DEAR READERS: A recently published study adds to the growing stack of reasons to be wary of cellphone use, especially by children.

Researchers at Cornell, Columbia and the University of California-Berkeley studied 4,285 U.S. adolescents over a four-year period, tracking their cellphone use and certain mental health symptoms and indicators. The results link "addictive screen use" to an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors. According to the authors, the results indicate that the key element driving the risk of suicidal behavior is not the total time spent in front of screens, but rather the addictive nature of social media and some video games.

“This is the first study to identify that addictive use is important, and is actually the root cause, instead of time,” said lead author Yunyu Xiao, assistant professor of psychiatry and population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College. (See the full study: “Addictive Screen Use Trajectories and Suicidal Behaviors, Suicidal Ideation, and Mental Health in U.S. Youths” by Yunyu Xiao et al., published in JAMA, June 18, 2025.)

The Netherlands recently issued guidelines recommending that children under the age of 15 not have access to social media. France, Spain and Greece have all recently pressed for an EU-wide age verification system setting a minimum age of 15 for social media access. Such measures should be standard everywhere.

The limited scope of life experiences bouncing around the echo chambers of social media should concern all parents and educators. Also concerning are the impacts of meaningless mass entertainment, which can foster shallow sentimentalism, and violent games, which can trigger nihilistic violence. (It should be noted that there are some interactive games that are highly educational, such as WolfQuest, which I recommend due to its scientific accuracy about wolf behavior and ecology.)

So much of the online world is interwoven with advertising -- the lures of consumerism -- and the delusions of autonomy, meaning and purpose. But a truly meaningful life is one of purpose, especially in service to others. Such a life is based on core values and virtues that shape one's character, improve the quality of one's life experiences and benefit one's health -- mental, physical, social and economic.

COPING WITH ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO DOGS AND CATS

An estimated 10% to 20% of people worldwide are allergic to proteins in animal skin cells, saliva or urine, reports HealthDay, and dog and cat allergens are present in nearly every U.S. home -- even those without pets.

People who have pets as young children may have lower risks for allergies and asthma, but exposure to pets as an older child or adult does not appear to have the same effect. Additionally, there’s no such thing as a "hypoallergenic" animal. Instead of seeking such a thing, people with allergies can take steps to minimize their exposure to allergens and manage their symptoms. (Full story: HealthDay.com, June 25)

On rare occasions, dogs have been found to be allergic to their human companions!

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: As a veterinarian and syndicated columnist for over 60 years, I have seen cycles of pet abandonment in the U.S. and in Europe. But I have not seen any as extensive and severe as the current cycle, in which animal shelters are full to capacity across the country.

A recent article by Lincoln Roch in the Minnesota Star Tribune, "Rising costs force sad pet decisions," affirmed my observations. For more on how we got to this point, see this September post from a shelter in Texas: hlcr.org/post/a-perfect-storm-america-s-animal-shelter-crisis.

From a One Health perspective, the well-being of companion animals is coupled to the well-being of their human caregivers. But more and more people cannot afford the costs of caring for their animals, nor can they find rental housing that will accept them.

This is a loss for all involved. Companion animals provide mental and physical health benefits to millions of people, and educational experiences for children, along with improving their compassion and immune systems.

Clearly, caring for animals is one of the responsibilities of a civil society. This crisis must be addressed at every government level, from municipal offices to the executive branch (even though Mr. Trump does not appear to like animals). A viable society is based not only on economic justice and the rule of law, but also on compassion and the golden rule.

On a related note, more support is needed for the care of retired police and military working dogs, as well as those providing comfort for former soldiers suffering from PTSD. It would be wonderful to see an executive order from the White House to help these dogs, who have served our nation in search and rescue, mine detection, personal protection, and apprehension in law enforcement. One nonprofit organization, Paws of Honor, is filling that deficit to some degree, raising funds to cover veterinary care for retired military and police working dogs. For more details, go to pawsofhonor.org.

IN HONOR OF THE 90TH BIRTHDAY OF THE DALAI LAMA

His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism; he also recently celebrated his 90th birthday. He has famously stated: “We share the earth not only with our fellow human beings, but with all the other creatures. ... Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.”

He once wrote a message in support of the work of my late wife, Deanna Krantz, in India (where he now lives in exile). I wrote about that exchange in my recently published book of poetry, “For All Our Relations.”

Earlier this summer, I wrote the poem below to honor his life and work.

RENUNCIATION

Where have all the insects gone?

So few the singing birds,

Dragonfly and butterfly so rare.

