Celebrity Health

Matthew Perry's death being pinned on ketamine by the Coroner is misleading, and puts the drug in a bad light -- so says an M.D. who's prescribed it to his own patients.

Dr. Zaid Fadul -- the Medical Director at BetterU and an expert in addiction medicine -- tells TMZ ... the L.A. County Coroner Office's finding last week that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine doesn't really explain how he died ... at least in his professional opinion.

Yes, ketamine happened to be in Matt's system at the time of his death -- and might have been the reason he dozed off in his hot tub ... but obviously, the "Friends" actor drowned.

Dr. Fadul's point here is ... any kind of drug that spurs sedation would've likely had the same effect, and he feels like blaming MP's tragic passing on ketamine alone -- without this context -- isn't fair, and that might deter people from seeking it out as a viable option.

Now, on the issue of whether Perry had used ketamine the day he died or not -- Dr. Fadul has a theory on that as well. According to him, Matt was likely experienced with ketamine and was taking ever-increasing doses, which might've left some residual.

He adds, that residual amount could've been super high, if Matt had a high tolerance to the drug and was taking high doses. He also believes Perry wasn't only taking ketamine through an IV.

Remember, the coroner's report on Perry's cause of death noted he'd been involved in ketamine infusion therapy in the months leading up to this -- but pointed out he'd been weaning off of it thanks to a new doctor who found he didn't need as much these days.

Ketamine is often used as a treatment for depression and anxiety, which is why Matt had been taking it ... but because his ketamine levels were so elevated when he died, it's unclear Matt was taking it therapeutically or recreationally.

The implication from the report seems to be pointing to the latter. Dr. Fadul, though, isn't so sure that's accurate.

La muerte de Matthew Perry se le atribuye a la ketamina, y esto le otorga a la droga una mala reputación injustamente adquirida. Esto según un terapeuta que le ha prescrito ketamina a sus propios pacientes.

El Dr. Zaid Fadul —Director Médico de BetterU y experto en medicina de la adicción— le dice a TMZ que el forense del Condado de Los Ángeles que dijo que Perry murió por los efectos agudos de la ketamina no explica realmente cómo murió, al menos en su opinión profesional.

Sí, la ketamina pasó a estar en el sistema de Matt en el momento de su muerte y puede haber sido la razón por la que se quedó dormido en su bañera de hidromasaje, pero obviamente el actor de "Friends" se ahogó.

El punto del Dr. Fadul es que cualquier tipo de droga que estimula la sedación probablemente habría tenido el mismo efecto, y siente que culpar solamente a la ketamina por la trágica muerte es injusto y es algo que podría hacer que la gente no considere el tratamiento como una opción viable.

Ahora bien, sobre la cuestión de si Perry había consumido ketamina el día de su muerte o no, el Dr. Fadul también tiene una teoría al respecto en esta entrevista. Según él, Matt probablemente tenía experiencia con la ketamina y tomaba dosis cada vez mayores, lo que podría haber dejado algún residuo.

Recordemos que el informe del forense sobre la causa de la muerte de Perry señaló que había estado involucrado en una terapia de infusión de ketamina durante los meses previos a su muerte, pero señaló que había estado disminuyendo gracias a un nuevo médico que encontró que no necesitaba tanto en estos días.

La ketamina se utiliza a menudo como un tratamiento eficaz para la depresión y la ansiedad, y es la razón por la que Matt la había tomado, pero a los ojos del forense, el jurado no sabe si la ketamina en el sistema de Matt era para ese propósito o si era recreativa. La implicación del informe parece apuntar a lo segundo.

"Mob Wives" star Renee Graziano is 40 days sober following a stint at a Texas rehab ... and is now continuing to receive treatment thanks to the assistance of Lamar Odom.

A rep for Renee tells TMZ she's now focusing on trauma therapy at Lamar's wellness facility -- which aims to fight substance abuse, a cause near and dear to Lamar following his own near-fatal overdose in 2015.

A rep for Lamar says he actually reached out to Renee via IG when she made headlines for her rehab stay in November ... telling her if she needed anything while in treatment, to just let him know.

We're told the ex-NBA star also informed her of the services offered at Vanity Wellness Treatment Center, his facility in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Two weeks ago, Renee reached back out to Lamar ... saying she needed treatment for extensive trauma, and the program she currently was in at that time didn't offer that type of care.

Lamar immediately put the gears in motion ... connecting Renee with admissions for his facility -- and she checked in last Thursday after flying to Cali from Texas.

So far, so good ... Renee is loving the program and plans on staying for another 60+ days while working on her mental health, sobriety and physical health.

La estrella de "Mob Wives", Renee Graziano, lleva 40 días sobria después de una temporada en un centro de rehabilitación en Texas, y sigue recibiendo tratamiento gracias a la ayuda de Lamar Odom.

