Sedatives

In a paper out this week, scientists argue that a common industrial chemical is contributing to Parkinson’s disease. The chemical is called trichloroethylene, or TCE. And while some states have recently banned its use, TCE remains widely present throughout the U.S.TCE is a colorless organic solvent that’s been in use for a century in various industries. It’s most often deployed as a degreasing agent in commercial or manufacturing facilities, but it’s also used as an ingredient in common household cleaning products,…

A patient sits in their home with ketamine tablets, provided through the company Mindbloom.Photo: ED JONES/AFP (Getty Images)Around 2.8 million Americans suffer from treatment-resistant depression, and though research has shown that IV ketamine can significantly improve their quality of life, these ketamine treatments are expensive, and access to them is limited. Early in the covid-19 pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Agency loosened restrictions on remote prescribing for Schedule III medications like ketamine. In response,…

A fascinating clinical trial has reported virtual reality immersion can reduce the amount of anesthetic needed during certain types of hand surgery. The trial found patients using VR could get through an entire surgical procedure with only local anesthetic.Researchers are exploring a number of novel medical uses for VR technology, from using VR as a tool for managing chronic back pain to incorporating it into cutting-edge psychedelic therapies. But can VR be used to replace anesthesia in surgical procedures?As a…

If you’ve gone online this week or turned on the TV, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about the gross and potentially fatal practice of cooking chicken in NyQuil. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration warned about the “recent NyQuil chicken” challenge, and by the amount of coverage it’s gotten, you would think that a whole swath of people had been doing this very stupid thing. But not quite.When I first saw the news articles pop up about NyQuil chicken earlier this week, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. This was…