Health
Kids’ stomach pain is common complaint, yet many parents don’t seek medical care, poll finds
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Stomach pain is one of the most common complaints among kids, but most parents have trouble pinpointing the cause and taking action to relieve it, a new poll found.
The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, polled 1,061 randomly selected adults with kids between the ages of three and 10 in February 2023.
One in six parents (17%) said their kids complain of stomach pain on at least a monthly basis, but only 58% of those parents brought up the issue with their pediatricians, according to a press release discussing the study’s findings.
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Only one in three parents said they can determine with confidence when tummy pain is a warning sign of a serious condition in their children.
A majority of the parents who answered the survey (73%) chalked up their kids’ stomach pain to gastrointestinal issues such as gas, indigestion and constipation, while 35% suspected a virus or infection, the survey found.
Stomach pain is one of the most common complaints among kids, but most parents said they have trouble pinpointing the cause and taking up the issue with doctors to relieve it, a new poll has found. (iStock)
Around 30% will give their children an over-the-counter product in an attempt to relieve the pain.
About a quarter of parents said they believe their child’s stomach pain is due to anxiety, a desire for attention or an attempt to avoid school.
In cases in which the parents think the belly pain is caused by anxiety, 71% of them said they have attempted to discuss the source of anxiety with their child.
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Fifty-three percent of the parents said they do breathing and relaxation exercises, another 53% attempt to distract the child and 16% allow the child to skip school and activities, the poll found.
“Though it may end up being anxiety-related, it is definitely not up to a parent to decide that.”
Symptoms most likely to prompt parents to call a doctor or seek emergency care included blood in the child’s stool (84%), a “sharp,” knife-like pain (64%), six or more hours of continued pain (64%), a swollen (63%) or hard (49%) belly, fever (22%) or diarrhea (8%).
Potential causes of kids’ belly pain
Belly pain is usually a warning sign, said Dr. Marc Siegel, professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor.
Siegel was not involved in the poll.
![Child under stress](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/06/640/320/kid-under-stress.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
About a quarter of parents said they believe their child’s stomach pain is due to anxiety, a desire for attention — or an attempt to avoid school. (iStock)
“Though it may end up being anxiety-related, it is definitely not up to a parent to decide that,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Anxiety is what we call a diagnosis of exclusion in the face of somatic complaints.”
Dr. Shana Johnson, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, who was also not involved in the poll, said she’s had firsthand experience with how kids’ stomach pain can stem from emotional health concerns.
“My son’s stomach pain was confirmed to be stress-induced.”
Johnson’s son, who is neurodivergent, has struggled with stomach pain and reflux over the years, she shared with Fox News Digital. During a recent two-year period, he vomited twice per week because of reflux.
“My son’s stomach pain was ultimately confirmed to be stress-induced — the daily stress of trying to ‘fit into’ the neurotypical box,” Johnson said.
“His reflux and stomach pain are his stress ‘biomarker’ — it tells me when I am pushing him too hard to fit into the box.”
![Gut-brain connection](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/06/640/320/gut-brain-connection.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
The brain and the digestive tract, or “gut,” talk to each other through the brain-gut connection, Dr. Shana Johnson of Scottsdale, Arizona, told Fox News Digital in an interview. (iStock)
The brain and the digestive tract, or “gut,” talk to each other through the brain-gut connection, she explained.
“This relationship connects the emotional and cognitive parts of the brain with gastrointestinal functions,” said Johnson.
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“In response to emotions or stress, the brain communicates with the intestinal tract.”
Suffering a stomach ache amid worry is an accurate message — but daily cramping, diarrhea and pain reflect dysfunction in the brain-gut system, she explained.
“Parents are wrong to ignore it.”
“The dysfunction results in hypersensitivity (pain and discomfort) and changes in motility (e.g., diarrhea and constipation),” Johnson said.
Some potential physical causes of stomach pain in kids are food intolerance or allergy, acid reflux (a digestive issue in which stomach acid or bile irritates the food pipe lining) or an underlying pathology that needs further investigation, Siegel said.