Un representante de Renee le dice a TMZ que ahora se está centrando en la terapia de trauma en el centro de bienestar de Lamar, donde espera luchar contra el abuso de sustancias, una causa por la que ha prometido luchar después de su sobredosis casi fatal en 2015.

Un representante de Lamar dice que esto viene luego de que él se acercó a Renee a través de IG cuando ella llegó a los titulares por su rehabilitación en noviembre, diciéndole que si necesitaba algo en el transcurso del tratamiento, se lo hiciera saber.

Nos dicen que la ex estrella de la NBA también le informó de los servicios ofrecidos en su lujoso centro de tratamiento de Sherman Oaks, el Vanity Wellness Treatment Center.

Hace dos semanas, Renee se puso en contacto con Lamar, diciendo que necesitaba tratamiento para el trauma extenso y el programa en el que se encontraba actualmente no ofrecía ese tipo de atención.

Lamar inmediatamente puso los engranajes en movimiento y conectó a Renee con las admisiones de su instalación. Ella se registró en el pasado jueves después de volar a California desde Texas.

Hasta ahora, todo bien. Renee está amando el programa y planea quedarse por otros 60 días mientras trabaja en su salud mental, la sobriedad y la salud física.

A devastating update on Celine Dion's debilitating battle with Stiff-Person Syndrome ... as her sister says she's lost control of her muscles.

The star's sister, Claudette Dion, revealed the shocking turn in her disease which causes painful muscle spasms, saying it would be a while before Celine returns to the stage.

She told 7 Jours it broke her heart 'cause her sister had always been disciplined and hard-working ... recalling their late mother telling Celine her habits would make her successful -- but that very success now appears threatened.

Despite the grim outlook, Claudette says it's still Celine's goal to return to the stage -- but in what capacity, she doesn't know.

Research into the neurological disorder is still ongoing ... but because it's so rare, it means progress is slow -- which Claudette can't wrap her head around ... adding that many people in the same boat have "lost hope" of a cure ever being found.

The update comes after she told HELLO! Canada in Sept that Celine was "doing everything" in her power to recover ... but her spasms were impossible to control.

The "All By Myself' singer announced she was stricken with the disease in a December 2022 video message ... forcing her to cancel a bunch of her 2023 concert dates.

3 ½ years after last being seen in public, Celine was spotted last month at a hockey game between the Vegas Golden Knights and her hometown Montreal Canadiens -- looking in good spirits despite her health woes.

Una devastadora actualización reveló la hermana de Celine Dion sobre su batalla contra el síndrome de Stiff-Person diciendo que la cantante ha perdido el control de sus músculos.

La hermana de la estrella Claudette Dion reveló el impactante giro en su enfermedad, la que causa dolorosos espasmos musculares, diciendo que pasará un tiempo antes de que Celine vuelva al escenario.

Claudette le dijo a 7 Jours que esto le partió el corazón porque su hermana siempre había sido disciplinada y trabajadora y citó a su difunta madre, quien alguna vez dijo que sus hábitos la harían exitosa. Aunque ahora ese mismo éxito parece amenazado.

A pesar del sombrío panorama, Claudette dice que para Celine sigue siendo un objetivo volver a los escenarios, pero en qué capacidad, no lo sabe.

La investigación sobre el trastorno neurológico todavía está en curso, pero debido a que es tan raro su progreso es también lento. Claudette dice que muchas personas en el mismo barco han "perdido la esperanza" de que se encuentre alguna vez una cura.

La noticia llega después de que en septiembre dijera a ¡HOLA! Canadá que Celine estaba "haciendo todo" lo que estaba en su poder para recuperarse. Pero sus espasmos son imposibles de controlar.

La cantante de "All By Myself" anunció que estaba afectada por la enfermedad en un mensaje de video de diciembre de 2022. Esto la obligó a cancelar un montón de fechas de sus conciertos de 2023.

3 años y medio después de haber sido vista en público por última vez, Celine apareció en un partido de hockey el mes pasado, entre los Vegas Golden Knights y su ciudad natal, Montreal Canadiens. Se veía de buen humor a pesar de sus problemas de salud.

Omri Miran is among the Israeli hostages being held captive by Hamas ... and his brother-in-law, a former captain in the Israel Defense Forces, is calling for his safe return ASAP.

Moshe Lavi, the former IDF captain, says Omri was held at gunpoint by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, when he was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Moshe says Omri's wife, his sister Lishay, and the couple's 2 daughters, Roni and Alma, were also held at gunpoint with Omri before ultimately being left behind and rescued by the IDF.

Some hostages have since been released by Hamas, but Omri was not among them ... so Moshe and family members of other hostages are pressuring public officials in Israel and across the globe to do whatever is necessary to bring more hostages home.

