“The launch of the Diabetes Nutritional Management Toolkit was held as part of CARPHA’s celebration of Caribbean Nutrition Awareness Month 2023”

View the full post CARPHA Diabetes Nutritional Management Toolkit on NOW Grenada.

Between 2020 and 2021, there was a nearly 19% increase in weight loss surgeries among U.S. youths aged 10 to 19 years, as discovered by researchers from the University of Texas, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The researchers were particularly interested in looking at these trends after the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a statement in late 2019 endorsing increased access to bariatric surgery for teens, said lead study author Sarah Messiah, PhD, professor and pediatric obesity researcher at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.

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The study drew on data from across six years from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, which accredits bariatric surgery centers in the U.S. and Canada.

"Historically, research shows pediatricians have been hesitant to refer their patients with severe obesity to bariatric surgery," Messiah told Fox News Digital in an email. 

"Our findings show a steady increase in usage in the two years after the release of this AAP statement."

The increase was particularly high for racial and ethnic minority groups. That includes Hispanic/Latino, non-Hispanic Black/African American and others, possibly because they are "disproportionately impacted by cardiometabolic disease risk factors versus non-Hispanic Whites," Messiah said.

These risk factors include elevated blood pressure, lipids, insulin, glucose and waist circumference — all of which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as some types of cancer, she added.

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The new study did have some limitations, Messiah said.

"We are always limited to the data we are analyzing in that it does not include the entire universe of all adolescents who have ever completed bariatric surgery in the U.S. during the analytical time period," she said. 

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"However, this dataset does include all adolescent patients who completed their surgery at a U.S. accredited center, which is the gold standard," the doctor also said.

In January 2023, the AAP released its new pediatric obesity treatment guidelines, officially endorsing bariatric surgery and weight loss prescriptions for the first time.

"Teens age 13 and older with severe obesity (BMI ≥120% of the 95th percentile for age and sex) should be evaluated for metabolic and bariatric surgery," the guidelines stated.

There are four main types of bariatric surgery, according to the Cleveland Clinic: gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric band and duodenal switch.

There was a lot of resistance to the AAP’s recommendation, Messiah pointed out.

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"However, our analysis would suggest that families are following their own path in terms of deciding to move forward with surgery for their adolescent," she said. 

"It will be important that we support these families moving forward to ensure the best health outcomes for their adolescents as they age into adulthood."

Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, offers a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. 

Billed as a minimally invasive procedure, it involves removing a large portion of the stomach to suppress hunger, according to its website.

The hospital recommends exploring weight loss surgery for children who are at least 5 years old, have a BMI of at least 40 (or above 35 with other medical conditions) and have had at least six months of "supervised medical weight loss therapy."

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio also has a bariatric surgery program, but its website states that it’s for "severely obese adolescents who haven’t had success with behavioral and nutritional approaches to weight loss."

Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, offers two types of bariatric surgery: gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. 

The website doesn’t specify a minimum age requirement, but patients must be at least 100 pounds over their "ideal body weight."

Patients and physicians have gone online to share experiences and opinions on pediatric weight loss surgery. 

These run the gamut from success stories to cautionary tales.

One bariatric surgeon on Reddit voiced concern about misconceptions of the procedure.

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"People see it as ‘the easy way out,’ but it's honestly the only way out for 95% of people who are morbidly obese," the doctor wrote. 

"Your metabolic rate will slow down significantly if you try to diet and lose weight, and your progress will slow down — and weight regain is almost inevitable. Bariatric surgery doesn't do that, and something like the gastric bypass hardwires in a malabsorptive component that can't be overridden."

"Do I think we should do bariatric surgery in teenagers? I won't be doing it any time soon, but I think that in a controlled setting with IRB approval, it is appropriate," the surgeon continued, referring to Institutional Review Boards. 

"We have an entire demographic of teenagers with type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea and serious joint pains because of their weight," the surgeon also wrote. "It would be ignorant to overlook an obvious treatment for those conditions."

Another poster, however, shared that her friend opted for the bypass procedure at 16 years old and did not have a good experience.

"She’s now 26 and has gained all the weight back and more," she wrote. 

"Her brain wasn’t done developing and she wasn’t mature enough to understand the consequences of such major surgery and to stick to the guidelines and deal with her disordered eating."

Meanwhile, a surgery intern in a private hospital posted that the facility had performed an "astonishingly high number of bariatric cases" and recalled seeing many complications — even when very skilled surgeons did the procedures.

Dr. Sue Decotiis, a triple board-certified weight loss physician in New York City, warned of the potential dangers of these surgeries in children and teens, given their "irreversible nature."

She told Fox News Digital, "With bariatric surgery, you're altering the anatomy of the GI tract, and that anatomy — if it's a bypass — can never be returned [to its original state]."

She added, "That means the individual is never going to be able to eat regular meals because the anatomy of the stomach has changed."

Another potential problem is that after the anatomy of the stomach is altered, Decotiis said, the person won’t be able to eat as much high-nutrition and high-fiber food because they will feel full immediately.

"This can make them gravitate toward processed foods because those are a lot easier to get down," she said. 

