Current Events in December 2017

Apple has issued an apology to owners of older iPhone models and announced a significant price reduction on replacement batteries in an effort to quell a controversy that swelled during the holidays.

Apple had been accused of purposefully slowing down older iPhone models. Conspiracy theorists charged the company was not so subtly pushing consumers to upgrade their older iPhones.

Apple says that's not the case.

“We have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades,” the company said in a statement. “Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.”

Taxing on older models

Apple says the iPhone's new operating system has been upgraded to provide the enhanced functions on the latest models of the iPhone. The update was so taxing on the older models that Apple slowed them down to avoid draining their batteries and unexpected shutdowns.

Some consumers posting reviews at ConsumerAffairs said they had noticed something was not quite right with their older iPhones.

“I have owned iPhones for years and I am very disappointed with the last IPhone 7, when I found out Apple was deliberately slowing down our phones,” Michael, from Australia, wrote in a recent ConsumerAffairs post. “I could tell this was happening for the last year.”

Mike, a reader from Moultonborough, N.H., said he owns an iPhone 6, which he says was working great before the last software update. He said he was told he could help solve the problem by getting a new battery.

“There was nothing wrong with my battery until this recent push, obviously caused by Apple,” Mike wrote.

Class action lawsuits

Apple now faces class action lawsuits brought by some owners of older iPhones, who claim their phones were throttled to encourage them to upgrade to the latest iPhone model. The lawsuits maintain that Apple remained silent about the throttling for months in an effort to sell newer, more expensive phones – a charge the company specifically denies in its statement.

Apple says it came to the conclusion that a new battery could help resolve the issue after analyzing customer feedback during the latter part of the year. It determined that normal chemical aging of the batteries in older iPhones contributed to their performance issues.

To help address the problem, Apple said it is dropping the out-of-warranty cost of a replacement iPhone battery from $79 to $29. The offer applies to anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced.

The offer begins in late January and continues through December 2018. The company said it would provide specific details on its website at a later date.

New car sales appear headed for a seven percent year-over-year decline this month, according to an analysis by Kelley Blue Book (KBB).

December, with its end-of-the-year promotions, is usually the biggest month for car sales, as it was this year, but this month is finishing significantly below December 2016. If those projections hold, KBB expects 2017 new car sales to finish two percent below last year's level.

That’s good news for consumers because it gives them additional bargaining power when negotiating the purchase of a new car or truck. However, Matt DeLorenzo, KBB's managing editor, says consumers should focus on makes and models that have been left on the lot instead of the most popular cars.

“There are bargains to be had, particularly in the midsize sedan segment, as buyers move more toward crossover SUVs to meet their family car needs,” DeLorenzo told ConsumerAffairs.

“Consequently, you will find good deals on cars ranging from full-size sedans like the Chevrolet Impala, Buick LaCrosse, Chrysler 300 and Ford Taurus, as well as many midsize models including Chevy Malibu, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima and Ford Fusion.”

Settling for less than your dream car

Getting a great deal might mean settling for something less than your dream car, but DeLorenzo says consumers willing to make that compromise can find cash back deals as high as $6,000 on less-loved models, particularly if they are 2017s.

“But remember that you are buying a year old car, so the resale value will be less than if you had purchased a 2018 model,” he said.

Consumers who have their heart set on a crossover can still find deals in that category, especially if they are willing to make a compromise or two. DeLorenzo says the Jeep Cherokee has what he calls “a polarizing design,” which has dampened sales.

But if you happen to like the design, you can get the car you want with discounts as high as $4,000 on a 2018 model and $5,000 on a 2017.

“A new Cherokee with a more conventional front end look is slated to bow at the Detroit show, so if you don’t mind having the old look, you can save a considerable amount of money,” DeLorenzo said.

Deals on the Ford Expedition

The same applies for the Ford Expedition, a full-size SUV. Ford has just redesigned that model, but if you can find the previous generation still in stock, DeLorenzo says you can negotiate a discount of up to $8,500.

“The year-end fight in the pickup truck market is producing some discounts, particularly as Chevy battles RAM for second place to the Ford F Series,” DeLorenzo said. “You can find discounts of as much as $11,000 on Silverado and $13,000 on select 2017 RAM 1550 pickups.”

As always, consumers will make the most of these opportunities if they take advantage of online resources to price compare and remain flexible in their choices.

January 2018 will be a big month for the moon, as several fairly rare lunar events will all coincide in one month: a blue moon (two full moons in one month) will occur in tandem with the moon’s closest orbital path to earth–making both of these “supermoons”–and a full lunar eclipse.