“Either way, parents are wrong to ignore it,” said Dr. Siegel.
“You need a pediatrician you can trust, and this is one of the things they need to be informed about,” he said.
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Health
The Carnivore Diet: Is There Science Behind the Fad? | Woman's World
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Health
For diabetes patients, inhaled insulin is shown just as effective as injections and pumps
![For diabetes patients, inhaled insulin is shown just as effective as injections and pumps](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/diabetes-insulin-inhaler.jpg)
Most of the 38 million people living with diabetes in the U.S. use daily injections or insulin pumps to keep glucose at safe levels — but new research suggests that a third option could be just as effective.
In a study led by Dr. Irl B. Hirsch, M.D., medical director of the Diabetes Care Center of the University of Washington Medical Center, an inhaled form of insulin — similar to an asthma inhaler — worked just as well as injections or pumps to control type 1 diabetes.
The research was presented last week at the American Diabetes Association (ADA)’s 84th Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida.
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The clinical trial tested a product called Afrezza, an inhaled insulin made by MannKind Corporation in California.
Afrezza, the only inhaled insulin on the market, has been available since getting FDA approval in June 2014.
An inhaled form of insulin worked just as well as injections or pumps to control type 1 diabetes in a recent study. (iStock/MannKind)
Benefits of a third option
“In those with type 1 diabetes, insulin is required for survival,” Hirsch told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“With continuous glucose sensing, glucose control has been dramatically improved — but not everyone reaches the target with multiple injections or pumps, and there are many pros and cons with each therapy,” he said.
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With pumps, people must wear the device, which can lead to skin problems.
They also have to purchase extra accessories.
Blood glucose levels can also drop with exercise, Hirsch warned, which can be problematic.
![Afrezza inhaler](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/Inhaler.Insulin.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Afrezza, an inhaled insulin pictured here, is made by MannKind Corporation in California. (MannKind)
“Injections overall can be more convenient for some, but they don’t do as well as pump patients,” he said.
With Afrezza, the product is inhaled into the lungs before meals, and the fast-acting insulin minimizes the glucose spike often seen after eating, Hirsch noted.
“Patients with type 1 diabetes should consider this as another option for their mealtime insulin, and talk to their doctor about this choice.”
During the 17-week study, researchers evaluated the results of 141 adults who were assigned to either use the Afrezza inhaler or continue with traditional methods of injection or pump delivery.
At the 17-week mark, all participants switched to the inhaler for another 13 weeks.
![Dr. Irl B. Hirsch](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/Dr.-Irl-B.-Hirsch52.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Dr. Irl B. Hirsch, M.D., medical director of the Diabetes Care Center of the University of Washington Medical Center, led the new study. (MannKind)
All groups were assessed with continuous glucose monitoring at the start of the study, at 17 weeks and again at 30 weeks.
Among the inhaled insulin group, 30% of participants reached their target glucose levels (less than 7% blood sugar) compared to 17% of the people using injections and pumps.
There was no difference in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) between the groups.
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“In general, there was no difference in our primary endpoint, HbA1c, a reflection of average blood sugar,” Hirsch said.
“But that alone is misleading — many patients did better with their glucose control, while others did worse.”
![Afrezza inhaler](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/Afrezza-269-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
With Afrezza, the product is inhaled into the lungs before meals, and the fast-acting insulin minimizes the glucose spike often seen after eating, a doctor said. (MannKind)
“The point is, inhaling insulin isn’t for everyone, but some did better than they did on their pumps.”
The people who saw the best results inhaled insulin between meals and at bedtime, Hirsch added.
At the end of the study, more than half of the participants said they would opt to stay on the inhaled insulin therapy.
“The biggest takeaway is that patients with type 1 diabetes should consider this as another option for their mealtime insulin, and talk to their doctor about this choice,” he recommended.
‘Adds value’
The American Diabetes Association acknowledged the promise of the study findings in an email to Fox News Digital.