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Before going the surgery route for a child or teen, Decotiis recommends first making dietary changes, such as cutting out sodas and sugary foods and slowly introducing more nutritious fare.

And in the case of teens with severe obesity, the doctor pointed out that if they start with some of the newer weight loss medications that are available, surgery might not be necessary.

"All the medical options need to be exhausted before they consider surgery, because surgery is irreversible," Decotiis said.

The only exception, she said, is if the child or teen is "morbidly obese" (now known as Class III obesity, which is when a person has a BMI of 40 or higher, or 35 or higher along with obesity-related health conditions, per the Cleveland Clinic). 

"Otherwise, it's not worth it because they will likely gain the weight back — and since their anatomy has been disturbed, getting proper nutrients will be difficult in the future."

The group said that building the skills for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can start at age four — and be developed over time through routine training.

By the time children have reached 10 years old, they then may be able to perform effective chest compressions on manikins, said the statement published in Circulation, the American Heart Association’s journal. 

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It detailed evidence showing that schoolchildren as young as age four know how to call for help in a medical emergency — and that, by the ages of 10-12, they can even administer effective chest compressions when performing CPR.

The statement also said that kids can become aware of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and begin learning the steps and rhythm of CPR. 

"Building skills at a young age that are reinforced consistently throughout their years in school has the potential to educate generations of students and their parents on how to respond to cardiac arrest, perform chest compressions and rescue breaths, use an AED and ultimately increase survival," Comilla Sasson, M.D., PhD and a member of the statement-writing committee, said in a news release. 

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Sasson, an emergency physician based in the Denver area who serves as vice president for science and innovation at the American Heart Association, said all family members should know what to do in the event of a cardiac arrest (when the heart stops beating) — since it occurs most often outside a hospital setting. 

The report authors reviewed over 100 research articles about training students in CPR. 

They found that school-aged children are highly motivated to learn life-saving skills and often "multiply" their training by sharing what they have learned with others, the news release said. 

"Training students has become a key element to increase the number of people ready to perform CPR when cardiac arrest occurs outside a hospital, and potentially increase rates of CPR and cardiac arrest survival globally," Dr. Bernd W. Böttiger, chair of the statement-writing group and head of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at the University Hospital of Cologne in Cologne, Germany, said in a news release.

The authors recommended a combination of theoretical and practical training in schools and using social media tools to help share lifesaving skills. 

Worldwide, cardiac arrest that occurs away from a hospital setting is a leading cause of death, with survival rates range between 2% and 20% globally, according to the report. 

These rates are especially low when a bystander does not take immediate action, the news release said. 

"With survival rates of 2% to 20% for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, this study delineates the significance of children and their ability to respond not only in a timely manner but also provide care in a critical period for a patient or possibly even a friend or family member," said Dr. Zachary Hena, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone in New York City, who was not associated with the report.

Hena also told Fox News Digital, "We know the time from when someone is down to [the] time to starting chest compressions and/or delivering an effective shock if necessary improves survival and outcomes. Effectively, kids can save lives from this study — but more importantly, kids will save lives," he added. 

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Dr. Kendra Hoepper, a pediatric nurse practitioner and an associate professor and program director of nursing at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, told Fox News Digital that it's important to implement a tiered type of training program regarding CPR and first aid in children. 

That way, kids can feel more comfortable and not be fearful of reacting. 

Despite their young age, she said even a 4-year-old could be helpful in an emergency.

"The sooner we can encourage kids to know what to do in emergencies, the better," she said.

"Let's say a parent or grandparent collapses in the home — [children] may not know how to check a pulse or for breathing, but they can recognize when something is wrong and they should know to call 9-1-1." 

She added, "The 4-year-old can at least talk to someone on the phone who would then be able to instruct the child on what to do until emergency services arrive."

Hoepper and some of her former colleagues at Molloy University in Rockville Center, New York, partnered with local schools and organizations such as the Girls Scouts and Boy Scouts to help educate the community on the American Heart Association’s "Hands On Only" CPR training through formal classes and pop-up tent events. 

Debra McWilliams, MS, RN, director of Interprofessional Simulation at Long Island University Post in Brookville, New York, said of the report, "We know that every second counts when it comes to helping someone who has collapsed from a cardiac event."

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She added, "Many people witnessed the collapse of Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin on the field this past year. Within seconds, team trainers provided CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to restart his heart." 

McWilliams and her nursing students recently taught CPR to the LIU community.

She said, "Knowledge is power. Educating people of all ages, children to adults, will have a positive ripple effect. This lesson can literally save lives."

Artificial intelligence has its own idea of what the perfect human body should look like.

A new study by The Bulimia Project, a Brooklyn, New York-based website that publishes content and research related to eating disorders, investigated how AI perceived the "ideal" body based on social media data.

The results, produced by AI-generated imaging tools such as Dall-E 2, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, showed widely "unrealistic" body structures, as reported in a discussion of the findings on The Bulimia Project's website.

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Forty percent of the overall images depicted "unrealistic" body types of muscular men and women — 37% for women and 43% for men — according to the study.

