermine any potential good of this kind of report.

    “Neither RFK Jr.’s record, nor his policies outlined in the report give me confidence that he is going to make any difference whatsoever on chronic diseases in children,” Besser told CNN.

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    Sarah Owermohle, Jen Christensen and CNN

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  • Mental Illness Linked to Higher Heart Disease Risk and Shorter Lives

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    A sweeping review published in The Lancet Regional Health—Europe has drawn a direct line between mental health disorders and cardiovascular disease (CVD), showing that individuals living with psychiatric conditions face not only a higher risk of heart problems but also a shorter life expectancy. The paper, authored by researchers from Emory University, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Leeds, and others, concludes that people with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety live 10 to 20 years less on average, mainly due to heart disease.

    A Bidirectional Threat

    The analysis shows that the connection between mental health and cardiovascular disease is not one-directional. The stress of a heart attack or stroke can trigger psychiatric disorders, while psychiatric conditions themselves set the stage for heart disease. The risks are striking as depression raises cardiovascular risk by 72 percent, schizophrenia by 95 percent, bipolar disorder by 57 percent, PTSD by 61 percent, and anxiety disorders by 41 percent. “It is important to understand that stress, anxiety, and depression can affect your heart, just like other physical factors,” the paper noted, offering guidance for how doctors might begin crucial conversations with patients.

    A Widespread Burden

    One in four people will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime, yet many go untreated and often receive poor cardiovascular care. “Despite having more interactions with the healthcare system, they undergo fewer physical checkups and screenings and receive fewer diagnoses and treatments for CVD and its risk factors,” the authors reported. According to 2023 U.S. survey data cited in the study, more than half of those who met the criteria for a mental health disorder had not received any treatment, with even lower rates among non-White populations.

    Shared Risk Factors

    Researchers identified a cluster of overlapping drivers—poverty, trauma, social disadvantage, substance use, and poor access to health care—that amplify the dual risks of mental illness and cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity, and disrupted sleep patterns are also more common among people with psychiatric conditions. The biological picture is equally troubling. Dysregulation of the stress response system, inflammation, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction are all pathways through which psychiatric disorders may accelerate cardiovascular decline.

    Breaking the Cycle

    The study calls for a fundamental shift in medical practice. “For the best care, an integrated approach is needed to address the complex needs of this vulnerable population,” the authors wrote. “Such approach should offer enhanced support and interdisciplinary care encompassing mental, cardiovascular, and behavioral health, as well as consideration of the social needs and barriers to care.” Among the interventions reviewed, exercise emerged as one of the most effective treatments, improving both mood and heart health. Evidence shows that physical activity can deliver improvements on par with or greater than medication or psychotherapy for depression. Mind-body practices like yoga and mindfulness, while requiring more evaluation, also show promise for improving outcomes across both mental and cardiovascular health.

    A Call to Integrate Care

    The authors stressed that progress depends on healthcare systems breaking down the wall between physical and mental health. For decades, treatment has been siloed, with psychiatrists focusing on the mind and cardiologists on the body. That separation, the study finds, has left millions vulnerable. The authors argue for expanded insurance coverage, investment in housing and employment stability, and the inclusion of psychiatric patients in cardiovascular research. Above all, they call for integrated care models that recognize the tight link between mental and cardiovascular health.

    Global Health Priority

    The stakes are enormous. The World Health Organization has set a 2025 target to reduce the global burden of cardiovascular disease. The paper argues that this goal cannot be reached without directly addressing the disparities faced by those with psychiatric disorders.

    “Closing the disparity gap for individuals with mental health disorders would be consistent with the World Health Organization 2025 targets of reducing the global burden of CVD,” the researchers concluded. “Reducing these disparities would also uphold the rights of people with mental health disorders to achieve the highest possible level of health and to fully participate in society and the workforce.”

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    Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent and NNPA

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  • 11.3% of Middle and High Schoolers Use Tobacco Products, CDC Says

    11.3% of Middle and High Schoolers Use Tobacco Products, CDC Says

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    Nov. 14, 2022 — More than 3 million middle and high school students said they used tobacco products in the last 30 days, the CDC reports. 

    That’s 11.3% of students surveyed. Overall, 16.5% of high school students and 4.5% of middle schoolers reported current tobacco use, the CDC said in its Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report. 

    The most commonly used products were e-cigarettes, followed by cigars, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, hookahs, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco products, and pipe tobacco. The findings come from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, which was conducted January 18, 2022, to May 31, 2022. 

