Health in the news this week | opioid deprescribing | Parkinsons and contaminants | tonsillectomy in adults

A look at some of the big stories in health over the last week ... cough syrup, Duchenne gene therapy; chemo drugs in the US.Some new prescribing guidelines for opioids recommend an exit strategy—and the need for better support infrastructure.It was suspected that brain damage for some people with Parkinson's disease was due to chemical toxins—one of the probable culprits is an environmental contaminant.Having your tonsils out as a child used to be routine, but what about for adults? British authorities noticed an increase in tonsillectomy rates—which prompted a clinical trial to see if the surgery was merited.