“Supermoons” earn their title because they appear bigger and brighter in the sky as a result of the moon orbiting closer than usual to Earth. These moons generally make an appearance every 13 months, according to NASA. 

NASA notes that seeing two full moons in a month only occurs every two and a half years.

When to catch it

The first full moon of the year is traditionally referred to as a Wolf Moon because it first "appeared when wolves howled in hunger outside of villages,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The wolf moon of 2018 is set to occur on Jan. 1 at 9:24 p.m. EST. 

“Moonrise in New York City that day is at 4:34 p.m. local time, just a few minutes before sunset which happens at 4:39 p.m,” according to Space.com.

“So the Wolf moon will briefly share the sky with the sun, though you'll need a view of a relatively flat, unobscured horizon to see it happen.”

Full moon lunar eclipse

Later in the month, on Jan. 31, another supermoon will appear and will feature a total lunar eclipse. NASA says this full moon won't be as bright, but it will "take on an eerie, fainter-than-normal glow” or even a "reddish hue," hence the phrase “blood moon”. 

Since this eclipse will affect a blue moon, you may see it called a blue blood moon.

This event will be visible from western North America through the Pacific Ocean to eastern Asia. 

“The lunar eclipse on January 31 will be visible during moonset. Folks in the Eastern United States, where the eclipse will be partial, will have to get up in the morning to see it,”  Noah Petro, a research scientist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement.

Experts say the best time to view a full supermoon is right after moonrise, when the moon is just above the horizon.

As consumers ring in a new year, many will begin tackling resolutions they made to improve their health and well-being. When it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, experts say it’s important not to forget that sleep is just as important as diet and exercise.

Getting a sufficient amount of shut-eye each night can be a challenge for many. In fact, a recent survey found that 67 percent of Americans wish they got more sleep. For those wishing for more sleep in 2018, sleep health expert Dr. Sujay Kansagra has a few tips for removing the barriers to a solid night’s sleep.

“While diet and exercise are often viewed as the components for leading a healthy lifestyle, sleep is an essential third pillar,” he told ConsumerAffairs.

Sleep and screens don’t mix

A full night of sleep helps the body recover from a stressful day and prepare for the morning ahead, Kansagra says. However, many of the things we do before bed can get in the way of a good night’s sleep.

Using technology before bed should be avoided since computers, TVs, and other devices emit a harmful blue light that can actually keep us awake.

“Watching TV or surfing the web until you feel sleepy can disrupt the secretion of a natural sleep hormone called melatonin, leaving you to a night of restless sleeping,” Kansagra said.

Set the stage for sleep

To help encourage healthy sleep, Kansagra says that consumers should curb daytime caffeine consumption to ensure that they’re not too wired to sleep.

“Even morning caffeine can linger in your system when it’s time to sleep,” he says. “Our body clears about half of the caffeine in our system every 4 to 7 hours. Although most coffee from breakfast is out of our system by bedtime, traces of caffeine can be present at night.”

Consumers should also avoid spending excessive time in bed doing work or watching TV. Kansagra says activities like these should be performed outside your bed and, ideally, outside your room.

“You want to condition your mind to think about sleep when you walk into your bedroom, not about the latest assignment from work,” he said.

Tips for falling asleep

If your biggest challenge is falling asleep, try thinking about staying awake instead of worrying about falling asleep.

“It sounds counterintuitive, but for those that find it difficult to sleep because they keep worrying about not falling asleep, do the opposite,” Kansagra said. “This often lessens anxiety and gives your mind a chance to relax enough to fall asleep. It’s a technique known as paradoxical intent.”

If tomorrow’s responsibilities prevent you from drifting off, try writing down your to-do list or jotting down your worries. Getting your to-do list off your mind and onto paper may keep you from thinking about it excessively just before bed.

Taking a hot shower before bed can also help you fall asleep faster.

“The body temperature drops when we fall asleep. Taking a hot nighttime shower just before bedtime artificially raises the body temperature,” Kansagra explained. “The subsequent fast drop can make it easier to fall asleep.”

While not all consumers require the same amount of sleep per night, the National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between seven or eight hours of sleep daily.

Researchers say certain instruments in today’s smartphones could enable hackers to guess a user’s PIN. 

A new study, led by Dr. Shivam Bhasin of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), found that common sensors in most smartphones–such as accelerometer, gyroscope, and proximity sensors–may highlight a significant security vulnerability in smartphones.