Moshe tells TMZ ... his family hasn't received any official word of how Omri is doing in captivity, though hostages released 2 weeks ago claimed Omri was seen alive in one of the Hamas tunnels in Gaza.

Still, Moshe says just because Omri was said to be safe back then doesn't mean he's in good shape now ... as Moshe points out, "Every second in captivity is eternity" ... which is why time is of the essence here.

Of grave concern to all the families is the fact 3 of the remaining hostages were accidentally killed during IDF efforts to take out Hamas militants. The victims have been identified, and Omri is not among them.

But, Moshe is calling on public officials to work day and night to bring Omri and his fellow captives back safely to their loved ones.

Omri Miran es uno de los rehenes israelíes cautivos de Hamás y su cuñado, ex capitán de las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel, pide que sea liberado cuanto antes.

Moshe Lavi, ex capitán de las FDI, dice que Omri fue retenido a punta de pistola por terroristas de Hamás el 7 de octubre, cuando fue secuestrado en su casa del kibutz Nahal Oz. Moshe dice que la esposa de Omri, su hermana Lishay y las dos hijas de la pareja, Roni y Alma, también fueron retenidas a punta de pistola con Omri antes de ser finalmente abandonadas y rescatadas por las FDI.

Algunos rehenes han sido liberados por Hamás, pero Omri no estaba entre ellos, por lo que Moshe y familiares de otros rehenes están presionando a los funcionarios públicos en Israel y en todo el mundo para hacer todo lo necesario para traer más rehenes a casa.

Moshe le dice a TMZ que su familia no ha recibido ninguna palabra oficial de cómo Omri está haciendo en cautiverio, aunque los rehenes liberados hace dos semanas afirmaron que Omri fue visto vivo en uno de los túneles de Hamás en Gaza.

Sin embargo, Moshe dice que solo porque Omri dijo que era seguro en ese entonces, no significa que esté en buena forma ahora. Como Moshe señala: "Cada segundo en cautiverio es la eternidad", por eso el tiempo es esencial aquí.

Como resultado, Moshe está pidiendo que los funcionarios públicos a trabajen día y noche para traer a Omri y a sus compañeros cautivos de vuelta a sus seres queridos.

Amanda Bynes is bringing her podcast back from the dead ... switching course and soldiering on despite saying she was going to pull the plug after just one episode.

The day after saying her new podcast was going the way of the dinosaur because of a lack of big-name guests, Amanda says she's going to continue the podcast.

Amanda says her friends convinced her to reconsider giving up so soon ... and she says she's excited to record a new episode.

Remember ... Amanda said she was going to kill the podcast after the inaugural episode because A-list musicians like Drake, Jack Harlow and Post Malone weren't lining up to join her as guests on the podcast, as she hoped.

Now, Amanda says she realizes podcasts need time to grow a following ... and those big-name guests she has on her radar might join down the road.

Of course, no matter who the guests are they won't be talking about her mental health struggles or her Hollywood career.

Still, Amanda says she has some guests lined up ... and her "Amanda Bynes and Paul Sieminski: Podcast" is doing well on Spotify early on.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is clearly recovering nicely after breaking his hip during a nasty fall last week -- 'cause he's now firing off jokes about the situation, calling himself "Humpty Kareem!"

The NBA legend shared an update on his status on his Substack page on Monday ... revealing he was actually on his way to delivering a speech at The Manhattan Transfer's concert on Friday at Disney Hall in Los Angeles when the spill happened.

"I'd like to say I fell while trying to save a child from plunging over a balcony," he wrote, "but I just tripped."

"Hard for me to accept that a once world-class athlete just stumbled. But age is the great equalizer and humbles us all."

The 76-year-old, though, shared a snap of him in a hospital bed with a huge grin -- appearing to show that his rehab is moving smoothly.

Abdul-Jabbar also thanked all the first responders who cared for him after he went down ... and he vowed to be up and at 'em again shortly.

"All my best to you from my hospital bed," he wrote. "Me and my new hip will be dancing to [The Manhattan Transfer's] tunes again."

"Well," he continued, "gently swaying."

Rejoice, Eagles fans ... Jalen Hurts has just arrived at Lumen Field despite dealing with a gnarly illness -- and, as of right now, the quarterback looks set to play in the pivotal game against the Seahawks.

Of course, about 24 hours ago, it was unclear if Philadelphians would see the sight -- because the signal-caller had reportedly been battling some bad flu-like symptoms last week that worsened overnight Saturday.

In fact, things apparently got so miserable for Hurts over the weekend, the Eagles officially downgraded his status for the Seattle game to "questionable."

However, Hurts eventually made his way to Washington on Sunday -- and on Monday afternoon, just a couple hours before "Monday Night Football" kickoff, he strolled into the stadium looking OK.

