Health Care

The Truth About Tamiflu

Dec 15

Two months ago, we pointed out in our story on flu in The Atlantic that the antiviral drug Tamiflu might not be as effective or safe as many patients, doctors, and governments think. The drug has been widely prescribed since the first cases of H1N1 flu surfaced last spring, and the U.S. government has spent more than $1.5 billion stockpiling it since 2005 as part of the nation’s pandemic preparedness plan.

Child diabetes blamed on food sweetener

Dec 14

Scientists have proved for the first time that a cheap form of sugar used in thousands of food products and soft drinks can damage human metabolism and is fuelling the obesity crisis.

Fructose, a sweetener derived from corn, can cause dangerous growths of fat cells around vital organs and is able to trigger the early stages of diabetes and heart disease.

It has increasingly been used as a substitute for more expensive types of sugar in yoghurts, cakes, salad dressing and cereals. Even some fruit drinks that sound healthy contain fructose.

HOLIDAY SEASON IS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT FOR INDIVIDUALS BATTLING FOOD ADDICTIONS

Nov 23

The holiday season brings excitement, nostalgic traditions and a plethora of social activities that tend to revolve around food consumption. For those who battle compulsive eating, the added stress of the holidays and abundance of food can trigger overeating. This often leads to embarrassment, guilt, depression and unwanted pounds. For individuals struggling with various food addictions, especially during the holidays, Overeaters Anonymous (OA) can provide much-needed support and a path to recovery.

Overview of the Winterizing Process

Nov 17
The winter months are the season when people cannot temporarily use their swimming pools, unless of course, they prefer to swim in freezing cold water. For this reason, pool owners need to go through the task of winterizing their swimming pools in order to prepare the pool for the coming winter.

AMA Endorses Medicinal Marijuana: Unexpected Policy Shift Boosts Support for Medicinal Benefits

Nov 13

On Tuesday, the movement for Medicinal Marijuana received an unexpected endorsement from the American Medical Association.

This marks a substantial policy shift for the AMA, which contains approximately 250,000 member doctors, making it, by far, the largest and most influential association of doctors in the United States.

Cancers Can Vanish Without Treatment, but How?

Oct 31

Call it the arrow of cancer. Like the arrow of time, it was supposed to point in one direction. Cancers grew and worsened.

Germans Unhappy with Alternative Swine Flu Vaccine for Politicians

Oct 20

Damage control is the name of the game in Berlin on Monday as politicians rush to deny that they are receiving a better, safer swine flu vaccine than ordinary Germans. The first of 50 million doses arrived in Germany on Monday.

One might think that the arrival in Germany of the first of 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine on Monday might be cause for celebration. But with news breaking over the weekend that top government officials in Berlin will be injected with an alternative vaccine -- one widely seen as safer -- a debate about an alleged two-class medical system has erupted.

He's in the Army now: Wife’s cancer prompts man to enlist

Oct 20

Chelsea Caudle began signing her text messages this summer with a countdown. At 14 years old, she knew no better way to express what was coming. Day Zero was to be Oct. 7, the day Dad left for Army basic training in Fort Jackson, S.C. He was moving 950 miles from their home in Watertown, 950 miles from Mom.

He was leaving, even though Mom was sick with ovarian cancer. Even though he had been at her side through two long, miserable rounds of chemotherapy. Even though she now faced the likelihood of a third.

In fact, Dad was leaving because Mom was sick.

B.C. suspends flu shot campaign over H1N1 concerns

Oct 02

British Columbia is suspending its annual seasonal flu shot program amidst emerging concerns the vaccination could make people more susceptible to catching H1N1.

The suspension -- which limits the seasonal flu vaccination mostly to the elderly -- puts B.C. in line with many other Canadian provinces, but means most people will not have access to any type of influenza vaccination until at least mid-November.

The decision was announced Monday morning by provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall, who characterized this year's flu season as an "emerging and complex scenario."

What No One Is Telling You: 100,000,000 Americans Already Use Government Health Care

Sep 20

Would that make a difference in how you hear the debate? What I said it was 40% of all Americans with insurance? Would that make a difference?

You'd never know it listening to the endless blather of the politicians and the media, but 100 million Americans - about 40% of all us us with health insurance - already have some form of "government-run" health plan.
Why isn't this talked about all the time? The Democratic Congressional leadership and President Obama should be citing this fact over and over again...

Patents Over Patients- The Cure for Cancer is Not Profitable

Sep 20

WE could make faster progress against cancer by changing the way drugs are developed. In the current system, if a promising compound can’t be patented, it is highly unlikely ever to make it to market — no matter how well it performs in the laboratory. The development of new cancer drugs is crippled as a result.

Study links 45,000 U.S. deaths to lack of insurance

Sep 18

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 45,000 people die in the United States each year -- one every 12 minutes -- in large part because they lack health insurance and can not get good care, Harvard Medical School researchers found in an analysis released on Thursday.

"We're losing more Americans every day because of inaction ... than drunk driving and homicide combined," Dr. David Himmelstein, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard, said in an interview with Reuters.

America's failed model for the world

Sep 18

Europeans are shaking their heads over their American friends again. Whether talking to people in the street, in the cafés or to journalists or political leaders, everyone here asks me the same question: Has America lost its mind? Town halls filled with angry citizens, shouting at their elected leaders, some of them armed with guns and threatening signs? Besides the media spectacle of these neo-1776 revolutionaries, what is doubly perplexing to Europeans is the focus of the protests: healthcare.

HMO shares rise after Obama health reform speech

Sep 10

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. health insurers climbed on Thursday after analysts saw no "game changers" from President Barack Obama's highly anticipated speech on health reform.

Following the speech, analysts predicted any changes to the system would be moderate, with Obama backing many initiatives put forth earlier this week by a leading Senate committee. The possibility a threatening public health plan would be enacted also now seemed doubtful, analysts said.

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