For women, the AI-generated images seemed to have a bias toward blonde hair, brown eyes and olive-toned skin.

More than half (53%) of all images of women generated to depict the "ideal body type" included olive skin.

For men, the AI-generated images showed a bias toward brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin.

Sixty-seven percent of all images for men with the "ideal body type" included brown hair and 63% had olive skin.

Additionally, 47% of the images for men included facial hair.

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The Bulimia Project extracted its results by approaching the various AI systems with two prompts.

The first prompt — "the ‘perfect’ female body according to social medial in 2023" — generated a variety of female body types but showed an obvious preference for slimmer women with toned muscles.

The second prompt — "the ‘perfect’ male body, according to social medial in 2023" — did the same, coming up with images of men with perfectly toned abs.

"Smaller women appeared in nearly all the images created by Dall-E 2, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, but the latter came up with the most unrealistic representations of the female body," the study revealed.

"The same can be said for the male physiques it generated, all of which look like photoshopped versions of bodybuilders."

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The study broadened the scope beyond social media, prompting the AI tools to generate images of "the ‘perfect’ woman in 2023" and "the ‘perfect’ man in 2023."

The results showed more diversity in skin, hair and eye color as well as ethnicity, although the images still depicted conventionally "fit" individuals.

The study compared how the social media-inspired images were much more sexualized and "unsettling," in terms of disproportionate body parts, than the AI-inspired renderings.

"Considering that social media uses algorithms based on which content gets the most lingering eyes, it’s easy to guess why AI’s renderings would come out more sexualized," the study concluded. 

"But we can only assume that the reason AI came up with so many oddly shaped versions of the physiques it found on social media is that these platforms promote unrealistic body types to begin with."

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In the age of filters on photo apps such as Snapchat and Instagram, "no one can reasonably achieve the physical standards set by social media," the study noted.

The Bulimia Project study was launched in response to the jarring impact of social media on children’s mental health, which could be a source of body image issues, according to the study.

The idealization of body types on social media has an undeniable effect on adults as well, experts say.

James Campigotto, a Deerfield, Florida-based data journalist who worked on The Bulimia Project's study, told Fox News Digital in an interview that this study was designed to explore the biases and potential dangers of AI.

Campigotto noted that some of the results were considered "unrealistic" in terms of body type by straying "far away" from what is "obtainable" by the average person.

"This could [negatively impact] individuals' body images," he said. 

"You could be someone who's doing all the right things, eating properly and exercising constantly … and still not achieving these very outlandish images, which can be very disheartening and impactful on someone's self-image," he added.

Campigotto said he was most surprised by the lack of diversity in the social media-inspired renderings.

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Most of the male images showed chiseled abs and "Superman-like" physiques, he said — which he believes could be linked to a lack of conversation surrounding male body positivity.

"I think men are struggling with this idea just as much, if not the same, as women — this idea of body image [and] what it is to have a body you’re proud of," he said.

AI expert Joe Toscano, founder of the data technology company Mach 9 in Omaha, Nebraska, told Fox News Digital the study findings are "not surprising," since the internet is "all about what gets clicked on the most."

"These systems are not making decisions based on ‘thinking,'" he said in a statement. "They're making these decisions based on what's already out there and indicators that are coded into the system to determine what is ‘best.’" 

As AI poses a potential threat to self-esteem and body image, Campigotto said the study also revealed biases present within artificial intelligence, warning users to "take everything with a grain of salt."

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"Keep in mind that everything that's being generated is being influenced by a certain perspective and a certain bias," he said. 

Taking social media influencers as an example, Campigotto explained they are a "minority group" who should not be representative of an overall image.

Instead, he said, "try to compare yourself to the version of yourself from yesterday and less toward everything going on around you," he said. 

"Adjust your perspective to just focus on yourself."

Toscano of Mach 9 added that a certain kind of AI usage will only "accelerate levels of mental illness and body shame."

"I used to compare myself to my peers locally, but now kids are comparing themselves to the things that trend the most on the internet, meaning instead of comparing yourself to one in 1,000 people or even 10,000 people, you're comparing yourself with the ‘best’ in the world — making those standards even more unattainable," he said. 

"In addition to that, there's no way to tell what's been rendered or not nowadays," Toscano said. 

"There's no way to tell who's had plastic surgery or not nowadays."

Aiming to change that, Nuance — a Microsoft-owned artificial intelligence company in Massachusetts — has created an AI tool for physicians called DAX Express, which streamlines the note-taking process.

At Cooper University Health Care in New Jersey, doctors who are already using the tool have reported improved patient outcomes, greater efficiency and reduced costs.

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"For our physicians who use DAX more than half the time, they have seen a 43% reduction of the time they spend writing notes and an overall 21% reduction in the amount of time they spend in the electronic medical record," said Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, the CEO of Cooper, which employs 150 physicians. 

He is also an emergency physician.

Peter Durlach, chief strategy officer of Nuance, compares the tool to a "co-pilot" for physicians.

"DAX lets clinicians fully focus on caring for patients instead of manually filling in data entry screens," he told Fox News Digital. 

