Select a category
Advertisement
Healthwatch
4 dys
35
The daily bath or shower is a routine for many of us — and for our children, too. But is it really necessary?
The short answer is no.
Obviously, there are days when washing up makes good sense — like if your child is grimy from a day in the dirt; covered in sweat, paint, or other visible dirt; or had an explosive poop. It's also a good idea to wash up if your child has spent the day in a pool (the chlorine may be irritating to the skin), a body of water (there could be things in the water that are irritating or unhealthy), or used bug spray to ward off ticks and mosquitoes. And certainly, it's best for everyone in the vicinity when a stinky teenager takes a soapy shower.
Sometimes a doctor may recommend daily bathing for certain skin conditions. And we all need to wash our hands regularly to prevent infection. But full-body washing just for the sake of washing? Not so much.
Why not bathe a child daily?
Lots of bathing can lead to dry, irritated skin. But also, the skin has natural protective oils, and natural bacteria, that help to keep us healthy and safe — and that can get washed away with daily bathing.
If your baby or preteen looks pretty clean, isn't stinky, isn't covered in bug spray, and hasn't been in a pool or other body of water, it's fine to skip the bath or shower. Really, bathing two or three times a week is fine. In fact, for many kids, even just once or twice a week is fine. You can always do a quick wipe with a wet washcloth to the face, groin area, and any dirty spots.
Stinky teenagers might need more bathing or showering, depending on activity level and deodorant use. But even they may be able to get away with washing their face and using a soapy washcloth on their groin and underarms.
Tips for healthy bathing
When you do bathe children, here are some tips for healthy bathing.
If your child has eczema or any other skin condition, check with your doctor to get tailored advice for bathing your child.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing
Healthwatch
16 hrs
15
It's an unfortunate reality: all medicines can cause side effects. While there are a few tried-and-true ways to deal with drug side effects, here's a less common option to consider: adding a second medication.
That's the approach taken with valbenazine (Ingrezza), a drug approved for a condition called tardive dyskinesia that's caused by certain medicines, most of which are for mental health. Let's dive into what TD is, how this drug is advertised, and what else to consider if a medicine you take causes TD.
What is tardive dyskinesia?
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a condition marked by involuntary movements of the face or limbs, such as rapid eye blinking, grimacing, or pushing out the tongue. TD is caused by long-term use of certain drugs, many of which treat psychosis.
TD may be irreversible. Early recognition is key to improvement and preventing symptoms from getting worse. If you take antipsychotic medicines or other drugs that can cause TD, tell your prescribing health care provider right away about any worrisome symptoms.
A sidewalk sale, a cookout in the park, and a pitch
One ad for Ingrezza starts with a young man working with customers at a sidewalk sale. Though his mental health is much better, he says, now he's suffering with TD, a condition "that can be caused by some mental health meds." A spotlight shines on his hands as he fumbles and drops an instant camera he's selling. He seems embarrassed and his customers look perplexed.
Next we see a young woman at a cookout in a park. The mysterious spotlight is trained on her face as she blinks and grimaces involuntarily. Her voiceover explains that she feels like her involuntary movements are "always in the spotlight."
Later these two happily interact with others, their movement problems much improved. A voiceover tells us Ingrezza is the #1 treatment for adults with TD. The dose — "always one pill, once a day" — can improve unwanted movements in seven out of 10 people. And people taking Ingrezza can stay on most mental health meds.
That's the pitch. The downsides come next.
What are the side effects of this drug to control a side effect?
As required by the FDA, the ad lists common and serious side effects of Ingrezza, including
That's right, one possible side effect is abnormal movements — a symptom this drug is supposed to treat!
What the ad gets right
The ad
What else should you know?
Unfortunately, the ad skims over — or entirely skips — some important details. Below are a few examples.
Which medicines cause TD?
We never learn which medicines can cause TD (especially when used long-term), which seems vital to know. Many, but not all, are used to help treat certain mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Here are some of the most common.
Mental health medicines:
Other types of medicines:
Also, the ad never explains that TD may be irreversible regardless of treatment. Because improvement is most likely if caught early, it's important for people taking these medicines to check in with their health provider if they notice TD symptoms described above — especially if symptoms are growing worse.
