Quickies
Quickies: Why isn’t long-acting contraception more popular, talking about harassment, and guinea worms
- The popular over-the-counter cold medicine that science says doesn’t work – I KNEW IT. Phenylephrine, “…simply doesn’t work at the FDA-approved amount found in popular non-prescription brands, and it may not even work at much higher doses.”
- Long-acting contraception makes teen pregnancy rates plummet. So why are some women still skeptical? – “Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that long-acting contraception be considered a safe and effective option for adolescents, and new programs have made IUDs and implants available to teenagers as young as 14. Unlike the pill…LARCs are considered a “set it and forget it” method—something that’s particularly important for teenagers, who tend to be less conscientious in their use of any contraceptive method that they control.” From Courtney.
- Talking publicly about harassment generates more harassment – “This is not something that can be dismissed or ignored; being the target of such sustained, widespread harassment tactics can and does take a very real mental and emotional toll. Nobody should simply have to accept this as the price of participating in social media.”
- Great news! Cases of those horrifying 31-inch parasites are dropping shortly – “No drug will control guinea worms, and there is no vaccine. The key to eradicating the worms is changing human behavior. Breaking habits doesn’t come easy, but the program has worked.”
- Cute Animal Friday! A meerkat asleep in a basket of plush meerkats. The Shedd Aquarium gave pumpkins to penguins, belugas, and sea lions.
