Prince Harry's striking claim that his mental health struggles were passed on through 'bad parenting'
But Prince Harry has done even more work on the issue since stepping down as a working royal and relocating to California.
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The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Top medical body concerned over RFK Jr's reported plans to cut preventive health panel
A top US medical body has expressed 'deep concern' to Robert F Kennedy Jr over news reports that the health secretary plans to overhaul a panel that determines which preventive health measures including cancer screenings should be covered by insurance companies. The letter from the the American Medical Association comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Kennedy plans to overhaul the 40-year old US Preventive Services Task Force because he regards them as too 'woke', according to sources familiar with the matter. During his second term, Donald Trump has frequently raged against organizations and government departments that he considers too liberal – often without any evidence. The US president, and his cabinet members such as Kennedy, have also overseen huge cuts and job losses across the US government. The taskforce is made up of a 16-member panel appointed by health and human services secretaries to serve four-year terms. In addition to cancer screenings, the taskforce issues recommendations for a variety of other screenings including osteoporosis, intimate partner violence, HIV prevention, as well as depression in children. Writing in its letter to Kennedy on Sunday, the AMA defended the panel, saying: 'As you know, USPSTF plays a critical, non-partisan role in guiding physicians' efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients by helping to ensure access to evidence-based clinical preventive services.' 'As such, we urge you to retain the previously appointed members of the USPSTF and commit to the long-standing process of regular meetings to ensure their important work can be continued without disruption,' it added. Citing Kennedy's own slogan of 'Making America healthy again,' the AMA went on to say: 'USPSTF members have been selected through an open, public nomination process and are nationally recognized experts in primary care, prevention and evidence-based medicine. They serve on a volunteer basis, dedicating their time to help reduce disease and improve the health of all Americans – a mission well-aligned with the Make America Healthy Again initiative.' According to the Affordable Care Act, public and private insurance companies must cover any services recommended by the Preventive Services Task Force without cost sharing. In a statement to MedPage Today, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon did not confirm the reports, instead saying: 'No final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS' mandate to Make America Healthy Again.' Reports of Kennedy's alleged decision to overhaul the taskforce come after the American Conservative published an essay earlier this month that described the taskforce as advocating for 'leftwing ideological orthodoxy'. It went on to accuse the panel of being 'packed with Biden administration appointees devoted to the ideological capture of medicine', warning that the 'continued occupation of an important advisory body in HHS – one that has the capacity to force private health insurers to cover services and procedures – by leftwing activists would be a grave oversight by the Trump administration'. In response to the essay, 104 health organizations, including the American Medical Association, issued a separate letter to multiple congressional health committees in which they urged the committees to 'protect the integrity' of the taskforce. 'The loss of trustworthiness in the rigorous and nonpartisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems, and payers as misinformation creates barriers to accessing lifesaving and cost effective care,' the organizations said. In June, Kennedy removed all 17 members of a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts. Writing in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, he accused the committee of having too many conflicts of interest. Kennedy's decision to overhaul the immunization panel was met with widespread criticism from health experts, with the American Public Health Association executive director Georges Benjamin calling the ouster 'a coup'. 'It's not how democracies work. It's not good for the health of the nation,' Benjamin said.
