Fewer Companies Now Dominate U.S. Health Insurance Industry
Small businesses in the U.S. are increasingly being forced to choose between only a handful of companies when choosing coverage for their employees, federal investigators report. The trend is worrying legislators and consumer advocates concerned about shrinking competition and higher costs, the New York Times reported Sunday.
In a typical state, the largest insurer now controls 43 percent of the market for small group coverage, up from 33 percent in 2002, according to data collected by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). In nine states one carrier, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, controls more than half the market.
Doctors and small businesses are increasingly noting the decline in competition, and within two weeks the U.S. Senate is taking up legislation that would encourage small businesses to group together to help bargain with insurers to make coverage more affordable.
"Small businesses have extremely limited choices when seeking health insurance for employees," Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), who is also the chairwoman of the Committee on Small Business, told the Times. In her state, Blue Cross and Blue Shield now control 63 percent of the small group insurance market.
But industry representatives say the concentration of the market among fewer companies is not a threat to consumers. "There certainly have been some large insurance company mergers in the last few years," Karen M. Ignagni, president of the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans, told the Times. But she said that, "The data do not show a link between concentration of insurance markets and rising health care costs."
The U.S. Census Bureau now estimates that 45.8 million Americans are without health insurance, with more than half either self-employed or working for companies with 50 or fewer employees.
Former FDA Head Crawford Under Investigation
Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Lester M. Crawford is under criminal investigation by a federal grand jury, accused of financial improprieties and false statements to Congress, his lawyer told the New York Times Friday.
The lawyer, Barbara Van Gelder, did not elaborate further on the accusations, the Times said. She told a federal magistrate Thursday that she would instruct Crawford to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination if he was ordered to answer questions regarding actions during his tenure as FDA head. Crawford did not reply to requests for comment from the Times.
Crawford resigned as FDA commission in September after serving less than three months in the post after his Senate confirmation. At the time, he said it was simply time for someone else to lead the agency.
The following month, the Department of Health and Human Services released disclosure forms showing that either Crawford or his wife, Catherine, had sold shares in companies regulated by the agency when he was deputy commissioner and acting commissioner.
The criminal investigation against Crawford was made public as part of a lawsuit over the FDA's action on the emergency contraceptive Plan B. The drug became the center of a bitter controversy during Crawford's tenure as head of the agency, after the FDA repeatedly delayed approval of over-the-counter sales of the drug.
FDA OKs Drug for Rare Children's Disease
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first-ever treatment for a rare and deadly illness in newborns called Pompe disease, the New York Times reported.
Studies show the drug, Myozyme, successfully treats the inherited enzyme deficiency, which destroys muscles and is usually lethal before newborns reach one year of age. The drug was developed by Cambridge, Mass.-based biotech company Genzyme with help from federal government incentives aimed at developing medicines for rare, so-called orphan diseases.
Most of the 18 Pompe disease-affected infants given Myozyme in a 2003-2005 clinical trial remain alive today, although two did succumb to the disease and 7 require a ventilator to breathe.
Myozyme is extremely expensive -- about $200,000 to $300,000 per year -- but Genzyme has promised it will supply the drug free of cost to any child whose family is unable to pay for it via insurance or other means.
Pioneer in Genetics Gets Medicine's Top Prize
An 84-year-old biologist who was among the first to suggest that genetics, not just environment, plays a key role in animal and human behavior was awarded the United States' richest prize for medicine and biomedical research, the Associated Press reported on Friday.
Seymour Benzer, now of the California Institute of Technology, received the prestigious $500,000 Albany Medical Center Prize for work that began decades ago and laid the foundation for much of modern genetics research, including the Human Genome Project.
Benzer has said his interest in genetics and behavior began when he noticed that his second child behaved radically different than his first, soon after her birth. His subsequent work in flies revealed that the substitution of a single gene could bring about major changes in their behaviors.
Benzer told the AP that his work's impact lies in "opening up the whole idea that behavior can be dissected by manipulation, studying the genes."
Among medical awards, the Albany Medical Center Prize is second only to the $1.4 million Nobel Prize for Medicine in cash value.
Lawsuits Claim Illness from Stolen Body Parts
U.S. patients who unknowingly received tissues obtained from a company accused of illegally harvesting body parts are launching lawsuits claiming they contracted hepatitis C, HIV or syphilis from the transplants, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
"It pretty much turned my life upside down," one patient, Ned Jackson, 49, of Omaha, Neb., told the Associated Press. Jackson claims he contracted hepatitis B and C from lower back surgery involving the transplanted tissues.
The lawsuits are the latest chapter in a ghoulish saga involving now-closed Biomedical Tissue Services (BTS), a New Jersey company which is accused of failing to gain proper consent to take various tissues from cadavers. The tissues were then sent to hospitals where they were used in routine procedures involving an estimated 8,000 patients.
BTS' owners and three others accused in the case have pleaded not guilty to the charges laid against them.
According to the AP, so far about two dozen legal actions, most of them class-action lawsuits representing hundreds of tissue recipients, have been filed across the U.S.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration assert that the chance of any patient contracting a serious infection from the BTS tissues remains very low. But lawyers representing patients say that's not necessarily so.
"There has never been a widespread dissemination of recalled tissues. What's happened here presents a whole new scenario," Larry R. Cohan, a Philadelphia lawyer representing about 130 plaintiffs, told the AP.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Health Headlines - April 29
Pioneer in Genetics Gets Medicine's Top Prize
An 84-year-old biologist who was among the first to suggest that genetics, not just environment, plays a key role in animal and human behavior was awarded the United States' richest prize for medicine and biomedical research, the Associated Press reported on Friday.
Seymour Benzer, now of the California Institute of Technology, received the prestigious $500,000 Albany Medical Center Prize for work that began decades ago and laid the foundation for much of modern genetics research, including the Human Genome Project.
Benzer has said his interest in genetics and behavior began when he noticed that his second child behaved radically different than his first, soon after her birth. His subsequent work in flies revealed that the substitution of a single gene could bring about major changes in their behaviors.
Benzer told the AP that his work's impact lies in "opening up the whole idea that behavior can be dissected by manipulation, studying the genes."
Among medical awards, the Albany Medical Center Prize is second only to the $1.4 million Nobel Prize for Medicine in cash value.
Lawsuits Claim Illness from Stolen Body Parts
U.S. patients who unknowingly received tissues obtained from a company accused of illegally harvesting body parts are launching lawsuits claiming they contracted hepatitis C, HIV or syphilis from the transplants, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
"It pretty much turned my life upside down," one patient, Ned Jackson, 49, of Omaha, Neb., told the Associated Press. Jackson claims he contracted hepatitis B and C from lower back surgery involving the transplanted tissues.
The lawsuits are the latest chapter in a ghoulish saga involving now-closed Biomedical Tissue Services (BTS), a New Jersey company which is accused of failing to gain proper consent to take various tissues from cadavers. The tissues were then sent to hospitals where they were used in routine procedures involving an estimated 8,000 patients.
BTS' owners and three others accused in the case have pleaded not guilty to the charges laid against them.
According to the AP, so far about two dozen legal actions, most of them class-action lawsuits representing hundreds of tissue recipients, have been filed across the U.S.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration assert that the chance of any patient contracting a serious infection from the BTS tissues remains very low. But lawyers representing patients say that's not necessarily so.
"There has never been a widespread dissemination of recalled tissues. What's happened here presents a whole new scenario," Larry R. Cohan, a Philadelphia lawyer representing about 130 plaintiffs, told the AP.
UnitedHealth, Humana Leaders in Medicare Drug Plan Sign-Ups
Two companies -- UnitedHealth Group and Humana -- are the frontrunners among insurers enrolling people for the new U.S. Medicare drug benefit.
About 90 companies are administering more than 3,000 plans, but a handful of companies are pulling in the bulk of enrollees, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The leader is UnitedHealth, which has a joint marketing relationship with AARP. The company has enlisted 3.8 million people, which represents 27 percent of the enrollment so far in stand-alone drug plans, the Associated Press reported.
UnitedHealth is also first in Medicare Advantage offerings, with 20 percent (1.2 million enrollees) of the market share.
Humana is second in the market in stand-alone drug plans, with about 2. 4 million beneficiaries (18 percent). The company ranks third in terms of Medicare Advantage offerings, with about 800,000 enrollees (13 percent), the AP reported.
Companies with the largest number of people enrolled at an early stage will have a major marketing advantage later on, noted Dan Mendelson, president of the consulting firm Avalere Health.
U.S. Mad Cow Testing Likely to be Scaled Back
Testing data released Friday indicates that only four to seven cows in the United States have mad cow disease, according to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns.
"The data shows the prevalence of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in the United States is extraordinarily low," he said during a conference call with reporters. "In other words, we have an extremely healthy herd of cattle in our country."
Johanns said it's likely that testing for BSE will be scaled back after the data is reviewed by an independent panel of scientists, the Associated Press reported.
After mad cow first appeared in the United States a few years ago, testing increased to about 1,000 samples per day from a prior level of about 55 samples a day, the AP reported. U.S. officials haven't made a decision about the new level of testing. International guidelines call for about 110 tests a day.
Gene Therapy for 'Bubble Boy' Syndrome May Cause Cancer
Gene therapy to treat children with no immune system -- a condition called X-SCID that's commonly referred to as "bubble boy" syndrome -- may increase cancer risk, says a U.S. study in the journal Nature.
Children with X-SCID have a mutated IL2RG gene. The defective gene is unable to produce a protein needed for the development of immune system cells, which means the immune system cells can't develop normally and protect the body.
The gene therapy replaces the defective IL2RG gene.
In this study, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, injected mice with the same gene therapy used to treat X-SCID, BBC News reported.
The mice were monitored for 18 months. A third of them developed lymphoma.
Critics of the study say the researchers used unnaturally high doses of the gene therapy, BBC News reported.
A French study of the gene therapy in 10 children had to be halted in 2002 because three of the children developed T-cell leukemia.
U.S. Has Mild Flu Season
The fact that this year's flu vaccine was a good match for the winter's most common flu virus helped make this one of the United States' mildest flu seasons in recent years, health officials say.
There were fewer flu and pneumonia deaths than normally recorded in a typical flu season and fewer than two dozen children's deaths were reported.
As of April 9-15, flu was widespread in only five states: Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, New York and Rhode Island, the Associated Press reported.
In about half the states in the country, there are now virtually no reports of flu-like illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the mild flu season is good news, health experts are concerned it may lull people into forgetting the danger posed by common flu viruses and a potential flu pandemic that could erupt from the H5N1 bird flu virus currently stalking Africa, Asia and Europe.
"I hope people would not judge what might be coming in the future based on what's happened this year," Dr. Roland Levandowski of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told AP.
An 84-year-old biologist who was among the first to suggest that genetics, not just environment, plays a key role in animal and human behavior was awarded the United States' richest prize for medicine and biomedical research, the Associated Press reported on Friday.
Seymour Benzer, now of the California Institute of Technology, received the prestigious $500,000 Albany Medical Center Prize for work that began decades ago and laid the foundation for much of modern genetics research, including the Human Genome Project.
Benzer has said his interest in genetics and behavior began when he noticed that his second child behaved radically different than his first, soon after her birth. His subsequent work in flies revealed that the substitution of a single gene could bring about major changes in their behaviors.
Benzer told the AP that his work's impact lies in "opening up the whole idea that behavior can be dissected by manipulation, studying the genes."
Among medical awards, the Albany Medical Center Prize is second only to the $1.4 million Nobel Prize for Medicine in cash value.
Lawsuits Claim Illness from Stolen Body Parts
U.S. patients who unknowingly received tissues obtained from a company accused of illegally harvesting body parts are launching lawsuits claiming they contracted hepatitis C, HIV or syphilis from the transplants, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
"It pretty much turned my life upside down," one patient, Ned Jackson, 49, of Omaha, Neb., told the Associated Press. Jackson claims he contracted hepatitis B and C from lower back surgery involving the transplanted tissues.
The lawsuits are the latest chapter in a ghoulish saga involving now-closed Biomedical Tissue Services (BTS), a New Jersey company which is accused of failing to gain proper consent to take various tissues from cadavers. The tissues were then sent to hospitals where they were used in routine procedures involving an estimated 8,000 patients.
BTS' owners and three others accused in the case have pleaded not guilty to the charges laid against them.
According to the AP, so far about two dozen legal actions, most of them class-action lawsuits representing hundreds of tissue recipients, have been filed across the U.S.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration assert that the chance of any patient contracting a serious infection from the BTS tissues remains very low. But lawyers representing patients say that's not necessarily so.
"There has never been a widespread dissemination of recalled tissues. What's happened here presents a whole new scenario," Larry R. Cohan, a Philadelphia lawyer representing about 130 plaintiffs, told the AP.
UnitedHealth, Humana Leaders in Medicare Drug Plan Sign-Ups
Two companies -- UnitedHealth Group and Humana -- are the frontrunners among insurers enrolling people for the new U.S. Medicare drug benefit.
About 90 companies are administering more than 3,000 plans, but a handful of companies are pulling in the bulk of enrollees, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The leader is UnitedHealth, which has a joint marketing relationship with AARP. The company has enlisted 3.8 million people, which represents 27 percent of the enrollment so far in stand-alone drug plans, the Associated Press reported.
UnitedHealth is also first in Medicare Advantage offerings, with 20 percent (1.2 million enrollees) of the market share.
Humana is second in the market in stand-alone drug plans, with about 2. 4 million beneficiaries (18 percent). The company ranks third in terms of Medicare Advantage offerings, with about 800,000 enrollees (13 percent), the AP reported.
Companies with the largest number of people enrolled at an early stage will have a major marketing advantage later on, noted Dan Mendelson, president of the consulting firm Avalere Health.
U.S. Mad Cow Testing Likely to be Scaled Back
Testing data released Friday indicates that only four to seven cows in the United States have mad cow disease, according to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns.
"The data shows the prevalence of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in the United States is extraordinarily low," he said during a conference call with reporters. "In other words, we have an extremely healthy herd of cattle in our country."
Johanns said it's likely that testing for BSE will be scaled back after the data is reviewed by an independent panel of scientists, the Associated Press reported.
After mad cow first appeared in the United States a few years ago, testing increased to about 1,000 samples per day from a prior level of about 55 samples a day, the AP reported. U.S. officials haven't made a decision about the new level of testing. International guidelines call for about 110 tests a day.
Gene Therapy for 'Bubble Boy' Syndrome May Cause Cancer
Gene therapy to treat children with no immune system -- a condition called X-SCID that's commonly referred to as "bubble boy" syndrome -- may increase cancer risk, says a U.S. study in the journal Nature.
Children with X-SCID have a mutated IL2RG gene. The defective gene is unable to produce a protein needed for the development of immune system cells, which means the immune system cells can't develop normally and protect the body.
The gene therapy replaces the defective IL2RG gene.
In this study, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, injected mice with the same gene therapy used to treat X-SCID, BBC News reported.
The mice were monitored for 18 months. A third of them developed lymphoma.
Critics of the study say the researchers used unnaturally high doses of the gene therapy, BBC News reported.
A French study of the gene therapy in 10 children had to be halted in 2002 because three of the children developed T-cell leukemia.
U.S. Has Mild Flu Season
The fact that this year's flu vaccine was a good match for the winter's most common flu virus helped make this one of the United States' mildest flu seasons in recent years, health officials say.
There were fewer flu and pneumonia deaths than normally recorded in a typical flu season and fewer than two dozen children's deaths were reported.
As of April 9-15, flu was widespread in only five states: Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, New York and Rhode Island, the Associated Press reported.
In about half the states in the country, there are now virtually no reports of flu-like illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the mild flu season is good news, health experts are concerned it may lull people into forgetting the danger posed by common flu viruses and a potential flu pandemic that could erupt from the H5N1 bird flu virus currently stalking Africa, Asia and Europe.
"I hope people would not judge what might be coming in the future based on what's happened this year," Dr. Roland Levandowski of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told AP.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Health Headlines - April 28
U.S. Has Mild Flu Season
The fact that this year's flu vaccine was a good match for the winter's most common flu virus helped make this one of the United States' mildest flu seasons in recent years, health officials say.
There were fewer flu and pneumonia deaths than normally recorded in a typical flu season and fewer than two dozen children's deaths were reported.
As of April 9-15, flu was widespread in only five states: Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, New York and Rhode Island, the Associated Press reported.
In about half the states in the country, there are now virtually no reports of flu-like illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the mild flu season is good news, health experts are concerned it may lull people into forgetting the danger posed by common flu viruses and a potential flu pandemic that could erupt from the H5N1 bird flu virus currently stalking Africa, Asia and Europe.
"I hope people would not judge what might be coming in the future based on what's happened this year," Dr. Roland Levandowski of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told AP.
Bausch & Lomb Alerted About Eye Infections Last Year
U.S. eye-care products maker Bausch & Lomb said Thursday that it was alerted last November about an increase in fungal eye infections among contact lens wearers in Hong Kong.
The company halted shipments of ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution to the Far East in February of this year after it was told about "an unusual spike" in the rate of Fusarium keratitis infections in Singapore, the Associated Press reported.
