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Ernest Drucker, Public-Health Advocate for the Scorned, Dies at 84

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Ernest Drucker, Public-Health Advocate for the Scorned, Dies at 84

Ernest Drucker, a pioneering public-health researcher who approached drug addiction with compassion, invigorated needle-exchange programs to stem the AIDS epidemic and diagnosed the destructive impact of what he called a “plague” of mass incarceration, died on Jan. 26 at his home in Manhattan. He was 84.

The cause was complications of dementia, his son, Jesse Drucker, said.

For more than three decades, Dr. Drucker, primed with epidemiological evidence, waged cutting edge campaigns to improve the lot of prison inmates; the homeless; patients with tuberculosis; workers exposed to asbestos; and HIV-infected drug users and their families, who had been ravaged by the repercussions of AIDS. He was an early and vocal proponent of rethinking the country’s approach to illicit drugs, advocating “harm reduction” — a strategy that prioritizes reducing negative consequences over criminal prosecution.

A clinical psychologist by training, he was professor emeritus of family and social medicine at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx and had been a senior research associate and scholar in residence at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York in Manhattan, where he biked to work from the Upper West Side.

Dr. Helene Gayle, an epidemiologist and a former president of Spelman College in Atlanta, described Dr. Drucker this way in an email to his son: “Unapologetic about taking on issues that others wouldn’t touch. Unapologetic about the humanity in all including those who had suffered the most injustice.”

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Having run a drug rehabilitation program in the Bronx, Dr. Drucker knew firsthand the destructive capabilities of addictive drugs. But the criminal prosecution of addicts, he argued, only compounded the problem, forcing addicts underground, where dangerous practices like sharing needles resulted in the spread of H.I.V., and saddling them with criminal records that could make them unemployable.

“Our demonization of heroin has transformed otherwise benign and controllable patterns of its use into a lethal gamble and has raised the threshold for seeking help when problems do arise,” he wrote in a letter to The New York Times in 1995. “Other countries are adopting ‘harm reduction’ strategies that (without legalizing drugs) acknowledge their widespread use and employ methods (such as needle exchange) to make even injectable use safer.”

He added that “our stubborn failure to acknowledge the enduring appeal of drugs, and learn how to control (rather than prohibit) their use” had tragic consequences.

Instead, he contended in his book “A Plague of Prisons: The Epidemiology of Mass Incarceration in America” (2011), that for the 90 percent of drug crimes that are nonviolent “criminalization can be replaced with a public health and therapeutic model.”

Dr. Drucker established some of the world’s first syringe exchange programs and in 1991, after he testified in favor of them, four members of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, known as Act Up, were acquitted in Jersey City, N.J., of charges related to running a needle exchange program to prevent the spread of AIDS.

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He warned that the AIDS epidemic was not only afflicting gay men but was also increasingly devastating poor, nonwhite families. He said that heterosexual relations in certain Bronx neighborhoods had become a form of “sexual Russian roulette” that was orphaning children.

“No one, by a long shot, spun out more novel ideas for research, policy and advocacy, many of which resulted in influential publications, new organizations and changes in policy on all aspects of harm reduction as well as drug treatment, public health and criminal justice reform,” Ethan A. Nadelmann, the founder of the Drug Policy Alliance, which has opposed the war on drugs, said in an email.

Dr. Drucker was a founder and chairman of Doctors of the World/USA from 1993 to 1997, was the founding editor in chief of Harm Reduction Journal, and a founder of the International Harm Reduction Association.

In his eulogy, Professor David Michaels of George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health and a former administrator of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said Dr. Drucker was “a true public health Renaissance man, driven by a deep commitment to fairness, and justice. He cared deeply about people — you can see it in his work on harm reduction, insisting we should not punish people for who they are and the decisions they make, but instead we should help them become healthier and more fulfilled.”

Ernest Mor Drucker was born on March 29, 1940, in Brooklyn. His father, Joseph, was a machinist for ITT. His wife, Beatrice (Strull) Drucker, managed the household.

