Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'health' clips

World's oldest blogger signs off at age 108

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:50:35 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

An Australian woman renowned as the world's oldest blogger has died at the age of 108, with her last posting talking about her ailing health but also how she still sings a happy song every day.

Olive Riley, of Woy Woy about 50 miles north of Sydney, began blogging in February last year, sharing stories from her life during the two world wars, raising three children on her own, and working as a station cook in the outback.

The physically frail but mentally alert Riley won an international audience with her blog, The Life of Riley (www.allaboutolive.com.au), and series of videos posted on YouTube with her talking and singing.

"She enjoyed the notoriety -- it kept her mind fresh," her great-grandson Darren Stone of Brisbane told local newspapers.

In her last and 74th post (http://worldsoldestblogger.blogspot.com) on June 26 she spoke of moving into a nursing home and of her ill health, saying: "I still feel weak and can't shake off that bad cough."

Tags: blogger, blogging, internet, youtube

Bush Signs Genetics Anti-Discrimination Law

Sun, 25 May 2008 04:40:41 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

President George W. Bush on Wednesday signed a law that prohibits discrimination against anyone whose genetic information shows a predisposition to illnesses such as cancer or heart disease.

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, passed by overwhelming majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, bans health insurers and employers from discriminating on the basis of genetic information.

As he signed the legislation in the Oval Office, Bush praised Sen. Edward Kennedy, who was instrumental in pushing the legislation through Congress. The Massachusetts Democrat was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor this week.

The law bars health insurers from rejecting coverage or raising premiums for healthy people based on personal or familial genetic predisposition to develop a particular disease such as cancer, diabetes, heart ailments or others.

Tags: genetics, health, discrimination, medical

Mental health workers blast CPS for separating polygamist families

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:10:57 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.dallasnews.com

SAN ANTONIO – Removing children from a polygamist sect's West Texas ranch was unnecessary and traumatizing, several mental health workers sent to aid the families wrote.

"The mothers are incredibly loving and patient with the children. The children were well-socialized and well-behaved and interacted willingly and happily with us," one wrote.

Another wrote: "The children were sweet and well-mannered upon our arrival. They obeyed their mothers and appeared to be healthy and well-nourished. They had none of the traditional withdrawal common in abused children."

The MHMR workers helped staff large shelters in San Angelo where mothers were at first allowed to stay with the children. Only mothers of younger children were allowed to remain after the first few days.

Many of the MHMR workers described child welfare workers as high-handed, rude and uncaring toward the mothers.

Tags: flds, family, sect, social, children, polygamist

Backlash Against Heavyset Beauty Queen

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:00:32 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

Chloe Marshall's tiara tumbled this week as the British press chided the size-16 Miss England model as "fat, lazy and a poster girl for ill health."

The curvaceous 17-year-old beautician trainee, who was the first plus-sized model in British history to make the July finals of the annual contest, was the butt of numerous assaults in a story in London's gossipy "Daily Mail."

The visceral reaction to the model's rotund bikini-clad photo underscores the confusion and complexity in the ongoing debate over weight on and off the runway.

Marshall responded to Grenfell's skewer as a publicity stunt, claiming that she does, indeed, exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet, having slimmed down recently to a "normal," 5-feet, 10-inches and 176 pounds.

The pretty brunette has touted herself as a role model for teens and an outspoken critic of the fashion industry's celebration of paper-thin models.

Tags: health, body, image, beauty, women, woman, obesity, fashion

The 16 worst places to stash your stuff

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:17:56 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: The worst place for your coffee: the refrigerator or freezer

The worst place for your TV: wherever you dine

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Here, surprisingly bad locales for your health — and the best places to optimize it.

The worst place for your toothbrush: on the bathroom sink

The worst place to set your handbag: the kitchen counter

The worst place for your sneakers and flip-flops: in the bedroom closet

The worst place to try to fall asleep: under piles of blankets

The worst place to cool leftovers: in the refrigerator

The worst stall to pick in a public restroom: the one in the middle

The worst place for a workout reminder: stuck on your post-it laden fridge

The worst place to sit on an airplane: the rear

The worst place to pick up a prescription: the pharmacy drive-thru

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The worst place to stand during your first few fitness classes: front and center

The worst place for a nighttime reading light: overhead

The worst place to keep medicine: the medicine cabinet

The worst place to set fruit before washing it: the kitchen sink

The worst place to use earbuds or headphones: on an airplane, train, or subway

Tags: stuff, study, health

Texas employers can now see your health records

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:07:49 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.mysanantonio.com

Medical privacy has been protected for years by the most unlikely guardians: insurance companies.

But the Texas Legislature has made the state the first in the nation to force insurance companies to pass along sensitive employee health records to employers, a practice permitted under federal law.

As of Jan. 1, businesses became entitled to receive a list of their employees and family members — identified by number or some other code, but not by name — whose health bills exceeded $15,000 the previous year.

Employers also can obtain the diagnosis, dates of service, amounts paid, prognosis, future costs and treatment plans for each.

The detailed information also can be obtained for those who have been precertified for hospital stays of five or more days, according to the bill that sailed through the Texas House and Senate without opposition and was signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry last summer.

Tags: texas, employment, medical, privacy, health

Canceled Cancer Patient Awarded $9 Million

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:47:10 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

A woman who had her medical coverage canceled as she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer has been awarded more than $9 million in a case against one of California's largest health insurers.

Patsy Bates, 52, a hairdresser from Gardena, had been left with more than $129,000 in unpaid medical bills when Health Net Inc. canceled her policy in 2004.

"I had cancer, my life was on the line, and these guys did not care, did not care at all," Bates told the CBS Evening News last November.

In fact, she was in the hospital getting prepped for surgery when she first learned Health Net was dropping her.

Some of the documents Health Net was forced to hand over revealed that senior analyst, Barbara Fowler, single-handedly dropped hundreds of policy holders like Bates from the rolls every year.

The shocker: the company awarded her bonuses based on how many policy holders she dropped.

Tags: health, medical, healthcare, insurance, cancer

A Different 'Right To Life'

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:04:57 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Today the Supreme Court will consider a petition to hear a case raising profound issues regarding the right of individuals to make their own health-care decisions. The case is Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs v. von Eschenbach.

The suit claims that FDA violates the due process rights of terminally-ill patients, who have exhausted all approved options and are unable to enter a clinical trial, by prohibiting access to promising investigational drugs.

Consider the plight of such patients. They search for clinical trials of new drugs that might extend their lives. Nearly all are ineligible. Of the few who do qualify, many learn the trial is fully enrolled and closed, or too far away. Others face a 50-50 chance of getting a placebo (a sugar pill) under blinded conditions (meaning neither they nor their doctors know what they are getting). Many are allowed to die without being told about or offered the active drug.

Tags: medical, death, rights, health, right to life, drugs

Teen dies hours after liver transplant approved

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:42:43 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

A 17-year-old died just hours after her health insurance company reversed its decision not to pay for a liver transplant that doctors said the girl needed.

Nataline Sarkisyan died Thursday night at about 6 p.m. at University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center. She had been in a vegetative state for weeks, said her mother, Hilda.

Mark Geragos, attorney for the girl's family, said he plans to ask the district attorney to press murder or manslaughter charges against Cigna HealthCare in the case. The insurer "maliciously killed her" because it did not want to bear the expense of her transplant and aftercare, Geragos said.

Nataline had been battling leukemia and received a bone marrow transplant from her brother. She developed a complication, however, that caused her liver to fail.

Doctors at UCLA determined she needed a transplant and sent a letter to CIGNA Healthcare on December 11. The Philadelphia-based health insurance company denied payment for the transplant.

Tags: medical, heath, teen, death, insurance, cancer

"Make It Right" in New Orleans

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:52:43 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

Brad Pitt's passion for architecture and compassion for the people of New Orleans has inspired the "Make It Right" initiative, a new effort to rebuild the Big Easy.

Brad Pitt: These are people who did everything right, according to the American dream. They got jobs and they saved their money. They bought homes. They raised their kids in these communities. And it's all been wiped out, wiped out, and they are in this state of limbo and it is dismal.

And we're asking people to join in with us on this "Adopt a House" campaign.

For every $150,000 that comes in, I guarantee a family will be returning to their home, and not just any affordable home, but a home that's intelligent, that respects your hard-earned money, that respects your health and respects the health of the environment.

To find out how you can help with "Make It Right," click HERE.