But Bausch & Lomb had already been informed last November by Hong Kong health officials that they'd seen an increase in hospital admissions due to this kind of infection. However, an investigation by both company and Hong Kong officials found no firm link between the fungal infections and ReNu with MoistureLoc, company spokeswoman Meg Graham said.
"We looked into it, they looked into it and, as far as we know, the case was closed and this was just considered to be some sort of aberrational occurrence," Graham told the AP.
On April 10, the company suspended U.S. shipments of its ReNu with MoistureLoc in the United States due to an outbreak of Fusarium keratitis infections among Americans. So far, there have been 186 suspected or confirmed cases in 29 states. The infection can scar the cornea and result in blindness.
While no firm link between the solution and the eye infections has been established, many of the affected U.S. patients used ReNu with MoistureLoc.
Exercise Reduces Arthritis Joint Pain
People with arthritis who get regular exercise have less joint pain than those who don't get as much exercise, says a poll released Thursday by the Arthritis Foundation.
The survey of more than 2,000 people found that 81 percent of arthritis patients who exercise at least three days a week reported that they have almost no joint pain, compared to 66 percent of those who exercise fewer than two days a week.
"The recommended guideline for people with arthritis is to participate in physical activity three or more days per week, as studies have shown that amount of activity lessens pain and disability," Dr. Patience White, chief public health officer of the Arthritis Foundation, said in a prepared statement.
However, the survey found that, overall, 43 percent of people with arthritis exercise less than three days a week and that 75 percent of those who are inactive are physically limited in some way.
Among arthritis patients 55 and older, 59 percent exercise less than three days a week and 31 percent said that joint pain limits their activities.
"Although the temptation may be to stay inactive in order to avoid aggravating the condition, by being physically active people with arthritis can actually improve their quality of life," White said.
Don't Reuse Disposable Masks During Flu Pandemic: Report
The reuse of disposable medical masks during a flu pandemic is not recommended because there's no simple, reliable way to decontaminate them in order to ensure they can be safely used more than once, says a report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine.
Disposable masks are made of a mesh of fibers, which can trap harmful particles. Such a hazardous buildup can't be cleaned out or disinfected without damaging the fibers or other components of the mask, such as the strap or nose clip.
The report also said that it is possible to reuse an N95 respirator by following a series of steps to protect it from contamination. However, since the reliability of any face coverings against flu is unclear, wearers should not risk unnecessary exposure.
"Respiratory protection through the use of face coverings is only one of the many strategies that will be needed to slow or halt a pandemic outbreak of influenza, and people should not engage in activities that would increase their risk of exposure to flu just because they have a mask or respirator," report committee co-chair John C. Bailar, professor emeritus, University of Chicago, said in a prepared statement.
Kentucky First, Mississippi Worst in State Medical Board Ranking
Kentucky's state medical board gets top marks, while Mississippi's is at the bottom, according to an annual ranking released Thursday by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.
The rankings are based on data from the Federation of State Medical Boards on the number of disciplinary actions taken against doctors from 2003-2005. In 2005, there were 3,255 serious disciplinary actions taken by state medical boards, a 1.2 percent decrease from the 3,296 in 2004.
The three-year state disciplinary rates ranged from 9.08 serious actions per 1,000 doctors in Kentucky to 1.62 per 1,000 in Mississippi. That's a 5.6-fold difference between the best and the worst.
Rounding out the top five were: Alaska (8.49), Wyoming (8.19), Ohio (6.33), and Arizona (6.20).
Rounding out the bottom five were: Delaware (1.63), Minnesota (1.65), Wisconsin (1.72), and Nevada (2.03).
"These data again raise serious questions about the extent to which patients in many of these states with poorer records of serious doctor discipline are being protected from physicians who might well be barred from practice in states with boards that are doing a better job of disciplining physicians," Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said in a prepared statement.
The fact that this year's flu vaccine was a good match for the winter's most common flu virus helped make this one of the United States' mildest flu seasons in recent years, health officials say.
There were fewer flu and pneumonia deaths than normally recorded in a typical flu season and fewer than two dozen children's deaths were reported.
As of April 9-15, flu was widespread in only five states: Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, New York and Rhode Island, the Associated Press reported.
In about half the states in the country, there are now virtually no reports of flu-like illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the mild flu season is good news, health experts are concerned it may lull people into forgetting the danger posed by common flu viruses and a potential flu pandemic that could erupt from the H5N1 bird flu virus currently stalking Africa, Asia and Europe.
"I hope people would not judge what might be coming in the future based on what's happened this year," Dr. Roland Levandowski of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told AP.
Bausch & Lomb Alerted About Eye Infections Last Year
U.S. eye-care products maker Bausch & Lomb said Thursday that it was alerted last November about an increase in fungal eye infections among contact lens wearers in Hong Kong.
The company halted shipments of ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution to the Far East in February of this year after it was told about "an unusual spike" in the rate of Fusarium keratitis infections in Singapore, the Associated Press reported.
But Bausch & Lomb had already been informed last November by Hong Kong health officials that they'd seen an increase in hospital admissions due to this kind of infection. However, an investigation by both company and Hong Kong officials found no firm link between the fungal infections and ReNu with MoistureLoc, company spokeswoman Meg Graham said.
"We looked into it, they looked into it and, as far as we know, the case was closed and this was just considered to be some sort of aberrational occurrence," Graham told the AP.
On April 10, the company suspended U.S. shipments of its ReNu with MoistureLoc in the United States due to an outbreak of Fusarium keratitis infections among Americans. So far, there have been 186 suspected or confirmed cases in 29 states. The infection can scar the cornea and result in blindness.
While no firm link between the solution and the eye infections has been established, many of the affected U.S. patients used ReNu with MoistureLoc.
Exercise Reduces Arthritis Joint Pain
People with arthritis who get regular exercise have less joint pain than those who don't get as much exercise, says a poll released Thursday by the Arthritis Foundation.
The survey of more than 2,000 people found that 81 percent of arthritis patients who exercise at least three days a week reported that they have almost no joint pain, compared to 66 percent of those who exercise fewer than two days a week.
"The recommended guideline for people with arthritis is to participate in physical activity three or more days per week, as studies have shown that amount of activity lessens pain and disability," Dr. Patience White, chief public health officer of the Arthritis Foundation, said in a prepared statement.
However, the survey found that, overall, 43 percent of people with arthritis exercise less than three days a week and that 75 percent of those who are inactive are physically limited in some way.
Among arthritis patients 55 and older, 59 percent exercise less than three days a week and 31 percent said that joint pain limits their activities.
"Although the temptation may be to stay inactive in order to avoid aggravating the condition, by being physically active people with arthritis can actually improve their quality of life," White said.
Don't Reuse Disposable Masks During Flu Pandemic: Report
The reuse of disposable medical masks during a flu pandemic is not recommended because there's no simple, reliable way to decontaminate them in order to ensure they can be safely used more than once, says a report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine.
Disposable masks are made of a mesh of fibers, which can trap harmful particles. Such a hazardous buildup can't be cleaned out or disinfected without damaging the fibers or other components of the mask, such as the strap or nose clip.
The report also said that it is possible to reuse an N95 respirator by following a series of steps to protect it from contamination. However, since the reliability of any face coverings against flu is unclear, wearers should not risk unnecessary exposure.
"Respiratory protection through the use of face coverings is only one of the many strategies that will be needed to slow or halt a pandemic outbreak of influenza, and people should not engage in activities that would increase their risk of exposure to flu just because they have a mask or respirator," report committee co-chair John C. Bailar, professor emeritus, University of Chicago, said in a prepared statement.
Kentucky First, Mississippi Worst in State Medical Board Ranking
Kentucky's state medical board gets top marks, while Mississippi's is at the bottom, according to an annual ranking released Thursday by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.
The rankings are based on data from the Federation of State Medical Boards on the number of disciplinary actions taken against doctors from 2003-2005. In 2005, there were 3,255 serious disciplinary actions taken by state medical boards, a 1.2 percent decrease from the 3,296 in 2004.
The three-year state disciplinary rates ranged from 9.08 serious actions per 1,000 doctors in Kentucky to 1.62 per 1,000 in Mississippi. That's a 5.6-fold difference between the best and the worst.
Rounding out the top five were: Alaska (8.49), Wyoming (8.19), Ohio (6.33), and Arizona (6.20).
Rounding out the bottom five were: Delaware (1.63), Minnesota (1.65), Wisconsin (1.72), and Nevada (2.03).
"These data again raise serious questions about the extent to which patients in many of these states with poorer records of serious doctor discipline are being protected from physicians who might well be barred from practice in states with boards that are doing a better job of disciplining physicians," Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said in a prepared statement.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Health Headlines - April 27
Don't Reuse Disposable Masks During Flu Pandemic: Report
The reuse of disposable medical masks during a flu pandemic is not recommended because there's no simple, reliable way to decontaminate them in order to ensure they can be safely used more than once, says a report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine.
Disposable masks are made of a mesh of fibers, which can trap harmful particles. Such a hazardous buildup can't be cleaned out or disinfected without damaging the fibers or other components of the mask, such as the strap or nose clip.
The report also said that it is possible to reuse an N95 respirator by following a series of steps to protect it from contamination. However, since the reliability of any face coverings against flu is unclear, wearers should not risk unnecessary exposure.
"Respiratory protection through the use of face coverings is only one of the many strategies that will be needed to slow or halt a pandemic outbreak of influenza, and people should not engage in activities that would increase their risk of exposure to flu just because they have a mask or respirator," report committee co-chair John C. Bailar, professor emeritus, University of Chicago, said in a prepared statement.
Kentucky First, Mississippi Worst in State Medical Board Ranking
Kentucky's state medical board gets top marks, while Mississippi's is at the bottom, according to an annual ranking released Thursday by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.
The rankings are based on data from the Federation of State Medical Boards on the number of disciplinary actions taken against doctors from 2003-2005. In 2005, there were 3,255 serious disciplinary actions taken by state medical boards, a 1.2 percent decrease from the 3,296 in 2004.
The three-year state disciplinary rates ranged from 9.08 serious actions per 1,000 doctors in Kentucky to 1.62 per 1,000 in Mississippi. That's a 5.6-fold difference between the best and the worst.
Rounding out the top five were: Alaska (8.49), Wyoming (8.19), Ohio (6.33), and Arizona (6.20).
Rounding out the bottom five were: Delaware (1.63), Minnesota (1.65), Wisconsin (1.72), and Nevada (2.03).
"These data again raise serious questions about the extent to which patients in many of these states with poorer records of serious doctor discipline are being protected from physicians who might well be barred from practice in states with boards that are doing a better job of disciplining physicians," Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said in a prepared statement.
Discovery Could Lead to New Alzheimer's Treatment
A protein called TPM21 that occurs naturally in the brain can stop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research in the journal Nature.
The finding could lead to the development of a "clean and direct" treatment for Alzheimer's within the next decade, said University of Toronto researcher Dr. Peter St. George-Hyslop.
"This is the starting block of something that could be tremendous. This could be the blueprint for the development of a drug to treat the disease," he said.
St. George-Hyslop helped lead the international team that found that TPM21 blocks the creation of the destructive neurotoxin called Abeta (also known as beta-amyloid peptide), which is responsible for the onset of Alzheimer's, the Toronto Star reported.
Numerous attempts have been made to block the production of Abeta, but those therapies have been too coarse in their actions and have resulted in intolerable side effects, St. George-Hyslop said.
"We now have a clean and direct way to inhibit the production of Abeta ... with potentially no side effects," he said.
However, he noted that the research is still in the early stages and a drug to mimic the antitoxin effects of TPM21 will likely take at least five years to develop, the Star reported.
New Policy Protects Medicare Beneficiaries' Drug Coverage
A new policy that protects Medicare beneficiaries against the sudden loss of coverage for drugs they're taking under the prescription-drug program was announced Wednesday by the Bush administration.
The move addresses one of the major criticisms of the new Medicare drug benefit, The New York Times reported.
Under the new policy, insurers can still make changes to their lists of covered drugs (formularies) but, if they impose new restrictions or drop drugs from that list, they must exempt beneficiaries currently taking those drugs.
"No beneficiaries will be subject to a discontinuation or reduction in coverage of the drugs they are currently using," the new policy states.
In other news, out-of-pocket costs have increased for about 20 percent of enrollees in the new prescription-drug plan and some people have had to reduce or eliminate medications, a move that can harm their health.
Most of the more than 30 million people enrolled in the program are saving money. However, two recent surveys suggest that many seniors and disabled people are paying more for their drugs, USA Today reported.
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey conducted between April 6-11 found that 55 percent of 154 seniors enrolled in the plan said it would save them money, while 19 percent said they would break even, and another 19 percent said it would cost them more.
Another survey, conducted March 15-20 for the Medicare Rx Education Network, found that 59 percent of 201 enrolled seniors saved money, but 23 percent did not, USA Today reported.
Many low-income seniors and disabled people are paying more under the new plan, acknowledge Medicare officials. They're asking drug companies and states to continue providing assistance to poor people who require expensive drugs.
Bird-Flu Virus Spreading Quickly: U.N. Expert
About 200 people are known to have been infected with the H5N1 bird-flu virus, but it's probably affected "many, many more," Dr. David Nabarro, the U.N. official in charge of tracking the virus, said Wednesday at a meeting on how to inform people worldwide about the threat posed by the virus.
He said the virus seems to be spreading quickly. It has been detected in 45 countries, has killed more than 100 people, and has led to the deaths of about 200 million birds, impoverishing millions of small poultry farmers, the Associated Press reported.
Nabarro noted that between 2003 and 2005, the H5N1 virus was reported in 15 countries. In the first four months of 2006, it has moved rapidly to 30 new countries.
Part of the problem is years of neglect of veterinary services in many countries, he said.
"The result of that is we are susceptible to diseases within animals that can jump into humans," Nabarro said. He noted that "70 percent of emerging diseases of a communicable kind in our world today come from animals."
He's working with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health to improve veterinary services, the AP reported.
The reuse of disposable medical masks during a flu pandemic is not recommended because there's no simple, reliable way to decontaminate them in order to ensure they can be safely used more than once, says a report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine.
Disposable masks are made of a mesh of fibers, which can trap harmful particles. Such a hazardous buildup can't be cleaned out or disinfected without damaging the fibers or other components of the mask, such as the strap or nose clip.
The report also said that it is possible to reuse an N95 respirator by following a series of steps to protect it from contamination. However, since the reliability of any face coverings against flu is unclear, wearers should not risk unnecessary exposure.
"Respiratory protection through the use of face coverings is only one of the many strategies that will be needed to slow or halt a pandemic outbreak of influenza, and people should not engage in activities that would increase their risk of exposure to flu just because they have a mask or respirator," report committee co-chair John C. Bailar, professor emeritus, University of Chicago, said in a prepared statement.
Kentucky First, Mississippi Worst in State Medical Board Ranking
Kentucky's state medical board gets top marks, while Mississippi's is at the bottom, according to an annual ranking released Thursday by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.
The rankings are based on data from the Federation of State Medical Boards on the number of disciplinary actions taken against doctors from 2003-2005. In 2005, there were 3,255 serious disciplinary actions taken by state medical boards, a 1.2 percent decrease from the 3,296 in 2004.
The three-year state disciplinary rates ranged from 9.08 serious actions per 1,000 doctors in Kentucky to 1.62 per 1,000 in Mississippi. That's a 5.6-fold difference between the best and the worst.
Rounding out the top five were: Alaska (8.49), Wyoming (8.19), Ohio (6.33), and Arizona (6.20).
Rounding out the bottom five were: Delaware (1.63), Minnesota (1.65), Wisconsin (1.72), and Nevada (2.03).
"These data again raise serious questions about the extent to which patients in many of these states with poorer records of serious doctor discipline are being protected from physicians who might well be barred from practice in states with boards that are doing a better job of disciplining physicians," Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said in a prepared statement.
Discovery Could Lead to New Alzheimer's Treatment
A protein called TPM21 that occurs naturally in the brain can stop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research in the journal Nature.
The finding could lead to the development of a "clean and direct" treatment for Alzheimer's within the next decade, said University of Toronto researcher Dr. Peter St. George-Hyslop.
"This is the starting block of something that could be tremendous. This could be the blueprint for the development of a drug to treat the disease," he said.
St. George-Hyslop helped lead the international team that found that TPM21 blocks the creation of the destructive neurotoxin called Abeta (also known as beta-amyloid peptide), which is responsible for the onset of Alzheimer's, the Toronto Star reported.
Numerous attempts have been made to block the production of Abeta, but those therapies have been too coarse in their actions and have resulted in intolerable side effects, St. George-Hyslop said.
"We now have a clean and direct way to inhibit the production of Abeta ... with potentially no side effects," he said.
However, he noted that the research is still in the early stages and a drug to mimic the antitoxin effects of TPM21 will likely take at least five years to develop, the Star reported.
New Policy Protects Medicare Beneficiaries' Drug Coverage
A new policy that protects Medicare beneficiaries against the sudden loss of coverage for drugs they're taking under the prescription-drug program was announced Wednesday by the Bush administration.
