United States: Evidence from a recent trial demonstrates that patients with low back pain achieve benefits from mental pain treatment strategies. 

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Multiple studies conducted by JAMA Network Open confirm that both mindfulness meditation and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) help decrease pain symptoms in people with chronic back pain. 

The effective treatments that patients used led to reduced opioid painkiller consumption levels based on study results. 

According to the senior researcher Eric Garland, a professor of health sciences and psychology at the University of California-San Diego, “These therapies aren’t a total cure, but they teach people how to develop the inner resources they need to cope with chronic pain and to live a better life,” US News reported. 

Current research identified this study as the biggest investigation measuring the effectiveness of mindfulness treatment and CBT against opioid-dependent chronic pain. 

The clinical study attracted 770 adults who received treatment for their lower back pain at locations in both Boston and Wisconsin.; Madison. Boston, and Salt Lake City. 

Furthermore, as per the co-lead researcher Dr. Bruce Barrett, professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “The people in this study had quite severe back pain that interfered with their life and was bad enough to need opioid medication. Usually, in that condition, people don’t really get better over time on their own,” US News reported. 

A research study used random assignment to divide patients between receiving mindfulness therapy sessions and CBT group therapy sessions over eight weeks. 

The mindfulness therapy taught participants to recognize bodily sensations, which granted them better competency in managing both their pain responses and other symptoms, according to investigators. 

The CBT group members learned strategies to transform negative behavioral patterns and thinking patterns that underlie the manifestation of back pain. 

“Mindfulness is a self-regulated tool that comes from within, unlike surgery or medication where something is being done to you from the outside,” as Garland stated. 

“By learning these techniques, patients continue to experience lasting benefits,” he continued. 

United States: The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized Monday that community water fluoridation should end while praising Utah for banning fluoride in the water supply. 

According to Kennedy, “It makes no sense to have it in our water supply. And I’m very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it. And I hope many more will come.” 

Federal Agencies Reevaluate Fluoride Safety 

The Environmental Protection Agency announced the start of a new fluoride health effects review, which combines forces with the departments of Kennedy Jr. while analyzing potential federal water fluoridation constraints. 

Kennedy has scheduled a meeting with his Community Preventive Services Task Force to develop fresh recommendations about water fluoridation, according to an HHS official. 

In 2013, the federal task force approved water fluoridation through its review process due to significant public health advantages over costs in preventing cavities in people. 

“As soon as I was nominated by President Trump as administrator of the EPA, the secretary instantly reached out to start talking about issues that he is so passionate about. And number one on that list was fluoride,” as per EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. 

The addition of fluoride to public water supplies has operated in many parts of the country for numerous years to guard people against dental cavities. 

Science supports water fluoridation as a secure, affordable healthcare practice that delivers advantageous results. 

Kennedy leaned on a review from the National Toxicology Program of the federal government that found elevated fluoride exposure could reduce child intelligence. 

Health Concerns Spark Renewed Debate 

The measurement of fluoride surpassed accepted standards for water distribution systems. A federal court issued a decision in 2019 that the US Environmental Protection Agency needed to take action regarding fluoride-related IQ effects based on the review findings from the reported study despite its acknowledgment of the need for further research. 

Kennedy made statements to reporters that surpassed the report content by outlining multiple health dangers, such as hyperthyroidism and osteoarthritis. 

Previously, the EPA reduced its water fluoride limits in 2011 following a National Academy of Sciences report, which revealed possible thyroid and arthritic symptoms when water reached maximum levels. 

“They have not been completely well studied, but they are alarming enough that we shouldn’t be demanding that parents accept something for their children and in their homes that is essentially a medication,” Kennedy stated. 

United States: The bird flu strain changes rapidly, according to research conducted by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, which indicates its potential danger to human health. 

A research team discovered that the H5N1 virus better understands how it spreads between mammals, according to its scientific name, bird flu. 

Virus Spreads to Cattle and Humans 

At least 64 people have contracted bird flu, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among the various infected animals, including cows. 

Research shows the mutating virus presents an increasing threat of human transmission. 

According to the lead author, Colby Ford, in a news release. He’s a visiting scholar at UNC Charlotte’s Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER), “An H5N1 vaccine made (for an earlier strain) will have less efficacy,” US News reported. 

Furthermore, as the co-author Dan Janies, who is the CIPHER co-director, said, large amounts of data can be quickly analyzed using artificial intelligence “to assess our preparedness for important problems such as H5N1, which is spreading rapidly to new hosts and regions including American cattle and farm workers.” 

Vaccine Efficacy Under Threat 

Scientists discovered that contemporary virus strains develop efficient evasion techniques, which may reduce the protection provided by prior infections and immunizations. 

At present, bird flu is an animal disease pandemic. Hundred species of different birds and short mammals have fallen prey to this infection. 

Scientists have identified the virus in bigger mammalian species, particularly cattle. 

Scientists state the virus spread to humans becomes more probable as the virus undergoes this evolutionary change. 

AI Reveals Rising Pandemic Risk 

A research paper on this topic appeared in the scientific journal eBioMedicine. A different study in progress demonstrates that the virus possesses changed a significant gene. 

The gene functions to permit the virus entry into cellular structures of mammals while allowing it to evade immune defense mechanisms. 

The research of quickly adapting viruses requires immediate attention. 

“In this study, our aim is to be more forward-looking to predict the potential health impacts of H5N1 influenza before a major event catches us off guard,” as Janies stated. 

Analyses of more than 1,800 virus-antibody interactions became possible through pandemic-developed tools. Scientists analyzed how the H5N1 virus can enter cells by studying its hemagglutinin (HA) proteins. 

Research shows the virus accelerates its propagation in order to evade immune system detection.