Recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed to discontinue a popular over-the-counter decongestant because of its ineffectiveness. There are many over-the-counter remedies for common cold but not all are effective, in fact, some could also be risky. We are talking about phenylephrine, which the FDA had proposed to remove from being sold as it is not effective when taken orally. While there are other herbal options too, but their effectiveness is also questionable.

So when it comes to cough, nasal blockages, and sinus issues what works? Well, there is a low-risk, cheaper treatment - the nasal irrigation device.

What does the Nasal Irrigation device do?

It is a container that holds saline solution which rises the nasal passages. There are various kinds of nasal irrigation devices, some of which are neti pots, that clears the passage with saltwater. Then there are squeeze bottles that can push water through the nose. Bulb syringes are also effective in the case, and now we also have battery-operated pulsed water devices for the same!

What is Nasal Irrigation?

It is a practice of rinsing the nasal passages with saline water to remove debris and mucus. It also hydrates the nasal passages and reduce swelling from common cold. It is also one of the best-studied, non-pharmaceutical treatments for nasal symptoms, including respiratory infections and even allergies.

In fact, it is also recommended by the American Academy of Otolaryngology as a safer treatment for sinus health.

How To Use It?

Get yourself a neti pot or a squeeze bottle and use distilled or boiled and then cooled water, baking soda and salt. Fun fact: the term neti pot, comes from Sanskrit "neti", which means nasal cleansing. Mix it all, and create a saltwater solution. You can mix about 3 teaspoons of non-iodinated salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and then mix it together. Then take 1 teaspoon of this mixture in 1 cup of water and mix it. Now go and stand over a sink, tilt your head to the side and pour the solution from the neti pot or the squeeze bottle into your upper nostril.

Now breathe, and maintain your calm. At first it may seem difficult, especially when the saltwater solution fills your nasal passages and sinuses. However, soon it will cross behind the nasal septum and exit from your lower nostril into the sink. You can also repeat on the opposite side. Once done, blow your nose to clear any extra mucus or saltwater remaining in your passage.

How does it work?

When you have a cold, the mucus-producing cells in your sinuses can do a lot more work than needed, which clogs your nasal passage. It also reduces the functions of the hairlike cells known as cilia. These cells beat rhythmically and clears harmful cold viruses. Nasal irrigation in this case dissolves the bonds between mucus molecules and thus leads to a clear passage and also restores cilia function.

While there is no universal recommendation on how often should you use nasal irrigation device, some studies tested that a frequency of two to four times daily is safe. However, it is commonly used to alleviate cold symptoms and sinus-like issues.

While AIDS-related deaths have dropped to their lowest since 2004, the world is still battling against HIV. Amid all this, a United Nations statement highlights the serious global health issue that it has become. Despite the years of progress and scientific breakthroughs, the disease still claims one life every minute, and continues to the global toll of the epidemic.

More than 30 million people across the world at this moment are receiving life saving antiretroviral treatment. As per the UN Under Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, this is a testament to the power of multilateral action. Speaking at the UN General Assembly’s review of the global AIDS response, she called it a “clear example of multilateral success.”

Impact of Funding Cuts

However behind these figures, is also a fragile system that Mohammed too stressed upon. "Global commitment is fading, funding is falling, and HIV services are being disrupted." This could undo years of hard work. The Health and Me has previously reported that the United States government also abrupted halted funding for a seminal mRNA-based HIV vaccine study, just days before its scheduled start in March 2025.

Health and Me also reported on the US' plan to freeze all foreign assistance, along with the UNAIDS, which could become a global threat for HIV cases. The UNAIDS takes up less than 1% of the overall US budget and since Trump's re-election, audits for cost-cutting and executive orders, especially in the healthcare sector has changed the shape of how aid worked before.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima noted that HIV infections have in fact decreased in the recent years. In 2023, 1.3 million new cases were recorded, which is a 60% decline since the virus peaked in 1995. However, with this abrupt cut off in funding, it has created a situation of "panic, fear and confusion" in many of the African countries which are hit hardest by AIDS.

Urgent Need for Action

“We cannot let short-term cuts destroy long-term progress,” Mohammed urged. She called for the funding crisis to be treated with urgency and seriousness. In many low- and middle-income countries, healthcare budgets are being squeezed by the burden of debt servicing. In sub-Saharan Africa, half of the countries spend more on debt payments than on healthcare.

To counter this imbalance, Mohammed advocated for debt relief, global tax reform, and stronger international collaboration. She also emphasized the need for national governments to show stronger leadership and invest in sustainable HIV financing models.

Human Rights Are Health Rights

Beyond finances, Mohammed pointed to another major challenge: attacks on human rights. Marginalised groups—including LGBTQ+ individuals, sex workers, and people who use drugs—are often criminalised or face violence, hate speech, and stigma. Such punitive laws and attitudes only push people further away from testing, treatment, and prevention services.

“Protecting health means protecting human rights,” Mohammed stated, urging nations to remove discriminatory laws and support inclusive healthcare services. She also highlighted the role of community-led organizations, many of which are now facing defunding. These groups are often closest to at-risk populations and play a crucial role in delivering services, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

The Road Ahead

While the global community has made historic progress, the fight against AIDS is far from over. “The end of AIDS is not a mystery,” said Mohammed. “But success is not guaranteed.” She reiterated that with the right investments, policies, and leadership, eliminating AIDS by 2030 is still within reach—but only if the world “keeps up the fight.”

