By Avis Faro, CTV National News, September 5, 2019
With comments by Nicholas Chadi

Two deaths and hundreds of cases of lung disorders in the U.S. believed to be linked to vaping have sparked a second warning from Health Canada on the potential danger of e-cigarettes. […]

There are no cases of vaping-associated lung disease in Canada, but a national team is monitoring for problems. Dr. Nicholas Chadi, a pediatrician at Sainte-Justine hospital who also speaks for the Canadian Paediatrics Society, is part of this team.

“We’re getting a strong message from the U.S. that we need to be careful about vaping devices and aerosols that come from those devices,” Chadi said. Read more

By Jean-Benoit Legault, The Canadian Press, August 24, 2019
With comments by Nicholas Chadi
Published in La Presse and L’Actualité

L’enseignement de la méditation de pleine conscience à de jeunes patients peut améliorer leur fonctionnement, les aider à combattre certains problèmes de santé chroniques et même réduire la quantité de médications dont ils auront besoin, affirme un chercheur du CHU Sainte-Justine qui y voit une pratique ayant sa place dans un « continuum » de soins.

« Il y a plusieurs conditions médicales pour lesquelles j’ai pu voir des effets chez les jeunes, a assuré le docteur Nicholas Chadi, un pédiatre spécialisé en médecine de l’adolescence et toxicomanie. Ça peut être au niveau de la perception des symptômes, des symptômes qui sont […] aidés et améliorés par des médicaments, (mais) on s’aperçoit par des exercices de méditation ou de pleine conscience, on peut avoir besoin de moins de médication ou mieux fonctionner et être capable de revenir à une vie normale, vraiment en intégrant ça au quotidien. » Article complet

By Jean-Benoit Legault, The Canadian Press, August 12, 2019
With comments by Nicholas Chadi
Published in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, La Presse and Le Devoir.

Teens and young adults who use electronic cigarettes are significantly more likely to use cannabis as well, according to a new study by a Canadian researcher. Pediatrician Nicholas Chadi’s analysis of previous research, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that the likelihood of marijuana use was three to four times higher among youth who vaped.

One of the key findings showed the risk for younger adolescents aged 12 to 17 was higher than for young adults aged 18 to 24 years. “It’s an important discovery for us,” said Chadi, who is now based at Montreal’s Ste-Justine Hospital but conducted the research during a previous posting in Boston. […] Read more

Additional radio coverage on Radio Canada and YouTube clip from WEAC24

By Abby Haglage, Yahoo Lifestyle, August 8, 2019

With Comments from Nicholas Chadi

[…] Long promoted as a “safer alternative” to smoking by the companies that make them, e-cigs are being outed in new reports of their damaging health effects — something that’s especially worrisome, considering that one in 10 eighth graders have now reportedly tried them.

The most recent report comes from the Food and Drug Administration, which has received “127 reports of seizure[s] or other neurological symptoms” from 2010 to 2019 that are believed to be linked to vaping. The news is part of an ongoing investigation the agency has been conducting since April, one that has reportedly tied a troubling number of the neurological effects to teen use. […]

“The way young people are using e-cigs now, with very high doses of nicotine, can definitely induce something like a seizure, especially for people who are predisposed,” Chadi tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Read more

Organizing for Change Podcast – Episode #30

June 25, 2019

Interview with host: Amanda Decker

Tune in for a discussion about adolescent e-cigarette and marijuana use with pediatrician and adolescent and addiction medicine specialist Dr. Nicholas Chadi who speaks about his clinical work and research with adolescents and young adults with substance use issues. (Listen to the full episode here)

Featuring guest lecturer Dr. Nicholas Chadi

Recorded by Natick Pegasus, on April 24, 2019

Dr. Nicholas Chadi, MD MPH discusses recent trends, health effects and prevention and treatment strategies related to adolescent e-cigarette use.  This event was presented to an assembly of youth, parents and community members at Wilson Middle School in Natick, MA.

Dr. Chadi’s presentation is followed by a panel of town, school and health officials to discuss the collective response to this emerging public health issue and the resources available to youth and their families.

Listen to the full recording here

By Elizabeth Hlavinka, MedPage Today, June 4, 2019

With Comments from Nicholas Chadi

Teens with mental health problems were more likely to take up cigarettes, both electronic and regular, according to a longitudinal study just published in Pediatrics.

[…] “We have to be careful when we think of e-cigarettes as substances because it falls in the bigger picture of substance use in general,” Chadi, who was not involved with the research, said. “This is a two-way highway, where people with mental health problems are more likely to start using these substances, but the reverse is also true — people who start using these substances also have increased chances of developing mental health symptoms.” Read more

WBUR 90.9 FM – Boston’s NPR News Station – Interview with Chris Citorik

Over three dozen Massachusetts doctors and researchers warn that the state could be headed toward a public health crisis because of its policy around recreational marijuana.

In a statement sent to state lawmakers, organized by the Massachusetts Prevention Alliance, signatories expressed worry over “how marijuana policy is being shaped” and concerns of “regulatory failure.” It was signed by doctors and researchers from organizations including Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Host Chris Citorik talks with Dr. Nicholas Chadi, MD MPH, one of the signatories of the Statement of Concern. Listen to the full interview here

By Sheela Clary, The Berkshire Edge, April 2, 2019

With comments from Nicholas Chadi

Despite the official prohibitions on studying cannabis as well as the resulting lack of scientific evidence, it is by now understood well enough that the human brain continues to develop until the age of 25, and cannabis can alter that development, resulting in adverse life outcomes. […]

For clarification on why it makes sense to discourage youth from using marijuana, I contacted Dr. Nicholas Chadi, a pediatrician specializing in adolescent and addiction medicine and a pediatric addiction medicine fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. […]

Dr. Chadi offered that one of the biggest hurdles he faces in treating teenagers who present with marijuana dependence problems is the widespread perception that marijuana is either harmless or beneficial. Read more