    “Commercial tobacco product use continues to threaten the health of our nation’s youth, and disparities in youth tobacco product use persist,” Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, said in a statement. “By addressing the factors that lead to youth tobacco product use and helping youth to quit, we can give our nation’s young people the best opportunity to live their healthiest lives.”

    Broken down by groups, tobacco products had been used in the last 30 days by 12.3% of female students; 10.3% of males; 13.5% of non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives; 12.4% of Whites; 11.5% of Blacks; 11.1% of Hispanics or Latinos; and 3.1% of Asian students.

    Tobacco use was reported by 16% who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual; 16.6% who identified as transgender; 18.3% who reported severe psychological distress; 12.5% with low family affluence; and 27.2% who reported getting mostly F grades.

    Favors, marketing, and misperceptions of harm are major factors contributing to youths’ use of tobacco. Most youth who use tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, want to quit, the CDC’s statement said.

    “Youth use of tobacco products – in any form – is unsafe,” said the report. “Such products contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm the developing adolescent brain. Using nicotine during adolescence might also increase risk for future addiction to other drugs.”

    The report said the ability to compare the 2022 survey findings to previous years is “limited” because of differences in data collection procedures.

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  • America’s Teeth Grinders Are Turning to Botox

    America’s Teeth Grinders Are Turning to Botox

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    With the pinch of a needle, cosmetic dermatologists such as Michele Green can make forehead wrinkles disappear and deep-furrowed crow’s-feet puff back out like yeasted dough. Botox is totally magic, a little unsettling, and very in demand: Green’s New York City practice has been swamped as Americans seek to give themselves a “post-pandemic” glow-up. But these days, many of her patients aren’t after eternal youth and sex appeal. When Green reviews her schedule for the week each Monday morning, she told me, “I’m just like, Oh my god.” At least a quarter of her Botox appointments are for people with a different motive entirely: They can’t stop clenching their jaw and grinding their teeth.

    Across the country, patients dealing with the meddlesome condition are now turning to Botox—yes, Botox.  “It’s a very popular treatment” for people who grind and clench their teeth, Lauren Goodman, a L.A.-based cosmetic nurse, told me. Bruxism, the official term encompassing both behaviors, is an involuntary action that tends to happen when people are sleeping at night, for reasons including alcohol and tobacco use, sleep apnea, and stress—perhaps why the condition has soared in the United States during the pandemic. The condition is a tolerable nuisance for many people, but the symptoms can get very real: With bruxism on the rise, dentists are reporting more chipped and cracked teeth in patients, along with jaw pain and facial soreness. In the most severe cases, patients can suffer debilitating headaches and jaw dislocation. The most common treatments, such as mouth guards and lifestyle changes, only sometimes help get rid of symptoms.

    That’s what makes Botox so appealing for the recent flood of teeth grinders. Jaw injections relax the chewing muscles that clench and grind with up to 250 pounds of force—potentially relieving pain and preventing dental issues in the process. It’s not as though every teeth grinder in America is hotfooting it to their nearest Botox clinic, but the procedure seems to have blown up since the start of the pandemic. Five dentists and cosmetic experts told me they’d noticed an increase in teeth grinders and clenchers getting Botox. People who have exhausted more traditional routes are “really just committed to alleviating their pain,” said Samantha Rawdin, a prosthodontist in New York City. “If that means getting a needle to the face, so be it.”

    But even if Botox has some upsides, it’s hardly the permanent, sure-thing solution that dentists and patients have long searched for. That’s been the narrative all along with bruxism: Because there are so many possible causes, treatments are an educated dice roll—and none of them is universally effective. “I don’t tell my patients I can treat them,” Gilles Lavigne, a dentistry professor at the University of Montreal, told me. “I tell them I can help them manage their condition.” So, how do we still not always know how to handle this incredibly common ailment?

    Botox has been creeping onto the teeth-grinding stage since long before the pandemic. Although it has gained noticeable traction over the past few years, research on the efficacy of Botox stretches back to the late 1990s. In the years since, researchers have also discovered that the injections, which temporarily paralyze the masseter muscles responsible for grinding and clenching, can reduce the frequency and intensity of bruxism. It’s one of a slew of non-cosmetic Botox uses that have been identified since the drug hit the market in 1989: Injections also treat issues such as excessive underarm sweating, acne, and migraines.