Having a family pet is a favorable idea considered by many. While parents of young children are worried about bacteria and germs being an issue, there are also other factors to consider. Many studies, like ‘The Power of Pets’ published in the News in Health, have shown how pets play a very important role in a child’s development. They explain how pets have been observed to lower cortisol levels as well as lower blood pressure. They also pointed out that studies have found pets to lower the feeling of loneliness, increase social support as well, and boost your mood.

A new study shows a favorable result for families who wish to have pets, especially dogs, as they not only passively help your kid’s health, but they can also have an active effect on them.

New research suggests that having a family dog might lower a baby's chances of getting eczema later in life. This study, published on June 4th in the journal Allergy, indicates that being around dogs could actually change how a child's genes react to eczema, by calming down skin inflammation.

How Does Eczema Affect Kids?

Researchers explained that while we know genes play a role in eczema risk and that dogs might be protective, this is the first study to show how this happens at a very basic level. Eczema happens when something irritates the skin, causing it to become dry, itchy, and inflamed. We know some people are born more likely to get eczema, but exactly how their genes and their surroundings work together to either increase or decrease this risk hasn't been clear.

How Was The Research Conducted?

The researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of data from 16 previously conducted studies. Their goal was to identify interactions between 24 specific genetic variants already known to be linked to eczema and a list of 18 environmental factors that could potentially influence a baby's susceptibility to the condition later in life.

which included over 25,000 people, narrowed down the environmental factors to seven key ones: antibiotic use, owning a cat, owning a dog, breastfeeding, having an older sibling, smoking, and hygiene.

Dogs, Genes, and Inflammation

The team then applied these findings to data from another 254,000 people to see which genes and environmental factors had the biggest impact on eczema risk. This second look found that a baby's exposure to dogs affects the interleukin-7 gene. This gene is involved in making a type of immune protein that helps control inflammation. Lab tests showed that being around dogs interacts with a gene variation that might otherwise cause eczema, essentially reducing skin inflammation by changing how interleukin-7 proteins work in human skin cells.

The experts explained that their research aims to answer common questions parents ask, like "Why does my child have eczema?" and "What can I do to protect my baby?" While these findings are exciting, the researchers also stressed that more studies are needed to confirm what they found in the lab and to better understand exactly how dogs might affect human genes in this way. Researchers believes these findings give us a chance to tackle the rise of allergic diseases and protect future generations.

More American teens are being prescribed Wegovy, a weight-loss drug that mimics a hormone to regulate appetite, as doctors and families grow more comfortable using medications to treat obesity in adolescents. While this signals growing acceptance of medical tools to tackle a complex and often lifelong health issue, experts caution that challenges around access, affordability, and long-term safety persist.

Sharp Rise in Teen Prescriptions

Wegovy was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in late 2022 for children aged 12 and older who are living with obesity. Since then, prescriptions have surged. According to health data company Truveta, which reviewed medical records from 30 U.S. health systems, prescriptions for Wegovy among teens jumped by 50% in 2024—rising from 9.9 per 100,000 adolescents in 2023 to 14.8 per 100,000 in 2024. The first quarter of 2025 showed another increase, with the rate reaching 17.3 per 100,000.

But these numbers are still small compared to the scale of the issue. Government data shows that 8 million U.S. teens—about 23% of those aged 12 to 19—are living with obesity, a number that has more than quadrupled since 1980. The condition raises long-term risks such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and liver disease.

A Promising Tool, But Not a Cure-All

“It’s promising that more young people are using these medications, but it’s still a very small percentage of patients with severe obesity that are getting access to them,” said Dr. Cate Varney, an obesity medicine specialist at the University of Virginia Health System, in an interview with NBC News. “When lifestyle changes alone are insufficient, we need these additional tools.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its guidelines in 2023 to recommend that doctors consider GLP-1 medications, like Wegovy, for children 12 and older with obesity. GLP-1 drugs mimic the effects of a hormone that controls hunger and food intake. However, only Wegovy is FDA-approved for adolescents. Others, such as Ozempic and Zepbound, are not approved for teen weight loss, though they are being studied for future use.

Safety, Access, and Insurance Hurdles

Despite the increased use, concerns linger. Experts point out that there is limited long-term data on how these medications may affect a developing adolescent’s body. “These medications are likely to be needed for a very long time to maintain weight,” said Dr. Robert Siegel of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. “And we only have a relatively short-term experience with them.”

Insurance coverage also presents a significant barrier. Many health plans do not cover weight-loss drugs for teens and often deny coverage for complementary care such as visits to dietitians or behavioral counseling. At Nemours Children’s Hospital in Delaware, about 25% of teens in one obesity treatment program were prescribed Wegovy or a similar drug last year—almost double the number from 2023. Still, many could not access the drug due to insurance or concerns about side effects.

What the Future Holds

Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy, claims its trials found no negative effects on puberty or growth. Eli Lilly, which produces Zepbound, is conducting its own studies in teens and so far reports no adverse effects on growth or metabolism.

“We are confident in the proven safety and efficacy of our GLP-1 medicines,” Novo Nordisk said in a statement. Still, both researchers and government officials, including U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., stress the need for long-term studies to fully understand the impact of using these medications in young people.