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I'm one of the increasing number of young people to have a stroke and was paralyzed at 19... how I made a comeback
Sophia Gedgaudas was just 19 years old when she suffered a life-changing stroke and was given a 15 percent chance of survival. In 2019, Gedgaudas had moved from Kenosha, Wisconsin, to San Francisco to become a pilot with dreams of also joining an NFL team as a cheerleader. However, on February 5, two days after the Super Bowl, Gedgaudas and her family were at her home when she suffered a stroke. According to Gedgaudas's mother Lily, her parents found her laying on the ground completely paralyzed with her mouth drooping. Gedgaudas told 'My entire family had flown in to watch the game and spend the week together.' The aspiring pilot was immediately rushed to the hospital where doctors told her that she had suffered a stroke due to extremely high cholesterol from a hereditary condition known as high lipoprotein (a). Lipoproteins are protein molecules that transport fat in the body, including cholesterol and triglycerides. Elevated levels of these can pose a risk to cardiovascular health. High Lipoprotein (a) is a genetic condition that creates a new form of cholesterol in the body that is similar to LDL (bad) cholesterol but has an additional protein. This new kind of cholesterol causes a buildup of plaque in arteries, triggering inflammation and increased blood clotting, ultimately hindering blood flow to the heart. As a result, people with this condition have a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes - even if they take precautionary measures such as eating health and not smoking. About one in five Americans, or around 64 million people, suffer from high lipoprotein(a). In Gedgaudas's case, her condition created a blood clot in her brain that resulted in a stroke. According to the CDC, about 800,000 Americans experience a stroke each year while an estimated 138,000 Americans die from it. While usually associated with older populations, recent data indicates a concerning increase in stroke rates among individuals aged between 18 and 44. About 120,000 Americans under the age of 50 and 1.5 million young adults worldwide suffer a stroke each year. Sedentary lifestyles, poor diet, substance abuse (including smoking and excessive alcohol consumption), and stress are increasingly recognized as major contributors to stroke in young adults. She told the website: 'It was a complete shock. I've been an athlete my entire life—a state champion gymnast, a black belt in karate, and a competitive dancer and cheerleader. No one ever expected someone like me to have high cholesterol. 'But because of my genetics, my lipoprotein(a) level raised my cholesterol to dangerous levels and that's ultimately what caused my stroke. 'At the time, I was completely paralyzed and could only respond with one word: "yeah." That's all I could say.' Gedgaudas's doctors initially prescribed her a tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) - a medication used to treat heart attacks by dissolving blood clots. However, due to the large size of the clot, the medication failed to work and she was forced to undergo a thrombectomy, a procedure where doctors insert a catheter into an artery through the groin to remove the clot. But while doctors were able to successfully remove the life-threatening clot, she was left partially deaf as the stroke damaged parts of her brain responsible for hearing. The intensive surgery combined with the paralysis she suffered left Gedgaudas struggling to recover for three years, relearning how to walk, talk, eat and read. During this time, she watched numerous wrestling matches and decided she wanted to pursue the sport rather than becoming a pilot and cheerleader. The now 25-year-old said: 'My dad would sit with me in the ICU and put wrestling on the TV. My mom says the first time I smiled after the stroke was while watching wrestling. 'Later, my brother took me to a live show, and after we left, I said, "That's what I'm going to do." 'There were days I didn't want to get out of bed. I was angry, I was depressed. But watching wrestling made me believe I could do something again. It gave me hope and purpose.' Once being given the green light by her entire medical team in 2022, she began training to be a professional wrestler. In 2023, she made her debut and quickly became a standout. Now, Gedgaudas is the reigning women's champion at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky - where wrestling legends John Cena, Dave Batista, Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton started their road to stardom. She told 'Being part of OVW means everything to me. There's so much history here and amazing wrestlers that have come through, and I want to be one of the names. I want to show people a disability shouldn't stop anyone from reaching the top.' Gedgaudas continued: 'For a long time, I was embarrassed that I was partially deaf. I saw it as a weakness and didn't want anyone to think I was limited. But over time, I realized it's just part of who I am - and there's nothing to be ashamed of. 'Now, I embrace it. I've learned to adapt in ways that work for me. I've gotten good at reading lips, and in the ring, I naturally turn my good ear toward the sound so I can hear what I need to. Most importantly, I stay super focused. 