Archive for August 2026

Above: Dr. Craig Towers in 2018. The local newspaper gave him an award for his work with pregnant women with opioid addiction
Reporting Highlights
An Unprecedented Crisis: Dr. Craig Towers said he was “inundated” with pregnant patients addicted to opioids. He published a study with promising results from an unconventional treatment.
Too Good to Be True? Eight addiction and pregnancy specialists raised concerns about Towers’ research in a letter to his employer, the University of Tennessee.
Lingering Impact: A university audit of the study found numerous problems. Towers retired, citing health and family reasons, but some clinics still use approaches described in his research.

Shingles causes a blistering, painful rash and can contribute to lingering complications such as nerve damage, hearing and vision loss, and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Past research has also suggested that it can cause blood clots around the brain and heart, which can lead to heart attack, stroke, and blood clots in the veins.

BASW’s newly elected chair Priscilla Kurewa said she wants the association to be “unmistakably member-led” and more strongly focused on workforce issues. Kurewa, who speaks extensively about her goals and ambitions in September’s Professional Social Work Magazine, said BASW should be “something social workers feel – not just an organisation they know exists”. That means speaking out on workloads and working conditions, influencing decision-makers and strengthening the support offered to members, she said.

The proportion of children in protection in Shetland is 75 per cent higher than the national average with “emotional abuse” the most common reason for registration. A report by the chief social work officer for last year also highlighted reasons including neglect, parental mental ill health and substance use. Above: Hayfield House is where SIC children’s services are based.

The core of the silver economy is a change in how older people are perceived. They are not only beneficiaries of social welfare policies, but also consumers, workers, owners of production and business establishments, investors, experts, artisans and transmitters of knowledge.