Prevent Tick Bites; New Drugs For Flu; Suicide Solutions

Parents: Do you push your kids too hard, or not hard enough?

Fabio Consoli for NPR   How To Raise A Human Our special series on parenting is coming to an end. Thank you so much for hanging with us the past few weeks. You can find all the stories in the series here. But before we go, we have a couple more stories to share. Our audience responds to our questions: Did your parents push you too hard … or not enough? What do you wish you'd known before becoming a parent?   Read their responses, then share your own on Twitter using #HowToRaiseAHuman.   Pearl Mak/NPR   Permethrin Can Ward Off Ticks And The Lyme Disease They Carry   There's new evidence to support a decades-old strategy for preventing the tick bites that can lead to  Lyme disease or ailments. As NPR’s Allison Aubrey reports, the remedy involves spraying your clothing with permethrin — a pesticide that's chemically similar to extracts of chrysanthemums. To test it, the authors of a recent study let ticks loose  on cloth treated with permethrin. The ticks didn't like it, says Lars Eisen, a lead author of the study. "They essentially start flipping backwards and start rolling off the treated clothing." Read the story on Shots to learn more about how to protect yourself. And if you have a cat, don’t miss our follow up story. NPR’s Jane Greenhalgh addressed readers’ questions about the risks of permethrin to felines and how to keep kitty safe.   Mel Evans/AP   Scientists Find New Tricks For Old Drugs About 10 years ago, infectious disease specialist Dr. David Fedson had a disturbing thought: What would happen if the world was gripped with another flu pandemic like the 1918 Spanish flu? As NPR’s Richard Harris reports, Fedson wanted to find a cheap and simple drug that could help people weather the symptoms and survive. He explored a new use for one of the world's most widely prescribed drugs, statins, which not only lower cholesterol but also reduce inflammation. Early tests show they may indeed help fight flu. Other scientists are looking into other existing drugs that might have new uses, like fighting Ebola in West Africa. But drug companies are not always on board. Read more about it on Shots.   FangXiaNuo/Getty Images Help For Suicide Survivors That Starts In The ER Some hopeful news on the topic of suicide: A study shows a simple intervention can help keep suicide survivors safe from future attempts. Rick, a father in Missouri, says the approach may have saved his 12-year-old daughter's life after a suicide attempt in 2017. "It was something that she could follow through with," he says. "It gave her some confidence and it gave me some confidence." NPR's Rhitu Chatterjee reports that the approach is starting to catch on in some hospitals. ER staff help patients who survived a suicide attempt make a safety plan, including warning signs and coping strategies. And staff stay in touch with them after they're discharged to make sure they get follow up care. Learn more about it on Shots. Your Shots editor, Carmel Wroth You received this message because you're subscribed to our Health emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002