'By staying locked in, I'm able to catch cues and respond without missing a beat. It's not always easy, but I've found ways to make it work - and even turn it into a strength. 'I have to read matches differently, and I rely on instincts and body language. It forces me to be completely in the moment, and I think it makes me a better performer.' To stay healthy and prevent another stroke, Gedgaudas workouts and follows a special diet comprised of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins including chicken and fish. For the future, Gedgaudas has global ambitions and hopes to one day wrestle internationally. But for now, her mission is personal. 'I want to wrestle in the UK, Japan, anywhere. But more than that, I want to keep helping people.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
'It destroyed my life': The drug addiction leaving users in chronic pain
Nicole will always remember the first time she took ketamine. It was the start of a night out and she didn't want to drink. So instead, she picked up the bag of white powder she found in her friend's car. It was a decision that had life-altering consequences. "I tried it and remember having it and just thinking, this is it," she recalls. "This is my saviour. This is my drug." Instead of rescuing her from her mental health struggles like she hoped it would, ketamine sent her into a spiral. Less than four years on, the 31-year-old mother of one from Southport is now living in a detox centre, separated from her son and living in chronic pain. 9:33 Nicole's journey from recreational use to a deep addiction that caused her severe bladder and kidney problems may be just one extreme case, but ketamine use is now at record levels. Experts believe this could cause a tidal wave of issues the country is not prepared for, placing severe pressure on the NHS, as well as addiction and mental health services. Currently a Class B drug, ketamine is used in clinical settings as an anaesthetic for people and animals. It is usually taken recreationally as a crushed powder, but also sometimes injected or swallowed - making people feel detached and dreamlike. Referred to as "ket" and "special k", it's easily available and costs around £30 a gram. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of children and young people who reported having a problem with the drug surpassed cocaine for the first time. The number of ketamine deaths in England and Wales also increased from seven in 2015 to 53 in 2023. 'I don't remember the last three years' I met Nicole at Birchwood, a residential drug and alcohol detox facility on the Wirral. In the week before I arrived, 14 out of 25 beds were taken by ketamine users. As we walk through the corridors, Birchwood manager Jo Moore tells me that in more than two decades of working in healthcare, she's never dealt with a challenge as big as the wave of people she's seeing addicted to ketamine, arriving with extreme and complex health issues. "They're all presenting with urinary incontinence, some can't even walk, they've lost their muscle tone, some are in wheelchairs, and the crippling pain they're going through is significant," she says. As well as running Birchwood, Jo speaks about the drug at conferences and holds a weekly video call, offering support for a growing group of parents whose children are addicted. I also met Callum, who describes himself simply as "just a lad from Cheshire ways". While speaking, he often pauses for thought, struck by how quickly his life has taken a turn since his addiction began three years ago. When his dad died following a struggle with alcoholism, Callum, who had been his carer, turned to ketamine. Until then, the 24-year-old had only taken the drug at festivals, but it quickly took over his life. "I was so out of it constantly," he says. "I don't remember the last three years properly because of just, you know, you've taken it the whole time." Daily use nearly cost Callum his life. He had multiple organ issues and weighed just six stone by the time Jo, who knew his family, told his mother that he needed to come to rehab. Callum's experience is a reminder of how hard it can be to break a dependency on ketamine. As an anaesthetic, it creates a vicious cycle. Users need it to help ease the pain it causes them. "It's only once you get off the ketamine you realise the pain that you've got and the problems that you've got," Callum tells me. "When you're on it, you know you've sort of got pains, but you don't think they're that bad. "People I know drank for 30, 40 years and my liver is worse than theirs, just from ketamine alone." 