Using a combination of information gathered from six different sensors found in smartphones and machine learning algorithms, the researchers were able to unlock Android smartphones with a 99.5 percent accuracy within just three tries when the device had one of the 50 most common PIN numbers.

Shows which numbers were pressed

Researchers used the sensors in a smartphone to show which number had been pressed by its user based on how the phone was tilted and how much light was blocked by the thumb or fingers. 

“The hack exploits unintentional physical activity of the phone that is captured by the sensors.

When a user enters their PIN, the sensors detect activity,” Bhasin, senior research scientist at the Temasek Laboratories at NTU, told ConsumerAffairs.

“This activity is slightly different for each digit and can be distinguished for each digit.

Using machine learning algorithms, a PIN recovery mechanism is developed on this idea, to find the whole 4-digit PIN.”

Beat previous success rate

The technique the researchers used beat the previous best phone-cracking success rate of 74 percent for the 50 most common PIN numbers. 

The hack showed that by measuring unintentional physical activity of the sensor, it’s possible to capture a user’s private data. Although the study was limited to PIN numbers, the researchers say other private data (like a user’s daily routine) could potentially be exploited. 

The researchers say the hack can be used to guess all 10,000 possible combinations for four-digit PINs. However, for the proposed hack to take place, the attacker would need a malicious app to access sensor data. 
To keep cell phones safe, Bhasin recommends being extremely selective about apps and websites, as hackers typically bury malware in seemingly harmless features.
The researchers also recommend choosing PINs with more than four digits, as well as using secondary identification, like fingerprint scans, two factor authentication, or facial recognition software where applicable.

The full study has been been published online in the Cryptology ePrint Archive.

Cosmetics and accessories retailer Claire’s has withdrawn more than a dozen products from its inventory pending an investigation of their makeup ingredients.

The move follows a Providence, R.I. TV news report that a mother discovered her daughter’s makeup from Claire’s contained asbestos, a dangerous carcinogen. The mother, who works as a law clerk in a firm that specializes in asbestos litigation, decided to send off her six year-old's makeup kit to be tested. She said the results came back, showing the product contained asbestos.

The company first acknowledged it was looking into the report over the weekend, when it posted the information on Twitter.

"As a result of today's inquiry from WJAR-TV, we have taken the precautionary measure of pulling the items in question from sale, and will be conducting an immediate investigation into the alleged issues," the company wrote. "Once we have the results of the investigation, we will take the necessary action."

WJAR-TV now reports that Claire's has retained the services of an independent laboratory to test a number of products. Until the results come in, Claire's said it has suspended sales of the products in question and is providing refunds to customers who purchased them.

ConsumerAffairs reached out to Claire's for additional comment but has not yet received a reply.

Other cases

Questionable ingredients in cosmetics is not new–in August environmental health researchers at George Washington University (GW) cautioned women to be aware of the chemical composition of the beauty products they're using.

In a commentary published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, they said many beauty products contain toxic materials that, even with small amounts of exposure, can lead to health problems.

They also say minority women tend to have higher levels of beauty-product-related chemicals in their bodies compared to white women.

That same month, two environmental groups sued the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), charging the agency allows hair products with "unsafe levels of formaldehyde" to remain on the market.

Taking supplemental calcium and vitamin D may not lower the risk of bone breaks in older adults, a new study suggests.

An analysis of past studies, published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that there was not a significant difference in the risk of bone breaks or hip fractures for those who used calcium supplements, vitamin D supplements, or both, compared to those who took a placebo or no supplements at all.

Questioning supplement use

To come to their conclusions, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis of previous studies that measured vitamin D and calcium supplement use in over 51,000 older adults living in the general community.

After summarizing and reviewing the data, they found that these supplements were not associated with lower risk of new fractures, regardless of the patient’s sex, fracture history, calcium intake in their diet, baseline vitamin D concentrations, or the supplement dose they took.

While the researchers admit that the analysis did not test all participants’ baseline vitamin D concentration, they concluded that their findings “do not support the routine use of these supplements.”

However, they do point out that calcium and vitamin D supplements may still be useful for older people living in nursing homes or other residential facilities, since this population is more likely to have osteoporosis due to a combination of poor diet, less sun exposure, and other factors.

Current guidelines

Vitamin D and calcium supplements are often recommended for older adults with deteriorating bone health. The recommended daily intake of vitamin D for most adults is 600 IU (international units) or 800 IU after age 70.

Women aged 50 or younger and men 70 or younger should get 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. That number rises to 1,200 for men and women older than that.