The move addresses one of the major criticisms of the new Medicare drug benefit, The New York Times reported.
Under the new policy, insurers can still make changes to their lists of covered drugs (formularies) but, if they impose new restrictions or drop drugs from that list, they must exempt beneficiaries currently taking those drugs.
"No beneficiaries will be subject to a discontinuation or reduction in coverage of the drugs they are currently using," the new policy states.
In other news, out-of-pocket costs have increased for about 20 percent of enrollees in the new prescription-drug plan and some people have had to reduce or eliminate medications, a move that can harm their health.
Most of the more than 30 million people enrolled in the program are saving money. However, two recent surveys suggest that many seniors and disabled people are paying more for their drugs, USA Today reported.
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey conducted between April 6-11 found that 55 percent of 154 seniors enrolled in the plan said it would save them money, while 19 percent said they would break even, and another 19 percent said it would cost them more.
Another survey, conducted March 15-20 for the Medicare Rx Education Network, found that 59 percent of 201 enrolled seniors saved money, but 23 percent did not, USA Today reported.
Many low-income seniors and disabled people are paying more under the new plan, acknowledge Medicare officials. They're asking drug companies and states to continue providing assistance to poor people who require expensive drugs.
Bird-Flu Virus Spreading Quickly: U.N. Expert
About 200 people are known to have been infected with the H5N1 bird-flu virus, but it's probably affected "many, many more," Dr. David Nabarro, the U.N. official in charge of tracking the virus, said Wednesday at a meeting on how to inform people worldwide about the threat posed by the virus.
He said the virus seems to be spreading quickly. It has been detected in 45 countries, has killed more than 100 people, and has led to the deaths of about 200 million birds, impoverishing millions of small poultry farmers, the Associated Press reported.
Nabarro noted that between 2003 and 2005, the H5N1 virus was reported in 15 countries. In the first four months of 2006, it has moved rapidly to 30 new countries.
Part of the problem is years of neglect of veterinary services in many countries, he said.
"The result of that is we are susceptible to diseases within animals that can jump into humans," Nabarro said. He noted that "70 percent of emerging diseases of a communicable kind in our world today come from animals."
He's working with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health to improve veterinary services, the AP reported.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Health Headlines - April 26
Huge Increases in Medicaid Drug Spending Recorded
Medicaid spending on outpatient drugs more than doubled from 1997 to 2002, from $11.6 billion to $23.7 billion, says a study released Wednesday by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
The spending increase, an average of 20 percent a year, reflects both an increase in the number of prescriptions written for Medicaid enrollees -- from 301 million in 1997 to 429 million in 2002 -- and the rapid uptake of newer classes of drugs, which are often more costly, the study said.
Another factor is increased spending on behalf of disabled adults, including low-income people with serious mental illnesses.
From 1997 to 2002, there was a 50 percent increase (from 2.5 million to 3.7 million) in the number of Medicaid enrollees taking antidepressants, which contributed to a 130 percent rise in Medicaid spending on antidepressants during that period.
In 2002, antidepressants and other psychotherapeutic drugs were the largest category of drugs prescribed to Medicaid enrollees. Between 1997 and 2002, total spending for all psychotherapeutic drugs increased 127 percent.
Menopause Symptoms Impact Female Executives: Survey
Menopause symptoms cause problems in the daily lives of many female executives in the United States, says a Harris Interactive survey released Wednesday.
The survey included 622 members, age 35 and older, of the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), who are currently experiencing menopause symptoms, or have in the past.
Eighty percent of respondents said at least one of their symptoms was problematic in their daily lives. The most common symptoms were hot flashes (84 percent) and night sweats (77 percent).
The survey also found that 72 percent of the women experienced insomnia at least once per week and 88 percent of women with menopause-associated insomnia reported feeling more fatigue during the day, 62 percent said they're more irritable, and 44 percent said they can't do their job as well.
Thirty-one percent of the women said menopausal symptoms were either extremely problematic or problematic to their romantic lives and 28 percent said the symptoms were either extremely problematic or problematic to their overall emotional well being.
"NAFE conducted this survey of menopausal symptoms to foster an open discussion of a topic long considered taboo and to encourage women to talk with their doctors and find solutions that work for them," Betty Spence, NAFE president, said in a prepared statement.
Consumer Group Hands Out 'Bitter Pill' Awards
Here are some awards that the "winners" may find tough to swallow.
The 2006 Bitter Pill Awards were revealed Wednesday by the Prescription Access Litigation Project (PAL), a U.S. national consumer organization that challenges high prescription drug prices in an effort to make them affordable for everyone.
The awards highlight overzealous and questionable marketing practices.
"Whether you're watching TV, reading a magazine, or browsing the Web, it's impossible to escape prescription drug advertisements," Alex Sugerman-Brozan, PAL director, said in a prepared statement. "A lot of money is riding on drug companies convincing consumers that they have insomnia, acid reflux, high cholesterol, allergies, depression, toenail fungus, and erectile dysfunction, and that they need to have expensive brand-name drugs to treat them."
The Bitter Pill Award recipients:
* The While You Were Sleeping Award: For Overmarketing Insomnia Medications to Anyone Who's Ever Had a Bad Night's Sleep -- presented to Lunesta (Sepracor) and Ambien/AmbienCR (Sanofi-Aventis).
* The "Got Cholesterol?" Award: For Overpromoting Expensive Brand-Name Statins - presented to Lipitor (Pfizer) and Crestor (AstraZeneca).
* The Driven to Distraction Award: For Hawking an Attention Deficit Drug by Distracting Consumers with ADHD -- presented to Strattera (Eli Lilly).
* The Fox Guarding the Hen House Award: For Pushing Toothless "Guiding Principles" on Drug Advertising -- presented to the drug industry's national lobbying group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
* The Truth is Stranger Than Fiction Award: For Commissioning a Hackneyed Thriller to Scare Americans About Canadian Drugs -- presented to PhRMA.
A sincere "Real Deal" award was presented to MedVantx, for its efforts to provide consumers with safe, affordable generic alternatives to expensive, brand-name drugs.
Former Boston-Area Dye Factory Linked to High Cancer Rates
The site of a former textile dye-making plant in Ashland, Mass., outside of Boston, is linked to a high cancer rate among some people who grew up in the area, says a seven-year study released Tuesday by the state Department of Public Health.
The study found that people who grew up in Ashland and swam or waded in waste lagoons or contaminated wetlands at or near the former Nyanza Inc. dye plant were two to three times more likely to develop cancer than people who had no contact with the water, the Associated Press reported.
Cancer rates were nearly four times higher for people who had contact with the polluted water and also had a family history of cancer.
The study included 1,387 people who were 10 to 18 years old while living in Ashland between 1965 and 1985. In this group, there were 73 cases of cancer and eight cancer-related deaths. About two-thirds of the cancer cases were diagnosed before the patient was age 35. Many of the cancers were rare forms, the AP reported.
The Nyanza dye plant operated from 1965 to 1978. The 35-acre site, which was added to the federal government's Superfund cleanup list in 1983, is surrounded by homes. Ashland Junior & Senior High School is nearby.
Allergy Drug Shouldn't Be Given to Young Children: FDA
Children younger than 2 years old should not be given the antihistamine promethazine hydrochloride, says a U.S. Food and Drug Administration safety alert.
The alert, issued Tuesday, said there have been seven cases of death linked to the use of the drug and 22 reports of severe breathing problems in children younger than 2, the Associated Press reported.
Promethazine hydrochloride, also known as promethazine HCI, is sold by Wyeth under the brand name Phenergan and is also sold in various generic versions. The FDA warning covers all forms of the drug, including tablets, suppositories, syrups, and injectable liquids.
The FDA also said parents should use care when giving promethazine HCI to children older than 2. Labels on all versions of the drug have been upgraded to reflect the strengthened warnings, the AP reported.
Promethazine HCI was approved in 1951 and is used to treat hay fever, allergy-related stuffy or runny nose, and other minor allergies.
Medicaid spending on outpatient drugs more than doubled from 1997 to 2002, from $11.6 billion to $23.7 billion, says a study released Wednesday by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
The spending increase, an average of 20 percent a year, reflects both an increase in the number of prescriptions written for Medicaid enrollees -- from 301 million in 1997 to 429 million in 2002 -- and the rapid uptake of newer classes of drugs, which are often more costly, the study said.
Another factor is increased spending on behalf of disabled adults, including low-income people with serious mental illnesses.
From 1997 to 2002, there was a 50 percent increase (from 2.5 million to 3.7 million) in the number of Medicaid enrollees taking antidepressants, which contributed to a 130 percent rise in Medicaid spending on antidepressants during that period.
In 2002, antidepressants and other psychotherapeutic drugs were the largest category of drugs prescribed to Medicaid enrollees. Between 1997 and 2002, total spending for all psychotherapeutic drugs increased 127 percent.
Menopause Symptoms Impact Female Executives: Survey
Menopause symptoms cause problems in the daily lives of many female executives in the United States, says a Harris Interactive survey released Wednesday.
The survey included 622 members, age 35 and older, of the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), who are currently experiencing menopause symptoms, or have in the past.
Eighty percent of respondents said at least one of their symptoms was problematic in their daily lives. The most common symptoms were hot flashes (84 percent) and night sweats (77 percent).
The survey also found that 72 percent of the women experienced insomnia at least once per week and 88 percent of women with menopause-associated insomnia reported feeling more fatigue during the day, 62 percent said they're more irritable, and 44 percent said they can't do their job as well.
Thirty-one percent of the women said menopausal symptoms were either extremely problematic or problematic to their romantic lives and 28 percent said the symptoms were either extremely problematic or problematic to their overall emotional well being.
"NAFE conducted this survey of menopausal symptoms to foster an open discussion of a topic long considered taboo and to encourage women to talk with their doctors and find solutions that work for them," Betty Spence, NAFE president, said in a prepared statement.
Consumer Group Hands Out 'Bitter Pill' Awards
Here are some awards that the "winners" may find tough to swallow.
The 2006 Bitter Pill Awards were revealed Wednesday by the Prescription Access Litigation Project (PAL), a U.S. national consumer organization that challenges high prescription drug prices in an effort to make them affordable for everyone.
The awards highlight overzealous and questionable marketing practices.
"Whether you're watching TV, reading a magazine, or browsing the Web, it's impossible to escape prescription drug advertisements," Alex Sugerman-Brozan, PAL director, said in a prepared statement. "A lot of money is riding on drug companies convincing consumers that they have insomnia, acid reflux, high cholesterol, allergies, depression, toenail fungus, and erectile dysfunction, and that they need to have expensive brand-name drugs to treat them."
The Bitter Pill Award recipients:
* The While You Were Sleeping Award: For Overmarketing Insomnia Medications to Anyone Who's Ever Had a Bad Night's Sleep -- presented to Lunesta (Sepracor) and Ambien/AmbienCR (Sanofi-Aventis).
* The "Got Cholesterol?" Award: For Overpromoting Expensive Brand-Name Statins - presented to Lipitor (Pfizer) and Crestor (AstraZeneca).
* The Driven to Distraction Award: For Hawking an Attention Deficit Drug by Distracting Consumers with ADHD -- presented to Strattera (Eli Lilly).
* The Fox Guarding the Hen House Award: For Pushing Toothless "Guiding Principles" on Drug Advertising -- presented to the drug industry's national lobbying group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
* The Truth is Stranger Than Fiction Award: For Commissioning a Hackneyed Thriller to Scare Americans About Canadian Drugs -- presented to PhRMA.
A sincere "Real Deal" award was presented to MedVantx, for its efforts to provide consumers with safe, affordable generic alternatives to expensive, brand-name drugs.
Former Boston-Area Dye Factory Linked to High Cancer Rates
The site of a former textile dye-making plant in Ashland, Mass., outside of Boston, is linked to a high cancer rate among some people who grew up in the area, says a seven-year study released Tuesday by the state Department of Public Health.
The study found that people who grew up in Ashland and swam or waded in waste lagoons or contaminated wetlands at or near the former Nyanza Inc. dye plant were two to three times more likely to develop cancer than people who had no contact with the water, the Associated Press reported.
Cancer rates were nearly four times higher for people who had contact with the polluted water and also had a family history of cancer.
The study included 1,387 people who were 10 to 18 years old while living in Ashland between 1965 and 1985. In this group, there were 73 cases of cancer and eight cancer-related deaths. About two-thirds of the cancer cases were diagnosed before the patient was age 35. Many of the cancers were rare forms, the AP reported.
The Nyanza dye plant operated from 1965 to 1978. The 35-acre site, which was added to the federal government's Superfund cleanup list in 1983, is surrounded by homes. Ashland Junior & Senior High School is nearby.
Allergy Drug Shouldn't Be Given to Young Children: FDA
Children younger than 2 years old should not be given the antihistamine promethazine hydrochloride, says a U.S. Food and Drug Administration safety alert.
The alert, issued Tuesday, said there have been seven cases of death linked to the use of the drug and 22 reports of severe breathing problems in children younger than 2, the Associated Press reported.
Promethazine hydrochloride, also known as promethazine HCI, is sold by Wyeth under the brand name Phenergan and is also sold in various generic versions. The FDA warning covers all forms of the drug, including tablets, suppositories, syrups, and injectable liquids.
The FDA also said parents should use care when giving promethazine HCI to children older than 2. Labels on all versions of the drug have been upgraded to reflect the strengthened warnings, the AP reported.
Promethazine HCI was approved in 1951 and is used to treat hay fever, allergy-related stuffy or runny nose, and other minor allergies.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Health Headlines - April 25
Many Americans Know Little About Mental Illness: Survey
Many Americans (44 percent) know little about the symptoms, causes and treatments for mental illnesses, but 84 percent agree that they would benefit from knowing more about the warning signs of such disorders, says a survey released Tuesday by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
"The consequences of this gap in knowledge are quite serious," Dr. Carolyn Robinowtiz, president-elect of the APA, said in a prepared statement. "About one in five Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder during any given year. This means few families are untouched by a mental illness. All families will benefit from understanding how these disorders can impact their lives.
One-third of the respondents mistakenly thought that emotional or personal weakness is a major cause of mental illnesses, and nearly as many said they believed old age is a major cause. However, mental illness is caused by genetic and environmental factors, traumatic events, and other physical illnesses and injuries that have psychiatric side effects, the APA said.
The survey also found that 31 percent of adults said they wouldn't seek treatment for mental illness for fear of what other people would think.
Robinowitz noted that common mental illnesses can be successfully treated in most cases. "Left untreated, mental illnesses can take an enormous toll on family life, the workplace, and society as a whole," she said.
Mental disorders account for four of the 10 leading causes of disability in the United States. The economic burden of depression alone in the U.S. in 2000 was an estimated $83 billion.
Narcolepsy Drug May Help Treat Cocaine Addiction
The U.S. National Institutes of Health is spending $10.8 million on three clinical trials investigating whether modafinil -- a drug used to treat narcolepsy -- is effective as a treatment for cocaine addiction.
Previous evidence suggests that modafinil can help cocaine addicts kick their addiction. It's believed that modafinil may blunt addicts' cravings for cocaine and may also counter the damage that the drug causes to users' brain circuits, which helps continue the cycle of addiction, the Associated Press reported.
Modafinil may help restore proper function of an important brain chemical called dopamine in cocaine addicts, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The NIH studies -- being conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas in Houston, Boston University, and other sites -- include about 650 cocaine users. Results from the first of those clinical trials could be available by the end of the year, the AP reported.
Despite about two decades of research, scientists have been unable to find a medication to treat cocaine addiction.
U.S. Concerned About Deadly Lung Disease in Food Workers
U.S. government scientists are concerned about the increasing number of cases of food workers with a potentially fatal lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans, which is linked to chemicals used in food flavorings.
The disease has been found among workers in popcorn plants throughout the Midwest, and was linked to diacetyl, which is used to enhance flavor or impart the taste of butter. The disease was found in nearly 200 popcorn plant employees and killed at least three workers, the Associated Press reported.
"Now we've got cases of bronchiolitis obliterans among workers in other plants that use flavorings and in plants that make the flavorings," Dr. Kathleen Kreiss, chief of the field studies branch of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), told the Baltimore Sun.
New cases include an employee of a Baltimore-area flavoring company, a man at a North Carolina potato chip plant, a worker at a Chicago candy maker, and employees at a Cincinnati flavoring plant.
The cases have NIOSH scientists questioning the food industry's commitment to protecting its workers.
Bronchiolitis obliterans is an irreversible, progressive condition that is often fatal without a lung transplant.
Vaginal Gel to Protect Against HIV Could Be Available by 2010
A safe and effective vaginal gel to protect women against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, may be available by 2010, according to researchers.
Currently, microbe-killing vaginal gels are being tested in a number of clinical trials involving thousands of women. Results should be available within two years, the Associated Press reported.
If the trials prove the gels are effective and if governments fast-track their approval, they could be on the market as early as 2010, Gita Ramjee, director of the HIV prevention research unit at South Africa's Medical Research Council, said at a news conference in Cape Town before an international conference on microbicides.
More than 1,000 scientists and researchers are attending the conference, which is co-sponsored by the World Health Organization.
