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August 2014 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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Kentucky Health
By Fiona Young-Brown
Here are some of the recent
updates and findings related to
health in Kentucky.
A bill to ban under-18s from
using tanning beds unless they had a
medical prescription may have been
killed by the state’s Senate Health
and Welfare Committee earlier
this year, but now a new study has
revealed that the risks of indoor
tanning are even higher than previously thought. The study, published
in the July issue of Pediatrics, has
found that teens who use tanning
beds have a higher risk of developing skin cancer at an early age, and
that the beds, still thought by many
to be a safe way of getting a “base
tan”, actually produce up to 15 times
as much ultraviolet radiation as the
noon sun. In addition to causing
premature aging, UV rays can lead
to skin cancers, such as melanoma.
The Food and Drug Administration
now requires that tanning beds must
display a warning notice, cautioning
against use by under 18s. However,
local doctors fear that a warning sign
will not be enough to stop teens
from using the beds. David Watkins,
the state rep. from Henderson who
clinical studies; provide samples
attempted to get a ban passed this
to health care professionals if they
year has promised to continue his
know it is being prescribed for nonfight.
approved use; or provide informaA national $105 million settletion describing any off-label use of
ment with
a GSK product,
pharmaceutiunless consistent
cal company
with applicable
GlaxoSmithKline
Food and Drug
means that
Administration
Kentucky will
regulations.
Kentucky
receive $1.75
A report in The
million. This is
New York Times
will receive
in response to
recently named six
allegations that
Eastern Kentucky
$1.75 million
the company
counties in the
unlawfully pronation’s 10 hardin a national
moted Advair
est counties to
(an asthma drug)
live in, with Clay
$105 million
and antidepresCounty named as
sants Paxil and
the worst in the
settlement with
Wellbutrin. As
nation. Counties
part of the judgwere ranked
GlaxoSmithKline
ment, GSK must
according to edualso change its
cat