Sept. 8, 2019

Vaping: Whose Side is the FDA On?
By Glenn Ellis

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Most recently, we are finding out that vaping and e-cigarettes are causing health problems in the healthy lungs of young people.

Initially touted as a sure-fire way to create a generation of tobacco-free adults, we are now finding that they are not the panacea they were intended to be. Electronic cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but they aren’t safe. There’s evidence they can damage the lungs, and they’re also a path to nicotine addiction. Last year the percentage of teenagers using nicotine grew at the fastest rate ever recorded for an addictive substance, according to a survey funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

In fact, studies have found that young people who use them are more likely to become consumers of tobacco products than those who have never used them.

I should say a little about vaping, and what it is, for those who don’t know. In 2014, The Oxford English Dictionary made “vape” the word of the year!

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as vapor, which is produced by an e-cigarette or similar device. The term is used because e-cigarettes do not produce tobacco smoke, but rather an aerosol, often mistaken for water vapor, that actually consists of fine particles. Many of these particles contain varying amounts of toxic chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, as well as respiratory and heart disease.

Vaping has grown in popularity with the rise of e-cigarettes, which were introduced to the mass market in the U.S. in 2007. Vaping devices include not just e-cigarettes, but also vape pens and advanced personal vaporizers.

More than 200 people across the US have come down with a mysterious illness that appears to be linked to vaping - the latest wake-up call to the potentially serious health risks of using e-cigarettes.

Federal officials are now confirming 193 potential cases of lung ailments linked to e-cigarettes reported by 22 states. The most publicized was the recent young student-athlete in Wisconsin, whose suffered from severe ling damage from vaping. Even when vapor is nicotine-free, it may carry other heart health risks. The heating element in e-cigarettes emits tiny particles, sometimes including metals, which can lodge themselves deep into the lungs and get absorbed into the body’s circulatory system.

As of August 27, there were 215 cases of severe respiratory disease in 25 states since late June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Friday. All patients reported using e-cigarette products. But while officials believe their illness is associated with vaping, they haven’t been able to single out which ingredient or device may be causing the problem.

My issue is with the FDA, not the CDC.

The CDC monitors and tracks diseases and outbreaks; the FDA is charged with the responsibility of “is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs...”.

They are supposed to have our backs!

Until 2016, e-cigarettes were freely able to enter the market without any premarket approval by the FDA.

At the time electronic cigarettes were first available on the market, Obama-era Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a news release, “Today’s announcement is an important step in the fight for a tobacco-free generation - it will help us catch up with changes in the marketplace, put into place rules that protect our kids and give adults information they need to make informed decisions.” I don’t think so, Ms. Burwell!

To their credit, the CDC has been warning about the identified and potential dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping since these devices first appeared around 2007. In May of 2016, the FDA informed the public that its authority would be extended to cover electronic cigarettes and e-liquids, which meant that they were able to develop and enforce regulations on the industry. Essentially, any vaping product or e-cig that was released after February 15, 2007 fell under the exact same lengthy and expensive FDA approval process as regular tobacco cigarettes.

It doesn’t help matters to know that in 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rules against the Food and Drug Administration that absent therapeutic marketing claims, the FDA cannot ban e-cigarettes as unapproved drug delivery devices. This decision provides the legal framework for the very survival of the e-cigarette and vapor industries.

Seems we’ve been down this road before: The Federal Agency (FDA) charged with protection us as consumers, failed us. We saw what happened with FDA oversight on allowing Tobacco products; Opioids; and now with electronic cigarettes.

I believe that this is the tip of the iceberg or an even larger problem. A new study found that more than a third of drugs failed to complete the approval process This means there are lot of drugs on the market that haven’t been fully approved!

The time has long passed when we can assume that as consumers, we are protected from products entering the market that can cause us harm. We must hold the FDA, and all regulatory bodies to a higher standard of accountability. If not, we pay with our lives and the lives of our children.

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one. Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible!

The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice.

 Glenn Ellis, was Research Bioethics Fellow at Harvard Medical School and author of Which Doctor?, and Information is the Best Medicine. Ellis is an active media contributor on Health Equity and Medical Ethics.

For more good health information listen to Glenn, on radio in Philadelphia; Boston; Shreveport; Chicago; Los Angeles; and Birmingham., or visit: www.glennellis.com

Sept. 8, 2019

Healing the Wounds
By Dr. E. Faye Williams

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – The chaotic and catastrophic conditions we are seeing at an alarming rate across the world have even the most optimistic people around us very concerned. Mass shootings appear to be ordinary now. Just recently, there was the tragedies in El Paso (TX), Dayton (OH) and Odessa (TX) in rapid succession before we had a chance to recover from the tragedy before the last one. What just happened in the Bahamas is hard to imagine—and yet, tragedy of a monumental proportion just happened. Add to that the horrendous way #45 behaves daily both at home and abroad, and acts like none of it matters to him. As the song by Marvin Gaye goes, “It makes you want to holler and throw up your hand.” Unfortunately, that is not the solution.

In some way, we’ve all been wounded. Some us have been wounded by the circumstance of our ancestors’ enslavement. It’s too difficult for me to think about people like Harriet Tubman having to stand there and taking the lash of an evil system called slavery, of Fannie Lou Hamer having to leave her family and her home just because she wanted to vote, of Dr. Martin Luther King facing the threat of murder and ultimately being murdered, and about Malcolm, Evers, and many others being murdered for trying to do good.

