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.

GREAT JOURNALISM, SLOW FUNDRAISING

Our team has been on fire lately—publishing sweeping, one-of-a-kind investigations, ambitious, groundbreaking projects, and even releasing “the holy shit documentary of the year.” And that’s on top of protecting free and fair elections and standing up to bullies and BS when others in the media don’t.

Yet, we just came up pretty short on our first big fundraising campaign since Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting joined forces.

So, two things:

1) If you value the journalism we do but haven’t pitched in over the last few months, please consider doing so now—we urgently need a lot of help to make up for lost ground.

2) If you’re not ready to donate but you’re interested enough in our work to be reading this, please consider signing up for our free Mother Jones Daily newsletter to get to know us and our reporting better. Maybe once you do, you’ll see it’s something worth supporting.

payment methods

GREAT JOURNALISM, SLOW FUNDRAISING

Our team has been on fire lately—publishing sweeping, one-of-a-kind investigations, ambitious, groundbreaking projects, and even releasing “the holy shit documentary of the year.” And that’s on top of protecting free and fair elections and standing up to bullies and BS when others in the media don’t.

Yet, we just came up pretty short on our first big fundraising campaign since Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting joined forces.

So, two things:

1) If you value the journalism we do but haven’t pitched in over the last few months, please consider doing so now—we urgently need a lot of help to make up for lost ground.

2) If you’re not ready to donate but you’re interested enough in our work to be reading this, please consider signing up for our free Mother Jones Daily newsletter to get to know us and our reporting better. Maybe once you do, you’ll see it’s something worth supporting.

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