However, the researchers say the lack of a significant association between use of supplements containing calcium, vitamin D, or both and fracture prevention in older adults suggest these guidelines should be changed.

Alternatives

Lead researcher Jia-Guo Zhao of Tianjin Hospital in China believes that making certain dietary and lifestyle improvements may be more effective in preserving bone health than taking these supplements.

Spending time outside is one way to get more vitamin D the natural way, since sunlight is an excellent source of the nutrient. Eating fish -- especially oily or fatty fish, like salmon -- can also provide a hearty dose of vitamin D.

Seniors can also lower their risk of falls and fractures by maintaining a healthy weight and improving balance and coordination through exercise..

For a calcium boost, older adults can up their intake of calcium-rich foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, or leafy greens.

MasterCard SpendingPulse reports consumer spending during the holiday shopping period rose 4.9 percent over last year’s numbers, posting the largest increase since 2011.

“Overall, this year was a big win for retail," said Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of Market Insights at Mastercard. "The strong U.S. economy was a contributing factor, but we also have to recognize that retailers who tried new strategies to engage holiday shoppers were the beneficiaries of this sales increase.”

Spending on electronics and appliances led the way, growing 7.5 percent. Furniture, furnishings and home improvement products also showed strong growth.

Amazon reports this holiday season was its best ever. In just one week, it says more than four million consumers signed up for a Prime trial membership, taking advantage of free faster shipping.

Big year for Alexa

Riding the season’s wave of popularity, Amazon electronic devices did particularly well, with Alexa-enabled items selling in the tens of millions. The company says the Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote were the best-selling products from any manufacturer in any category across all of Amazon.

“Thank you to the millions of customers and hundreds of thousands of Amazon employees all around the world who made this holiday better than ever before," Jeff Wilke, Amazon's CEO Worldwide Consumer, said in a statement.

The MasterCard SpendingPulse survey shows brick and mortar retailers had a solid season, but their gains were moderate compared to online giants like Amazon. 

Shopping was strong all across the season, from November 1 through December 24. December 23 was the second-largest day for total spending, after Black Friday.

The survey measured spending across all payment types–not just credit card–but it's safe to assume that the bulk of U.S. consumers’ purchases went on plastic, where they will either be paid off in January or added to mounting credit card balances.

Dealing with a credit card hangover

Adding any credit card debt that you won't be able to pay in full during your credit card's grace period can get expensive fast," John Ganotis, founder of CreditCardInsider.com told ConsumerAffairs.

That's because the average credit card interest rate is now over 16 percent APR, with many cards coming in with even higher rates.

"If you have balances you can't pay in full, a balance transfer could reduce your interest costs," Ganotis said. "But don't make the mistake of transferring a balance then accumulating more debt on the card you transferred away from."

Ganotis says the Chase Slate is a good balance transfer card because it doesn't have balance transfer fees on balance transfers made in the first 60 days of opening the card.

Most consumers still don't know they are not required to accept their bank's overdraft protection service, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts' latest consumer finance project.

The study examined the behavior of consumers who use bank overdraft programs and the fees they incur as a result.

Before the law was changed in 2010, banks automatically enrolled consumers in overdraft protection. If consumers made purchases that overdrew their accounts, the banks covered the expense and then assessed an overdraft fee, which often cost as much as $35.

However, that led to instances where a consumer might overdraw their account four or five times on a single shopping trip, incurring a $35 fee each time.

Consumers must opt-in

Since the law changed, consumers must opt-in to this coverage -- banks cannot automatically enroll them. Thaddeus King, officer of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ consumer finance project, says it's clear consumers don't understand that overdraft protection is not only costly, but unnecessary.

"Most consumers don’t know they can have transactions declined at no cost- that’s a multi-billion dollar problem," he told ConsumerAffairs.

Consumers without overdraft protection can't use their debit card to make a purchase if they've overdrawn their accounts, but they don't pay a fee either. In fact, having a purchase declined serves as an alert that they've got a problem.

The Pew survey also found that banks' communication with consumers about overdraft programs is not very effective. Even consumers who had talked with a bank representative about overdraft protection showed a lack of understanding about how it worked.

Eight million have opted-in

In September a survey found that an estimated eight million consumers have opted-in, primarily because they thought they had to. Two-thirds of consumers who agreed to pay the overdraft fees were unaware it was optional.

"Better information, stronger protections, and allowing small installment loans are the three tools to fix the overdraft problem," King said.

But the survey discovered that a significant number of consumers knew exactly what they were doing. It found some are using overdraft programs as a short-term loan, albeit an expensive one. Still, for most purchases, it's less expensive than a payday loan.

