During pregnancy, the mouth matters

If you’re pregnant, or thinking about getting pregnant, I bet one of the last things on your mind is what’s going on in your mouth. You’re worrying about getting time off work and finding childcare. You’re thinking about prenatal visits, the baby’s room, and why you’re so tired all of the time. You’re wondering if […]

Who cares about harm reduction?

Who cares about harm reduction? The short answer is: you should. Harm reduction could protect you and the people you love from serious illness and death. The Harm Reduction Coalition defines harm reduction as “a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.” In other words, it’s a […]

The way we take care of kids is a cultural disaster

The BDN’s recent article on youth with serious mental illnesses at Long Creek Youth Development Center (March 1, We will have another incident: prison cannot treat severely mentally ill youth, report says) should have us up in arms. These youth are being committed to a detention facility because there’s no place else for them to go. […]

Legislators: Keep us safe

Maine State legislators have an enormous job. We rely on them to make good decisions on our behalf. We rely on them to help keep us safe. That’s why it’s important that they make decisions based on evidence and research. Evidence-based and evidence-informed policymaking means that our decision-makers are using what we know works to […]

Keep it clean, and don’t forget the fluoride!

Did you know that cavities are contagious? Yes, that’s right. Cavities are contagious, especially in young children. Surprised? I was too when I found that out. There are bacteria (called mutans streptococcus) in our mouths that can cause cavities. That bacteria that can be passed from one person or another, especially from parents to young […]

Regulating pot: do it right

Legislators have their work cut out for them this year. They have to figure out how to implement legalization of recreational marijuana in Maine, and that’s a big job. There’s a lot of talk about regulating marijuana like we regulate alcohol. In fact, supporters of legalized recreational pot say that “marijuana is safer than alcohol; […]