Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Dissolvable Tobacco Products May Have Fewer Health Risks: FDA
Panel
While dissolvable tobacco products could pose fewer health risks
compared to cigarettes, they could increase the number of tobacco
users in the United States, a Food and Drug Administration advisory
panel says.
Dissolvable tobacco -- finely milled tobacco pressed into shapes
like tablets that slowly dissolve in the mouth -- are one of the
cigarette alternatives being considered by tobacco companies for
future sales growth, the
Associated Press reported.
There is a lack of research on dissolvable tobacco products,
which make up a small share of the market, the panel noted.
The findings were posted online Thursday and will be reviewed by
the FDA in any future decisions but there's no timeline for the
agency to act, the
AP reported.
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Army Mental Health Programs Under Review
A system-wide review of U.S. Army mental health facilities is
being conducted to determine if psychiatrists overturned soldiers'
diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in order to save
money.
The review by the Army inspector general comes as the case of a
U.S. soldier suspected of killing 16 Afghan civilians has led to
renewed focus on war-related mental strain among military
personnel, the
Associated Press reported.
The service is trying to determine whether changes in PTSD
diagnoses were isolated or common practice, Army Secretary John
McHugh told Congress on Wednesday.
The forensic psychiatry unit at Madigan Army Medical Center on
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is under investigation for reversing PTSD
diagnoses in order to avoid the expense of providing care and
benefits to soldiers, according to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
"Not only is it damaging for our soldiers, but it also really furthers the stigma for others that are -- whether they're deciding to seek help or not today," Murray said, the AP reported.
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More Young Adults OK Living With Parents: Study
The stigma of having to move back in with their parents appears
to be fading for young adults in the United States, a new study
suggests.
Pew Research Center investigators found that more than 75
percent of young adults who moved back home during and after the
recent recession say they're fine with living at home and feel good
about their future financial prospects, according to
U.S. News & World Report.
The fact that living with friends and relatives has become so
common in a challenging economy may be one reason why so many of
the so-called boomerang generation are less likely to be ashamed to
be living with their parents.
The study found that 61 percent of young adults say they have
family or friends who have been forced to return to their parents'
home in recent years due to money problems,
U.S. News & World Report said.
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