"This technology helps improve the patient experience and the quality of care, while also making it so that clinicians no longer need to spend hours of their own time completing documentation."

DAX Express is powered by GPT-4, the latest version of AI chatbot technology from OpenAI. 

The tool automatically and securely creates clinical notes, with the patient’s consent, that are immediately available for the doctor to review after each patient visit.

"The phone sits between the doctor and the patient," Mazzarelli explained during an on-camera interview with Fox News Digital. "It incorporates not just what the doctor says, but also what the patient says. And then it uses AI to write the note."

He added, "It's a huge step up from just dictating notes."

Next, the note is sent to the doctor, who can make any necessary changes before approving it. The doctor can then share the file with the patient for transparency.

"It’s like a physician’s assistant that thinks really fast," Mazzarelli said. "The physician is still responsible for making sure the note correctly reflects the conversation."

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The tool gives doctors evidence-based support for the decisions they make, right in the palm of their hand, he added.

"This is, to me, the next evolution," Mazzarelli said. "It’s not that we just want a faster horse and buggy — we want the car."

The more obvious benefits of DAX are removing the administrative burden from physicians and reducing burnout, but the benefits extend to the patient as well, Mazzarelli said. 

The doctor is able to directly interact with the patient and look the person in the eye without the distraction of note-taking, he said. 

This aligns with Cooper University Health Care’s philosophy of practicing "compassion science," which emphasizes a clear understanding of what patients are experiencing.

"If you can really connect with patients, whether you're a nurse or a doctor or anybody in health care, it improves patient outcomes and lowers overall costs," Mazzarelli said. 

"That's good for not just patients, but for the whole health care system."

Because the physician has to sign off on each AI-created medical note, Mazzarelli believes Nuance’s AI tool presents a low risk.

"It's the same risk as if you had an intern or an administrative assistant write something for you and you put it out in the world and didn't look at it," he said. 

"If you’re depending on AI and not thinking of it as an assistant and you just let it make all the decisions — then you certainly could have a problem there."

Nuance’s Durlach believes that administrative functions — note-taking, coding and billing — should be the first place to implement AI because they require a lot of manual work and the cost of making a mistake does not impact patient health.

"As a Microsoft company, our goal is to develop and deploy AI that will have a beneficial impact and earn trust from society," Durlach told Fox News Digital. 

"We are committed to creating responsible AI by design."

In developing its tech, Nuance focuses on a core set of principles: fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.

"In an industry where certain types of mistakes can have serious consequences, health care organizations must be particularly mindful of choosing safe and proven AI solutions," Durlach said.

In the past, medical technology has actually increased the number of administrative tasks, Mazzarelli said — but he believes AI has the potential to dramatically streamline the doctor-patient experience.

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"I am very optimistic about the application of generative AI to improve medical care," the doctor said.

"I think it's going to help doctors and patients have better relationships. And I think if used correctly, it's going to be among the best advances we've had."

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As medicine continues to become more complex, Mazzarelli said, there is a greater need for decision support. 

"As personalized medicine becomes more and more the way of the future, we need assistance to make sure we can use it correctly," he added. 

"AI is clearly already here, and I'm even more optimistic about the ways it can assist in the future."

A healthy mouth means more than an attractive smile. 

Research has shown that oral health impacts the wellness of the entire body and is directly linked to risk levels for heart disease, pneumonia and other conditions.

While it's common knowledge that everyone should brush and floss every day, what about the things people are not supposed to do to their teeth?

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If you’re making any of these dangerous dental mistakes, you could be putting the health of your teeth and gums in jeopardy, according to experts. 

Read on …

Failing to take proper care of dental health is the biggest mistake cited by dentists.

Neglecting oral hygiene "includes not brushing and flossing regularly, which can lead to tooth decay, gum disease and other oral health problems," Dr. Sean Kutlay, a dentist in Santa Clarita, California, told Fox News Digital.

"To counteract this, it's important to establish a daily oral hygiene routine that includes brushing your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes and flossing at least once a day."

One of the biggest causes of structural damage to teeth is the tendency to use them as tools, such as bottle openers and package rippers, according to Dr. Fadi Swaida of Bond Street Dental in Toronto, Ontario.

"Using your teeth for those kinds of things can end with cracking, chipping and damaging them," she told Fox News Digital. 

"I've seen many patients who crack their front teeth because they were trying to open something with them."

Tobacco use has been linked to a long list of health dangers, including those related to the teeth.

"Smoking and using tobacco products can stain your teeth, cause bad breath, and increase your risk of gum disease and oral cancer," said Kutlay.

The obvious means of prevention is to quit smoking or using tobacco products altogether, he added.

Vaping presents a similar problem, Swaida noted — particularly because it's unclear what long-term damage the chemicals could cause to the teeth and gums.

It might sound crazy, but Fatima Khan, a dentist and co-founder of Riven Oral Care in Houston, Texas, has heard of some people filing down their teeth with nail files to try and make them all the same length.