In many parts of the world, HIV infections are increasing more rapidly among women than men. Half of all adults with HIV are female, according to the United Nations.
A microbicide that's 60 percent effective against HIV that's used by only 20 percent of women in 73 developing countries could prevent 2.5 million HIV infections, the London School of Tropical Hygiene has calculated, the AP reported.
More Americans Seek Treatment for Drug Abuse
The number of Americans being admitted to substance-treatment programs for methamphetamine and narcotic pain medications continued to increase in 2004, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said Monday.
Admissions for methamphetamine treatment rose 11 percent between 2003 and 2004, and 25 percent between 2002 and 2004. Admissions for treatment for opiates other than heroin (mostly prescription pain drugs) increased 21 percent from 2003 to 2004 and 42 percent from 2002 to 2004.
In 2004, there were 129,179 admissions to treatment for methamphetamine as the primary substance of abuse, compared with 117,259 in 2003, and 105,981 in 2002. The number of people admitted to treatment for prescription opiates was 63,243 in 2004; 53,120 in 2003; and 46,972 in 2002.
In Hawaii, 41 percent of admissions were due to methamphetamine as the primary substance of abuse, compared with 0.1 percent in Rhode Island. The overall nationwide rate was 8 percent.
Non-heroin opiates accounted for 3.4 percent of admissions to substance-abuse treatment programs, while heroin accounted for 14.2 percent. Maine had 14.3 percent of admissions for non-heroin opiates and 9 percent due to heroin, while in West Virginia the rates were 13.6 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively, the agency said.
Many Americans (44 percent) know little about the symptoms, causes and treatments for mental illnesses, but 84 percent agree that they would benefit from knowing more about the warning signs of such disorders, says a survey released Tuesday by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
"The consequences of this gap in knowledge are quite serious," Dr. Carolyn Robinowtiz, president-elect of the APA, said in a prepared statement. "About one in five Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder during any given year. This means few families are untouched by a mental illness. All families will benefit from understanding how these disorders can impact their lives.
One-third of the respondents mistakenly thought that emotional or personal weakness is a major cause of mental illnesses, and nearly as many said they believed old age is a major cause. However, mental illness is caused by genetic and environmental factors, traumatic events, and other physical illnesses and injuries that have psychiatric side effects, the APA said.
The survey also found that 31 percent of adults said they wouldn't seek treatment for mental illness for fear of what other people would think.
Robinowitz noted that common mental illnesses can be successfully treated in most cases. "Left untreated, mental illnesses can take an enormous toll on family life, the workplace, and society as a whole," she said.
Mental disorders account for four of the 10 leading causes of disability in the United States. The economic burden of depression alone in the U.S. in 2000 was an estimated $83 billion.
Narcolepsy Drug May Help Treat Cocaine Addiction
The U.S. National Institutes of Health is spending $10.8 million on three clinical trials investigating whether modafinil -- a drug used to treat narcolepsy -- is effective as a treatment for cocaine addiction.
Previous evidence suggests that modafinil can help cocaine addicts kick their addiction. It's believed that modafinil may blunt addicts' cravings for cocaine and may also counter the damage that the drug causes to users' brain circuits, which helps continue the cycle of addiction, the Associated Press reported.
Modafinil may help restore proper function of an important brain chemical called dopamine in cocaine addicts, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The NIH studies -- being conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas in Houston, Boston University, and other sites -- include about 650 cocaine users. Results from the first of those clinical trials could be available by the end of the year, the AP reported.
Despite about two decades of research, scientists have been unable to find a medication to treat cocaine addiction.
U.S. Concerned About Deadly Lung Disease in Food Workers
U.S. government scientists are concerned about the increasing number of cases of food workers with a potentially fatal lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans, which is linked to chemicals used in food flavorings.
The disease has been found among workers in popcorn plants throughout the Midwest, and was linked to diacetyl, which is used to enhance flavor or impart the taste of butter. The disease was found in nearly 200 popcorn plant employees and killed at least three workers, the Associated Press reported.
"Now we've got cases of bronchiolitis obliterans among workers in other plants that use flavorings and in plants that make the flavorings," Dr. Kathleen Kreiss, chief of the field studies branch of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), told the Baltimore Sun.
New cases include an employee of a Baltimore-area flavoring company, a man at a North Carolina potato chip plant, a worker at a Chicago candy maker, and employees at a Cincinnati flavoring plant.
The cases have NIOSH scientists questioning the food industry's commitment to protecting its workers.
Bronchiolitis obliterans is an irreversible, progressive condition that is often fatal without a lung transplant.
Vaginal Gel to Protect Against HIV Could Be Available by 2010
A safe and effective vaginal gel to protect women against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, may be available by 2010, according to researchers.
Currently, microbe-killing vaginal gels are being tested in a number of clinical trials involving thousands of women. Results should be available within two years, the Associated Press reported.
If the trials prove the gels are effective and if governments fast-track their approval, they could be on the market as early as 2010, Gita Ramjee, director of the HIV prevention research unit at South Africa's Medical Research Council, said at a news conference in Cape Town before an international conference on microbicides.
More than 1,000 scientists and researchers are attending the conference, which is co-sponsored by the World Health Organization.
In many parts of the world, HIV infections are increasing more rapidly among women than men. Half of all adults with HIV are female, according to the United Nations.
A microbicide that's 60 percent effective against HIV that's used by only 20 percent of women in 73 developing countries could prevent 2.5 million HIV infections, the London School of Tropical Hygiene has calculated, the AP reported.
More Americans Seek Treatment for Drug Abuse
The number of Americans being admitted to substance-treatment programs for methamphetamine and narcotic pain medications continued to increase in 2004, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said Monday.
Admissions for methamphetamine treatment rose 11 percent between 2003 and 2004, and 25 percent between 2002 and 2004. Admissions for treatment for opiates other than heroin (mostly prescription pain drugs) increased 21 percent from 2003 to 2004 and 42 percent from 2002 to 2004.
In 2004, there were 129,179 admissions to treatment for methamphetamine as the primary substance of abuse, compared with 117,259 in 2003, and 105,981 in 2002. The number of people admitted to treatment for prescription opiates was 63,243 in 2004; 53,120 in 2003; and 46,972 in 2002.
In Hawaii, 41 percent of admissions were due to methamphetamine as the primary substance of abuse, compared with 0.1 percent in Rhode Island. The overall nationwide rate was 8 percent.
Non-heroin opiates accounted for 3.4 percent of admissions to substance-abuse treatment programs, while heroin accounted for 14.2 percent. Maine had 14.3 percent of admissions for non-heroin opiates and 9 percent due to heroin, while in West Virginia the rates were 13.6 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively, the agency said.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Health Headlines - April 24
Hope for HIV microbicide breakthrough: scientists
Researchers are closing in on a breakthrough microbicide gel to help prevent HIV infection in women, scientists said on Monday, but a lack of funding by major pharmaceutical companies is hampering research.
"I think for many years the microbicides research field was a little bit tentative about making too much noise about the potential of this technology," Helen Rees, executive director of South Africa's Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit, said on the sidelines of an international conference in Cape Town.
"At this point the microbicides research field is feeling that there might well be the possibility of having an effective microbicide in the next few years," she told Reuters.
Microbicides cover a range of vaginal and rectal creams, gels or suppositories that kill microbes and aim to cut the transmission of HIV and possibly other sexually transmitted diseases when applied before sex.
If proven successful, they could provide a powerful prevention tool for AIDS and one that, unlike condoms, can be directly controlled by women.
Five potential microbicide products are in advanced clinical trials and scientists say the first results should be made public within two years.
Rees, a co-chair of the Cape Town conference, said the trials and other new products, many of them being tested in South Africa -- the country hardest hit by AIDS -- offered exciting prospects for a scientific breakthrough.
"There are a lot of new products coming through the pipeline, new molecules and exciting new potential products that look, in the laboratory and in animal models, as if they will probably be even more effective against HIV," she said.
"What we will see as the months and years go by are some of these products being formulated and moving rapidly into the clinical trial phases."
DISEASE OF THE POOR
Some delegates complained about a lack of interest shown by major pharmaceutical companies in funding research, possibly due to smaller markets for the products in rich countries.
"There is global consensus that there has been a slow uptake in terms of funding microbicides research," said World Health Organization Assistant Director-General Joy Phumaphi.
"We continue to be concerned about this ... we would like to see the pharmaceutical industry more involved," she said.
Developing countries, and particularly sub-Saharan Africa have been hardest hit by AIDS, and most of the new HIV infections worldwide continue to be amongst the poor.
But researchers say many of the products being tested could be highly effective in treating diseases such as herpes and chlamydia, both major problems in the developed world.
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, South Africa's health minister, told delegates medical officials should guard against unethical practices in trials conducted mostly in poor communities.
Many participants in trials were not fully aware of the risks and, desperately poor, were lured by money to take part, she said.
Fewer teens realize dangers of "huffing"
About 20 percent of U.S. teenagers admit they have gotten high by inhaling common household products, and fewer understand the dangers of this practice compared with teenagers five years ago, according to a report released Monday.
The findings reflect a drop-off in educational efforts begun in the 1990s to combat the growth of inhalant abuse, says the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which is publishing the report.
Sniffing or "huffing" vapors from ordinary products like glue, spray paint, nail polish remover and gasoline was once a "fringe" activity, said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership.
But by the mid-1990s, the practice had "exploded nationwide," he told Reuters Health, and even elementary school children were experimenting with the inhalants readily available under their kitchen sinks.
In 1995, the Partnership launched a large advertising campaign that was credited with boosting awareness of the dangers of inhalant abuse -- which include damage to the brain, liver, kidneys, vision, hearing and even sudden death from suffocation or heart arrhythmias.
More importantly, surveys found an accompanying decline in the percentage of kids who'd ever tried huffing, from 23 percent in 1995 to 18 percent in 2001.
But the new findings, based on a national survey of more than 7,200 teenagers and 1,200 parents, suggest awareness has waned and abuse is on the rise.
Overall, the survey found, 64 percent of teens "strongly" agreed that huffing can be fatal, down 19 percent from 2001. And 77 percent strongly agreed that inhalants can cause brain damage, down 9 percent.
"It's a lack of education," Pasierb said, noting that parents and kids alike need more information.
Only 5 percent of the parents in the survey thought their child had ever abused an inhalant, although 20 percent of teens said they had.
Some parents may simply be unaware of the practice, but many may believe that their child wouldn't do it, Pasierb noted.
He said the Partnership is restarting its ad campaign warning against inhalant abuse, because today's middle-schoolers weren't exposed to the educational efforts of the 1990s.
"This is something we need to keep up," Pasierb said.
The campaign includes advice on how parents can recognize signs of inhalant abuse, such as chemical odors on children's hands or clothes, spray cans or soaked rags in their rooms, and physical and behavioral signs such as a dazed appearance, red and runny eyes or nose, irritability and problems at school.
A parents' guide is published on the Partnership's Web site, www.drugfree.org.
Pa. Hospital Has 'No Transfusion' Surgery
When Irv Shapiro found out he needed surgery to fix a ruptured heart valve, one of the first questions he asked his doctor was whether he should donate his own blood.
He hoped to avoid being transfused with someone else's blood, but wasn't thrilled with the idea of spending weeks before surgery having pints of his own blood drawn and put in storage. So when he found out that Pennsylvania Hospital offered a third option -— once only available to Jehovah's Witnesses -— it was a relief.
"Not needing a blood transfusion, not having to get blood taken out of me, and a fast recovery time -— I was OK with all of that," said Shapiro, 60, a founding partner of an architectural firm and heavy traveler.
Pennsylvania Hospital is now able to offer so-called "bloodless surgery" to 90 percent of its patients who want it, joining a small but growing number of bloodless medicine programs around the country that also serve the general public. Advocates put the number at about 120.
Many states have bloodless surgery centers or hospitals that perform no-transfusion surgery for Jehovah's Witnesses, who believe the Bible forbids transfusions, but not for the general public.
Some hospitals are now providing no-transfusion surgery to more patients because of advances in equipment and changes in protocols.
Bloodless surgery techniques vary depending on the type of operation, but can include efficient heart-lung bypass machines that circulate a patient's blood during surgery; using high-tech scalpels that clot the blood as they cut tissue; or freezing tissue before it's excised.
There is also pre-surgery planning. Doctors start seeing patients weeks before surgery to prepare.
Among the benefits are reductions in recovery time, hospital stay, cost and complications -— as well as an estimated $20,000 in savings per patient, said Dr. Charles Bridges, the Pennsylvania Hospital cardiologist who performed Shapiro's surgery.
The general consensus in the medical community is that it is best to avoid donor blood transfusions whenever possible, but that transfusions remain an important lifesaving strategy. The American Medical Association endorses "autologous" blood transfusion -— giving a patient his own blood -— but takes no specific stance on no-transfusion surgery.
Pennsylvania Hospital has for at least a decade performed all kinds of no-transfusion surgery on Jehovah's Witnesses, Bridges said. In the year that no-transfusion heart surgery has been offered to patients, Bridges estimated that he has performed between 50 and 75 -— up from about 10 just a few years earlier.
Heart surgery, because it is associated with extensive blood loss, is more difficult to do "bloodless" than other operations. In traditional open-heart surgery, a patient may need up to six units of red blood cells, four units of plasma and 10 units of platelets, according to the American Red Cross.
"People used to think of open-heart surgery as this draconian thing," Bridges said. "Now we have what really is a kinder, gentler open-heart surgery."
The best no-transfusion candidates typically are those needing only one procedure -— repair of a single heart valve or a single bypass, for example. It also can be done in more complex operations, however.
About six weeks after Shapiro's surgery to fix his damaged mitral valve, he was back at work part time.
"I feel very lucky that I was told about the transfusion-free option and that I was a perfect candidate for it," he said.
From pre- to post-surgery, the goal is conserving the patient's own blood, Bridges said.
"There's no downside to it that we can see, and there's certainly no downside that's been documented," Bridges said.
About a month before no-transfusion surgery, blood tests are conducted. Anemic patients receive weekly injections of medications, as well as intravenous iron supplements, to increase their red-blood-cell count.
During surgery, blood that gets suctioned or sponged out of the body cavity is salvaged, and highly efficient pumps keep blood circulating while the heart and lungs are stopped. After surgery, less blood is taken for post-operation tests.
"You have to be meticulous, you have to be organized, and you have to really work as a team before, during and after surgery," Bridges said.
Patients who choose the no-transfusion option eliminate the risk of blood-borne infection and complications from clerical errors. They also get out of the hospital an average of one day earlier and avoid potential transfusion-related complications including immune system suppression, inflammatory response, and renal or respiratory failure, Bridges said.
Bloodless surgery is also preferable to having patients transfused with their own blood, Bridges said. Blood that has been stored degrades and deforms outside the body and doesn't flow through blood vessels or carry oxygen as well when it goes back in.
The trend toward avoiding transfusions is gaining momentum among doctors and patients, said Dr. Patricia Ford, director of Pennsylvania Hospital's Center for Bloodless Medicine & Surgery. Transfusions are lifesavers during emergencies, but they can be avoided in most elective operations, she said.
"There is a movement that, for a lot of us, started as part of caring for Jehovah's Witnesses and learning about blood conservation and management," said Ford, who also is president-elect of the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management, a Wisconsin-based advocacy group.
The group said that the number of bloodless medicine programs nationwide has risen from 100 to about 120 in the past six years. The American College of Surgeons, a division of the American Medical Association, said it does not keep statistics on bloodless surgery.
"Transfusions are like getting a transplant; they can be risky and should be a last resort," Ford said. "Frankly, all of the things we use are available to every hospital. ... The hope is that every hospital will do this eventually."
Researchers are closing in on a breakthrough microbicide gel to help prevent HIV infection in women, scientists said on Monday, but a lack of funding by major pharmaceutical companies is hampering research.
"I think for many years the microbicides research field was a little bit tentative about making too much noise about the potential of this technology," Helen Rees, executive director of South Africa's Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit, said on the sidelines of an international conference in Cape Town.
"At this point the microbicides research field is feeling that there might well be the possibility of having an effective microbicide in the next few years," she told Reuters.
Microbicides cover a range of vaginal and rectal creams, gels or suppositories that kill microbes and aim to cut the transmission of HIV and possibly other sexually transmitted diseases when applied before sex.
If proven successful, they could provide a powerful prevention tool for AIDS and one that, unlike condoms, can be directly controlled by women.
Five potential microbicide products are in advanced clinical trials and scientists say the first results should be made public within two years.
Rees, a co-chair of the Cape Town conference, said the trials and other new products, many of them being tested in South Africa -- the country hardest hit by AIDS -- offered exciting prospects for a scientific breakthrough.
"There are a lot of new products coming through the pipeline, new molecules and exciting new potential products that look, in the laboratory and in animal models, as if they will probably be even more effective against HIV," she said.
"What we will see as the months and years go by are some of these products being formulated and moving rapidly into the clinical trial phases."
DISEASE OF THE POOR
Some delegates complained about a lack of interest shown by major pharmaceutical companies in funding research, possibly due to smaller markets for the products in rich countries.
