Health Shots: Stem Cells & Teeth, Rx from Hell, Dr. Internet

Photo by Armin Kübelbeck, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


A sampling of the latest medical findings. DIY stem cells in your teeth. Why some dentistry fillings are worse than cavities. Worried, can’t sleep? Sorry, the meds for that might kill you. Plus, the healing internet.

  • A new study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that wisdom teeth contain a valuable tissue reservoir for the creation of stem cells. Which means everyone still in possession of their wisdom teeth might also possess his/her own personal stem-cell repository. If and when needed.
  • Researchs published in Pediatrics finds the plastic resins used in pediatric dentistry for fillings and sealants leach bisphenol A (BPA), which is detectable afterwards in kids’ saliva, raising further concerns about exposure to these endocrine-disrupting,estrogenic plastics.
  • Cause for more worry: Taking medications to treat insomnia and anxiety increases mortality risks by 36 percent, according to a study in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
  • An interesting report from Susannah Fox at KevinMD on the fact that people with chronic disease, including depression, are less likely to use the internet. Yet if they do, the benefits of social media are likely to improve their health, by blogging, by participating in online health discussions, and by accessing hospital reviews, doctor reviews, and podcasts.

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate