Clipmarks | tabsey's 'health' clips

'Cyberchondria' gives GPs a webache

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:54:26 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: A lot of people have picked on things to ask their doctor too. Some would be able to tell of positive outcomes. I'll bet there are some great stories though. (The doctors have to complain about this, to keep medicine as a mystery to the plebs is the aim.)

Clip Source: www.smh.com.au

"CYBERCHONDRIA" - the imagined conditions afflicting patients who have turned to the internet for diagnosis - can be a bane for doctors convincing patients of their misdiagnosis, says an internet health expert, Jared Dart.

Dr Dart recalls an elderly patient's relative suggesting on the basis of internet research that the patient required a biopsy of skull tissue. Diagnosis by a doctor actually found "the poor old guy had been having headaches as a result of a muscular-skeletal problem in the neck".

"Many doctors have lamented the rise of the e-health information consumer, suggesting it has led to patient 'cyberchondria' and anecdotal reports of patients bringing health information to doctors abound," Dr Dart says.

His survey of 700 people has found that surfing the net for medical explanations is widespread, although many remained uncertain about the veracity of the information.

Tags: knowledge, and, imagination - what's bad, there

Bush Bureaucrats at Dept. of Health and Human Services Redefine Contraception as Abortion

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:15:54 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: No improvement in child services to go with it were mentioned.

Clip Source: www.buzzflash.com

We're all familiar with the popular chant among conservatives that "life begins at conception." But does that mean our government can say that life ends at contraception?

Apparently, yes, if a proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services that carefully redefines contraception as abortion is adopted.

The religious fervor is carefully hidden in the minutia. The leaked proposal initially reads as a defense of healthcare providers who fear being discriminated against for refusing to provide services that are contrary to their religious beliefs. Basically, just because a clinic or insurance plan receives federal funding "does not authorize any court or any public official or other public authority to require" the entity to provide or pay for services such as sterilization or abortion.

Which seems somewhat harmless, until you change the meaning of abortion to include contraceptive medicines that 40 percent of women in the U.S. use regularly.

Tags: religion, permeates, even, to, churches

Netherlands' Health Care Reflects National Values

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:00:33 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The women lead by example.

Clip Source: www.npr.org

All Things Considered, July 17, 2008 · The Dutch like their health care system and feel comfortable with it, polls show, even when things don't go exactly as they want. This is in no small part because they have built a system that reflects national values such as pragmatism and stoicism.

Paul Schnabel, a sociologist at Utrecht University in The Netherlands, says this correlation is especially apparent when it comes to matters of birth and death.

In the Netherlands, most women try to have their babies at home. They view giving birth as something that should be natural, not medical, Schnabel says, and services across the country reinforce this idea. For example, in Amsterdam there's a center for pregnant that combines a spa, shopping center and school — not something one would likely see in the United States.

Only 8 percent of all Dutch women use epidurals for pain relief during childbirth.

Tags: medical, systems, can, work, for, everyone

Planned Parenthood TV Ad Knocks McCain on Birth Control

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:27:00 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.truthout.org

Planned Parenthood Action Fund has seized on Sen. John McCain's recent on-camera hesitation when he was asked to clarify his position on forcing health insurance companies to cover birth control the way some cover Viagra, a male enhancement drug, by launching a television commercial slamming the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Abortion rights groups have launched a push to highlight McCain's position on birth control after one of his top advisers, Carly Fiorina, seemed to criticize some health insurance companies for covering Viagra, but not birth control.

"There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth-control medication. Those women would like a choice," Fiorina told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast in Washington D.C. last Monday.

"I don't know enough about it to give you an informed answer," the Arizona senator told a reporter last week, when asked to clarify his position on birth control after Fiorina's comments.

New Method Identifies Genes Affecting Health In Fraction Of A Second

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:48:13 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: With discoveries such as this, one would think science must be paying for itself. This could make life better for millions.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

ScienceDaily (July 11, 2008) — A new tool which makes it possible to extract information about an individual's health from genotypes in a fraction of a second, has been developed by an academic at the University of Southampton.

Professor Joao Marques-Silva, at the University's School of Electronics and Computer Science and collaborators have developed a new approach to the process of inferring haplotype information from genotype data.

A haplotype can be defined as a group of alleles of one or more genes on a single chromosome that are closely enough linked to be inherited usually as a unit and a genotype refers to the combination of alleles inherited from both parents.

According to Professor Marques-Silva, the current method of extracting haplotypes from genotype data is based on statistical approaches, which can take a long time to compute.

