Sunday, September 14, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

More young Swedes poisoning themselves with over-the-counter medications

Published 23 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Last year, the Swedish Poisons Information Center received almost 7000 calls about self-harm and suicide attempts.
2 minute read

Over the past decade, the number of calls to the Swedish Poisons Information Center (Giftinformationscentralen) about young people deliberately poisoning themselves has almost tripled and the most commonly used drug in suicide attempts is the painkiller paracetamol.

– Paracetamol is by far the most commonly used drug in suicide and self-harm, confirms Shahabeh Shokrolahi, a call-taker at the Swedish Poisons Information Center.

It’s not that paracetamol is necessarily more toxic than many other medicines it’s that it’s something that most families have in their homes, and it’s often kept in an easily accessible place.

– It is not paracetamol that is the problem, but the well-being of young people. If it hadn’t been paracetamol, it would surely have been something else, she argues in the state television SVT.

It should be noted that there has long been an awareness that Alvedon, Panodil and the like have often been used in suicide attempts and that several changes have therefore been introduced to make it more difficult for minors to obtain the drugs.

For example, the sale of paracetamol tablets in supermarkets was banned and young people were only allowed to buy one pack at a time yet poisonings have only increased.

“Could have been worse”

– If we hadn’t taken these measures, it could have been worse. We don’t know and we’ll never know, but it could have been that there would have been even more calls, speculates Shokrolahi.

Last year, the Swedish Poisons Information Center received almost 7,000 calls about self-harm and suicide attempts compared to 2,500 ten years earlier.

There is no clear answer as to why more and more young people are choosing to harm themselves in this way but it is noted that nine out of ten people surveyed keep painkillers in unlocked and easily accessible areas.

– Even if you don’t suspect that your teenager would resort to drugs in a crisis situation, your teenager’s friends or relatives might. That’s why it’s important that all medicines are locked up and the home is teen-proofed, concludes Shokrolahi.

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Thousands of Swedes unaware of their high blood pressure

Published today 8:29
– By Editorial Staff
Nine out of ten Swedes are expected to be affected by hypertension at some point during their lifetime.
2 minute read

Every other person with high blood pressure lacks knowledge of their diagnosis. Therefore, new national guidelines are now being developed.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is very common and it is estimated that nine out of ten Swedes will be affected by it at some point during their lifetime. Having high blood pressure means a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, among other conditions.

Today, approximately three million Swedes are estimated to suffer from it, but half don’t know about it. Women run a higher risk of being affected by cardiovascular diseases linked to lower blood pressure levels compared to men, yet despite this, 40 percent of women aged 35 to 49 are unaware of their blood pressure values, according to a report from the Swedish Heart-Lung Association earlier this year.

One in three Swedes don’t know their values, something that Mattias Brunström, associate professor of epidemiology at Umeå University in northern Sweden and chairman of the national working group for hypertension, believes needs to change.

If we could catch more people, we would avoid 30,000 cases of heart attack, stroke and heart failure in Sweden annually, he tells TT.

New guidelines

New guidelines will be presented in Sweden during the autumn. Today, the so-called blood pressure target is 140/90 mmHg (millimeters of mercury), but will be lowered to 130/80.

It’s important to clarify that we’re not changing the threshold for what constitutes high blood pressure. What’s changing is that blood pressure should be treated to lower levels than today, says Brunström, who has been involved in developing the new guidelines.

Furthermore, doctors will also be recommended to prescribe two medications directly to be able to lower blood pressure faster.

High blood pressure rarely has any symptoms, which is why many people walk around with it without knowing about it. However, one can experience symptoms such as headaches and fatigue, but the only way to be sure is to regularly check your blood pressure.

The Swedish Heart-Lung Association recommends that people under 40 check their blood pressure at least every three years, and thereafter should do so annually.

Through regular check-ups, one can detect early the need for support for lifestyle changes, medical treatment, or both, says Anders Åkesson, chairman of the Swedish Heart-Lung Association, in a press release.

Study: Ultra-processed food impacts men’s reproductive ability

Published yesterday 11:23
– By Editorial Staff
In just three weeks, the health of young Danish men deteriorated markedly, a new study shows.
2 minute read

Just three weeks of ultra-processed food is enough to worsen young men’s sperm quality and testosterone levels, shows a new study from the University of Copenhagen. The men also gained weight compared to when they ate regular food – despite identical calorie intake.

