STORY BYHealth care professionals hailed the March 23 federal court decision to give 17-year-olds access to Plan B emergency contraception without a prescription, saying that any step to help prevent unintended pregnancies is a good one.
But some parents and religious conservatives counter that giving 17-year-olds access to emergency contraception encourages promiscuity and eliminates parents from important decisions about their child's sexual health.
Much of the controversy surrounding Plan B comes from lack of information, says Jennifer Feldmann, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, who specializes in treating adolescents. She says many teens she treats, like their parents, know little about emergency contraception.
“They usually don't know much about it or they mix it up with RU-486, 'the abortion pill,'” Feldmann explains.
» Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
» City of Houston
» Department of State Health Services
» Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services
» UTHSC - H Swine Flu Media Resource Guide
» World Health Organization
Recent Stories:»For Better or Worse: Gatherings Can Heal- Story byDrs. Blair & Rita Justice
»Hurricane & Flood Before & After Handbook- Story by Karen Krakower Kaplan
»Fifth Disease - Story by Anissa Orr
»Fire Up the Barbecue! - Story by Karen Krakower Kaplan & Phil Montgomery
Editorial Board | Legal Disclaimer | Privacy & Security | Contact Us
©2000-2009 Office of Institutional Advancement, UT-Houston
FDA urges consumers
to stop
using
Zicam Nasal Spray
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting consumers that Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size, a discontinued product that consumers may still have in their homes, have all been associated with long lasting or permanent loss of smell (referred to as anosmia). These products, marketed by Matrixx Initiatives, are zinc-containing, nasal cold remedies used to reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms. However, these products have not been shown to be effective in the reduction of the duration and severity of cold symptoms.
This advisory does not concern oral zinc tablets and lozenges taken by mouth.
FDA recommends that consumers stop using these products and throw them away. See the FDA website for How to Dispose of Unused Medicines