Tags: new orleans, housing, american, family, celebrity, initiative

Healers divulge their favorite natural cures

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:21:45 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Throughout history, every society produces men and women who possess extraordinary therapeutic skill and insight — born of acquired knowledge, experience, intuition, or a combination of all three. In search of our era's consummate healers, we've screened the worlds of both natural and conventional medicine. Here, these modern masters share their personal strategies for maintaining good health, high energy, and mental clarity.

Keeping a cold at bay

Playing it safe with cell phones

Morning meditation

An apple a day...

Tags: health, healing, nature, medical

Surgeons Get Sweet On Honey To Heal Wounds

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 03:51:11 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.ksat.com

Researchers from the North West Wales National Health Service Trust say that patients should ask their doctors about putting honey on wounds to speed healing and fight infection.

Dr. Fasal Rauf Khan said honey was an ancient treatment for wound healing, and that it never spoils. But when effective antibiotics came into use in the 1940s, honey was dropped.

"Honey has a number of properties that make it effective against bacterial growth, including its high sugar content, low moisture content, gluconic acid -- which creates an acidic environment -- and hydrogen peroxide. It has also been shown to reduce inflammation and swelling," he said.

He also said honey could gain favor because of concerns about pathogens gaining resistance to antibiotics.

Tags: health, medical, honey, nature, healing

Surrogate Gives Birth to Her Twin Grandsons

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:03:19 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

A 51-year-old surrogate mother for her daughter has given birth to her own twin grandchildren in northeastern Brazil, the delivery hospital said.

Rosinete Palmeira Serrao, a government health worker, gave birth to twin boys by Caesarean section on Thursday at the Santa Joana Hospital in the city of Recife, the hospital said in a statement on its Web site.

Hospital officials were not available for comment on Sunday, but press reports said the grandmother and twins were discharged on Saturday in excellent health. The Caesarean section was performed about two weeks ahead of time because Serrao was having trouble sleeping, the statement said.

Serrao decided to serve as a surrogate mother after four years of failed attempts at pregnancy by her 27-year-old daughter, Claudia Michelle de Brito.

Brazilian law stipulates that only close relatives can serve as surrogate mothers. De Brito is an only child and none of her cousins volunteered, so Serrao agreed to receive four embryos from her daughter.

Tags: family, babies, surrogate, brazil, children, birth

Faith-Based Initiative Backfires

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 03:58:29 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.csmonitor.com

Once upon a time God, with some federal funding, was going to do so much.

In his early years, President Bush promoted funding for faith-based groups in order to blast social problems with the power of religious belief by unleashing the "armies of compassion." Bush predicted that his faith-based initiative would be his great legacy. And it does send an estimated $2 billion to religious charities.

But the campaign, ignored by Congress and challenged in court, has dropped off the White House talking points. After a brief mention in the 2006 State of the Union address, it was left out entirely this year.

The initiative did leave another legacy: It gave spirituality a bad name in social-service circles.

But after six years of faith-based talk and funding by federal agencies, mental-health and addictions-treatment professionals are wary of spiritual interventions, which they associate with one religious brand: the conservative Christianity of Bush partisans.

Tags: faith, government, religion, god, social services, christian, federal, mental, health

Bush's Compassionate Conservatism Does Not Include Sick Kids

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:54:05 GMT

clipped by: zasel
clipper's remarks: George W. Bush was literally strong armed into signing legislation while he was governor of Texas that protected poor kids from going without health care. Now that he is president, he is trying to prevent helping poor kids on a national level. Has this man no shame?!?

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Bush could face first veto override

A plan to expand a program that insures low-income children has wide support in both houses of Congress.

As they tell the story in Texas, when George W. Bush was governor, he fought hard to put austere limits on a new federal-state plan to provide health insurance for children of low-wage workers in the state. Outmaneuvered by Democrats, he corralled the program's chief sponsor on the statehouse floor and conceded defeat, saying, "You crammed it down our throats."

Now, almost 10 years later, President Bush is threatening to veto federal legislation that would renew the same partnership — the State Children's Health Insurance Program — and expand it to cover more of the nation's nearly 9 million uninsured children.

If he follows through on that threat, Bush could face a first in his presidency: a veto override.

The bill is considered Washington's most important legislation this year on health coverage.

Tags: bush, congress, health care, cruelty