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"Not only can you introduce bacteria from your nail file into your mouth this way, but it can also cause irreversible damage to your teeth," she said in an email to Fox News Digital. "Once your enamel is gone, it's gone for good — it won't magically grow back like your nails do."

For some, this can lead to sensitivity — but others may end up needing root canal therapy if they file down too close to their nerve and end up experiencing excruciating pain, Khan warned.

Brushing your teeth twice a day is key to good dental health, per the American Dental Association — but too much force can backfire, dentists agree.

"Many people think that brushing harder will help remove all the plaque and bacteria, but it can abrade your enamel and cause tooth wear and sensitivity," Dr. Tina Saw, a licensed dentist and founder of Oral Genome in California, told Fox News Digital. 

It’s best to brush your teeth gently with a pressure-sensing electric toothbrush or a soft manual toothbrush, she said.

Add dental health to the long list of the benefits that hydration brings.

"Water is not only good for your overall health, but it’s super important to your dental health," Dr. Diana Matatova, a general dentist in Glendale, Arizona, told Fox News Digital.

"After eating a meal or sweet drinks, drinking water afterward can help rinse your teeth when you’re not able to brush," she said. 

"Keeping saliva flowing in your mouth by drinking water helps prevent tooth decay and keeps cavities from forming."

Even though it can be very satisfying, Dr. Saw recommends refraining from chewing on ice.

"It can cause microfractures that lead to more significant fractures over time and, inevitably, broken teeth," she warned.

In one study from Japan, people who chewed 30 ice cubes each day using only the left side of their mouths over a two-decade span were found to develop cavities and changes in the jaw on that side.

Up to 30% of the population bites their nails, studies show, but the bad habit can do damage to more than your fingers. Nail-biting can also chip the teeth, Saw warned.

"Even though your teeth are harder than your nails, they have thinner incisal edges that can chip easily if you bite your nails the wrong way," she told Fox News Digital. 

"A few good ways to try and kick this habit are to keep your nails trimmed short, apply bitter-tasting nail polish or get a gel manicure," Saw added.

Certain types of do-it-yourself teeth whitening should generally be avoided, Khan told Fox News Digital.

One of the current trends involves mixing baking soda with hydrogen peroxide and adding it to a "boil and bite" mouth guard, which is made of a soft, flexible material that is boiled and then bitten on to conform to the teeth.

"Baking soda can be pretty abrasive, and if you use it too often or in high concentrations, it can actually damage tooth enamel," Khan warned. "Plus, that ‘boil and bite’ guard might not fit your mouth perfectly, so the hydrogen peroxide can leak out and irritate your gums or even burn them."

Another risky DIY trend is to brush with turmeric to strengthen and whiten teeth. 

While the plant-based spice has some proven health benefits, Khan said it’s best to consume it rather than brush with it. 

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"Turmeric is a dark yellow color, and it can be tough to brush off completely," she told Fox News Digital. "I've seen it stain the teeth of some of my patients because they didn't rinse their mouth and brush thoroughly enough after using it. And when the turmeric sits on the teeth for too long, it can actually make them look more yellow, not less."

Whitening too much can also be harmful, Saw warned.

"Excessive teeth whitening can cause tooth sensitivity and also result in the incisal or edges of the teeth becoming translucent," she said. "It can also strip your teeth of its protective enamel and weaken them."

"It can be hard to resist snacking throughout the day — especially now that so many of us work remotely — but when we eat, it triggers an acid release to aid digestion," Saw said. 

"The acid breaks down teeth, and frequent acid attacks on your teeth can cause cavities and decay over time."

Certain foods are more harmful to the teeth than others — particularly sugary substances, like soda and candy.

"Sugar is one of the main culprits when it comes to tooth decay," Kutlay told Fox News Digital. "When you eat sugary foods or drink sugary drinks, the bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugar and produce acid, which can erode your tooth enamel."

The recommended counteraction is to limit sugar intake and choose healthier snacks like fruits, vegetables and nuts, he said.

Some TikTok trends suggest that people can straighten and move their teeth at home without any orthodontic work, but this is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs, dentists said. 

"Using gap bands, rubber bands, paperclips, beads, dental floss and elastic bands to try and move your teeth is just asking for trouble," Khan told Fox News Digital.

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"Orthodontic movement needs to be done precisely, and if it's not, you can permanently damage your teeth, gums and roots. In some cases, it can even lead to bone loss and tooth loss," she added.

When people aren’t having any mouth pain or problems, they may assume everything is fine and opt to skip a dental visit — but dentists agree that’s a bad idea.

Said Swaida, "Regular dental visits keep your teeth free of tartar and plaque, which cause tooth decay, and detect problems early so they can be remedied."

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Less plaque, fewer cavities and healthier gums may be the more obvious benefits of flossing your teeth — but did you know it could also lower your risk of heart disease?

"There are a lot of studies that have talked about — at least for periodontal disease — the connection between gum disease and heart health," said Sasha Ross, DMD, a periodontist for Cleveland Clinic. 

