Health Reporter

New Sunscreen Labeling Changes Finally Out

ltarkan — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:41:07 +0000

The long-awaiting FDA sunscreen labeling changes were presented today at a press conference, and represent sweeping changes in the way sunscreens can be marketed. The new regulations are being phased in by the summer of 2012. “For now, I would follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Dermatology,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the Center for Drug Evaluation at the FDA. The ADA recommends using an SPF of 30 or higher. Here are the major changes:

Sunscreens will have to put the SPF number and whether the product is broad spectrum on the front of the bottle if it does protect against both ultra violet A and ultra violet B.
If the SPF is 15 or higher and is broad spectrum, the sunscreen can claim that it can reduce skin cancer and skin aging. If the SPF is lower or there is no broad spectrum coverage, the sunscreen cannot make these claims.
There will have to be a warning statement on sunscreens that don’t offer this protection.
There will be a drug facts box, similar to those on over-the-counter drugs, which includes active ingredients, uses, warnings, directions and inactive ingredients.
Directions state:
- apply liberally 15 minutes before sun exposure.
- Reapply after 40 minutes of swimming or seating
- Immediately after towel drying
- At least every two hours.

Sunscreens will not be able to make claims of long-lasting protection for more than two hours.
Sunscreens will not be able to claim they are waterproof of sweatproof because they promise more protection that is supported by the data.
Sunscreens can only claim water resistance for up to 80 minutes and need to indicate how long its resistant on the front of the bottle.

In addition, the FDA is researching the safety of spray sunscreens. For now, it’s prudent to hold your breath while spraying it on, because of concerns about inhaling the aerosols.

Check out my new BNET blog

ltarkan — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:55:09 +0000

I’m now blogging about health for BNET, CBS’s interactive business network. Here are a few of my posts.

20 Minute Workouts that Really Work

Getting a Cold? Finally, Something that Works

Cell Phone Radiation Study: 9 Ways To Be Safer

You can follow my posts on twitter

an honorable mention for my article

ltarkan — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:25:37 +0000

I’m so proud to announce that one of my articles received honorable mention in the category of feature articles for the min Editorial & Design awards. The article, for ViV magazine, focused on inflammation’s role in many chronic illnesses.

Inflammation

Should pregnant moms avoid peanuts?

ltarkan — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:56:30 +0000

It’s tough being a pregnant mom who happens to like peanut butter. It seems like every other month, there’s a new study that shows that eating peanuts either increases or decreases your baby’s risk of developing peanut allergies. Here’s my latest on the topic.

Advil cream? That’s new!

ltarkan — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:13:54 +0000

I couldn’t believe that there was an Advil like cream you could rub on your skin when you had a muscle ache–and that it was available in Europe, over-the-counter no less, for decades. But it was not available here in the U.S. until recently. Read about the non steroidal anti inflammatory creams in my New York Times article. After it ran, I received emails from my baby boomer friends, telling me that they’ve been using other types of creams that weren’t effective. Maybe this will help.

Go Britney Spears (well sort of)

ltarkan — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:50:59 +0000

Read my post from ivillage if you’re letting your kids off-the-reading-hook this summer. Studies show that reading skills can slip back two to three months. Why Britney? It’s better if kids pick out what they like, because they’re more apt to read more–and test higher on reading skills

H1N1 now part of seasonal flu shot

ltarkan — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:34:01 +0000

Error correction: The FDA did not exactly give me accurate info. Dr. Paul Offit, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said that the novel H1N1 strain that was given separately last year and that will be contained within this year’s flu shot, does not mutate. So that brings me back to my question: if we’ve all been immunized against swine flu, do we go for the shot this year to protect against seasonal flu, which is less dangerous in kids than swine flu?

The FDA announced today that the H1N1 vaccine, aka swine flu, will be incorporated into the regular seasonal flu shot this year, but I’m wondering if people who have already been vaccinated against H1N1 need to be re vaccinated every year? It might affect my decision about whether to give my kids a flu shot this year. I’ll keep you posted…

Updated to add from the FDA: The H1N1 component in the 2009-2010 vaccine was an A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1)-like virus. This year, the H1N1 component is the 2009 pandemic H1N1 strain (an A/California/7/09 (H1N1)-like virus). They are slightly different, which is why the FDA recommends getting re-vaccinated every year.

Dads-to-be should quit smoking too

ltarkan — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:28:52 +0000

Moms to be get all the pressure to change their lifestyles, but what Dad does can have a huge impact on the baby as well. New research shows that when Dad smokes, the second hand smoke that the mom inhales makes its way to the baby and can have life long effects. Read my iVillage post on the study.

scary cyber-bullying

ltarkan — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:39:35 +0000

I couldn’t put down the New York Times article about cyber bullies. The absolute cruelty of the cyber bullies was astounding. I know kids can be mean, but now their armament for their attacks seems so much more powerful–spreading hurtful rumors on faceback that all 500 friends can read about, harassing someone with constant insulting ting text messages, ganging up on a new kid. Click here for some advice on how to help your child sidestep this sinister trend.

Firm but warm parenting can prevent binge drinking

ltarkan — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:44:40 +0000

I did a real quick report on parenting styles and teenage drinking for iVillage. The takeaway: Be firm but warm and supportive. Too tough is no good, too hands-off no good. Though the study applied to preventing binge drinking in teens, the parenting style can probably prevent a lot of other unwanted behavior.