'Ketamine destroyed my life' Nicole also turned to ketamine because it felt like a way out. She'd had a difficult childhood, been in an abusive relationship as an adult and struggled with mental health issues her whole life. In a moment of blunt honesty, she tells me she does not regret taking ketamine. "If I didn't take ketamine in that period of time, I wouldn't be here," she says. "It was a coping mechanism for a while, before it destroyed my life." As her bladder and kidneys deteriorated, Nicole was taken to hospital several times, often treated by medics who could not understand the problems caused by heavy ketamine use. On one occasion, she was sent home with chlamydia tablets. On another, she had an invasive kidney procedure with no anaesthetic, because doctors were concerned about giving her pain relief due to her ketamine use. Becoming more animated, Nicole tells me: "To be in that situation where you need help, you don't know what's going on yourself, the only place you can go to is the hospital and not even they know what is going on with you. That is like a complete state of isolation, loneliness." Nicole now starts her days in severe agony. She says the chronic pain will last the rest of her life, and pauses at one point in conversation to tell me her bladder is spasming as we speak. Despite how difficult the last few years have been for them, Nicole and Callum both have hopes for their lives beyond Birchwood. In the months after I met him, Callum successfully completed his detox and rehab. He has also made good on a promise to "get his life back on track" by finding a full-time job. Things have been more difficult for Nicole, who is still in Birchwood and has been in and out of hospital for a range of bladder and kidney complications. She is still waiting to find out whether her bladder will be removed. Nicole has made it her mission to raise awareness, posting regularly on TikTok about her appointments and her day-to-day life. Her ultimate hope is to one day join Jo in delivering talks across the country about the drug and its dangers. Life-changing injuries within a year Away from Birchwood, the struggles of people like Callum and Nicole are also being felt in the NHS. Alison Downey is a consultant urologist at Pinderfields Hospital in West Yorkshire, where "ketamine bladder" has become an increasingly common phrase to describe the severe damage the drug can do. "We've seen an explosion in numbers over the past, particularly two to three years," she says. "Maybe about four or five years ago we would have one or two cases a month, we're now seeing eight or nine a month." Ms Downey says while urologists are continuing to learn about the drug's impact, there is one certainty: ketamine causes complex challenges for medics. "There's no other drug that does this amount of damage this quickly to your kidneys and your bladder," she says. "We obviously see patients who have drug addiction problems from heroin and cocaine in A&E or on the wards, but ketamine has this very specific, quick damage to the kidneys and bladder specifically that we just don't see in any other drug use." With balloons and a jug, Miss Downey explains the impact the drug can have on someone's bladder, reducing its capacity. "We know that the average (bladder) capacity of a person that's been using ketamine for a long amount of time is about 100ml, which is about the size of this balloon," she says. "If you compare that to a normal adult bladder, which holds about 500ml, so five of these balloons, you can see that the capacity is severely reduced. That can result in needing to go to the toilet every 15 to 20 minutes throughout the day or night." Framing the issues being seen on the frontline are the ongoing discussions around reclassification. Earlier this year, the government announced it would look into the possibility of making ketamine a Class A drug, which would carry greater penalties for making and selling it. Dr Caroline Copeland is a senior lecturer in pharmacology and toxicology at King's College London and also the director of the National Programme on Substance Use Mortality. For her, this debate is nuanced and needs to go beyond criminalisation. "I think that instead of necessarily focusing on the punitive measures, which is what comes with the reclassification, we need to be thinking more about how we can actually spend that time and money towards helping the people who are using ketamine and education programmes to stop people starting to use ketamine in the first place," she said. Dr Copeland also thinks reclassification needs to be a process that takes into account the wider context, because this is a drug that is commonplace and being used casually by many, without significant health consequences. She added: "Since ketamine was last reclassified from C to B, the landscape of its use has changed somewhat. "There's much more recreational use in a younger demographic. So we need to do a comprehensive assessment of its harms to determine whether it warrants escalating to being a Class A substance." However, for those whose lives have been changed by casual use spiralling into addiction, solutions are needed urgently. I can still remember Jo Moore's words as she walked me out of Birchwood on my first day of filming this story. She sees this as an issue that needs tackling, with a national framework to bring systems together. "We're really trying to fight, because we see the damage," she says. "I've looked after heroin addicts and after 20 years of them using heroin, they don't have anything related to the harm that we've got now for the ketamine users, only after a very short time. "And I think that's what's been so shocking about seeing these ketamine users come through. They can use ketamine for 10 months, two years, and have life-changing injuries. "That's why we're fighting for this. I think that we have all been very slow to react as a nation to these health concerns." Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@ in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