The study authors say consumers who use overdraft as a way to borrow money would be better served if their bank offered small installment loans with lower costs, affordable payments, and more time to repay.

To better understand overdraft program options, check out the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) requirements as they relate to bank marketing efforts.

Mobile games tend to appeal to children, but some mobile games may be scammers attempting to exploit kids’ desire to play, and unsupervised access to their parents’ digital wallets. 

Kids can rack up huge bills on apps that were free to download. Tech giants including Apple, Google, and Amazon have all had to recently issue refunds for unauthorized in-app purchases made by children as young as four. 

In an interview with ConsumerAffairs, Julie Myhre-Nunes from NextAdvisor.com talked about the different types of mobile game scams that are currently out there and what parents can do to protect their children from these scams.

Types of mobile game scams 

One of the most common mobile game scams is “freemium games,” which are initially free to download but encourage users to make repeated in-app purchases.

“The game play is limited unless you pay real money to unlock new aspects of the game or purchase game currency (using real money) to unlock new aspects -- something these apps aggressively request,” Myhre-Nunes explained.

Although this isn’t technically a scam, she says it is definitely misleading and something that parents should be aware of.

Parents should also be wary of games that ask for too many permissions. Games that want to access your photos, videos, contacts, and text messages may be designed to gather more data on the user to sell to data brokers, hack a user’s device, or even steal their identity.

Kids are easy targets

Children are uniquely vulnerable to these types of scams because they usually aren’t on the lookout for potential warning signs of a scam–they’re just looking for another entertaining pastime. 

“Scammers prey on children because, frankly, they’re an easy target,” said Myhre-Nunes. “Children do not have the skeptical eye of an adult, who may have encountered a number of potential scammers in their lives.” 

Fraud artists also know that they can conceal scams through fun apps, like games or phony apps, to trick children into downloading and using them.

“While an adult may look at the developer of the app to confirm it’s legitimate, children will usually just download an app, especially if they learn of it from their peers,” she said.

Keeping kids safe 

To help keep kids from falling victim to mobile game scams, Myhre-Nunes says parents should strive to maintain open communication with their child.

“Talking to your children is a great first step to protecting them from mobile game scams,” she said. “Just as you would teach them that they shouldn’t trust strangers, you should explain that not all apps are as genuine they appear.” 

Parents should also keep tabs on what games their child is playing on their mobile device.

“If you’re aware of the games your children play, you can research it to see if there’s anything alarming about it, or even play it on your own device to see what it’s like,” she said. “The hope is with open communication, your child will approach you when they plan to download a game, so you can help them determine if it’s safe.” 

Managing the device’s settings can also help keep your child safe from these scams. To keep your child from downloading a “freemium game,” change your app store password and avoid sharing it with your child. 

Additionally, go to the settings section of your (or your child’s) device’s app store to confirm that it is set to ask for a password every time the user makes a purchase. As long as you don’t share your password with your child, you’ll be alerted every time your child intends to make a purchase since you will be required to enter the password.

Smartphone accessories, like iPhone chargers, are popular gifts around the holidays because they're useful and inexpensive.

But it's important that these electronic devices meet safety standards and are compatible with the device being charged. The Counterfeit Report, a consumer watchdog publication that warns of the dangers of counterfeit products, says there are a lot of knock-off iPhone chargers now in circulation.

A year ago, Apple filed a federal lawsuit against a third party electronics provider, accusing the firm of slapping the Apple name on chargers it sold on Amazon. In the complaint, Apple alleged that nearly 90 percent of iPhone chargers sold on Amazon weren't the real thing.

Craig Crosby, a spokesman for The Counterfeit Report, says the situation has not gotten any better in the last year and warns there could already be dangerous counterfeit chargers under Christmas trees across the country.

Poorly designed

A year ago, the Canadian division of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) purchased 400 iPhone chargers online and subjected them to a battery of safety tests. All but three of the devices failed.

The problem with the knock-offs is they are poorly designed and manufactured so they can be sold at a cheap price. But those production shortcuts usually mean they fail to meet basic safety requirements, so they tend to overheat and can even catch fire.

Crosby says there is no easy way to identify a counterfeit iPhone charger since it will probably bear the Apple logo. He says one trick is to buy two chargers to see if they have the same serial number. If they do, both are fakes.

Crosby also says a close inspection of the charger may reveal a clue. He points to one case where the word "information" was misspelled on the face of a bogus charger.