Tags: brilliant, medical, scientists

Cheney Aides Altered CDC Testimony, Agency Official Says

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:43:56 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The official would have done it off his own bat, dick wouldn't be involved in such silly behaviour.

Clip Source: www.truthout.org

Ex-administrator says official from vice president's office edited out six pages.

Members of Vice President's Dick Cheney's staff censored congressional testimony by a top federal official on the health threats posed by global warming, a former Environmental Protection Agency official said today.

In a letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, former EPA deputy associate administrator Jason K. Burnett said an official from Cheney's office edited out six pages from the testimony of Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last October.

Several media outlets, including The Washington Post, reported at the time that Gerberding had planned to say that "CDC considers climate change a serious public health concern," among other passages.

Tags: dick, sucks

Mother's junk food 'harms child'

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:12:51 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: This is known by all, but now research backs that opinion.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Junk food may leave a lasting health legacy

Eating a poor diet when pregnant or breastfeeding may cause long-lasting health damage to the child, animal studies suggest.

The offspring of rats fed fatty, processed food had high levels of fat in their bloodstream and around major organs even after adolescence.

The animals had a raised diabetes risk - even if they ate healthily.

The study, by the Royal Veterinary College and London's Wellcome Trust, features in The Journal of Physiology.

Studies by the same team have already shown that rats whose mothers were fed junk food during pregnancy and breastfeeding were more likely to crave similar snacks themselves.

However, the new twist is that even when weaned off this diet themselves, the damage may already have been done, they suggest.

Dr Stephanie Bayol, one of the researchers, said: "It seems that a mother's diet whilst pregnant and breastfeeding is very important for the long-term health of her child.

Tags: parenting, starts, in, the, tummy

Coffee Drinkers Have Slightly Lower Death Rates, Study Finds

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:46:49 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Don't tell me that there is still something in life I can look forward to each day.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

A new study has found that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption (up to 6 cups per day) is associated with a somewhat smaller rate of death from heart disease. (Credit: iStockphoto)

ScienceDaily (Jun. 17, 2008) — A new study has good news for coffee drinkers: Regular coffee drinking (up to 6 cups per day) is not associated with increased deaths in either men or women. In fact, both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption is associated with a somewhat smaller rate of death from heart disease.

"Coffee consumption has been linked to various beneficial and detrimental health effects, but data on its relation with death were lacking," says Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD, the study's lead author. "Coffee consumption was not associated with a higher risk of mortality in middle-aged men and women. The possibility of a modest benefit of coffee consumption on heart disease, cancer, and other causes of death needs to be further investigated."

Tags: health

Tomatoes Off Menus Amid Salmonella Outbreak

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:52:26 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Dare say this would be all over the infotainment, but for those who missed the warnings....

Clip Source: www.npr.org

NPR.org, June 10, 2008 · McDonald's "Big N' Tasty" sandwich is a little smaller Tuesday, and the Chicken Ranch BLT has temporarily lost its "T." Tomatoes are under scrutiny as the possible culprit in a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 145 people in more than a dozen states.

Federal health officials are trying to pinpoint the source of the contamination, and in the meantime, several restaurant chains, including McDonald's and Chipotle Mexican Grill, have stopped using fresh tomatoes altogether as a precaution. Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie and other supermarkets have also pulled some types of tomatoes from their produce aisles.

The Food and Drug Administration is urging consumers to avoid raw Roma, plum and red round tomatoes. So far, investigators know that cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vines still attached have not been implicated by people who have gotten sick.

Tags: health

Residents riled as bungled pipes leave them with unexpectedly 'fishy' visitor

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:05:18 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Like the idea of a pond storing the water to put the fire out.

Clip Source: mdn.mainichi.jp

Typical loaches. (Mainichi file)

YUASA, Wakayama -- Some local residents have received an apology after their water supply was accidentally linked to a pond and a small fish called a loach poured out of a faucet used for drinking water, local officials said.

Pipes supposed to carry water to a newly built residential district in Yuasa were mistakenly connected to a local pond where water is stored for fire-fighting purposes.

The mistake continued for months and some people have complained of illness.

The mayor and other officials have apologized to residents.

City officials are still investigating the cause of the illness and have asked residents to undergo health checks.

"This was a basic miss and we're terribly sorry," a spokesman for the Yuasa Municipal Government said. "If we establish there is a link with people's deteriorated health, we want to deal with the matter sincerely."