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Ernest was raised in the borough’s Brighton Beach section, and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School with plans to become an engineer, but he gravitated toward psychology as a major at City College of New York, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1962 followed by a doctorate.

At Montefiore/Einstein, where he was a disciple of Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Victor Sidel, two proponents of health care for the poor, he was the director of Public Health and Policy Research and the founding director of a 1,000-patient drug treatment program, where he served until 1990.

He would periodically reinvent himself professionally, shifting his focus to and from heroin addiction, public health, occupational safety, AIDS and alternatives to prison.

In addition to his son, Jesse, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, he is survived by his wife, Jeri (Rosner) Drucker, an artist; his brother, Alan Drucker; and two grandchildren.

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Man’s extreme energy drink habit leads to concerning medical discovery, doctors say

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Man’s extreme energy drink habit leads to concerning medical discovery, doctors say

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Eight energy drinks per day may lead to serious health consequences, recent research suggests.

A relatively healthy man in his 50s suffered a stroke from the overconsumption of unnamed energy beverages, according to a scientific paper published in the journal BMJ Case Reports by doctors at Nottingham University Hospitals in the U.K.

The unnamed man was described as “normally fit and well,” but was experiencing left-side weakness, numbness and ataxia, also known as poor coordination or unsteady walking. 

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When the man sought medical attention, it was confirmed via MRI that he had suffered an ischemic thalamic stroke, the report stated.

The patient’s blood pressure was high upon admission to the hospital, was lowered during treatment and then rose again after discharge, even though he was taking five medications.

The 50-year-old man (not pictured) admitted to drinking eight energy drinks per day. (iStock)

The man revealed that he consumed eight cans of energy drink per day, each containing 160 mg of caffeine. His caffeine consumption had not been recorded upon admission to the hospital.

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Once the man stopped drinking caffeine, his blood pressure normalized, and he was taken off antihypertensive medications.

High caffeine content can raise blood pressure “substantially,” a doctor confirmed. (iStock)

Based on this case, the authors raised the potential risks associated with energy drinks, especially regarding stroke and cardiovascular disease.

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They also highlighted the importance of “targeted questioning in clinical practice and greater public awareness.”

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The authors say this case draws attention to the potential dangers of over-consuming energy drinks. (iStock)

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel reacted to the case study in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“This case report illustrates the high risk associated with a large volume of energy drink consumption, especially because of the high caffeine content, which can raise your blood pressure substantially,” said Siegel, who was not involved in the study.

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“In this case, the large amount of caffeine appears to have led directly to very high blood pressure and a thalamic stroke, which is likely a result of that soaring blood pressure.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the case study authors and various energy drink brands for comment.

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5 Surprising Ozempic Side Effects Doctors Are Finally Revealing (Like Back Pain and Hair Loss)

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5 Surprising Ozempic Side Effects Doctors Are Finally Revealing (Like Back Pain and Hair Loss)


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Relationship coach blames Oprah for pushing family estrangement ‘for decades’

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Relationship coach blames Oprah for pushing family estrangement ‘for decades’

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Oprah Winfrey is shining a light on family estrangement, which she calls “one of the fastest-growing cultural shifts of our time” — but one expert says the media mogul helped fuel that very culture.

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“A Cornell University study now shows that almost one-third of Americans are actively estranged from a family member,” Winfrey said on a recent episode of “The Oprah Podcast,” referring to adult children going “no-contact” with parents, siblings or entire family systems.

Winfrey said the trend is a “silent epidemic” that can be especially relevant during the holidays.

ONE TOXIC BEHAVIOR KILLS RELATIONSHIPS, LEADING HAPPINESS EXPERT WARNS

But family and relationship coach Tania Khazaal, who focuses on fighting “cutoff culture,” took to social media to criticize Winfrey for acting as if the estrangement crisis appeared “out of thin air.”