Getting a refund

Consumers who end up with a counterfeit iPhone charger do have some recourse if they have full documentation of the purchase. However, Crosby said it may require some persistence.

"Amazon has a fairly strong guarantee, albeit it might take several tries," he told ConsumerAffairs. "Walmart is resistive and also requires several attempts and usually management intervention."

Crosby said he found eBay to be the biggest challenge, but said of 2,300 counterfeits purchased on the site, The Counterfeit Report was able to eventually get refunds for all but three.

While most counterfeit phone chargers are sold online, Crosby says you aren't completely safe purchasing at a brick and mortar retailer. He says some people purchase cheap knock-offs online, then exchange them at a local retailer for the real thing.

Crosby says your safest course of action is to purchase your iPhone charger from an Apple Store. At the Apple store, an authentic Apple 5W USB power adapter costs $19. Online, you might find a knock-off for $5.

Hyundai Motor America is recalling 1,201 model year 2018 Santa Fe Sport vehicles.

The side curtain airbags on these vehicles have a component that may detach during deployment of the inflatable curtain air bag.

If the component detaches during deployment, the curtain air bag may not inflate properly during a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, if the detached component were to enter the vehicle occupant compartment, there could be an increased risk of occupant injury.

What to do

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver and passenger side curtain air bags, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 9, 2018.

Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 171.

For years, medical professionals have cautioned against using medications to alleviate pain for teething babies, but that hasn’t stopped an onslaught of supposed cures for the pain from hitting store shelves.

Complaints about teething medicine from Hyland’s -- one of the nation’s largest homeopathic businesses -- began in 2006. Reports submitted to regulators linked sudden injuries to the company’s over-the-counter teething gels or tablets, with parents describing how the medications turned their babies blue and required medical attention.

The FDA issued an advisory about the gel in 2010, but it received little attention. By the time the FDA issued another public warning about Hyland’s teething products, in September 2016, ten years had passed since parents first reported potential side effects. The agency had received more than 370 adverse event reports about the products in that time.

Eight of the reports described deaths, as STAT News reportedearlier this year, raising the question of why regulators didn’t act faster.

Citing the warning that it issued last year about Hyland’s products (though omitting criticisms it received about enforcement lag-time), the FDA is now promising to rethink its approach to homeopathic medicine as a whole.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb noted that homeopathic medicines have falsely promised to cure cancer, while others, like homeopathic teething gel, have been linked to dangerous side effects.

“Our approach to regulating homeopathic drugs must evolve to reflect the current complexity of the market, by taking a more risk-based approach to enforcement,” he said in a press release announcing a plan to better regulate homeopathic cures.

The specifics of the enforcement plan are still being worked out, but the FDA says a “task force” of stakeholders will help them decide on the approach.

Tackling false promises and dangerous ingredients

Though homeopathy is often conflated with all varieties of “natural” or “alternative” medicine, the FDA clarifies that its new, proposed enforcement action will be limited to products that are linked to adverse events or that make false promises about curing deadly diseases.

“Homeopathic drug products are a very specific kind of product and does not encompass all ‘alternative therapies,” agency spokesman Lyndsay Meyer tells Consumer Affairs via email.

Homeopathy is literally defined as the treatment of an illness with a minuscule dose of a natural product that would be toxic or harmful to healthy people. The FDA currently does not regulate homeopathic products for safety or effectiveness, though some researchers argue that doing so would benefit consumers.

"I am in favor of the FDA actually funding medical trials in showing whether homeopathic treatments work or not. Those are not there," Dr. Rafael Guerrero-Preston, a medical geneticist in Baltimore, tells ConsumerAffairs.

In the case of homeopathic baby teething products, the FDA traced the deaths and other injuries to the active ingredient belladonna, a highly toxic plant colloquially referred to as “deadly nightshade”.

As the complaints about Hyland’s products mounted, the FDA measured levels of belladonna in the company’s teething gel and said that the levels of the product were not distributed uniformly, meaning that some babies could be getting dangerously high doses of the plant.

Hyland’s initially disputed the FDA’s findings, but changed course earlier this year, agreeing to recall its baby teething gels over the safety warnings.  The company, however, has not publicly confirmed whether or not it believes its products were linked to the deaths, instead blaming their decision to recall the gel on “confusion” created by the FDA.

“This warning has created confusion among parents and limited access to the medicines,” Hyland’s writes on its website. “Therefore, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue distribution of Hyland’s teething medicines in the United States.”

