Matthew Perrone - Chattanooga Times Free Press

No COVID-19 testing at home yet but quicker options coming

by Matthew Perrone ·April 5, 2020

Home testing for the new coronavirus may sound like a good idea, but U.S. regulators say it's still too risky.

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 31, 2020 file photo, medical technicians handle a vial containing a nasal swab at a drive-thru testing site in Wheat Ridge, Colo., as a statewide stay-at-home order remains in effect in an effort to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Home testing for coronavirus may sound like a good idea, but As of early April 2020, U.S. regulators say it's still too risky. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

FDA bans shock device used on mentally disabled patients

by Matthew Perrone ·March 5, 2020

Federal officials on Wednesday banned electrical shock devices used to discourage aggressive, self-harming behavior in patients with mental disabilities.

In this Aug. 13, 2014 file photo, a therapist checks the ankle strap of an electrical shocking device on a student during an exercise program at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton, Mass. The student, who was born with a developmental disorder, wears the device so administrators can control violent episodes. On Wednesday, March 4, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is banning a class of controversial devices used to discourage aggressive, self-injurious behavior in patients with mental disabilities. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

US permits sale of cigarettes with 95% less nicotine

by Matthew Perrone ·December 17, 2019

U.S. health officials on Tuesday endorsed a type of cigarette that could help ease the addictive grip of smoking by delivering very low levels of nicotine.