“Now Oprah is shocked by the aftermath of estrangement, after being one of the biggest voices pushing it for decades,” Canada-based Khazaal said in an Instagram video, which drew more than 27,000 likes and 3,000 comments.

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Oprah Winfrey recently discussed what she called a “silent epidemic” of family estrangement on her podcast. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Khazaal claimed that Winfrey’s messaging started in the 1990s and has contributed to a cultural shift where walking away became the first resort, not the last.

According to the relationship coach, millennials, some of whom grew up watching Oprah, are the leading demographic cutting off family members — and even if it wasn’t intentional, “the effect has absolutely been harmful,” Khazaal told Fox News Digital.

FAMILY BREAKUPS OVER POLITICS MAY HURT MORE THAN YOU THINK, EXPERT SAYS

The coach, who has her own history with estrangement, questioned why Winfrey is now treating the issue as a surprising crisis.

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“Now she hosts a discussion with estranged parents and estranged kids, speaking on estrangement like it’s some hidden, sudden, heartbreaking epidemic that she had no hand in,” she said in her video.

Nearly one-third of Americans are estranged from a family member, research shows. (iStock)

Khazaal said she believes discussions about estrangement are necessary, but insists that people shouldn’t “rewrite history.”

“Estrangement isn’t entertainment or a trending conversation piece,” she added. “It’s real families, real grief, parents dying without hearing their child’s voice.”

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Winfrey reportedly responded in the comments, writing, “Happy to have a conversation about it — but not on a reel. Will have my producer contact you if you’re interested.” But the comment was later deleted due to the backlash it received, Khazaal told Fox News Digital.

“I would still be open to that discussion,” Khazaal said. “The first thing I’d want her to understand is simple: Setting aside cases of abuse or danger, the family unit is the most sacred structure we have.” 

Experts emphasize that estrangement should be a last resort. (iStock)

“When children lose their sense of belonging at home, they search for it in the outside world,” she added. “That’s contributing to the emotional fragility we’re seeing today.”

Her critique ignited a debate online, with some social media users saying Khazaal is voicing a long-overdue concern.

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“The first time I heard, ‘You can love them from a distance’ was from Oprah … in the ’90s,” one woman said.

My son estranged himself from us for five years,” one mother commented. “The pain, hurt and damage never goes away.”

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Others, however, argued that Winfrey’s podcast episode was empathetic and that estrangement shouldn’t be oversimplified.

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Mental health experts say the conversation around estrangement is more complex than any single celebrity influence, and reflects broader cultural shifts.

Experts say today’s focus on boundaries and emotional well-being has reshaped family expectations. (iStock)

In the episode with Winfrey, Joshua Coleman, a California-based psychologist, said, “The old days of ‘honor thy mother and thy father,’ ‘respect thy elders’ and ‘family is forever’ has given way to much more of an emphasis on personal happiness, personal growth, my identity, my political beliefs, my mental health.” 

Coleman noted that therapists sometimes become “detachment brokers” by unintentionally green-lighting estrangement.

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Jillian Amodio, a licensed master’s social worker at the Maryland-based Waypoint Wellness Center, told Fox News Digital that while public figures like Winfrey help normalize these conversations, estrangement might just be a more openly discussed topic now.

“Estrangement used to be handled privately and quietly,” she said.

Winfrey’s take on family estrangement is prompting a broader discussion amid the holiday season. (iStock)

But even strained relationships can be fixed with the right support, experts say.

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Susan Foosness, a North Carolina-based clinical director of patient programs at Rula Health, said families can strengthen their relationships by working with a mental health professional to improve communication, learn healthier conflict-resolution skills, and build trust and empathy through quality time together.

“No family is perfect,” Foosness told Fox News Digital.

Khazaal agreed, saying, “Parents need to learn how to listen without slipping into justification, and children need help speaking about their pain without defaulting to blame or avoidance.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Winfrey for comment.

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