Products pulled from store shelves, but dangers remain

The reported side effects also prompted retailer CVS to stop carrying all homeopathic baby gels. That was followed with a recall last summer of homeopathic teething gel marketed by Raritan Pharmaceuticals, which the FDA also found contained potentially dangerous levels of belladonna.

But the recalls don’t mean that the soothing gels or tablets still available on store shelves are necessarily a safe choice. In past years, the FDA has also issued warnings about traditional baby teething medications, including products marketed by well-known brands such as Orajel.

Benzocaine, the active ingredient in many traditional baby teething gels, has been linked to a dangerous condition called methemoglobinemia in children aged two years or younger, the FDA reported in 2011. “Benzocaine products should not be used on children less than two years of age,” the agency said at the time.

But Orajel continues to sell baby teething gel that contains benzocaine as the active ingredient. The brand’s parent company Church & Dwight did not return an inquiry from ConsumerAffairs.

A more ‘natural’ solution

If both homeopathic and mainstream teething remedies can cause harmful side effects, what is a parent to do?

Health professionals say that parents should avoid treating their teething babies with medication, unless specifically advised to do so by a doctor. Otherwise, they have an even more “natural” cure that they say should work better: a wet washcloth.

"Teething is a normal phenomenon; all babies teethe," Dr. Ethan Hausman, a pediatrician and pathologist, said in a notice put out by the FDA in 2014. "FDA does not recommend any sort of drug, herbal or homeopathic medication or therapy for teething in children."

Exposing children to a variety of healthy foods–starting as early as possible–can help promote healthy eating habits into adulthood, new research shows.

Following a review of data gathered from more than 40 peer-reviewed studies on how infants and young children develop preferences for healthy foods, researchers concluded that familiarizing kids with a variety of healthy foods starting very early helps to lay a foundation for healthy eating habits later in life. 

Starts during pregnancy 

The road to getting kids to enjoy healthy foods can begin even before the child is born, researchers say. 

Women who stick to a healthy diet while pregnant expose the child in utero to the flavors of healthy foods via amniotic fluid. Once the child is born, moms who breastfeed pass on the flavors of the healthy foods they eat through their breast milk. 

In addition to helping familiarize the baby with specific flavors, these early exposures can help infants become accustomed to the experience of variety. Familiarizing infants’ palates with the flavors of various healthy foods can help set the stage for when they’re ready to graduate to solid foods.

Early exposure is important

When children are slightly older, it’s just as important to continue exposing them to a variety of healthy foods like vegetables and fruits. 

In an interview with ConsumerAffairs, lead author Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, assistant professor in the pediatrics department at  the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, explained that “neophobia” -- or a fear of new foods -- is a normal part of children’s development.

Kids’ reticence to try new foods changes over time, she said, adding that neophobia is lower during infancy and increases from there, making early life a great opportunity to promote the acceptance of new foods.

Persistence is key

While taking advantage of periods of low neophobia is easier on parents and likely to yield better results, Anzman-Frasca says it’s not too late to expose children to new foods in early childhood and beyond.

Cajoling kids into eating healthy foods they initially rejected can be a challenge for many parents and caregivers. However, given the critical importance of healthy eating behaviors later in your child’s life, the authors encourage parents not to give up–especially on an entire category of healthy foods, like vegetables.

“As they develop, children may go through phases where they suddenly like foods they previously wouldn’t touch, or don’t like foods that used to be their favorites,” Anzman-Frasca said. “So, we would recommend continuing to make a variety of healthy foods available and continuing to test out these different strategies that are supported by research.” 

Getting kids to eat healthy foods

Repeated exposure is generally an effective strategy for getting kids to eat specific healthy foods, she says, but there are other strategies parents can try in challenging circumstances. 

Anzman-Frasca and her colleagues recommend the following strategies: 

• Flavor pairings. New foods are paired with an already-liked food over multiple occasions to increase the taste for the new food on its own.
• Modeling. Children can eventually learn to like new foods after watching parents, siblings, or peers enjoying them. 
• Small tastes. Setting up a low-pressure environment can help too. Encourage the child to take a small taste of the food as opposed to pressuring him or her to finish a whole portion. “In this kind of setting, a child might just decide that today is the day to taste and like a green bean,” said Anzman-Frasca.

The study has been published in the journal Obesity Reviews.

A recent poll revealed that more than a quarter of Americans (29 percent) plan to make New Year’s resolutions for the year ahead -- a slight increase from 2016.

Researchers from Saint Leo University found that traditional New Year’s resolutions held steady, with top responses being: lose weight (55 percent), save more money (56 percent), travel more (29 percent); and spend more time with family (26 percent).

