Dr. Kristen Forman

This from Dermatology Daily: Switching To Chemical-Free Cosmetics, Shampoos May Quickly Lower Levels Of Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals In The Bodies Of Teen Girls. HealthDay (3/8, Preidt) reports, Switching to chemical-free cosmetics and shampoos quickly lowers levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals in the bodies of teen girls, a study published March 7 in Environmental Health Perspectives suggests. In the study, 100 Hispanic teens...used makeup, shampoo and lotions that were labeled free of chemicals for three days. Just after this short break from their regular products, levels of the hormone-disrupting chemicals in the girls’ urine fell between 27 percent and 45 percent, researchers found.

Los Angeles Hospital Pays Bitcoin Ransom To Restore Computers. The Los Angeles Times (2/17, Winton) reports Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center CEO Allen Stefanek released a statement on Wednesday admitting that the hospital paid $17,000 in bitcoin to a hacker to restore its network, which had been shut down by ransomware. The Times adds that Stefanek says the hacker turned over the decryption key and the hospital was able to restore its computer systems on Monday. The Washington Post (2/17, Dalton, Myers) reports Stefanek said the hospital paid the ransom after determining it was the quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions. According to the CBS Evening News (2/17, story 3, 1:15, Pelley), the FBI is investigating the incident, but declined to comment.

This is not good. Hacking Of Healthcare Records Skyrocketed 11,000% Last Year. NBC News (2/13, Costello) reported on its website and in its NBC Nightly News broadcast on Friday that experts say health care-record hacking is skyrocketing up 11,000 percent last year alone. NBC reports that this amounts to roughly one out of every three Americans that have had their healthcare records compromised. These hacks give criminals a wealth of personal information that, unlike a credit card number, can last forever. These health records are sold on a dark web where complete health care records are a gold mine, going for $60 each, because criminals can use such records to order prescriptions, pay for treatments and surgery and even file false tax returns.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe1601862

This is amazing. Pretty soon every ambulance will stock these. FDA Approves Syringe That Fills Bullet Wounds In 20 Seconds. The Huffington Post (12/10, Meers) reports that the Food and Drug Administration approved RevMedX’s Xstat Rapid Hemostasis System, a sponge-filled syringe that fills gunshot wounds in as little as 20 seconds, for adolescent and adult civilian use. The device was formerly limited to military use.... Courtesy of DermatologyDaily.