Gum disease can cause high blood pressure and lead to inflammation and bacteria in the heart, research has shown, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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"There’s really a very strong association between the two, where patients who have periodontal disease are at a much greater risk for having heart disease, stroke or other issues like that," Dr. Ross also told Fox News Digital.

Some 43% of adults 30 and older have some type of gum disease, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For adults 65 and older, that number rises to 70%.

Some people are more susceptible to complications even if they brush and floss every day, while others can do the bare minimum but have no issues at all, Dr. Ross pointed out. 

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Those who have heart valve disease are at a higher risk, according to Dr. Marietta Ambrose, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

"The bacteria that live in your mouth when you have gum disease can cross into your bloodstream, enter the heart and directly infect the vulnerable heart valves," she said in a 2022 article on Penn Medicine’s website. 

"That’s especially concerning in our patients who have artificial heart valves."

People should brush their teeth at least twice a day and floss once a day, either before or after brushing, says the American Dental Association (ADA).

Some signs of flossing negligence include bleeding or swollen gums, plaque buildup, cavities, loose teeth, bad breath and gum recession, Dr. Ross said.

"I think a lot of people are never taught how to properly floss and what kind of floss to use, so at one of these visits we can work with you and show you how to do it," she said. 

"Then just make it part of your daily routine. I say it’s really good to floss once a day, ideally at night before you go to bed."

For those who are unsure about the proper way to floss, Dr. Ross recommends using a water pick or special brushes designed to clean between the teeth.

For best results, Dr. Ross recommends flossing between each set of teeth 10 to 15 times in an up-and-down motion. You can start from anywhere in the mouth. For each tooth, use a new, clean section of floss.

Waxed and unwaxed floss are both effective for plaque removal, but waxed floss might be easier for those whose teeth are spaced tightly together, Dr. Ross told Fox News Digital.

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It likely doesn't matter whether you brush or floss first, but Dr. Ross said that one study suggests flossing first may achieve better plaque removal.

"Most people have never been shown how to floss," she said. "Make sure to ask your dentist, periodontist or hygienist to demonstrate and watch you floss."

In addition to regular brushing and flossing, visit a dentist regularly and limit sugary foods and drinks to protect dental health, the ADA recommends.

To read more pieces in Fox News Digital's "Be Well" series, click here.

After a two-year decline, U.S. suicide rates spiked again in 2021, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Suicide is now the 11th leading cause of death in the country — and the second among people between 10 and 35 years of age and fifth among those aged 35 to 54, per the report. 

As the need for mental health care escalates, the U.S. is struggling with a shortage of providers. To help fill this gap, some medical technology companies have turned to artificial intelligence as a means of possibly making providers’ jobs easier and patient care more accessible. 

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Yet there are caveats connected to this. Read on. 

Over 160 million people currently live in "mental health professional shortage areas," according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

By 2024, it is expected that the total number of psychiatrists will reach a new low, with a projected shortage of between 14,280 and 31,091 individuals. 

"Lack of funding from the government, a shortage of providers, and ongoing stigma regarding mental health treatment are some of the biggest barriers," Dr. Meghan Marcum, chief psychologist at AMFM Healthcare in Orange County, California, told Fox News Digital. 

"Wait lists for therapy can be long, and some individuals need specialized services like addiction or eating disorder treatment, making it hard to know where to start when it comes to finding the right provider," Marcum also said. 

A Boston, Massachusetts medical data company called OM1 recently built an AI-based platform, called PHenOM, for physicians. 

The tool pulls data from over 9,000 clinicians working in 2,500 locations across all 50 states, according to Dr. Carl Marci, chief psychiatrist and managing director of mental health and neuroscience at OM1.

Physicians can use that data to track trends in depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies and other mental health disorders, the doctor said.

"Part of the reason we're having this mental health crisis is that we haven't been able to bring new tools, technologies and treatments to the bedside as quickly as we’d like," said Dr. Marci, who has also been running a small clinical practice through Mass General Brigham in Boston for 20 years.

Eventually, artificial intelligence could help patients get the care they need faster and more efficiently, he said.

OM1’s AI model analyzes thousands of patient records and uses "sophisticated medical language models" to identify which individuals have expressed suicidal tendencies or actually attempted suicide, Dr. Marci said. 

"We can look at all of our data and begin to build models to predict who is at risk for suicidal ideation," he said. "One approach would be to look for particular outcomes — in this case, suicide — and see if we can use AI to do a better job of identifying patients at risk and then directing care to them."

In the traditional mental health care model, a patient sees a psychiatrist for depression, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia or another disorder. 

The doctor then makes a treatment recommendation based only on his or her own experience and what the patient says, Dr. Marci said. 

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"Soon, I'll be able to put some information from the chart into a dashboard, which will then generate three ideas that are more likely to be more successful for depression, anxiety or insomnia than my best guess," he told Fox News Digital.

"The computer will be able to compare those parameters that I put into the system for the patient … against 100,000 similar patients."

In seconds, the doctor would be able to access information to use as a decision-making tool to improve patient outcomes, he said. 

When patients are in the mental health system for many months or years, it’s important for doctors to be able to track how their disease is progressing — which the real world doesn’t always capture, Dr. Marci noted.