A small number of respondents (4.4 percent) said they want to spend less time with family in 2018 -- up from last year’s response of 0.4 percent. Vacationing more and finding a new job also ranked in the top five resolutions with 29 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

“On the whole, the top resolutions found on the poll all reflect a desire toward self/life improvement with saving money and more time with family also being big winners,” Dr. Christopher Wolfe, associate professor of psychology at Saint Leo University, told ConsumerAffairs.

Age differences

The poll also revealed a few demographic differences when it came to New Year’s resolutions. Millennials were more likely to make resolutions that would help them improve their life and health in the coming year compared to Gen Xers.

Almost half of millennial respondents (49 percent) plan to make resolutions, while only 31 percent of those in the 36 to 55 age group will do so; just 16 percent of those in the 56+ age demographic said they will make New Year’s resolutions.

Positive change

While younger consumers may be more likely than their older counterparts to make resolutions, the reason for creating New Year’s resolutions tends to be the same across all age groups.

People make resolutions in an effort to create positive change in their life, Wolfe says. Resolutions “can act as a sign post, a benchmark, or even a line in the sand; from a static point, this change can begin,” he said.

“We are often so wrapped up in our day-to-day routine that the thought of change can be daunting,” he added. “But as one year gives way to the next, we take the opportunity to set out a goal and try to embrace a desired change in ourselves.”

Tips for keeping resolutions

To improve your likelihood of sticking to resolutions, it’s important to try to see them as a beginning point -- “not an ultimatum or a race,” says Wolfe.

Setting small goals and embracing the fact that you may occasionally fail at keeping them can make sticking to resolutions seem less daunting.

“As our bad habits took time to set in, these new patterns of change will also take time to take hold and for real results be seen,” Wolfe said. Embracing this mindset towards resolutions can help ensure you don’t abandon your goals at the first sign of a setback.

Wolfe recommends focusing on small victories that support your resolution to help you stay motivated. It can also be helpful to take note of obstacles that you experience along the way..

“Look for triggers that may distract you from keeping your resolution and consider writing them down. Keep a small notebook of these triggers and add to it as you experience them,” he said. “The acts of writing them down and carrying the reminder may help to curb these triggers over time.”

With the passage of landmark tax legislation this week, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) staff and tax preparers are scrambling to catch up with new policies in time for filing 2017 taxes.

The new law coming at the end of year leaves tax collectors and tax preparers little time to digest significant changes; changes that could make it best for some taxpayers to file immediately.

"Some popular tax breaks will remain intact under the new law, but there are also some significant changes that warrant new end-of-year tax planning strategies," said Dave Du Val, an executive at TaxAudit, a company that helps clients avoid tax audits. "Even though we're coming down to the wire, it isn't too late to take action and make some changes before 2017 ends and the new bill comes into effect."

Take action now

Cindy Hockenberry, EA, Director of Tax Research and Government Relations at the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP), says the new tax law has made it advisable for some taxpayers to take action before 2017 draws to a close.

"If their property taxes are assessed and they have the bill, they should pay it before the end of the year," Hockenberry told ConsumerAffairs.

That's because the state and local tax deduction will be capped at $10,000 starting in 2018. Taxpayers in high tax states often pay a lot more than that, but will only be able to deduct the first $10,000 next year. By paying 2018's property taxes before the end of the year, all of next year's state and local taxes can be deducted on this year's tax return.

"Make charitable contributions before the end of the year," Hockenberry said.

Charitable contributions are still tax deductible under the new law, but she says the new higher standard deduction means millions of taxpayers who normally itemize will find it more profitable not to, starting in 2018. By making 2018's charitable contributions this year, you can write them off one last time.

Tax withholding may change

The bill nearly doubling the standard deduction has another effect that taxpayers need to plan for. That, and the shifting tax brackets, mean millions of people are going to see their tax withholding change.

"The IRS is working on revising the withholding tables now," Hockenberry said. "Taxpayers should see more take home pay as early as February."

For independent contractors and self-employed taxpayers, the change will also affect the amount of quarterly estimated tax payments they make. Consulting with a tax professional now can ensure you're withholding the correct amount.

As for other tax changes, Hockenberry says couples without children may not see the tax savings that taxpayers with children get. She says the new law also eliminates personal exemptions for most taxpayers.

Du Val urges consumers considering the purchase of a vehicle next year to do it before December 31, especially if they live in a high-tax state. The sales tax will be fully deductible in 2017, but it might not be next year.