"There is global consensus that there has been a slow uptake in terms of funding microbicides research," said World Health Organization Assistant Director-General Joy Phumaphi.
"We continue to be concerned about this ... we would like to see the pharmaceutical industry more involved," she said.
Developing countries, and particularly sub-Saharan Africa have been hardest hit by AIDS, and most of the new HIV infections worldwide continue to be amongst the poor.
But researchers say many of the products being tested could be highly effective in treating diseases such as herpes and chlamydia, both major problems in the developed world.
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, South Africa's health minister, told delegates medical officials should guard against unethical practices in trials conducted mostly in poor communities.
Many participants in trials were not fully aware of the risks and, desperately poor, were lured by money to take part, she said.
Fewer teens realize dangers of "huffing"
About 20 percent of U.S. teenagers admit they have gotten high by inhaling common household products, and fewer understand the dangers of this practice compared with teenagers five years ago, according to a report released Monday.
The findings reflect a drop-off in educational efforts begun in the 1990s to combat the growth of inhalant abuse, says the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which is publishing the report.
Sniffing or "huffing" vapors from ordinary products like glue, spray paint, nail polish remover and gasoline was once a "fringe" activity, said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership.
But by the mid-1990s, the practice had "exploded nationwide," he told Reuters Health, and even elementary school children were experimenting with the inhalants readily available under their kitchen sinks.
In 1995, the Partnership launched a large advertising campaign that was credited with boosting awareness of the dangers of inhalant abuse -- which include damage to the brain, liver, kidneys, vision, hearing and even sudden death from suffocation or heart arrhythmias.
More importantly, surveys found an accompanying decline in the percentage of kids who'd ever tried huffing, from 23 percent in 1995 to 18 percent in 2001.
But the new findings, based on a national survey of more than 7,200 teenagers and 1,200 parents, suggest awareness has waned and abuse is on the rise.
Overall, the survey found, 64 percent of teens "strongly" agreed that huffing can be fatal, down 19 percent from 2001. And 77 percent strongly agreed that inhalants can cause brain damage, down 9 percent.
"It's a lack of education," Pasierb said, noting that parents and kids alike need more information.
Only 5 percent of the parents in the survey thought their child had ever abused an inhalant, although 20 percent of teens said they had.
Some parents may simply be unaware of the practice, but many may believe that their child wouldn't do it, Pasierb noted.
He said the Partnership is restarting its ad campaign warning against inhalant abuse, because today's middle-schoolers weren't exposed to the educational efforts of the 1990s.
"This is something we need to keep up," Pasierb said.
The campaign includes advice on how parents can recognize signs of inhalant abuse, such as chemical odors on children's hands or clothes, spray cans or soaked rags in their rooms, and physical and behavioral signs such as a dazed appearance, red and runny eyes or nose, irritability and problems at school.
A parents' guide is published on the Partnership's Web site, www.drugfree.org.
Pa. Hospital Has 'No Transfusion' Surgery
When Irv Shapiro found out he needed surgery to fix a ruptured heart valve, one of the first questions he asked his doctor was whether he should donate his own blood.
He hoped to avoid being transfused with someone else's blood, but wasn't thrilled with the idea of spending weeks before surgery having pints of his own blood drawn and put in storage. So when he found out that Pennsylvania Hospital offered a third option -— once only available to Jehovah's Witnesses -— it was a relief.
"Not needing a blood transfusion, not having to get blood taken out of me, and a fast recovery time -— I was OK with all of that," said Shapiro, 60, a founding partner of an architectural firm and heavy traveler.
Pennsylvania Hospital is now able to offer so-called "bloodless surgery" to 90 percent of its patients who want it, joining a small but growing number of bloodless medicine programs around the country that also serve the general public. Advocates put the number at about 120.
Many states have bloodless surgery centers or hospitals that perform no-transfusion surgery for Jehovah's Witnesses, who believe the Bible forbids transfusions, but not for the general public.
Some hospitals are now providing no-transfusion surgery to more patients because of advances in equipment and changes in protocols.
Bloodless surgery techniques vary depending on the type of operation, but can include efficient heart-lung bypass machines that circulate a patient's blood during surgery; using high-tech scalpels that clot the blood as they cut tissue; or freezing tissue before it's excised.
There is also pre-surgery planning. Doctors start seeing patients weeks before surgery to prepare.
Among the benefits are reductions in recovery time, hospital stay, cost and complications -— as well as an estimated $20,000 in savings per patient, said Dr. Charles Bridges, the Pennsylvania Hospital cardiologist who performed Shapiro's surgery.
The general consensus in the medical community is that it is best to avoid donor blood transfusions whenever possible, but that transfusions remain an important lifesaving strategy. The American Medical Association endorses "autologous" blood transfusion -— giving a patient his own blood -— but takes no specific stance on no-transfusion surgery.
Pennsylvania Hospital has for at least a decade performed all kinds of no-transfusion surgery on Jehovah's Witnesses, Bridges said. In the year that no-transfusion heart surgery has been offered to patients, Bridges estimated that he has performed between 50 and 75 -— up from about 10 just a few years earlier.
Heart surgery, because it is associated with extensive blood loss, is more difficult to do "bloodless" than other operations. In traditional open-heart surgery, a patient may need up to six units of red blood cells, four units of plasma and 10 units of platelets, according to the American Red Cross.
"People used to think of open-heart surgery as this draconian thing," Bridges said. "Now we have what really is a kinder, gentler open-heart surgery."
The best no-transfusion candidates typically are those needing only one procedure -— repair of a single heart valve or a single bypass, for example. It also can be done in more complex operations, however.
About six weeks after Shapiro's surgery to fix his damaged mitral valve, he was back at work part time.
"I feel very lucky that I was told about the transfusion-free option and that I was a perfect candidate for it," he said.
From pre- to post-surgery, the goal is conserving the patient's own blood, Bridges said.
"There's no downside to it that we can see, and there's certainly no downside that's been documented," Bridges said.
About a month before no-transfusion surgery, blood tests are conducted. Anemic patients receive weekly injections of medications, as well as intravenous iron supplements, to increase their red-blood-cell count.
During surgery, blood that gets suctioned or sponged out of the body cavity is salvaged, and highly efficient pumps keep blood circulating while the heart and lungs are stopped. After surgery, less blood is taken for post-operation tests.
"You have to be meticulous, you have to be organized, and you have to really work as a team before, during and after surgery," Bridges said.
Patients who choose the no-transfusion option eliminate the risk of blood-borne infection and complications from clerical errors. They also get out of the hospital an average of one day earlier and avoid potential transfusion-related complications including immune system suppression, inflammatory response, and renal or respiratory failure, Bridges said.
Bloodless surgery is also preferable to having patients transfused with their own blood, Bridges said. Blood that has been stored degrades and deforms outside the body and doesn't flow through blood vessels or carry oxygen as well when it goes back in.
The trend toward avoiding transfusions is gaining momentum among doctors and patients, said Dr. Patricia Ford, director of Pennsylvania Hospital's Center for Bloodless Medicine & Surgery. Transfusions are lifesavers during emergencies, but they can be avoided in most elective operations, she said.
"There is a movement that, for a lot of us, started as part of caring for Jehovah's Witnesses and learning about blood conservation and management," said Ford, who also is president-elect of the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management, a Wisconsin-based advocacy group.
The group said that the number of bloodless medicine programs nationwide has risen from 100 to about 120 in the past six years. The American College of Surgeons, a division of the American Medical Association, said it does not keep statistics on bloodless surgery.
"Transfusions are like getting a transplant; they can be risky and should be a last resort," Ford said. "Frankly, all of the things we use are available to every hospital. ... The hope is that every hospital will do this eventually."
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Health Headlines - April 23
Researcher's Mixture May Make Meat Safer
Consumers soon should be able to buy beef and poultry products that have an added level of safety against two sometimes fatal sources of food poisoning.
A researcher at Texas Tech University applied a mixture of four different lactic acid bacterium to ground beef and found the combination reduced the presence of salmonella and a harmful E. coli strain by as much as 99.99 percent.
The Food and Drug Administration in December said the mixture was safe for beef and poultry products. It isn't known when the treated meat carrying special labels will hit the market, and basic food safety practices won't change.
The university released news of the treatment earlier this week, months after Tech researcher Mindy Brashears' study on the combined bacteria was published in the Journal of Food Safety.
The mixture will be marketed by Indianapolis-based Nutrition Physiology Corp. Company president Doug Ware declined to name the companies that will use it.
Salmonella is a bacteria that causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps and in some cases requires hospitalization. It can be deadly unless those infected get antibiotics right away. Of the estimated 1.4 million cases of salmonella each year in the United States, about 400 people die, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
E. coli O157:H7 can cause severe abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms include vomiting and low-grade fever. An estimated 73,000 cases and 61 deaths occur annually in the U.S., according to the CDC.
Texas A&M University food microbiologist Alejandro Castillo said Brashears' results look "very promising."
"However, until the mechanism of bacterial reduction is understood, the food industry and the scientific community must be cautious and refrain from taking this study as a final solution for the control of E. coli O157:H7 in beef," he said.
Brashears said the mixture is the first post-production treatment that continues to work. It was effective for up to 60 days in frozen ground beef and about a week in refrigerated beef, Brashears said.
"It has that residual effect," she said.
Lactic acid bacteria also has been used in recent years to control E. coli in live cattle and dairy cows.
The study also showed the mixture doesn't affect how meat tastes.
Stan Gilliland, a food microbiologist at Oklahoma State University, said the technology has potential.
"This is just another hurdle to reducing the incidence," he said. "But it may be an extremely important one. The thing is you're not spraying a chemical on it."
Groups question US plan to detain sick travelers
Infectious disease experts and the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns on Friday about an agreement that would allow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and customs agents to detain anyone who looked sick with bird flu.
The memorandum of understanding, a copy of which was provided to Reuters, also provides for Customs and Border Protection agents to give personal details of airline passengers to the CDC.
It was signed in October by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. HHS spokeswoman Christina Pearson denied it was secret or sinister.
"We have had this agreement in place and it's to help CDC when there is a report of communicable diseases on an airplane," Pearson said.
"It helps them quickly and efficiently to be able to locate passengers and to inform them that they may have been exposed to some kind of communicable disease, to reassure them and tell them how to get right channels to treatment."
The memorandum mentions H5N1 avian influenza, which experts fear could cause a worldwide pandemic at any time, and also makes provision for other diseases.
There have been no outbreaks of disease that would be covered by the agreement since it was signed.
"CDC is authorized to isolate and/or quarantine arriving persons reasonably believed to be infected with or exposed to specified quarantinable diseases and to detain carriers and cargo infected with a communicable disease," it reads.
It also provides for Customs or Border Patrol agents to forcibly detain, if necessary, anyone coming in who appears to be sick while the CDC is contacted.
The CDC says this is necessary in case of a pandemic. Viruses such as flu can easily be carried by airline passengers. But Dr. Donald Henderson, an expert on influenza, smallpox and other infectious diseases who has advised the administration of President George W. Bush on such issues, calls it "silly."
ASTONISHED BY THE PROPOSAL
"I was absolutely astonished when I saw that proposed federal regulation," Henderson said in an interview.
"It's so silly," added Henderson, who now works at the Baltimore-based Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Henderson noted that people can be infectious with influenza and other diseases long before they begin to feel sick or show any symptoms.
"You are spending huge amounts of money and have we got any evidence that this is going to do anything? Is it worth all the energy we are going to be putting into it?" he said.
The ACLU believes that protecting the public is not the motivation.
"The tracking of data on airline passengers, which can amount to building lifetime dossiers on Americans, has been a hotly debated issue for many years -- and now we find out that two government agencies may have agreed, behind the public's back, to share data," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Project.
ACLU legislative counsel Tim Sparapani said: "Once again, we are seeing that DHS cannot be trusted to exhibit restraint in the handling of personal information.
"They collect information, say they'll use it for one purpose, and then they turn around and use it for another."
The Center for Biosecurity's Penny Hitchcock, a former National Institutes of Health infectious disease specialist, said the CDC risks losing the public's trust.
"The information that will be collected by CDC/HHS is part of this quarantine effort -- sharing information collected for disease prevention could be harmful," she said.
"The harm being that it will create suspicion and encourage people to regard the public health service as 'disease cops.' Why would people want to cooperate under those circumstances?"
Calif. judge OKs state's $3 bln stem-cell effort
California's stem-cell research institute is a constitutional state agency, a state judge ruled on Friday in a decision that may allow it to begin to issue up to $3 billion in general obligation debt.
Alameda County Judge Bonnie Sabraw held that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, approved by state voters in November 2004, is a legitimate state agency. Groups opposed to the research the institute would fund, which may include the use of human stem-cells from human embryos, had challenged its constitutionality, which put its efforts to issue up to $300 million in debt annually on hold.
"The court decision upheld Proposition 71 in its entirety," Robert Klein, the institute's chairman, said on a conference call, referring to the measure enacting the institute. "We have a victory across the board on every issue presented."
The stem cell institute earlier this month issued $12.1 million to researchers, marking its first grants, backed by bond anticipation notes while its debt authority faced the court challenge.
The grants would be drawn from $14 million in notes sold to six philanthropic groups by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to jump-start its research grants until a court challenge to its authority to sell state general obligation debt is resolved.
California voters approved the institute's formation by passing a November 2004 ballot measure. It allows the institute to sell up to $3 billion in state debt to fund stem-cell research that many scientists believe will lead to breakthroughs for treating various illnesses and ailments.
Consumers soon should be able to buy beef and poultry products that have an added level of safety against two sometimes fatal sources of food poisoning.
A researcher at Texas Tech University applied a mixture of four different lactic acid bacterium to ground beef and found the combination reduced the presence of salmonella and a harmful E. coli strain by as much as 99.99 percent.
The Food and Drug Administration in December said the mixture was safe for beef and poultry products. It isn't known when the treated meat carrying special labels will hit the market, and basic food safety practices won't change.
The university released news of the treatment earlier this week, months after Tech researcher Mindy Brashears' study on the combined bacteria was published in the Journal of Food Safety.
The mixture will be marketed by Indianapolis-based Nutrition Physiology Corp. Company president Doug Ware declined to name the companies that will use it.
Salmonella is a bacteria that causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps and in some cases requires hospitalization. It can be deadly unless those infected get antibiotics right away. Of the estimated 1.4 million cases of salmonella each year in the United States, about 400 people die, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
E. coli O157:H7 can cause severe abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms include vomiting and low-grade fever. An estimated 73,000 cases and 61 deaths occur annually in the U.S., according to the CDC.
Texas A&M University food microbiologist Alejandro Castillo said Brashears' results look "very promising."
"However, until the mechanism of bacterial reduction is understood, the food industry and the scientific community must be cautious and refrain from taking this study as a final solution for the control of E. coli O157:H7 in beef," he said.
Brashears said the mixture is the first post-production treatment that continues to work. It was effective for up to 60 days in frozen ground beef and about a week in refrigerated beef, Brashears said.
"It has that residual effect," she said.
Lactic acid bacteria also has been used in recent years to control E. coli in live cattle and dairy cows.
The study also showed the mixture doesn't affect how meat tastes.
Stan Gilliland, a food microbiologist at Oklahoma State University, said the technology has potential.
"This is just another hurdle to reducing the incidence," he said. "But it may be an extremely important one. The thing is you're not spraying a chemical on it."
Groups question US plan to detain sick travelers
Infectious disease experts and the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns on Friday about an agreement that would allow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and customs agents to detain anyone who looked sick with bird flu.
The memorandum of understanding, a copy of which was provided to Reuters, also provides for Customs and Border Protection agents to give personal details of airline passengers to the CDC.
It was signed in October by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. HHS spokeswoman Christina Pearson denied it was secret or sinister.
"We have had this agreement in place and it's to help CDC when there is a report of communicable diseases on an airplane," Pearson said.
"It helps them quickly and efficiently to be able to locate passengers and to inform them that they may have been exposed to some kind of communicable disease, to reassure them and tell them how to get right channels to treatment."
The memorandum mentions H5N1 avian influenza, which experts fear could cause a worldwide pandemic at any time, and also makes provision for other diseases.
There have been no outbreaks of disease that would be covered by the agreement since it was signed.
"CDC is authorized to isolate and/or quarantine arriving persons reasonably believed to be infected with or exposed to specified quarantinable diseases and to detain carriers and cargo infected with a communicable disease," it reads.
It also provides for Customs or Border Patrol agents to forcibly detain, if necessary, anyone coming in who appears to be sick while the CDC is contacted.
The CDC says this is necessary in case of a pandemic. Viruses such as flu can easily be carried by airline passengers. But Dr. Donald Henderson, an expert on influenza, smallpox and other infectious diseases who has advised the administration of President George W. Bush on such issues, calls it "silly."
ASTONISHED BY THE PROPOSAL
"I was absolutely astonished when I saw that proposed federal regulation," Henderson said in an interview.
"It's so silly," added Henderson, who now works at the Baltimore-based Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Henderson noted that people can be infectious with influenza and other diseases long before they begin to feel sick or show any symptoms.