"The ability to use computers, AI and data science to do a clinical assessment of the chart without the patient answering any questions or the clinician being burdened fills in a lot of gaps," he told Fox News Digital.

"We can then begin to apply other models to look and see who's responding to treatment, what types of treatment they're responding to and whether they’re getting the care they need," he added.

With the increasing mental health challenges and the widespread shortage of mental health providers, Dr. Marci said he believes that doctors will start using ChatGPT — the AI-based large language model that OpenAI released in 2022 — as a "large language model therapist," allowing doctors to interact with patients in a "clinically meaningful way."

Potentially, models such as ChatGPT could serve as an "off-hours" resource for those who need help in the middle of the night or on a weekend when they can’t get to the doctor’s office — "because mental health doesn't take a break," Dr. Marci said.

"The opportunity to have continuous care where the patient lives, rather than having to come into an office or get on a Zoom, that is supported by sophisticated models that actually have proven therapeutic value … [is] important," he also said. 

But these models, which are built on both good information and misinformation, are not without risks, the doctor admitted.

"The most obvious risk is for [these models] to give literally deadly advice … and that would be disastrous," he said.

To minimize these risks, the models would need to filter out misinformation or add some checks on the data to remove any potentially bad advice, said Dr. Marci.

Dr. Cameron Caswell, an adolescent psychologist in Washington, D.C., has seen firsthand the struggle providers face in keeping up with the growing need for mental health care.

"I’ve talked to people who have been wait-listed for months, can’t find anyone that accepts their insurance or aren’t able to connect with a professional that meets their specific needs," she told Fox News Digital. 

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"They want help, but can’t seem to get it. This only adds to their feelings of hopelessness and despair."

Even so, Dr. Caswell is skeptical that AI is the answer.

"Programs like ChatGPT are phenomenal at providing information, research, strategies and tools, which can be useful in a pinch," she said. 

"However, technology doesn’t provide what people need the most: empathy and human connection."

"While AI can provide positive reminders and prompt calming techniques, I worry that if it’s used to self-diagnose, it will lead to misdiagnosing, mislabeling and mistreating behaviors," she continued. 

"This is likely to exacerbate problems, not remediate them."

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Dr. Marcum of Orange County, California, said he sees AI as being a helpful tool between sessions — or as a way to offer education about a diagnosis.

"It may also help clinicians with documentation or report writing, which can potentially help free up time to serve more clients throughout the week," she told Fox News Digital.

There are ongoing ethical concerns, however — including privacy, security of data and accountability, which still need to be developed further, she said. 

"I think we will definitely see a trend toward the use of AI in treating mental health," said Dr. Marcum.

"But the exact landscape for how it will shape the field has yet to be determined."

Often dubbed "the silent killer," carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless — it’s been shown to cause severe injury or death in hours or even minutes.

Between 2009 and 2019, deaths from non-fire-related carbon monoxide poisoning have been on the rise, according to a new report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) last month.

There were 250 deaths related to consumer products in 2019, more than in any other year in the report.

Some 40% of those deaths were caused by engine-driven tools, including generators, power washers and lawn mowers. 

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Heating systems were behind another 28% of the deaths, the report said.

Kristie Dusenberry, a mother and grandmother who lives with her family on a farm in American Falls, Idaho, knows all too well the devastating impacts of carbon monoxide poisoning. 

Her 21-year-old son, Brenden Dusenberry, nearly died recently when fumes filled his small apartment.

About four months ago, her son had moved to Utah, where he was living in an apartment above his uncle’s garage. 

"He was excited about living closer to friends and had started a new job," Dusenberry told Fox News Digital in an interview.

When a few family members tried to call Dusenberry’s son over the weekend, no one was able to reach him. 

Around midnight on Sunday, Dusenberry got a call from her niece, who also lives at the house.

"She said Brenden was on the floor in the bathroom, couldn’t feel his left side and was throwing up," she said. "No one had seen or heard from him for more than 24 hours."

When first responders arrived, they suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. Tests confirmed dangerously high levels in the room where Dusenberry’s son was found.

Over the next few hours, Dusenberry slowly pieced together what had happened. 

Her son had gotten very sick over the course of the day, then woke up in the middle of the night with severe thirst. When he tried to get out of bed, his entire left side had gone completely numb.

"Brenden fell and hit his head on a dresser, then tumbled down the stairs to the bathroom, and that's where they found him," Dusenberry explained.

The source of the fumes was a new heater for the outdoor swimming pool, which had just been hooked up and was kept in the garage below the room where Dusenberry’s son was living. 

Something had malfunctioned with the heater — causing carbon monoxide to fill the air.

One of the doctors told Dusenberry that carbon monoxide is lighter than air.

"It actually floats and can go through sheet rock, or through any crack in the wall," she said.

While Dusenberry realizes her son is lucky to be alive, she worries about his long and uncertain road to recovery.

"Brenden’s heart is not fully working right now," she told Fox News Digital. "His lungs were inflamed when he got to the hospital, and he had to be put in a hyperbaric chamber to increase his oxygen levels."