What about effectiveness and cost?
Seven in 10 people reported that their symptoms improved, according to the ad. How much improvement? That wasn't shared. But here's what I found in a key study:
What happens after six weeks? A few small follow-up studies suggest that some people who continue taking Ingrezza may improve further over time.
And the cost? That's also never mentioned in the ad. It's about $8,700 a month. No details on the financial assistance program, or who qualifies for free treatment, are provided.
Are there other ways to manage TD?
Well, yes. But the ad doesn't mention those either. Three approaches to discuss with your healthcare provider are:
If you have TD, you and your health care provider can consider several options:
The bottom line
The idea of treating a drug's side effect with another drug may not be appealing. Certainly, it makes sense to try other options first.
But sometimes there are no better options. It's always worth asking whether a treatment is worse than the disease. But TD is one situation in which all options — including a drug treatment for another drug's side effects — are well worth considering.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing
Advertisement
Investopedia
1 dy
15
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2177234987-e0a4a980bd284f85bc1da0907918a553.jpg)
The job market likely slowed down in October, partly because of the impacts of hurricanes Helene and Milton.A highly anticipated report on the job market from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday will likely show U.S. employers added 110,000 jobs in October, a sharp slowdown from 254,000 in September, according to a survey of economists by and . The median forecast calls for the unemployment rate to hold steady at 4.1%, not a high level by historical standards but above the 50-year lows reached last year.
The deceleration in job growth could represent the impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton, which temporarily threw many people out of work. This could make it more challenging than usual for experts to determine what the monthly report says about the longer-term health of the job market and the economy.Just ahead of the report, other data hinted the effect of the hurricanes could be smaller than previously thought. The number of new unemployment claims dipped last week, falling to 216,000 from 228,000 the week before, hitting its lowest since May, the Department of Labor said Thursday. The dropoff suggested the impact of the storms on the job market faded quickly, Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said in a commentary.The October report comes at a crucial time: it will be the last major economic report before the general election and the Federal Reserve policy committee's next meeting in November. At that meeting, officials must decide whether and how much to cut the central bank's key fed funds rate to help boost the economy and prevent a spike in unemployment.Fed officials cut the influential fed funds rate at their last meeting in September after months of economic data showed inflation is cooling while the job market is slowing down. The Fed had held the rate at a two-decade high, pushing up borrowing costs on all kinds of loans to subdue the surge of inflation that welled up in 2021 as the economy reopened from the pandemic. The Fed cut rates partly out of concern that a recent hiring slowdown could worsen and lead to severe layoffs.
Official reports of the job market are a crucial barometer for the Fed, which seeks to keep employment at a high level while also keeping a lid on inflation.
Should job creation grind to a halt or reverse itself, the Fed could cut the fed funds rate faster and further. Steep rate cuts would push down interest rates on all kinds of loans, including mortgages, credit cards, and car loans, possibly boosting the economy and the job market.Should the report match expectations, the slowdown wouldn't be enough to spur faster rate cuts, several economists said. Financial markets are pricing in a 94.8% chance the Fed will cut the fed funds rate by 0.25 percentage points at their next meeting to a range of 4.5% to 4.75%, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool, which forecasts rate movements based on fed funds futures trading data.In addition to the hurricanes, a strike at Boeing throws another wild card into the data, potentially reducing the hiring figures further. Given all the noise, it might take a major deviation from expectations to shift Fed officials from the path of slow-and-steady rate cuts that markets currently anticipate."We expect policymakers will look past modest surprises in this report," David Seif, chief economist for developed markets at Nomura, wrote in a commentary.If forecasts are accurate, October would be one of the slowest months of job creation in the last three years. The U.S. economy has added jobs every month since January 2021, and only one month (April 2024) gained fewer than 110,000 since then.
Do you have a news tip for Investopedia reporters? Please email us at [email protected]Read more on Investopedia
Investopedia
1 dy
15
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-21480098261-40bf82ae095b49bda91bc0dbd7341cd1.jpg)
Microsoft (MSFT) delivered fiscal first-quarter earnings that topped Street expectations, but shares fell after a warning its cloud growth could slow.