"You are spending huge amounts of money and have we got any evidence that this is going to do anything? Is it worth all the energy we are going to be putting into it?" he said.
The ACLU believes that protecting the public is not the motivation.
"The tracking of data on airline passengers, which can amount to building lifetime dossiers on Americans, has been a hotly debated issue for many years -- and now we find out that two government agencies may have agreed, behind the public's back, to share data," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Project.
ACLU legislative counsel Tim Sparapani said: "Once again, we are seeing that DHS cannot be trusted to exhibit restraint in the handling of personal information.
"They collect information, say they'll use it for one purpose, and then they turn around and use it for another."
The Center for Biosecurity's Penny Hitchcock, a former National Institutes of Health infectious disease specialist, said the CDC risks losing the public's trust.
"The information that will be collected by CDC/HHS is part of this quarantine effort -- sharing information collected for disease prevention could be harmful," she said.
"The harm being that it will create suspicion and encourage people to regard the public health service as 'disease cops.' Why would people want to cooperate under those circumstances?"
Calif. judge OKs state's $3 bln stem-cell effort
California's stem-cell research institute is a constitutional state agency, a state judge ruled on Friday in a decision that may allow it to begin to issue up to $3 billion in general obligation debt.
Alameda County Judge Bonnie Sabraw held that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, approved by state voters in November 2004, is a legitimate state agency. Groups opposed to the research the institute would fund, which may include the use of human stem-cells from human embryos, had challenged its constitutionality, which put its efforts to issue up to $300 million in debt annually on hold.
"The court decision upheld Proposition 71 in its entirety," Robert Klein, the institute's chairman, said on a conference call, referring to the measure enacting the institute. "We have a victory across the board on every issue presented."
The stem cell institute earlier this month issued $12.1 million to researchers, marking its first grants, backed by bond anticipation notes while its debt authority faced the court challenge.
The grants would be drawn from $14 million in notes sold to six philanthropic groups by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to jump-start its research grants until a court challenge to its authority to sell state general obligation debt is resolved.
California voters approved the institute's formation by passing a November 2004 ballot measure. It allows the institute to sell up to $3 billion in state debt to fund stem-cell research that many scientists believe will lead to breakthroughs for treating various illnesses and ailments.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Health Headlines - April 22
Sally Field Brings Osteoporosis to Center Stage
After a lifetime on the big and small screen, Sally Field is taking on a new starring role: front woman for the effort to raise awareness about the perils of osteoporosis.
"Last year I was diagnosed with osteoporosis," said Field, 59, who looked fresh and energized as she spoke Thursday in her hotel suite in New York City. "I was over 50, Caucasian, thin, small-framed, and I have it in my genetic history. It was almost a slam-dunk."
Motivated by her own experience with the disease, the actress who began her career as beach-blanket babe Gidget in the early 1960s, soared to further TV stardom as The Flying Nun, then nabbed two Best Actress Oscars (for 1979's Norma Rae and 1984's Places in the Heart), announced Thursday she is partnering with drug manufacturers F. Hoffmann-La Roche and GlaxoSmithKline to launch the "Rally with Sally For Bone Health" campaign.
The two companies are the co-marketers of Boniva (ibandronate sodium), an osteoporosis medication.
Through a website (www.bonehealth.com) and a toll-free number (877-BoneHealth), the project is asking at-risk women to join Field in a signed pledge to improve their bone health. The pledge involves five steps: taking sufficient calcium and vitamin D; choosing and maintaining an osteoporosis drug regimen; exercising regularly; visiting a physician regularly, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol.
Field, who was born to a show-business family in Pasadena, Calif., said her familiarity with osteoporosis came early, as she watched the disease take its toll on her beloved "Grandma Gin."
"She was all bent over from osteoporosis, so my doctor was watching me for it. And then last year my bone density took a steep dive," Field said.
"I am very fortunate that I have a doctor looking out for me," she added. "And women have to know that this is a silent disease. I never would have known otherwise. I'm so vigorous, and I so take it for granted, because I've always been a real physical person. But I was losing so much bone density that I would have been in grave danger. And I mean grave danger. If I had let it go just a few more years I could have broken my hip or spine just picking up my granddaughter."
Field, the mother of three grown sons, said she has no intention of letting that happen -- or letting osteoporosis slow her down. Her youngest son will be heading off to college this fall, she said, leaving her an "empty nester" for the first time. But the actress is hopeful that this new change in her life will allow her more opportunity to return to a great love, the theater.
Besides that, Field said she's recently taken on new on-screen projects (as yet unnamed) as an actor, producer, writer and director. Fans can also look forward to seeing her again this fall as she reprises her Emmy-winning role on NBC's E.R.
Field is saving some of her energy to fighting osteoporosis, however, encouraging other women to stay active and healthy by seeking out the help they need.
"I realized that there has, in the past, been this attitude of patting women over the head and saying: 'Aw honey, this is part of the aging process,'" she said. "But you know what? It's not part of the aging process. It does not need to happen. And women have to know that there are medications now that really, really work."
Those medications include, but are certainly not limited to, once-a-month Boniva. Each drug has its pros and cons, so "you and your doctor need to choose what's right for you," Field said.
Osteoporosis develops when bone begins to break down much faster than it is replaced by the body.
According to the Foundation for Osteoporosis Research and Education (FORE), 44 million Americans -- 80 percent of them women -- now face the prospect of serious bone loss. Ten million patients are already diagnosed with the illness, while another 34 million suffer from low bone density, which can lead to osteoporosis.
If left unchecked, this progressive and initially painless disease leads to increasing bone fragility that can ultimately result in fractures -- most commonly of the hip, spine and wrist. Height loss, severe back pain and long-term disability can result, often requiring hospitalization and surgery.
Dr. Robin K. Dore, a clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, joined the "Rally" launch to offer an expert take on the disease.
"If you have lost bone mass, you need to be on medicine, and you're not going to know that until you get a bone-density test," Dore said. The test is fast, painless, and covered by most insurance, including Medicare.
Beverley Tracewell, FORE's program director, applauded Field's involvement and the campaign as a whole.
"Whenever we can get raised awareness, it's a win for everyone," said Tracewell, whose non-profit organization has no direct involvement with either the "Rally with Sally" campaign or the promotion of any particular osteoporosis treatment. "Everybody needs to get involved in reversing the trends of a disease that is preventable," she said.
"We're really delighted to have someone of Sally Field's age speak out," she added, "because a lot of times people wait too long -- until they have a fracture, until their 70's or 80's, when it's almost a case of too-little, too-late."
Health Tip: Think You Might Be Depressed?
Everyone has days when they feel stressed, down or just a little blue. But clinical depression lasts more than just a few days or weeks, and makes it difficult to perform everyday tasks such as paying bills, going to work, or even getting out of bed.
According to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, symptoms of depression include a significant change in mood or apathetic attitude, difficulty enjoying or showing an interest in life, and difficulty concentrating and making decisions. Fatigue, significant changes in weight or eating habits, sleeping too much or not enough, and suicidal thoughts are also signs of depression.
The school's Counseling Center recommends lifestyle changes that can improve your mental health, such as avoiding drugs and alcohol, maintaining a healthy diet, and starting an exercise regimen. Also, be sure to keep a proper sleep schedule and a manageable work schedule, and talk to friends and family about your concerns and experiences.
If you think you may be depressed, talk to your doctor, who may prescribe medication, psychological therapy, or a combination of treatments.
Health Tip: Treating Menstrual Cramps
Many women have menstrual cramps before and during their periods. Symptoms can range from mild discomfort to severe pain, nausea and vomiting.
The New York Methodist Hospital offers suggestions on how to help reduce menstrual cramps, and ease symptoms once they've begun:
* As long as two weeks before the first day of your cycle, you should make changes in your diet to help reduce the onset of cramps. Maintaining a healthy, low-fat diet with lots of fruits, vegetables and lean meats can help prevent abdominal pain during your cycle.
* Immediately before and during your period, limit red meat, salt, caffeine, sugar and alcohol intake.
* Light exercise, yoga and meditation also may reduce the pain of menstrual cramps.
* Over-the-counter and prescription medications such as Tylenol or naproxen can help ease symptoms. Talk to your doctor about starting these medications a day or two before your cycle begins.
* Applying a warm heating pad to the abdominal area, or a warm bath, also may help ease menstrual pain.
After a lifetime on the big and small screen, Sally Field is taking on a new starring role: front woman for the effort to raise awareness about the perils of osteoporosis.
"Last year I was diagnosed with osteoporosis," said Field, 59, who looked fresh and energized as she spoke Thursday in her hotel suite in New York City. "I was over 50, Caucasian, thin, small-framed, and I have it in my genetic history. It was almost a slam-dunk."
Motivated by her own experience with the disease, the actress who began her career as beach-blanket babe Gidget in the early 1960s, soared to further TV stardom as The Flying Nun, then nabbed two Best Actress Oscars (for 1979's Norma Rae and 1984's Places in the Heart), announced Thursday she is partnering with drug manufacturers F. Hoffmann-La Roche and GlaxoSmithKline to launch the "Rally with Sally For Bone Health" campaign.
The two companies are the co-marketers of Boniva (ibandronate sodium), an osteoporosis medication.
Through a website (www.bonehealth.com) and a toll-free number (877-BoneHealth), the project is asking at-risk women to join Field in a signed pledge to improve their bone health. The pledge involves five steps: taking sufficient calcium and vitamin D; choosing and maintaining an osteoporosis drug regimen; exercising regularly; visiting a physician regularly, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol.
Field, who was born to a show-business family in Pasadena, Calif., said her familiarity with osteoporosis came early, as she watched the disease take its toll on her beloved "Grandma Gin."
"She was all bent over from osteoporosis, so my doctor was watching me for it. And then last year my bone density took a steep dive," Field said.
"I am very fortunate that I have a doctor looking out for me," she added. "And women have to know that this is a silent disease. I never would have known otherwise. I'm so vigorous, and I so take it for granted, because I've always been a real physical person. But I was losing so much bone density that I would have been in grave danger. And I mean grave danger. If I had let it go just a few more years I could have broken my hip or spine just picking up my granddaughter."
Field, the mother of three grown sons, said she has no intention of letting that happen -- or letting osteoporosis slow her down. Her youngest son will be heading off to college this fall, she said, leaving her an "empty nester" for the first time. But the actress is hopeful that this new change in her life will allow her more opportunity to return to a great love, the theater.
Besides that, Field said she's recently taken on new on-screen projects (as yet unnamed) as an actor, producer, writer and director. Fans can also look forward to seeing her again this fall as she reprises her Emmy-winning role on NBC's E.R.
Field is saving some of her energy to fighting osteoporosis, however, encouraging other women to stay active and healthy by seeking out the help they need.
"I realized that there has, in the past, been this attitude of patting women over the head and saying: 'Aw honey, this is part of the aging process,'" she said. "But you know what? It's not part of the aging process. It does not need to happen. And women have to know that there are medications now that really, really work."
Those medications include, but are certainly not limited to, once-a-month Boniva. Each drug has its pros and cons, so "you and your doctor need to choose what's right for you," Field said.
Osteoporosis develops when bone begins to break down much faster than it is replaced by the body.
According to the Foundation for Osteoporosis Research and Education (FORE), 44 million Americans -- 80 percent of them women -- now face the prospect of serious bone loss. Ten million patients are already diagnosed with the illness, while another 34 million suffer from low bone density, which can lead to osteoporosis.
If left unchecked, this progressive and initially painless disease leads to increasing bone fragility that can ultimately result in fractures -- most commonly of the hip, spine and wrist. Height loss, severe back pain and long-term disability can result, often requiring hospitalization and surgery.
Dr. Robin K. Dore, a clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, joined the "Rally" launch to offer an expert take on the disease.
"If you have lost bone mass, you need to be on medicine, and you're not going to know that until you get a bone-density test," Dore said. The test is fast, painless, and covered by most insurance, including Medicare.
Beverley Tracewell, FORE's program director, applauded Field's involvement and the campaign as a whole.
"Whenever we can get raised awareness, it's a win for everyone," said Tracewell, whose non-profit organization has no direct involvement with either the "Rally with Sally" campaign or the promotion of any particular osteoporosis treatment. "Everybody needs to get involved in reversing the trends of a disease that is preventable," she said.
"We're really delighted to have someone of Sally Field's age speak out," she added, "because a lot of times people wait too long -- until they have a fracture, until their 70's or 80's, when it's almost a case of too-little, too-late."
Health Tip: Think You Might Be Depressed?
Everyone has days when they feel stressed, down or just a little blue. But clinical depression lasts more than just a few days or weeks, and makes it difficult to perform everyday tasks such as paying bills, going to work, or even getting out of bed.
According to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, symptoms of depression include a significant change in mood or apathetic attitude, difficulty enjoying or showing an interest in life, and difficulty concentrating and making decisions. Fatigue, significant changes in weight or eating habits, sleeping too much or not enough, and suicidal thoughts are also signs of depression.
The school's Counseling Center recommends lifestyle changes that can improve your mental health, such as avoiding drugs and alcohol, maintaining a healthy diet, and starting an exercise regimen. Also, be sure to keep a proper sleep schedule and a manageable work schedule, and talk to friends and family about your concerns and experiences.
If you think you may be depressed, talk to your doctor, who may prescribe medication, psychological therapy, or a combination of treatments.
Health Tip: Treating Menstrual Cramps
Many women have menstrual cramps before and during their periods. Symptoms can range from mild discomfort to severe pain, nausea and vomiting.
The New York Methodist Hospital offers suggestions on how to help reduce menstrual cramps, and ease symptoms once they've begun:
* As long as two weeks before the first day of your cycle, you should make changes in your diet to help reduce the onset of cramps. Maintaining a healthy, low-fat diet with lots of fruits, vegetables and lean meats can help prevent abdominal pain during your cycle.
* Immediately before and during your period, limit red meat, salt, caffeine, sugar and alcohol intake.
* Light exercise, yoga and meditation also may reduce the pain of menstrual cramps.
* Over-the-counter and prescription medications such as Tylenol or naproxen can help ease symptoms. Talk to your doctor about starting these medications a day or two before your cycle begins.
* Applying a warm heating pad to the abdominal area, or a warm bath, also may help ease menstrual pain.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Health Headlines - April 21
No Medical Benefit From Marijuana: FDA
There are "no sound scientific studies" supporting the medical use of marijuana, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement Thursday.
That statement contradicts the findings of a 1999 review by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States' most prestigious scientific advisory agency, The New York Times reported Friday.
The FDA statement is based on a combined review by federal drug enforcement, regulatory and research agencies that concluded that "smoked marijuana has no currently accepted or proven medical use in the United States and is not an approved medical treatment."
The 1999 review by the Institute of Medicine found that marijuana is "moderately well suited for particular conditions, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and AIDS wasting," the Times reported.
The Bush administration opposes medical marijuana but 11 states have legalized its use.
The FDA will likely do nothing to enforce its statement.
"Any enforcement based on this finding would need to be done by the DEA since this falls outside of FDA's regulatory authority," FDA spokeswoman Susan Bro told the Times.
Critics said the FDA statement is an example of politics trumping science.
"Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the FDA making pronouncements that seem to be driven more by ideology than by science," Dr. Jerry Avon, a medical professor at Harvard Medical School, told the Times.
Medicare Drug Beneficiaries Face Increased Costs Next Year
The six million poorest beneficiaries may pay as much as seven percent more next year for the new U.S. Medicare prescription drug benefit.
While these beneficiaries have no annual co-payment and don't have to contend with a coverage gap, their co-payments for generic drugs will increase from $2 to $2.15 and from $5 to $5.35 for brand-name drugs, the Los Angeles Times reported.
These increases may seem small, but many state-sponsored Medicaid plans previously charged no co-payments. These Medicare co-payments may prove too much of a burden for low-income people who require 10 or more prescription drugs, say independent experts and state officials.
These and other cost increases were included when the new prescription drug plan was designed, the Times reported. Congress decided to index the share paid by beneficiaries to yearly increases in prescription drug spending.
TV Report Questions Sharon's Stroke Treatment
Doctors said it was a mistake to give former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon large doses of a blood thinner after he suffered a mild stroke late last year, according to an Israeli TV report broadcast Thursday.
Sharon has been in a coma since he suffered a massive stroke on Jan. 4, two weeks after he had the minor stroke.
The report on Channel 2 TV quoted doctors at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem as saying the anticoagulants given to Sharon after the minor stroke, which was caused by a blood clot, may have led to the later debilitating hemorrhagic stroke, the Associated Press reported.
Brief excerpts of the report were broadcast Thursday. The TV station said it would air fuller versions on Friday and again next week.
Hadassah Hospital officials contested the report's conclusions. The interpretation that the doctors admitted a mistake was "in the imagination of the reporter," said a statement released by the hospital, the AP reported.
CDC Offers Pre-Pregnancy Health Steps for Women
Stopping smoking and drinking, taking folic acid supplements, and getting proper nutrition and exercise are among the steps women can take to ensure good health before they become pregnant, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations released Thursday.
The recommendations, created through collaboration with more than 35 federal, public and private partners, identify more than a dozen risk factors and conditions that require interventions before pregnancy to be effective. Following this advice can help improve the health of both mothers and babies.