“We look forward to our Scientific Sessions every year to see data like the INHALE-3 study’s findings, which have the potential to expand diabetes care,” Raveendhara Bannuru, M.D., PhD, the ADA’s vice president of medical affairs and quality improvement outcomes in Boston, Massachusetts, told Fox News Digital via email.
![diabetes CGM](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/09/1200/675/iStock-1367251295.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
“With continuous glucose sensing, glucose control has been dramatically improved,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“We are hopeful for the continuous development of alternative insulin delivery methods that could offer options for people living with diabetes,” the group also said in the statement.
“The INHALE-3 trial demonstrated that inhaled insulin, combined with insulin degludec, effectively reduces A1c levels without increasing hypoglycemia or weight gain in people with type 1 diabetes. This adds value to the options in insulin therapy.”
Potential risks and limitations
While more people met their glycemic targets with Afrezza, some subjects saw worse readings when switching from usual methods to inhaled insulin — “potentially due to missing doses of inhaled insulin during the day and/or underdosing going into bedtime,” the researchers wrote.
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“We didn’t see any concerns,” Hirsch said when asked about side effects.
“As expected, a few people coughed immediately when dosing their insulin, but no major concerns were seen and everyone continued on their inhaled insulin.”
![Insulin injection](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/05/1200/675/insulin-injection.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
“Not everyone reaches the target with multiple injections or pumps, and there are many pros and cons with each therapy,” a doctor said. (iStock)
The most common side effects noted in the study were hypoglycemia, cough and throat pain or irritation.
Afrezza has been linked to a risk of acute bronchospasm in patients with chronic lung disease, such as asthma or COPD, according to the manufacturer.
“Inhaling insulin isn’t for everyone, but some did better than they did on their pumps.”
Before starting Afrezza, patients should see a doctor for a physical examination and testing to measure lung function.
Patients who smoke or who recently quit smoking should not take the inhaled medication.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
Fox News Digital reached out to MannKind requesting additional comment.
Health
Surgeon general declares firearm violence in America a public health crisis
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The United States surgeon general is declaring gun violence a national public health crisis.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on Tuesday stating that firearm-related violence and its immediate psychological ramifications on victims and bystanders has severely compromised public health.
“Today, for the first time in the history of our office, I am issuing a Surgeon General’s Advisory on firearm violence,” Murthy said in a video announcement. “It outlines the urgent threat firearm violence poses to the health and well-being of our country.”
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U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a special advisory on firearm violence on Tuesday, calling gun-related incidents a public health crisis. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
“As a doctor, I’ve seen the consequences of firearm violence up close and the lives of the patients that cared for over the years,” the surgeon general continued. “These are moms and dads, sons and daughters, all of whom were robbed of their physical and mental health by senseless acts of violence.”
The advisory states that 54% of adults in America have experienced a firearm-related incident. These experiences with firearm violence include individuals who have been threatened with a gun (21%), lost a family member in a gun-related death (19%), witnessed a shooting (17%), and been wounded by a firearm (4%).
The 54% figure also includes adults who have fired a gun in self-defense (4%). The gun-related death statistic includes those who committed suicide via firearm.
The report noted different demographics are affected in different ways by gun violence.
Black individuals suffer the highest rate of gun deaths. American Indians, Alaskan Natives, elderly white people, and military veterans are at the highest risk suicide by firearm.
“Beyond these precious lives that are lost to firearm violence, there are wider ripples of harm to those who are injured, who witnessed the incidents, who live in urban and rural communities where such violence takes place, and who constantly read and hear about firearm violence,” Murthy stated.
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![Vivek Murthy](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/GettyImages-1953493545-scaled-e1719314559178.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Murthy wrote in the report that the direct casualties of gun violence are compounded by psychological ramifications inflicted on victims and bystanders. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
He added, “The collective trauma and fear that Americans are experiencing is contributing to the mental health challenges that we are facing today. Nearly 6 in 10 U.S. adults say they worry about a loved one being a victim of firearm violence.”
The public advisory on firearm-related violence is the first document of its kind released by the Surgeon General’s Office.
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