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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is sometimes used ​​for people who have moderate to severe carbon monoxide poisoning as a means of reducing the long-term cognitive effects. That's according to Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, medical toxicologist and co-medical director at the National Capital Poison Center in Washington, D.C.

"People who have confusion, heart rhythm abnormalities or other evidence of heart damage, and other serious signs or symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, are potential candidates for hyperbaric oxygen therapy," she told Fox News Digital.

The doctors also realized that Dusenberry’s son’s kidneys weren’t functioning correctly, which meant he had to receive dialysis treatments.

"Brenden also has nerve damage on the left side of his body, and the doctors said it could take up to a year before he can use his left arm again," Dusenberry said. 

"He still can’t walk, and he can’t keep any food or fluids down."

She added, "They did say that all the carbon monoxide is gone — but all the damage it caused is not."

Dr. Dung Trinh, a brain health expert and owner of The Healthy Brain Clinic in Long Beach, California, said the most dangerous outcomes of carbon monoxide poisoning can include death, permanent organ damage and long-term neurological effects. 

"Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that can bind to hemoglobin in the blood, reducing its ability to carry oxygen, leading to tissue hypoxia and damage to vital organs," he told Fox News Digital via email.

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In cases where carbon monoxide poisoning is fatal, Trinh said the specific cause of death is often related to severe tissue hypoxia (low levels of oxygen in the tissues) and damage to the brain, heart or lungs, which can lead to respiratory failure, cardiac arrest or other life-threatening complications.

The effects of carbon monoxide poisoning can vary, depending on the severity of the exposure and individual factors, the doctor explained.

"In some cases, with prompt and appropriate medical treatment, the effects may be reversible, while in other cases, they may be permanent," he said.

Certain people may be at a higher risk of dying or not recovering fully from carbon monoxide poisoning, such as infants, elderly individuals, pregnant women and those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiac conditions, the doctor said.

Those who survive carbon monoxide poisoning may experience adverse long-term effects. 

"These can include neurological symptoms like memory problems, difficulty concentrating and mood changes, as well as respiratory and cardiac issues, depending on the severity and duration of exposure," Trinh said.

Dawn Quintana, a 56-year-old former IT worker in Lake Point, Utah, experienced carbon monoxide poisoning at her workplace in 2013, when machinery was being used inside with all the doors and windows closed.

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After repeated daily exposure — 10 hours a day, five days a week, for 90 days — Quintana was regularly experiencing severe flu-like symptoms and lost her sense of taste. 

When she was finally tested at the hospital, her levels of exposure were dangerously high.

To this day, even after seven years of therapy, Quintana still experiences the lingering cognitive effects of carbon monoxide poisoning.

"Sometimes I know what I want to say, but it doesn't come out," she told Fox News Digital in an email. 

She also struggles with reading: "I can look at something and read it silently just fine, but if I try to read out loud, the letters start to fall away from the page and the left side of the page goes blank."

Quintana has not been able to return to work. She can no longer look at computer screens without getting dizzy and nauseated. Her relationships with friends and family have suffered.

"The struggle that I go through daily — the loss of dignity — I would not wish it upon my worst enemy," she said.

Each year, carbon monoxide poisoning claims the lives of at least 420 people and sends more than 100,000 people to emergency rooms in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The good news is that it’s 100% preventable.

"Some strategies for safety and precaution against carbon monoxide poisoning include regular maintenance and inspection of fuel-burning appliances, proper ventilation in enclosed spaces, using carbon monoxide detectors and avoiding the use of fuel-burning appliances indoors or in enclosed spaces without proper ventilation," Trinh said.

You may not be able to see, smell or taste carbon monoxide — but a working carbon monoxide detector can enable you to "hear" it, said Johnson-Arbor.

"Carbon monoxide detectors can be purchased for [about] $20 at big-box retailers, home improvement stores or even on Amazon," she told Fox News Digital.

Residential carbon monoxide detectors can be plugged into an electrical outlet or can be hard-wired into a home’s electric system, Johnson-Arbor said.

"Because carbon monoxide poisoning can cause excessive sleepiness, it’s important to have a detector installed within 10 feet of every sleeping area of your home," she said. 

Additionally, she recommends bringing a portable carbon monoxide detector when traveling, because some hotels or vacation rentals may not have them installed.

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For plug-in detectors, the batteries should be replaced every six months or after any prolonged power outage.

"Never ignore an alarming carbon monoxide detector," Johnson-Arbor added. "These devices can save your life."

While many people associate carbon monoxide poisoning as a risk during the winter months due to malfunctioning furnaces and lack of ventilation, precautions should be taken year-round, warned Johnson-Arbor.

"During the summer months, people can be poisoned by carbon monoxide from faulty swimming pool heaters, indoor use of barbecue grills, gas-powered clothes dryers and other equipment," she told Fox News Digital.

If you suspect a case of carbon monoxide poisoning, it is crucial to immediately evacuate the affected area and seek medical attention without delay, Trinh said. 

"Carbon monoxide poisoning is a medical emergency and requires prompt medical intervention," he added.