Health update

 Psychiatrists Call for Transition to Social Rather Than Biological Treatments

A congressional investigation found that the United States’ largest pharmacy chains have handed over data about people’s prescription records to police and government investigators without a warrant. ... CVS, Kroger, and Rite Aid, which have a combined total of over 60,000 locations nationwide, said they allow pharmacy staff to provide customer medical records in the store without having the company’s lawyers review law enforcement requests. Members of Congress began investigating the practice after the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs decision ended the constitutional right to abortion, prompting many GOP-run states to move to criminalize the procedure as well as drugs related to reproductive health... America’s eight largest pharmacy giants—Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Kroger, Rite Aid, Cigna, Optum Rx and Amazon Pharmacy—told congressional investigators that they require only a subpoena, not a warrant, to share pharmaceutical information. A subpoena, unlike a warrant, does not require a judge's approval.

Conversion therapy—a practice aimed at changing someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity—has been widely discredited and is banned in 22 states and the District of Columbia. But more than 1,300 practitioners still offer conversion therapy in the U.S., according to a new report shared exclusively with TIME.  “It is shocking to still see so many different conversion therapy programs across the U.S., because all those programs are fraudulent,” says California Rep. Ted Lieu, who in June introduced a bill to ban conversion therapy at the federal level. “There is no scientific or medical basis for conversion therapy. It is a huge scam.”