Add to that all the mothers who’ve buried their children much too soon for senseless reasons. Our brains have been battered with mass shootings in churches and synagogues, and in schools where some children have become traumatized by the thought of going to schools. We’ve seen babies separated from their parents, and a recent report indicates how these children have been damaged—maybe even wounded for life unless we come up with a way to heal the wounds.

Can we afford to just let it go and hope that things will get better? I submit that we cannot. We must look for ways to heal our wounds. My eyes are always open to do just that. On a recent trip to Columbus, Ohio, I met a group of wonderful people who’ve come up with ways to heal the wounds of our circumstances. As President of the National Congress of Black Women, I’ve invited the principals of this process to come to Washington, DC during the upcoming Congressional Black Caucus Foundation conference to begin the discussion of what we can do as a group of people who’ve been wounded in this country for over 400 years, and with the current occupants in the White House, it seems there is no hope and no hope of hope, so the healing falls on you and me collectively with the help of professionals who’ve offered us help. Keep your ears open for the names Dr. Linda Myers, Dr. Monica Clement and Dr. Jordan Argus. In the meantime, you may do one of 2 things: Go to www.wpfwfm.org. Click on Archives, scroll down to Wednesday, September 4, 2019, 10 AM for my program called “Wake Up and Stay Woke.” Click on Play and you’ll be able to hear an interview with some of the leaders involved in the process called “Healing the Wounds of Circumstance.” I guarantee you’ll want to hear more about the program. It’s very promising!

In the meantime, there are things we can do to begin the process of healing. We can form healing circles, always do the right thing, look out for one another, refuse to meet hate with hate, anger with anger, jealousy with jealousy or fear with fear. Finally, never spend money where we’re not respected. Always “throw the ball in the right goal” lest we contribute to our own losses.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women, 202/678-6788 www.nationalcongressbw.org.. She also hosts “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW FM 89.3.)

Sept. 8, 2019

In the Wake of Hurricane Dorian: Climate Change and Infrastructure Issues
By Julianne Malveaux

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Hurricane Dorian has drowned the Bahamas and devastated the coasts of North and South Carolina. There are trillions of dollars worth of damages, and communities that it will take years to rebuild. The fury of this hurricane, some say, is unprecedented, with winds measured at 130 miles per hour at their fiercest. Dozens of lives have been lost – at least 30, as of this writing, in the Bahamas, and many others here in the United States. As the winds die down, the questions rise up. Could this hurricane, and its devastation have been prevented? What role does climate change play in the destruction this hurricane has caused? Are extreme and unexpected weather patterns our new reality? What does it mean for our quality of life and our economy?

One doesn't have to be a climate scientist to believe that climate change is affecting our weather. But there is a large body of scientific research to prove it. The ferocity of Hurricane Dorian and the massive destruction it has left in its wake is at least partly due to climatic destabilization. This is why 195 nations signed the Paris Accord, the 2016 agreement to contain greenhouse gas emissions. Many applauded President Barack Obama's support of this accord. We have been dismayed that the current "President" has indicated his intent to withdraw from the agreement, and has already supported public policy to undermine it.

The willingness of US leaders to ignore the scourge of climate change is challenging. It is also challenging to watch democratic presidential candidates flail around the issue, as they did in the recent CNN debates. To be sure, there was great rhetoric and good ideas, but from my perspective, no robust approach to better managing our environment.

Hurricane Dorian reminds us of the urgency of dealing with climate change policy. It also reminds us of the underinvestment our nation has made to our infrastructure. Better infrastructure would mitigate some of the destruction of this hurricane, and our 45th President promised to address infrastructure. He has not. It's a bipartisan challenge since whether you are a Democrat or Republican, you ride on our nation's highways and drive across vulnerable bridges. The American Society of Civil Engineers (asce.org) rates our infrastructure a D+, hardly a passing grade. It points to deficiencies on everything from our bridges and roads to our water supply, and daily headlines suggest their D+ grade may be generous.

Flint, Michigan has yet again made national news headlines after its water supply has been again polluted.   It is easy to focus on Flint, but too many other municipalities also have water challenges, and the public health effects in Flint reverberate all over the country. We have long known of the adverse effects of lead paint on children, yet too many of our schools still are riddled with lead paint. And the beat goes on. The worst thing is that little has improved between 2013 and 2017 when the last report was released. The "President" knows it, but doesn't care to use his political capital to spark a bipartisan agreement, but instead prefers to keep up the combative mess around immigration and jingoism.

Congress is just back from its six-week break. Perhaps they will approach our challenges with renewed enthusiasm. From my perspective, the three top things they must deal with are gun control, infrastructure, and climate change. These need to be bipartisan issues, issues that the majority of the population will be positively impacted by. But the rudderless, leaderless Oval Office prefers to engage in a rhetorical sideshow that diverts from the flailing economy (even with low unemployment rates), the white supremacist gun crisis, and infrastructure ineffectuality.

Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. Her latest project MALVEAUX! On UDCTV is available on youtube.com. For booking, wholesale inquiries or for more info visit www.juliannemalveaux.com