    Botox for bruxism hasn’t been FDA approved, so it’s still considered off-label—but anyone with a Botox license can legally inject a willing teeth grinder. And at least in theory, Botox has some advantages over other bruxism treatments. Night guards might prevent you from gnashing your teeth into smithereens while you sleep, but they can be ineffective at stopping the behavior and can even make it worse—especially if you have sleep apnea, Jamison Spencer, a dentist and sleep-apnea expert based in Boise, Idaho, told me. Minimally invasive regimes such as yoga, meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and physical therapy are hit or miss. Muscle relaxers can be helpful for some patients, but those aren’t universally popular among the dentists I spoke with, some of whom cited America’s opioid crisis as a concern.

    When less invasive treatments don’t work, Botox might be “the next frontier,” Leena Palomo, a professor at New York University’s College of Dentistry, told me. Grinders and clenchers seem to be learning about the injections from a variety of sources. Rita Mizrahi, an oral surgeon in New York who offers Botox for bruxism, told me that her patients are typically referred by their regular dentists. Others discover jaw Botox in online forums such as Reddit and the beauty network RealSelf, where often anonymous discussions of the procedure abound. And some are reading mainstream-media testimonials or hearing about it from friends or family—particularly as more and more Americans embrace Botox for cosmetic purposes.

    At its best, the procedure can really help certain teeth grinders: Studies have indicated that Botox can decrease pain levels. One RealSelf reviewer described trying night guards, stress relief, and cutting out caffeine before getting jaw injections. “Thank goodness for something like Botox to come along in this day and age,” they wrote four months after getting the procedure. The procedure comes with some cosmetic changes too: Grinding and clenching all night can be a workout, which might lead to enlarged chewing muscles and a square, boxy face. The injections slim the jawline for many patients, giving it “more of a V-shape,” Green said.

    But Botox has some real downsides—and plenty of dentists are still hesitant to recommend it. For starters, it’s expensive and impermanent. The procedure typically costs at least $1,000; is not covered by medical or dental insurance; and usually won’t last for more than four months. “This isn’t a onetime thing and you’re good,” Mizrahi said. And like most of the other treatments available, jaw Botox attacks teeth-grinding and clenching symptoms, but not the cause. Because people still need to chew, the masseter muscle isn’t totally immobilized—meaning that patients “will just grind with less power,” Lavigne said.

    And all of the risks associated with the cosmetic use of Botox apply here too, such as bruising at the injection site, headaches, allergic reactions, and less desirable changes in facial expressions due to misplaced Botox. One RealSelf reviewer experienced no improvement in jaw pain but the unfortunate onset of a creepy grin that resembled a “chucky doll smile.” Another said that their headaches disappeared after the procedure, but so did their cheeks: “I couldn’t recognize myself in the mirror and looked like I had aged 10 years within a couple of months.”

    That grinders and clenchers are more frequently turning to Botox is hardly a pure success story. Early mentions of teeth gnashing exist in the Bible, yet we still don’t really understand how to make it stop. I know firsthand how frustrating that feels. In January, after trying (and failing) to open wide enough for a crispy chicken tender, I was finally motivated to see a dentist—who gave me a night guard so I’d quit slamming my teeth together. I meditate like it’s my job, I don’t have sleep apnea or take medications of any sort, and yet I still gnaw on that hunk of plastic like it’s gristle. My jaw doesn’t lock anymore but it’s still tense most mornings. I’m priced out of getting Botox—so, like many teeth grinders, I’m stuck in medical purgatory.

    Teeth grinding isn’t like a broken arm, where cause and effect are obvious and fixable. “Because the origin of [jaw] pain is not singular, you have to attack it from various modalities,” Mizrahi told me: “All the things that potentially contribute to the pain have to be addressed,” and that can involve fields far outside dentistry. Even dentists themselves aren’t always equipped with all the information: “We get virtually no bruxism education” in dental school, Spencer, the sleep-apnea researcher from Idaho, said.

    With all these roadblocks, many patients never find out why they’re clenching or grinding, says Alan Glaros, an emeritus professor of dentistry at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, who’s been researching the issue for more than 40 years. That’s partially because it’s a difficult problem to not only treat, but also study. Bruxism’s many causes intersect “a lot of disciplines,” such as dentistry, sleep health, and psychology, which muddies the research process. Each field is studying the behavior, but the results will only ever tell part of the story. “People act as if this is all solved, but it’s not,” Glaros told me.

    So for now, mouth guards, meditation, and Botox are what we have. The treatment, in all likelihood, isn’t going anywhere. “As people get to know others who have responded well, I predict that we’re going to see an uptick,” Palomo said. Grinders and clenchers will keep chomping on their plastic night guards or forking up thousands of dollars a year for temporary injections, all in a maybe-successful attempt to quell their pain. If only Botox could banish bruxism like it does stubborn wrinkles.

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    Ali Francis

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