Ultra-processed food is, in short, food that is industrially manufactured and contains a range of different ingredients, and is often a large part of especially Western diets today. Everything from bread, cereals, protein powder to candy, chips and ready meals can be classified as ultra-processed food. Previous studies have linked ultra-processed food to cardiovascular disease, depression, weight gain as well as nutritional deficiency.

Three weeks is enough

In the study, which was published in Cell Metabolism, 43 Danish men between 25 and 30 years old participated. First, the men ate only ultra-processed food for three weeks, then followed three weeks with minimally processed food. Both diets contained the same amount of carbohydrates, protein, fat and calories – the only difference was the degree of processing. Some of the men received a calorie intake adapted to their weight, while others received a surplus of about 500 calories. Between the two diets, the men had a 12-week break where they ate their usual diet.

The results show clear health deteriorations after the period with ultra-processed food, compared to when they ate less processed food. The men gained about one kilogram in body fat and their cardiovascular health deteriorated – regardless of which calorie intake they had. Additionally, the men had worse sperm quality and their testosterone levels dropped.

We are shocked by the results, says one of the researchers behind the study, Romain Barrés, professor at the University of Copenhagen at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research to forskning.no and continues:

It’s really alarming to think about what happens if you eat such food year after year. The consequences can be serious and chronic.

The study supports previous research that points to ultra-processed food potentially being harmful to health, but also strengthens the hypothesis that this type of food contains calories that are more fat-forming compared to home-cooked food. The researchers now hope that the study will influence politicians when they make decisions about diet and health for Danes.

These products, which harm our health, are everywhere in our supermarkets, says Barrés.

Study: More health problems at higher radiation levels

Published 12 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The most common symptoms were fatigue, headaches, increased irritability, sleep problems and anxiety.
2 minute read

People exposed to higher levels of microwave radiation report more health symptoms, shows a new Indian study. The correlation was particularly clear for fatigue, headaches and sleep problems.

The study, which was published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, examined 183 people between 18 and 80 years old who had lived in the same home for at least one year in the city of Shillong in northeastern India. Researchers from Mizoram University in India measured microwave radiation in each residence and then divided participants into three groups based on the measured values.

The first group had the lowest levels (0–3,000 μW/m²) and included 43 participants. The second group had medium levels (3,000–5,000 μW/m²) with 49 participants, while the third and largest group had the highest levels (5,000–8,000 μW/m²) with 91 participants.

All participants answered a questionnaire about over 20 different symptoms.

The results showed that people in the highest exposure group reported significantly more health problems than the other groups. Even the medium group reported more symptoms than the lowest group. The researchers also discovered that people under 40 years old reported more inflammation-related symptoms.

Clearer symptoms among heavy phone users

The most common symptoms in the most exposed group were fatigue, headaches, increased irritability, sleep problems and anxiety. The symptoms were also more pronounced among people who used mobile phones more than five hours per day or lived within 50 meters of a base station.

To put the results in perspective: the Swedish reference value from the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority is 10 million μW/m², which means that all levels in the study were at least 1,250 times below this value.

The researchers concluded that exposure level was the only factor that affected the number of symptoms for all four examined health categories. The study confirms previous research that has linked health effects to radiation from mobile base stations. According to the Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation, fatigue, headaches and sleep problems are particularly common symptoms among people who live near 5G towers.

More Swedish adults worry about children’s mental health

Published 12 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Mental illness among children has become a widespread societal problem, experts warn.
2 minute read

Nearly half of Swedish adults have felt concern for a child’s mental wellbeing, according to a survey conducted by Verian on behalf of Bris (Children’s Rights in Society), a Swedish children’s helpline. At the same time, many don’t know how to get help for the child.

A large portion of calls from children who contact Bris concern mental health issues. During the summer, for example, 46 percent of calls dealt with this theme, showing a stable trend. Last year, the proportion of calls about mental health issues was 44 percent, confirming that these issues have been prominent for several years.

The survey shows that five out of ten adults have at some point felt concern about a child’s mental wellbeing. Of these people who felt concern, 64 percent say they know how to get help for the child. At the same time, 22 percent are uncertain and 14 percent say they don’t know.

We know that many adults want to act, but the fear of doing something wrong can sometimes become an obstacle. We often give the advice that as an adult, you don’t need to be an expert on everything. The most important thing is that you reach out to the child, says Sara André in a press release.

In recent years, mental health issues have increased among children and young people. Among other things, the number of young people seeking help for depression and anxiety has increased, according to the National Board of Health and Welfare. The proportion of ADHD diagnoses has also increased markedly among children, where it increased by 50 percent just between 2019 and 2022.

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