"The child-bearing years are an exciting time in a woman's life and there are a number of steps they can take to be healthy, benefiting both them and their future child," Dr. Julie Gerberding, CDC director, said in a prepared statement.
"For instance, even before pregnancy, women of child-bearing age should see their doctor about controlling existing medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and eating disorders. They should take 400 micrograms of folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects and avoid smoking or drinking alcohol," Gerberding said.
Other measures include checking for medications that may affect the mother or fetus and reviewing a woman's pregnancy history.
The recommendations appear in this week's issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Driver Distractions Increase Crash Risk
People who talk on cell phones or apply makeup while they drive are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than motorists who focus all their attention on driving, says a report by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Researchers spent more than a year studying 241 drivers in 100 sensor-equipped vehicles. The drivers put on a total of two million miles and were involved in 82 crashes and 761 near-crashes, CNN reported.
Reaching for a moving object while driving increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by nine times, while reading, dialing a handheld device or putting on makeup tripled the risk, the study found.
Nearly 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near-crashes in the study occurred within three seconds of some form of driver distraction, CNN reported.
Drivers ages 18 to 20 were four times more likely to have a distraction-related crash or near-crash than drivers over age 35. Drowsy drivers had a four-times increased risk.
Cell phones were the most common distraction for drivers in this study and the seconds that drivers spent dialing were the most dangerous.
There are "no sound scientific studies" supporting the medical use of marijuana, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement Thursday.
That statement contradicts the findings of a 1999 review by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States' most prestigious scientific advisory agency, The New York Times reported Friday.
The FDA statement is based on a combined review by federal drug enforcement, regulatory and research agencies that concluded that "smoked marijuana has no currently accepted or proven medical use in the United States and is not an approved medical treatment."
The 1999 review by the Institute of Medicine found that marijuana is "moderately well suited for particular conditions, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and AIDS wasting," the Times reported.
The Bush administration opposes medical marijuana but 11 states have legalized its use.
The FDA will likely do nothing to enforce its statement.
"Any enforcement based on this finding would need to be done by the DEA since this falls outside of FDA's regulatory authority," FDA spokeswoman Susan Bro told the Times.
Critics said the FDA statement is an example of politics trumping science.
"Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the FDA making pronouncements that seem to be driven more by ideology than by science," Dr. Jerry Avon, a medical professor at Harvard Medical School, told the Times.
Medicare Drug Beneficiaries Face Increased Costs Next Year
The six million poorest beneficiaries may pay as much as seven percent more next year for the new U.S. Medicare prescription drug benefit.
While these beneficiaries have no annual co-payment and don't have to contend with a coverage gap, their co-payments for generic drugs will increase from $2 to $2.15 and from $5 to $5.35 for brand-name drugs, the Los Angeles Times reported.
These increases may seem small, but many state-sponsored Medicaid plans previously charged no co-payments. These Medicare co-payments may prove too much of a burden for low-income people who require 10 or more prescription drugs, say independent experts and state officials.
These and other cost increases were included when the new prescription drug plan was designed, the Times reported. Congress decided to index the share paid by beneficiaries to yearly increases in prescription drug spending.
TV Report Questions Sharon's Stroke Treatment
Doctors said it was a mistake to give former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon large doses of a blood thinner after he suffered a mild stroke late last year, according to an Israeli TV report broadcast Thursday.
Sharon has been in a coma since he suffered a massive stroke on Jan. 4, two weeks after he had the minor stroke.
The report on Channel 2 TV quoted doctors at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem as saying the anticoagulants given to Sharon after the minor stroke, which was caused by a blood clot, may have led to the later debilitating hemorrhagic stroke, the Associated Press reported.
Brief excerpts of the report were broadcast Thursday. The TV station said it would air fuller versions on Friday and again next week.
Hadassah Hospital officials contested the report's conclusions. The interpretation that the doctors admitted a mistake was "in the imagination of the reporter," said a statement released by the hospital, the AP reported.
CDC Offers Pre-Pregnancy Health Steps for Women
Stopping smoking and drinking, taking folic acid supplements, and getting proper nutrition and exercise are among the steps women can take to ensure good health before they become pregnant, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations released Thursday.
The recommendations, created through collaboration with more than 35 federal, public and private partners, identify more than a dozen risk factors and conditions that require interventions before pregnancy to be effective. Following this advice can help improve the health of both mothers and babies.
"The child-bearing years are an exciting time in a woman's life and there are a number of steps they can take to be healthy, benefiting both them and their future child," Dr. Julie Gerberding, CDC director, said in a prepared statement.
"For instance, even before pregnancy, women of child-bearing age should see their doctor about controlling existing medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and eating disorders. They should take 400 micrograms of folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects and avoid smoking or drinking alcohol," Gerberding said.
Other measures include checking for medications that may affect the mother or fetus and reviewing a woman's pregnancy history.
The recommendations appear in this week's issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Driver Distractions Increase Crash Risk
People who talk on cell phones or apply makeup while they drive are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than motorists who focus all their attention on driving, says a report by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Researchers spent more than a year studying 241 drivers in 100 sensor-equipped vehicles. The drivers put on a total of two million miles and were involved in 82 crashes and 761 near-crashes, CNN reported.
Reaching for a moving object while driving increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by nine times, while reading, dialing a handheld device or putting on makeup tripled the risk, the study found.
Nearly 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near-crashes in the study occurred within three seconds of some form of driver distraction, CNN reported.
Drivers ages 18 to 20 were four times more likely to have a distraction-related crash or near-crash than drivers over age 35. Drowsy drivers had a four-times increased risk.
Cell phones were the most common distraction for drivers in this study and the seconds that drivers spent dialing were the most dangerous.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Health Headlines - April 20
CDC Offers Pre-Pregnancy Health Steps for Women
Stopping smoking and drinking, taking folic acid supplements, and getting proper nutrition and exercise are among the steps women can take to ensure good health before they become pregnant, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations released Thursday.
The recommendations, created through collaboration with more than 35 federal, public and private partners, identify more than a dozen risk factors and conditions that require interventions before pregnancy to be effective. Following this advice can help improve the health of both mothers and babies.
"The child-bearing years are an exciting time in a woman's life and there are a number of steps they can take to be healthy, benefiting both them and their future child," Dr. Julie Gerberding, CDC director, said in a prepared statement.
"For instance, even before pregnancy, women of child-bearing age should see their doctor about controlling existing medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and eating disorders. They should take 400 micrograms of folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects and avoid smoking or drinking alcohol," Gerberding said.
Other measures include checking for medications that may affect the mother or fetus and reviewing a woman's pregnancy history.
The recommendations appear in this week's issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
30 Million on Medicare Have Drug Coverage
More than 30 million U.S. Medicare beneficiaries are receiving drug coverage, including more than eight million beneficiaries who've gotten new, individual coverage since the prescription drug plan took effect at the start of the year, Medicare said Thursday.
More than 93 million prescriptions were filled in March for Medicare beneficiaries with drug coverage -- an average of three million per day -- and more than 270 million prescriptions have been filled in the first three months of this year, the agency announced.
"With a month to go, we've passed our projections of 28 to 30 million enrollees in the first year, and we are intensifying our local outreach efforts to get more seniors signed up before the May 15 deadline," Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a prepared statement.
The number of Medicare beneficiaries with stand-alone prescription drug plans increased 1.7 million over the past four weeks and now stands at more than eight million.
The Medicare figures were greeted with scorn by Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center.
"Every few weeks the administration lowers its standard for success," Hayes said in a prepared statement. "This should not be a political war of spin. It is about basic human need -- health and survival. For this $1.3 trillion program, the administration now reveals that less than 20 percent of people with Medicare have new drug coverage. (That is 8.1 million out of 43 million). Others have somewhat better coverage, others are worse off."
Meanwhile, the Bush administration insists it will not bow to pressure to extend the May 15 deadline for seniors and disabled people to sign up for the new prescription drug plan.
But even some Republican lawmakers are joining the call for an extension. For example, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) broke party lines and signed a letter asking Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to put to a Senate vote one of the bills seeking to extend the deadline, the Boston Globe reported.
The letter, co-written with Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), said extending the deadline would enable more than one million more seniors to sign up for the program.
Under the present rules, people who don't sign up by May 15 will have to pay 1 percent more in premiums for each month they delay enrollment.
Driver Distractions Increase Crash Risk
People who talk on cell phones or apply makeup while they drive are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than motorists who focus all their attention on driving, says a report by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Researchers spent more than a year studying 241 drivers in 100 sensor-equipped vehicles. The drivers put on a total of two million miles and were involved in 82 crashes and 761 near-crashes, CNN reported.
Reaching for a moving object while driving increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by nine times, while reading, dialing a handheld device or putting on makeup tripled the risk, the study found.
Nearly 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near-crashes in the study occurred within three seconds of some form of driver distraction, CNN reported.
Drivers ages 18 to 20 were four times more likely to have a distraction-related crash or near-crash than drivers over age 35. Drowsy drivers had a four-times increased risk.
Cell phones were the most common distraction for drivers in this study and the seconds that drivers spent dialing were the most dangerous.
Eye Fungus Leads to Lawsuit Against Bausch & Lomb
A lawsuit filed in Miami against Bausch & Lomb blames the company's ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution for an eye fungus that permanently scarred a woman's cornea.
The lawsuit seeks $75,000 in damages for the women and six other plaintiffs and also seeks class-action status, the Associated Press reported. The Miami lawsuit follows a similar suit filed in New York.
The Miami lawsuit alleges that Rochester, N.Y.-based Bausch & Lomb failed to remove the fungus from the contact lens solution or fostered the growth of the fungus in the solution's manufacturing process.
Attorney Joel Magolnick told the AP he has received dozens of calls from people in Georgia, Nevada, Utah and Virginia who say they developed eye problems after using ReNu with MoistureLoc.
Last week, Bausch & Lomb stopped shipping the product after it was linked to 109 cases of the eye fungus. The company would not comment on the lawsuit.
Experts Who Write Mental-Illness Manual Have Drug-Company Links
More than half of the 170 experts who contributed to the current issue of the American Psychiatric Association's manual that defines psychiatric disorders have had financial ties to drug companies that sell medications for mental illnesses, says a study published Thursday in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
"I don't think the public is aware of how egregious the financial ties are in the field of psychiatry," study author Lisa Cosgrove, a clinical psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, told the Washington Post.
Her findings are being released at a time of increasing discussion about the growing use of drugs as the primary or sole treatment for many mental-health disorders. This trend toward increased use of medication is being partly driven by definitions of psychiatric illnesses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), the Post reported.
Experts who write the next edition of the DSM -- due to be published around 2011 -- will be required to disclose their financial ties to the drug industry, the American Psychiatric Association said
Stopping smoking and drinking, taking folic acid supplements, and getting proper nutrition and exercise are among the steps women can take to ensure good health before they become pregnant, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations released Thursday.
The recommendations, created through collaboration with more than 35 federal, public and private partners, identify more than a dozen risk factors and conditions that require interventions before pregnancy to be effective. Following this advice can help improve the health of both mothers and babies.
"The child-bearing years are an exciting time in a woman's life and there are a number of steps they can take to be healthy, benefiting both them and their future child," Dr. Julie Gerberding, CDC director, said in a prepared statement.
"For instance, even before pregnancy, women of child-bearing age should see their doctor about controlling existing medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and eating disorders. They should take 400 micrograms of folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects and avoid smoking or drinking alcohol," Gerberding said.
Other measures include checking for medications that may affect the mother or fetus and reviewing a woman's pregnancy history.
The recommendations appear in this week's issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
30 Million on Medicare Have Drug Coverage
More than 30 million U.S. Medicare beneficiaries are receiving drug coverage, including more than eight million beneficiaries who've gotten new, individual coverage since the prescription drug plan took effect at the start of the year, Medicare said Thursday.
More than 93 million prescriptions were filled in March for Medicare beneficiaries with drug coverage -- an average of three million per day -- and more than 270 million prescriptions have been filled in the first three months of this year, the agency announced.
"With a month to go, we've passed our projections of 28 to 30 million enrollees in the first year, and we are intensifying our local outreach efforts to get more seniors signed up before the May 15 deadline," Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a prepared statement.
The number of Medicare beneficiaries with stand-alone prescription drug plans increased 1.7 million over the past four weeks and now stands at more than eight million.
The Medicare figures were greeted with scorn by Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center.
"Every few weeks the administration lowers its standard for success," Hayes said in a prepared statement. "This should not be a political war of spin. It is about basic human need -- health and survival. For this $1.3 trillion program, the administration now reveals that less than 20 percent of people with Medicare have new drug coverage. (That is 8.1 million out of 43 million). Others have somewhat better coverage, others are worse off."
Meanwhile, the Bush administration insists it will not bow to pressure to extend the May 15 deadline for seniors and disabled people to sign up for the new prescription drug plan.
But even some Republican lawmakers are joining the call for an extension. For example, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) broke party lines and signed a letter asking Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to put to a Senate vote one of the bills seeking to extend the deadline, the Boston Globe reported.
The letter, co-written with Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), said extending the deadline would enable more than one million more seniors to sign up for the program.
Under the present rules, people who don't sign up by May 15 will have to pay 1 percent more in premiums for each month they delay enrollment.
Driver Distractions Increase Crash Risk
People who talk on cell phones or apply makeup while they drive are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than motorists who focus all their attention on driving, says a report by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Researchers spent more than a year studying 241 drivers in 100 sensor-equipped vehicles. The drivers put on a total of two million miles and were involved in 82 crashes and 761 near-crashes, CNN reported.
Reaching for a moving object while driving increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by nine times, while reading, dialing a handheld device or putting on makeup tripled the risk, the study found.
Nearly 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near-crashes in the study occurred within three seconds of some form of driver distraction, CNN reported.
Drivers ages 18 to 20 were four times more likely to have a distraction-related crash or near-crash than drivers over age 35. Drowsy drivers had a four-times increased risk.
Cell phones were the most common distraction for drivers in this study and the seconds that drivers spent dialing were the most dangerous.
Eye Fungus Leads to Lawsuit Against Bausch & Lomb
A lawsuit filed in Miami against Bausch & Lomb blames the company's ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution for an eye fungus that permanently scarred a woman's cornea.
The lawsuit seeks $75,000 in damages for the women and six other plaintiffs and also seeks class-action status, the Associated Press reported. The Miami lawsuit follows a similar suit filed in New York.
The Miami lawsuit alleges that Rochester, N.Y.-based Bausch & Lomb failed to remove the fungus from the contact lens solution or fostered the growth of the fungus in the solution's manufacturing process.
Attorney Joel Magolnick told the AP he has received dozens of calls from people in Georgia, Nevada, Utah and Virginia who say they developed eye problems after using ReNu with MoistureLoc.
Last week, Bausch & Lomb stopped shipping the product after it was linked to 109 cases of the eye fungus. The company would not comment on the lawsuit.
Experts Who Write Mental-Illness Manual Have Drug-Company Links
More than half of the 170 experts who contributed to the current issue of the American Psychiatric Association's manual that defines psychiatric disorders have had financial ties to drug companies that sell medications for mental illnesses, says a study published Thursday in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
"I don't think the public is aware of how egregious the financial ties are in the field of psychiatry," study author Lisa Cosgrove, a clinical psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, told the Washington Post.
Her findings are being released at a time of increasing discussion about the growing use of drugs as the primary or sole treatment for many mental-health disorders. This trend toward increased use of medication is being partly driven by definitions of psychiatric illnesses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), the Post reported.
Experts who write the next edition of the DSM -- due to be published around 2011 -- will be required to disclose their financial ties to the drug industry, the American Psychiatric Association said
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Health Headlines - April 19
Americans Find Eating Less Enjoyable: Survey
Americans are eating more but enjoying it less, says a new Pew Research Center survey that found only 39 percent of respondents said they greatly enjoy eating, compared with 48 percent in a 1989 Gallup survey.
This year's telephone survey of 2,250 adults found an especially large decline in enjoyment of food among people who consider themselves overweight -- from 56 percent in 1989 to 42 percent this year, the Washington Post reported.
Among people who feel their weight is "about right," there was a drop from 44 percent in 1989 to 38 percent in the new survey.
Guilt may be the reason why fewer people enjoy eating, said Thomas Wadden, director of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine.
"People are feeling guilty" about what they eat, Wadden told the Post. "Two-thirds of women report they're dieting. One-third of men say they want to lose weight. They're forever checking their conscience before digging into that ice cream sundae."
The survey found that nearly 60 percent of respondents said they sometimes or often eat more than they should and 55 percent said they eat more junk food than they should.
U.S. Plans Fast Action Against Flocks With Suspected Bird Flu
If a commercial turkey or chicken flock in the United States is suspected of being infected with bird flu, the flock will be killed off immediately, even before tests confirm the presence of the virus, federal officials said Wednesday.
The birds would be killed with carbon dioxide gas and their carcasses would be composted inside the building where they're killed, the Associated Press reported. Putting the dead birds in landfills or incinerating them can be expensive and create bureaucratic problems.