The 25-year-old rocked sunglasses and carried his own bags ... moving without any noticeable hitch in his gait.

The Eagles could certainly use his presence -- they need to keep winning if they want to hold off the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC East crown.

Norman Lear, the TV icon famous for creating "All In The Family," died from heart issues ... TMZ has learned.

Norman's official cause of death is listed as cardiac arrest, according to his death certificate. The doc, obtained by TMZ, also lists congestive heart failure as an underlying cause of death.

As we reported ... Norman died earlier this month at his home in Beverly Hills from what his publicist said was natural causes. He was 101.

Norman made a seismic impact on American culture and social change over a long career in Hollywood ... creating hit shows like "The Jeffersons," "Sanford and Son," "Good Times," "One Day at a Time," and "Diff'rent' Strokes" in addition to "All In The Family."

Norman's longtime TV career gets a nod on his death certificate ... the doc notes he spent 80 years as a writer-producer in the entertainment biz.

Following his death, Norman got a touching tribute from Henry Winkler ... remembering Norman as a forward-thinking man who used art to help Americans see the best and worst in themselves.

"The Big Bang Theory" star and comedian Kate Micucci says she's won her battle with cancer.

Kate shared a positive health update over the weekend on social media, revealing she is cancer-free following successful surgery.

In a TikTok post, Kate says the procedure removed all of the cancer in her lungs ... and she says there are no further treatments needed.

Kate says she's grateful she detected the cancer early and she's thanking her doctors, nurses and fans ... saying she's excited to be out of the hospital in time to spend Christmas with her 3-year-old son.

As we reported ... Kate revealed earlier this month she had lung cancer, describing her diagnosis as a complete shock because she's not a smoker.

La estrella de "The Big Bang Theory" y comediante Kate Micucci dice que ha ganado su batalla contra el cáncer.

Kate compartió una actualización positiva de la salud durante el fin de semana en las redes sociales, revelando que está libre de cáncer después de una cirugía exitosa.

En un post TikTok, Kate dice que el procedimiento elimina todo el cáncer en los pulmones ... y ella dice que no hay más tratamientos necesarios.

Kate dice que está agradecida de haber detectado el cáncer a tiempo y le da las gracias a sus médicos, enfermeras y fans, diciendo que está emocionada de estar fuera del hospital a tiempo para pasar la Navidad con su hijo de tres años.

Como informamos, Kate reveló a principios de este mes que tenía cáncer de pulmón, describiendo su diagnóstico como un shock total porque no es fumadora.

Mama June's granddaughters are taking their mother's death very hard ... and the family is thinking about sending them to talk with therapists.

Family sources tell TMZ ... Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell's daughters are reeling from the recent loss of their mom, grieving and trying to take things day by day.

Anna died Dec. 9 and her funeral was Wednesday in Georgia, where her 11-year-old daughter Kaitlyn worked up the courage to speak.

We're told Kaitlyn had no intention of speaking at her mom's funeral, but her feelings changed when she was at the funeral home ... and she shared memories of her time with Anna, some of which brought laughs.

While Kaitlyn was able to open up and reflect at the funeral, the family is discussing the benefits of having her talk with a therapist moving forward. As we first told you, Mama June now has custody of Kaitlyn.

Our sources say Kaitlyn was very involved in Anna's cancer battle, making sure her mom took her medicine and sticking by her side throughout the process. So there's a lot to unpack.

Anna's youngest daughter is 8-year-old Kylee, who is now living with her biological father, Michael.

Because of Kylee's age, we're told it's been harder for her to understand her mom's death ... and she's been leaning on her friends for support and went back to school Friday, which the family sees as a good sign. The school had a field trip, we're told, and the family felt it was a good time for Kylee to go back.

Unclear if Kylee's dad will get her in a room with a therapist, but we're told the family wants her to at least have someone to talk to.

Eric Montross -- the ninth overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft -- has passed away after a battle with cancer, his family announced Monday.

He was just 52 years old.

Montross was a star for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels ... winning a national championship in 1993 before playing eight seasons in the pros for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors.

"The family of Eric Montross (Laura, Sarah, Andrew, and Megan) is announcing that he passed away on Sunday, December 17, surrounded by loved ones at his home in Chapel Hill," a statement released by UNC said.

"Eric was diagnosed with cancer in March 2023, and his family is grateful for the tremendous support and the truly overwhelming love expressed by so many people as he battled with his signature determination and grace."

"They also thank the many members of the medical community -- and particularly those at UNC Lineberger Cancer Center -- who matched his fight with equal passion. To know Eric was to be his friend, and the family knows that the ripples from the generous, thoughtful way that he lived his life will continue in the lives of the many people he touched with his deep and sincere kindness."

Montross was an All-American for UNC ... and received All-ACC honors in 1993 and 1994.