Tags: humans, make, wonderful, mistakes-murphy

Genetic Nondiscrimination Act Becomes Law

Fri, 23 May 2008 16:02:05 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Good move.

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

President Bush yesterday signed legislation into law that will bar health insurance companies or employers from denying or canceling coverage, hiking premiums or making decisions on hiring, firing and compensation based on genetic test results.

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) sailed through the Senate in late April, following a year of political wrangling, and a week later passed the House by a 414-to-1 margin.

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), a microbiologist with a master's degree in public health, introduced the first genetic antidiscrimination legislation 13 years ago. GINA supporters believe the act will encourage people to take advantage of the more than 1,000 genetic tests now available to diagnose and assess risk of diseases without fear of losing their jobs or being denied insurance coverage for doing so.

Tags: genetic, maps

Chemical used in plastic products a threat to babies

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:59:36 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Even babies bottles are made from plastic.

Clip Source: mdn.mainichi.jp

A potential hormone-damaging chemical used in plastic products could affect fetuses and newborn babies even though it meets safety standards, a study has found.

Researchers at the National Institute of Health Sciences have found the chemical substance -- bisphenol A -- could disrupt the central nerve system of fetuses and children, after they conducted experiments on rats.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is looking into consulting the Food Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office over the finding.

According to researchers at the institute, they administered different amounts of bisphenol A to five groups of mother rats every day since the sixth day of their conception until 20 days after they gave birth to baby rats.

They then compared the estradiol cycle of their offspring with their counterparts born from rats that were not administered with bisphenol A to see how the chemical substance affected baby rats through the placenta and breast milk of the mother rats.

Tags: medical, babies, are, lab, rats

Dems Rip EPA for Axing Official Who Urged Cleanup by Dow

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:43:41 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Not very "free country" behaviour. Corporation bosses in this case should be charged with attempted murder or manslaughter as people will have their lives shortened as a result.

Clip Source: www.truthout.org

Washington - Democratic senators lambasted the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday for ousting its top administrator in the Midwest after she pressured Dow Chemical to clean up dioxin-contaminated soil in Michigan.

During a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said the episode raised warning signs about the credibility of the EPA and the agency's commitment to "protect the environment and our health."

According to a report in Friday's Chicago Tribune, the EPA administrator for the Midwest region, Mary Gade, said she was told to quit or be fired by June 1. She resigned.

Gade had been pressuring Dow for almost a year to get the chemical company to clean up chemical contamination in Michigan.

Dioxin, produced as a byproduct of some chemical manufacturing or formed from burning wood, coal and oil, has been linked to cancer and other health problems.

Tags: politics, pollution

Doctors issue climate change health warning

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:30:34 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Even a non believer will be able to see some of the good side to fixing up the planet. Hospitals on hills!!!!!!! will be the solution offered by many politicians.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Doctors are warning that the health system needs to prepare for increased rates of climate change-related illness in the population.

The Climate Change Institute has released a report by Doctors for the Environment, which warns that floods, droughts, rising seas and higher temperatures caused by climate change will bring a raft of health problems.

Co-author Doctor Graeme Horton says that includes more cases of heat stroke, mosquito-transmitted diseases and gastroenteritis outbreaks.

He says its important for the health system and the community to be prepared to cope with the strain.

"Climate change is clearly much, much more than an economic inconvenience - it is a threat to our life support systems," he said.

He says the elderly, children and those living in coastal and rural areas will be among those worst affected.

"For Australian communities we're expecting in coming years more heat waves, more effects of heat stress and more days of high to extreme fire danger," he said.

Tags: health

The top 5 ways medical physics has changed health care

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:30:00 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Have to go to the site for details.

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

College Park, MD (February 28, 2008) -- Many of the greatest inventions in modern medicine were developed by physicists who imported technologies such as X rays, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultrasound, particle accelerators and radioisotope tagging and detection techniques into the medical domain. There they became magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT) scanning, nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, and various radiotherapy treatment methods. These contributions have revolutionized medical techniques for imaging the human body and treating disease.

1) USING PARTICLE ACCELERATORS TO DEFEAT CANCER

2) BETTER DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER

3) MATTER/ANTIMATTER COLLISION IMAGING

4) ENSURING THE SAFETY OF PEOPLE WHO GET CT SCANS

5) MEDICAL PHYSICS MOMENTS IN HISTORY

X rays

Magnetic Resonance

Radioimmunoassays

Computer-assisted tomography

LOOK FOR MORE TO COME

Tags: physics, medical, health care