For composting, the carcasses would be layered with mulch, hosed down and left alone for four to six weeks. The intense heat generated by the composting process is more than adequate to kill the bird flu virus, Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Chicken Council, told the AP.
While commercial farms account for most of America's chickens, there are many free-ranging chickens and small, backyard flocks that pose more of a challenge in terms of detecting and controlling bird flu, which is expected to arrive in the United States this year.
People who keep chickens in their yards or producers with free-range flocks are encouraged to keep their birds inside and watch for any signs of bird flu, such as dead birds, lack of appetite, coughing or sneezing, diarrhea, and purple wattles, combs and legs.
These symptoms should immediately be reported to state or federal officials.
U.S. Backs 2 Free Drug Programs for Needy
Two programs that permit pharmaceutical companies to provide free drugs to needy Medicare beneficiaries were approved Tuesday by the inspector general at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Last November, Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson warned that such programs carried a high risk of fraud and abuse and would increase costs for Medicare. As a result, many drug companies told Medicare patients that free drug programs would no longer be available, The New York Times reported.
In his advisory opinion released Tuesday, Levinson approved two specific free drug programs that are designed to lower the risk of fraud and abuse. The programs will operate entirely out of the Medicare drug plan and none of the drugs' costs will count toward the $3,600 out-of-pocket threshold for catastrophic coverage.
Eligibility for the programs will be based solely on patients' financial need, regardless of which Medicare plans they choose, the Times reported.
Levinson's opinion did not identify the sponsor of the two approved free drug programs. However, Schering-Plough said it was the sponsor and had requested the inspector general's advisory opinion.
No 'Katrina Cough,' Health Officials Say
There is no such thing as "Katrina cough," according to an analysis of more than 50,000 visits to New Orleans-areas emergency departments from October 2005 to March 2006.
The Louisiana Office of Public Health did the study after news reports quoted some doctors as saying that residents returning to the area were suffering increased colds, coughs and other respiratory conditions, the Associated Press reported.
However, the study found no significant increase in emergency-department visits by people with cough, sore throat, chest congestion, wheezing, or sinus drip, said state epidemiologist Dr. Raoult Ratard.
"The rates of respiratory illness occurring here are not different from the rates of these illnesses occurring in other parts of the state and the country," he said in a prepared statement.
WHO Completes Tamiflu Stockpile
Swiss drug maker Roche said Wednesday that it has completed a stockpile of three million courses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu that it's donating to the World Health Organization (WHO). This "Rapid Response Stockpile" is now ready to be flown to the site of any future major influenza outbreak.
About 1.5 million Tamiflu treatments are being stored in Switzerland and the rest are in the United States, Agence France Presse reported.
"The idea of such stock is to use the medicine as a fire blanket, to contain a pandemic where it starts," and slow or prevent the spread of influenza within an affected country or to other nations, Roche said.
Tamiflu is regarded as a frontline drug in dealing with a possible human flu pandemic caused by bird flu.
Roche has another agreement to donate two million more courses of Tamiflu to the WHO for use in developing countries. Those will be available for delivery by the end of the year, AFP reported.
Americans are eating more but enjoying it less, says a new Pew Research Center survey that found only 39 percent of respondents said they greatly enjoy eating, compared with 48 percent in a 1989 Gallup survey.
This year's telephone survey of 2,250 adults found an especially large decline in enjoyment of food among people who consider themselves overweight -- from 56 percent in 1989 to 42 percent this year, the Washington Post reported.
Among people who feel their weight is "about right," there was a drop from 44 percent in 1989 to 38 percent in the new survey.
Guilt may be the reason why fewer people enjoy eating, said Thomas Wadden, director of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine.
"People are feeling guilty" about what they eat, Wadden told the Post. "Two-thirds of women report they're dieting. One-third of men say they want to lose weight. They're forever checking their conscience before digging into that ice cream sundae."
The survey found that nearly 60 percent of respondents said they sometimes or often eat more than they should and 55 percent said they eat more junk food than they should.
U.S. Plans Fast Action Against Flocks With Suspected Bird Flu
If a commercial turkey or chicken flock in the United States is suspected of being infected with bird flu, the flock will be killed off immediately, even before tests confirm the presence of the virus, federal officials said Wednesday.
The birds would be killed with carbon dioxide gas and their carcasses would be composted inside the building where they're killed, the Associated Press reported. Putting the dead birds in landfills or incinerating them can be expensive and create bureaucratic problems.
For composting, the carcasses would be layered with mulch, hosed down and left alone for four to six weeks. The intense heat generated by the composting process is more than adequate to kill the bird flu virus, Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Chicken Council, told the AP.
While commercial farms account for most of America's chickens, there are many free-ranging chickens and small, backyard flocks that pose more of a challenge in terms of detecting and controlling bird flu, which is expected to arrive in the United States this year.
People who keep chickens in their yards or producers with free-range flocks are encouraged to keep their birds inside and watch for any signs of bird flu, such as dead birds, lack of appetite, coughing or sneezing, diarrhea, and purple wattles, combs and legs.
These symptoms should immediately be reported to state or federal officials.
U.S. Backs 2 Free Drug Programs for Needy
Two programs that permit pharmaceutical companies to provide free drugs to needy Medicare beneficiaries were approved Tuesday by the inspector general at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Last November, Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson warned that such programs carried a high risk of fraud and abuse and would increase costs for Medicare. As a result, many drug companies told Medicare patients that free drug programs would no longer be available, The New York Times reported.
In his advisory opinion released Tuesday, Levinson approved two specific free drug programs that are designed to lower the risk of fraud and abuse. The programs will operate entirely out of the Medicare drug plan and none of the drugs' costs will count toward the $3,600 out-of-pocket threshold for catastrophic coverage.
Eligibility for the programs will be based solely on patients' financial need, regardless of which Medicare plans they choose, the Times reported.
Levinson's opinion did not identify the sponsor of the two approved free drug programs. However, Schering-Plough said it was the sponsor and had requested the inspector general's advisory opinion.
No 'Katrina Cough,' Health Officials Say
There is no such thing as "Katrina cough," according to an analysis of more than 50,000 visits to New Orleans-areas emergency departments from October 2005 to March 2006.
The Louisiana Office of Public Health did the study after news reports quoted some doctors as saying that residents returning to the area were suffering increased colds, coughs and other respiratory conditions, the Associated Press reported.
However, the study found no significant increase in emergency-department visits by people with cough, sore throat, chest congestion, wheezing, or sinus drip, said state epidemiologist Dr. Raoult Ratard.
"The rates of respiratory illness occurring here are not different from the rates of these illnesses occurring in other parts of the state and the country," he said in a prepared statement.
WHO Completes Tamiflu Stockpile
Swiss drug maker Roche said Wednesday that it has completed a stockpile of three million courses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu that it's donating to the World Health Organization (WHO). This "Rapid Response Stockpile" is now ready to be flown to the site of any future major influenza outbreak.
About 1.5 million Tamiflu treatments are being stored in Switzerland and the rest are in the United States, Agence France Presse reported.
"The idea of such stock is to use the medicine as a fire blanket, to contain a pandemic where it starts," and slow or prevent the spread of influenza within an affected country or to other nations, Roche said.
Tamiflu is regarded as a frontline drug in dealing with a possible human flu pandemic caused by bird flu.
Roche has another agreement to donate two million more courses of Tamiflu to the WHO for use in developing countries. Those will be available for delivery by the end of the year, AFP reported.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Health Headlines - April 18
Nebraska Reports 110 Mumps Cases
Nebraska, one of nine states affected by the first mumps epidemic to hit the United States in about 20 years, is reporting 110 cases -- 32 of them confirmed -- in 22 counties, state health officials said late Monday.
Most of the Nebraska cases are in the southeastern part of the state and are among people ages 10 to 18 and 35 to 45, the Associated Press reported. However, cases are being reported in children as young as 2 and adults up to age 64, said Dr. Anne O'Keefe, epidemiologist for the state Health and Human Services System.
About 600 suspected cases of mumps have been reported in Iowa, and cases have also been reported in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. There have been no reported deaths.
This is the largest outbreak of mumps in the United States since 269 cases were reported in Kansas from late 1988 to early 1989, the AP reported.
Health officials suspect that two airline passengers may have spread Iowa's mumps epidemic. It's believed the two people were potentially infectious when they traveled by airliner in late March and early April.
Katrina Survivors Suffering Physical and Mental-Health Problems
Many adults and children displaced by Hurricane Katrina are suffering chronic health problems and mental disorders, says a survey of more than 650 families living in trailers and hotels.
A lack of prescription medicine and higher-than-average health insurance rates are also issues for the displaced families, say researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Children's Health Fund.
The survey, conducted in February, found that 34 percent of displaced children suffer from conditions such as asthma, anxiety and behavioral problems, compared with 25 percent of youngsters in urban Louisiana before Katrina, The New York Times reported.
Fourteen percent of the displaced children went without prescribed medication at some point during the three months prior to the survey, compared with 2 percent before Katrina.
Among adults, 44 percent said they had no health insurance (mainly due to the fact they lost their jobs after the hurricane), and nearly half said they were coping with at least one chronic condition, such as cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure, the Times reported.
The study also found that 37 percent of the displaced adults described their health as "fair" or "poor," compared with 10 percent before Katrina. More than 50 percent of displaced mothers and other female caregivers scored "very low" on a mental-health screening exam. Their scores were consistent with disorders such as anxiety or depression.
The study authors said families displaced by the hurricane "are being pushed further toward the edge," instead of being given a chance to recover from their misfortune.
Ultraviolet Light Boosts Vitamin D in Mushrooms
Preliminary research suggests that brief exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light can greatly increase the amount of vitamin D in mushrooms. Vitamin D helps keep bones strong and fights disease.
According to the findings of a pilot project, a single serving of white button mushrooms would contain 869 percent of the daily value of vitamin D if exposed to five minutes of UV light after being harvested, the Associated Press reported.
That's more than the amount of vitamin D in two tablespoons of cod liver oil, one of the richest natural sources of the vitamin.
The research was proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is being funded by the mushroom industry.
If further research validates the findings of the pilot project, mushrooms could become another important dietary source of vitamin D. That could benefit people who don't eat fish or drink milk, the major fortified source of the vitamin, the AP reported.
No Effective Drugs for Anorexia Nervosa: Study
No current medications effectively treat the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. But some forms of behavioral therapy may help prevent relapse and provide other limited benefits, says a study released Monday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Researchers reviewed scientific literature published since 1980 and concluded that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helped prevent relapse in adult anorexic patients once their weight had been restored to normal. There wasn't enough evidence to determine whether CBT was effective during the acute phase of the disorder, before restoration of normal weight.
Family therapy does not appear to work in adults with longstanding anorexia nervosa, the review found.
It also concluded that several medications and behavioral therapies can help patients suffering from bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. For example, one short-term clinical trial found that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine was helpful in treating bulimia.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy were found to be helpful in reducing the core symptoms of bulimia nervosa -- binge eating and purging -- and easing the psychological symptoms of the disorder. However, the optimum length of treatment is unclear.
"These findings underscore the need to learn more about the causes of these frightening and poorly understood illnesses and to find effective treatments," Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, AHRQ director, said in a prepared statement. "In the meantime, we need to make sure that clinicians use the evidence we currently have to help those suffering from eating disorders.
Canada Confirms 5th Mad Cow Case
Tests have confirmed Canada's fifth case of mad cow disease since 2003.
The disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was found in a 6-year-old dairy cow on a farm in British Columbia's Fraser Valley, CTV News reported.
"Our investigation has taken us back to the farm, which is known to be the birth farm of this cow, and we're in the process of assembling, through farm records, those herd mates that were of similar age and likely consumed the same feed," said George Luterbach, a senior veterinarian for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
"These animals will be removed, destroyed and tested," he told CTV News.
No part of the infected cow entered the human or animal feed systems, officials said. Late last week it was announced that Canada's BSE surveillance program had identified the diseased cow, but initial tests for BSE proved inconclusive.
There are concerns that confirmation of another case of mad cow disease could harm Canada's efforts to get the United States to reopen its borders to Canadian cows older than 30 months.
However, Luterbach said Canada's trading partners recognize that BSE control measures are in place in Canada and the CFIA does not anticipate that other countries will respond severely to this latest case of mad cow disease, CTV News reported.
Nebraska, one of nine states affected by the first mumps epidemic to hit the United States in about 20 years, is reporting 110 cases -- 32 of them confirmed -- in 22 counties, state health officials said late Monday.
Most of the Nebraska cases are in the southeastern part of the state and are among people ages 10 to 18 and 35 to 45, the Associated Press reported. However, cases are being reported in children as young as 2 and adults up to age 64, said Dr. Anne O'Keefe, epidemiologist for the state Health and Human Services System.
About 600 suspected cases of mumps have been reported in Iowa, and cases have also been reported in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. There have been no reported deaths.
This is the largest outbreak of mumps in the United States since 269 cases were reported in Kansas from late 1988 to early 1989, the AP reported.
Health officials suspect that two airline passengers may have spread Iowa's mumps epidemic. It's believed the two people were potentially infectious when they traveled by airliner in late March and early April.
Katrina Survivors Suffering Physical and Mental-Health Problems
Many adults and children displaced by Hurricane Katrina are suffering chronic health problems and mental disorders, says a survey of more than 650 families living in trailers and hotels.
A lack of prescription medicine and higher-than-average health insurance rates are also issues for the displaced families, say researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Children's Health Fund.
The survey, conducted in February, found that 34 percent of displaced children suffer from conditions such as asthma, anxiety and behavioral problems, compared with 25 percent of youngsters in urban Louisiana before Katrina, The New York Times reported.
Fourteen percent of the displaced children went without prescribed medication at some point during the three months prior to the survey, compared with 2 percent before Katrina.
Among adults, 44 percent said they had no health insurance (mainly due to the fact they lost their jobs after the hurricane), and nearly half said they were coping with at least one chronic condition, such as cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure, the Times reported.
The study also found that 37 percent of the displaced adults described their health as "fair" or "poor," compared with 10 percent before Katrina. More than 50 percent of displaced mothers and other female caregivers scored "very low" on a mental-health screening exam. Their scores were consistent with disorders such as anxiety or depression.
The study authors said families displaced by the hurricane "are being pushed further toward the edge," instead of being given a chance to recover from their misfortune.
Ultraviolet Light Boosts Vitamin D in Mushrooms
Preliminary research suggests that brief exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light can greatly increase the amount of vitamin D in mushrooms. Vitamin D helps keep bones strong and fights disease.
According to the findings of a pilot project, a single serving of white button mushrooms would contain 869 percent of the daily value of vitamin D if exposed to five minutes of UV light after being harvested, the Associated Press reported.
That's more than the amount of vitamin D in two tablespoons of cod liver oil, one of the richest natural sources of the vitamin.
The research was proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is being funded by the mushroom industry.
If further research validates the findings of the pilot project, mushrooms could become another important dietary source of vitamin D. That could benefit people who don't eat fish or drink milk, the major fortified source of the vitamin, the AP reported.
No Effective Drugs for Anorexia Nervosa: Study
No current medications effectively treat the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. But some forms of behavioral therapy may help prevent relapse and provide other limited benefits, says a study released Monday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Researchers reviewed scientific literature published since 1980 and concluded that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helped prevent relapse in adult anorexic patients once their weight had been restored to normal. There wasn't enough evidence to determine whether CBT was effective during the acute phase of the disorder, before restoration of normal weight.
Family therapy does not appear to work in adults with longstanding anorexia nervosa, the review found.
It also concluded that several medications and behavioral therapies can help patients suffering from bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. For example, one short-term clinical trial found that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine was helpful in treating bulimia.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy were found to be helpful in reducing the core symptoms of bulimia nervosa -- binge eating and purging -- and easing the psychological symptoms of the disorder. However, the optimum length of treatment is unclear.
"These findings underscore the need to learn more about the causes of these frightening and poorly understood illnesses and to find effective treatments," Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, AHRQ director, said in a prepared statement. "In the meantime, we need to make sure that clinicians use the evidence we currently have to help those suffering from eating disorders.
Canada Confirms 5th Mad Cow Case
Tests have confirmed Canada's fifth case of mad cow disease since 2003.
The disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was found in a 6-year-old dairy cow on a farm in British Columbia's Fraser Valley, CTV News reported.
"Our investigation has taken us back to the farm, which is known to be the birth farm of this cow, and we're in the process of assembling, through farm records, those herd mates that were of similar age and likely consumed the same feed," said George Luterbach, a senior veterinarian for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
"These animals will be removed, destroyed and tested," he told CTV News.
No part of the infected cow entered the human or animal feed systems, officials said. Late last week it was announced that Canada's BSE surveillance program had identified the diseased cow, but initial tests for BSE proved inconclusive.
There are concerns that confirmation of another case of mad cow disease could harm Canada's efforts to get the United States to reopen its borders to Canadian cows older than 30 months.
However, Luterbach said Canada's trading partners recognize that BSE control measures are in place in Canada and the CFIA does not anticipate that other countries will respond severely to this latest case of mad cow disease, CTV News reported.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)