The tech titan's third-quarter revenue rose 16% year-over-year to $65.59 billion, above the analyst consensus from Visible Alpha. Net income at $24.67 billion or $3.30 per share was up from $22.29 billion or $2.99 per share a year earlier and higher than expectations.
Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud segment, which includes its Azure cloud computing platform, led growth with revenue of $24.09 billion, up 20% as revenue from Azure and other cloud services climbed 33%. However, executives warned in the tech giant's earnings call that cloud growth could slow to between 31% and 32% in the second quarter, before picking up in the back half of the fiscal year.
Shares of Microsoft tumbled over 5% in early trading Thursday, a day after the company's earnings call.
Microsoft's results Wednesday came a day after Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) beat analysts’ expectations and CEO Sundar Pichai said the company’s investments in artificial intelligence (AI) are “paying off and driving success.”
Microsoft, like Alphabet and other tech giants, has boosted its investments in AI this year to secure its position as a leader in the space, raising concerns about higher spending and whether its AI efforts will be worth the cost.
Do you have a news tip for Investopedia reporters? Please email us at [email protected]
Read more on Investopedia
Investopedia
2 dys
15
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1158766984-2c23ebea3e1e4eb584237e8faa92a14f.jpg)
Smurfit WestRock (SW) shares popped on Wednesday, marking one of the S&P 500's top performances, after the packaging manufacturer released the first quarterly result to reflect the July merger of Ireland's Smurfit Kappa and U.S.-based WestRock.
Given the timing of the transaction, the second-quarter 2024 report covered only the performance of Smurfit Kappa.
The stock, recently up nearly 13%, is now back in positive territory for the year.
The cardboard box maker reported a third-quarter 2024 net loss of $150 million on net sales of approximately $7.7 billion. Both figures fell short of analysts' consensus estimates.
Despite the lower-than-expected headline numbers, the top-line result more than doubled from net sales of roughly $2.9 billion posted in the year-ago period, boosted by contributions from the WestRock acquisition and strong volumes in corrugated packaging. The company attributed around $500 million of the quarterly loss to expenses and accounting adjustments related to the merger.
Smurfit WestRock reports results in three geographical segments. Although sales remained essentially flat year-over-year for the segment comprising Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region, the WestRock add-on contributed to a surge in sales for the North America segment. The Latin America segment posted sales growth of 48% from a year ago.
CEO Tony Smurfit stressed the impact of the merger on the company's performance, asserting that "these results are a strong foundation to build upon."
Do you have a news tip for Investopedia reporters? Please email us at [email protected]Read more on Investopedia
Advertisement
Investopedia
3 dys
15
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1182173721-1f558be63c7f48bc8dc0538e356b8d97.jpg)
Shares of Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) shares climbed more than 12% on Tuesday to notch the top daily performance of any S&P 500 stock after the electronic design automation firm posted strong quarterly results and boosted its full-year guidance.
The provider of design software, hardware, intellectual property (IP) and other solutions posted revenue of $1.215 billion for the third quarter of 2024, up around 19% year-over-year. Non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS), at $1.64, was up more than 30% from the year-ago period. Both figures came in ahead of consensus forecasts.
Cadence also lifted its revenue and non-GAAP earnings forecasts for the full year.
Cadence specializes in integrated circuits and electronic systems to aid in design processes across industries including communications, automotive, defense, and industrial markets.
Robust demand for artificial intelligence (AI) design products underpinned Cadence's strong quarterly performance. In the earnings report, the company touted the productivity benefits of its Cadence.AI portfolio, which incorporates generative AI technology along with AI-driven big data analytics. Revenue from Cadence.AI nearly tripled year-over-year.
"Customers are achieving outstanding results with Cadence.AI, and I’m excited by its accelerating proliferation as AI rapidly becomes an integral part of the design workflow," said CEO Anirudh Devgan.
Following the strong financial results, analysts at Baird lifted their price target on Cadence Design stock to $340 from $332. Needham analysts, meanwhile, trimmed their price target to $315 from $320 but maintained their buy rating.
Cadence Design shares have been volatile so far in 2024. Tuesday's gains returned the stock to positive territory for the year.
Do you have a news tip for Investopedia reporters? Please email us at [email protected]Read more on Investopedia