Many of us see and care

Too late. Their fate

We all will share

Unless we heal, restore

The wild and every child

Of all our earth-relations:

Not just our own invasive

Consumptive kind, half-blind,

Destroying nature’s creations.

Before redemption, renunciation

Of inhumanity, recovering empathic sanity,

To live the Golden Rule of harmony

And peaceful co-existence.

A LANDMARK WIN FOR NATURE PROTECTION

Please see this June 26 news release from the Center for Biological Diversity (biologicaldiversity.org):

"A long and fierce campaign to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining has finally paid off. For years, the Center for Biological Diversity and allies have held the line against a proposed mine abutting Georgia’s Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge -- and late last week, a nonprofit called the Conservation Fund announced that it’s buying the mine site.

"The Twin Pines mine would’ve been a disaster for the Okefenokee, one of the world’s largest intact freshwater ecosystems and home to countless species -- including wood storks, eastern indigo snakes, and gopher tortoises. The nearly 8,000-acre purchase protects the area from mining and includes acquisition of the underlying mineral rights."

In neighboring Florida, however, the environmental impact of Trump’s so-called Alligator Alcatraz prison camp is only one of its many sins. The facility's destructive and costly construction encroaches on sacred lands of Indigenous peoples, just to house immigrants under the most inhumane conditions. It is further evidence of the empathy deficit disorder of the current executive branch of U.S. governance.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: Many of us have had to switch on our air conditioners during this summer's heat waves. When I did so, I soon experienced mild vertigo! The ionization of the air in my home had been changed by the electrical cooling device, increasing positive ions, which can cause physical discomfort for many people, especially in offices and stores.

"Ions are particles that have either a positive or negative electrical charge," wrote Milos Nedved in a study entitled "Ventilation and the Air Ion Effect in Indoor Building Environments." (The study appeared in the 2011 book "Sick Building Syndrome.") "In natural environments, they are produced to maintain a healthy ratio, but in an artificial indoor environment -- one with air conditioning, electrical equipment, fluorescent lighting and even synthetic clothing -- the balance can be seriously affected. Each recirculation of air through an air conditioning system reduces the concentration of negative ions."

It is notable that negative ions can help prevent the spread of airborne viruses by acting as a disinfectant. See the study "Ionizing air affects influenza virus infectivity and prevents airborne transmission" by Marie Hagbom et al., published in Scientific Reports in 2015.

In addition to the air conditioner-induced vertigo, I am also sensitive to sudden changes in barometric pressure, as are many people. Lower barometric pressure, such as before a storm, can cause the tissues around joints to expand, potentially increasing joint pain. My 9-year-old dog also shows signs of discomfort in these scenarios, since she has some arthritis.

POOR INDOOR AIR QUALITY HARMS DOGS

High levels of certain indoor air pollutants are associated with the development of atopic dermatitis in dogs. For details, see the study "Indoor particulate matter induces epigenetic changes in companion atopic dogs" by Jihyun Kim et al., published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety in 2023.

NIH CUTS MUST BE RESTORED, RULES JUDGE

Rectifying more "cost-cutting" stupidity by the executive branch, a federal judge has ruled that the National Institutes of Health must restore funding to hundreds of research projects that were canceled because they touched on issues of racial diversity, sexual and gender minorities, and COVID-19.

The order covers only the scientists named in the lawsuits and the 16 states that sued the government, and therefore affects about one-third of the 2,400 NIH projects that have been cut. After the ruling, Judge William Young gave a statement and made his opinion on the cuts very clear.

“This represents racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community,” said Young, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. “I would be blind not to call it out.”

DEAR DR. FOX: I am so intrigued by this behavior that my friend’s dog, Sadie, has displayed a couple times now. She’s not a huge fan of dog biscuits, but I have given her a couple “gourmet” ones from the health food store. Sadie accepts them politely, then takes them upstairs and puts them in the guest room where I am staying -- right under my pillow.

I’m curious what you think about this. Is she returning them because she doesn’t want them, and perhaps recognizes that they belong to me? Or is she trying to give me a gift? In any event, I find it utterly charming! -- B.K., Washington, D.C.

DEAR B.K.: As you speculate, Sadie may be simply returning what she does not want. Conversely, she may be setting it aside for your future enjoyment, as many dogs will hide treats for themselves to enjoy later.

I had one dog, Lizzie, a rescued village dog from Jamaica, who would scurry around to find something to put at the feet of any guest who came to our home. Once, as a friend chatted on our porch, Lizzie put a big leaf from the garden by our friend's feet!

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)