President Barack Obama is set to sign off on a medical bill that will fund cancer research, the fight against opioid abuse, mental health treatments and helps the FDA speed up drug approvals.

Last week, the Senate voted to pass the 21st Century Cures Act, sending it to the president’s desk for approval.

“I doubt that there is a family in America who will not be touched by this important legislation,” said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, New York Times reported last week.

Once approved, the bill will provide the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with $4.8 in funding. About $1.8 billion of that budget will fund Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative which is aimed toward speeding up cancer research progress.

“We are now one step closer to ending cancer as we know it, unlocking cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s, and helping people seeking treatment for opioid addiction finally get the help they need,” Obama said, NBC News reported.

While the bill is set to benefit cancer research, pregnant women, hospitals, children being bullied, the legislation is a huge win for the mental health industry. The president will create a new assistant secretary for mental health and substance use, in addition to providing more resources to children and adults with severe behavioral issues by expanding outpatient treatment.

Sourced from NBCNews and New York Times

Highly social people formerly diagnosed with breast cancer may have a better survival rate than those with a less active inner circle, a new report suggests.

Patients with fewer ties to friends, family, romantic partners, community and religious groups were at a higher risk of dying, according to the report published on Monday.

These patients were 43 percent more likely to have breast cancer return and 64 percent more likely to die from breast cancer.

While researchers found a link between social connections and cancer progression, the correlation hasn’t actually been proved, experts told CNN.

Elissa Bantug, a program manager at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, who was not involved in the study, suggests that having lots of friends and family around can benefit a person practically and not just emotionally.

Bantug exposed that friends and family can help with running errands, providing rides to the doctor, picking up prescriptions and helping out around the house, all tasks that become more difficult for a person suffering from cancer.

In addition, professor Sandra Swain at Georgetown University Medical Center, said having a partner or spouse could improve an individual’s health because they will be more likely encouraged to get symptoms checked out by a doctor, exercise, eat well and take medications when they are schedule to do so.

Sourced from CNN.

Deep River Snacks is issuing a voluntary recall for some of its potato chips due to the risk of salmonella.

The Connecticut-based company said it is recalling its Sour Cream and Onion Kettle Chips after learning that the buttermilk powder used in the seasoning may be contaminated.

"The health and safety of our consumers is always our top priority,” says Jim Goldberg, Deep River Snacks’ founder and CEO. “Although we haven’t found any contaminants in either our seasonings or our finished products, we are taking great precautions to protect our customers.”

While no pathogenic bacteria has not been found in any Deep River products, the company is issuing the recall out of caution. According to the FDA, so far, no illnesses or adverse health effects have been reported.

The sour cream and onion flavored chips were distributed nationally through retail and foodservice outlets:

Deep River Snacks Sour Cream & Onion Kettle Chips 2oz 850668000498 11/9/16 to 6/2/17

Deep River Snacks Sour Cream & Onion Kettle Chips 5oz 850668000993 11/9/16 to 6/1/17

Deep River Snacks Sour Cream & Onion Kettle Chips - EXPORT 5oz 850668000993 11/5/16 to 4/13/17

The item UPC number can be found on the back of the bag underneath the bar code. The best by date can be found printed on the front of the bag, in the upper right quadrant near the Deep River Snacks logo. The best by date is printed in the format: DD MMM YYYY

Sourced from FDA.gov.