http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/medicine/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 04:47:58 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286302/posts The debate about whether thoroughbreds should be treated with a diuretic on the day of a race became thornier Monday when researchers released a study showing that furosemide, known as Lasix, significantly reduces bleeding in horses’ lungs. Furosemide has been used to treat racehorses since the 1970s. Most countries ban race-day use of Lasix because it improves performance. In the United States, however, virtually every horse receives it on the day of the race. “The results of this study do not eliminate debate about the use of this medication in racehorses, but it does provide evidence needed to aid making... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286302/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 04:47:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284539/posts A research group from Bristol has found that a naturally occurring protein, known as nerve growth factor, can dramatically improve the survival of heart cells and reduce heart cell damage following a heart attack in mice. The researchers hope that this treatment could also benefit humans and prevent heart attack victims from suffering further damage to their heart muscle. Nerve growth factor - healing broken hearts Growth factors are naturally occurring molecules produced by the body to regulate cell division and cell survival processes. Some growth factors are known to influence many different cell types, whereas others are considered... thefutureofthings.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284539/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 01:15:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283903/posts NEW ORLEANS — An international committee of experts has endorsed the use of the hemoglobin A1c assay to diagnose diabetes, at a level of 6.5% or above. The 21-member international committee, chaired by Dr. David M. Nathan, was appointed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Their consensus report—presented in a symposium at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association and published simultaneously online in Diabetes Care—has not yet been officially endorsed by the three organizations. “This is the first major departure from the... Family Practice News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283903/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 07:12:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283900/posts ORLANDO — Fewer than half of childhood cancer survivors who are deemed to be at high risk of secondary breast, colon, and skin malignancies follow cancer-screening and surveillance recommendations as adults, according to a new analysis of the large, longitudinal Childhood Cancer Survivors Study. High-risk survivors were the least compliant with colonoscopy recommendations: Only 11.5% of 794 survivors who were considered vulnerable for colorectal cancer had a colonoscopy during the 5 years before they were surveyed, Dr. Paul Nathan reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Skin cancer is the most common radiation-associated second malignancy... Family Practice News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283900/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 06:59:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283894/posts COLORADO SPRINGS — Pressure is mounting to routinely screen all children for autism early because evidence increasingly demonstrates that intervention before age 3 years results in far better outcomes, Dr. Ann Reynolds said at the annual conference of the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians. “It's so important to get those services going. Children with autism who begin treatment before age 3 have a much better chance of having functional language,” explained Dr. Reynolds, a pediatrician at the University of Colorado and director of the child development unit at the Children's Hospital, Denver. American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines recommend an autism-specific... Family Practice News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283894/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 06:35:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283436/posts The nuts are at it again, folks. In this Accuracy in Media interview, an ACORN state organizer and friend describe their infatuation with their Messiah’s health care plan. My reaction to this video is two-fold. On the one hand, I’m amazed that this group has such a dangerous reputation when their members are this grossly inept. On the other hand, I’m not very surprised when I find that the stupid are Obama supporters. Watch and take heart… our mission is to defeat people whose IQ is lower than my family’s cat and whose ability to express coherent thought is rivaled... The Constitutional Alamo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283436/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 18:21:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283326/posts How you can send me to jail I've made a lot of enemies through the years because of my fight for medical freedom. Unfortunately, my fight for freedom is about to get a lot harder. In fact, if the new universal medicine legislation making its way through Washington becomes law, I could go to jail. Here's why: Imagine coming to me for treatment and you get better. That's great, right? Of course it is. But if you don't tell the government what you saw me for, then I go to jail. It's that simple. And it's coming. The Obama Administration... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283326/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 15:49:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282996/posts Karl Greenfeld’s painful, eloquent memoir lays bare the disease’s toll.Boy Alone: A Brother’s Memoir, by Karl Greenfeld (Harper, 368 pp., $25.99) In the 1988 film Rain Man, Dustin Hoffman plays an autistic adult named Raymond Babbitt, a role for which he received an Academy Award. Hoffman’s performance has another distinction: 21 years later, it remains the phoniest portrayal of autism ever put on screen. Those who suffer from that affliction, unlike Raymond, aren’t all cuteness and intuition. Their rages don’t last three picturesque minutes; they can go on for days. In infancy, those stricken most severely retreat into themselves, never... City Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282996/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 03:29:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282723/posts Last week, a team of eight cyclists completed the coast-to-coast bike marathon called the Race Across America in record time. It was quite an achievement under any circumstances, but what made it extraordinary was something all eight of them had in common: Type 1 diabetes. Type 1, sometimes called juvenile diabetes, poses special challenges for athletes. A person with Type 1 can’t produce insulin and must take regular injections to control blood sugar. But exercise can also lead to precipitous, even deadly, drops in blood sugar. (Type 2 diabetes, by far the more common form of the disease, typically develops... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282723/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:01:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2282299/posts I am a ten-year survivor of two kinds of cancer. I am alive because I had health insurance which permitted me to obtain excellent medical care. But if the Clinton "universal," government-mandated health care plan had been enacted in the 1990s, the odds are great that I would now be dead. If the Obama health care plan is enacted, no matter how prettied-up and carefully-worded it may be, then the nation will pay dearly and people like me will die prematurely. Backcountry Notes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2282299/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:55:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282006/posts Only 26 percent of likely voters in Massachusetts believe health care reform has been a success and just 21 percent believe reform has made health care more affordable, according to newly released poll results. The Rasmussen Reports poll of 500 likely Massachusetts voters, taken in April, also found only 10 percent said the quality of health care is getting better under the reform law rules here. Most of those polled on April 16, 2009 said they weren’t sure whether reform was a success or failure (37 percent), that there’s been no change in health care affordability under reform (44 percent)... Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282006/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:59:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2281555/posts Excessive Government involvement is what's wrong with our current healthcare system. One prominent example: FDA regulation and Medicare/Medicaid policies are suppressing new drug and device options and increasing healthcare costs. The FDA's approval process for new technologies costs companies between 250 and 800 million dollars. It takes an average of 8.5 years to move through the FDA's clinical and approval phases and there is no guarantee of approval. Out of 5000 compounds discovered in the pre-clinical stage, only about 5 will make it through. The cost of approved and non-approved drugs and devices are passed on to the physician practice,... The American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2281555/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:31:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281521/posts Among the recent research grants awarded by the National Cancer Institute is one for a study asking whether people who are especially responsive to good-tasting food have the most difficulty staying on a diet. Another study will assess a Web-based program that encourages families to choose more healthful foods. Many other grants involve biological research unlikely to break new ground. For example, one project asks whether a laboratory discovery involving colon cancer also applies to breast cancer. But even if it does apply, there is no treatment yet that exploits it. The cancer institute has spent $105 billion since President... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281521/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:44:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2280658/posts In a previous post I discussed the fact that Obama has no interest in restricting himself or his family to any government controlled health care system. OBAMA OPTS OUT OF OBAMACARE While Obama thinks that your medical care may have to be discontinued and you may just have to take painkillers until you're dead; for himself he has other plans. Without question, the most damaging moment for Obama came when he acknowledged that in spite of the rationing implicit in his public health care plan, he would still pay out-of-pocket to obtain the best health care for his family. As... The Virginian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2280658/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:01:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279850/posts Thousands of union members rallied for Obamacare on Capitol Hill today in a massive display of union outreach that threatened to deliver more votes for a controversial “public plan” option. The rally came on the heels of Obama raising the possibility that unions would be exempt from taxing health care benefits. Obama said he was open to imposing new taxes on Americans who are not union members, which is a principle he adamantly opposed during his presidential campaign. The hypocrisy was easily explained by one Republican strategist who was closely following health care developments on the Hill. "Is it any... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279850/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:00:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279373/posts ABC's White House special struggled for viewers President Obama's town hall meeting on health care delivered a sickly rating Wednesday evening. The one-hour ABC News special "Primetime: Questions for the President: Prescription for America" (4.7 million viewers, 1.1 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) had the fewest viewers in the 10 p.m. hour. The special tied some 8 p.m. comedy repeats as the lowest-rated program on a major broadcast network. The special was shot at the White House and featured the president answering questions about his health care plan. The president's primary message was that those who like their current insurance will... thrfeed.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279373/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:54:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279368/posts In a rare moment of candor, President Obama explained to an audience how government-run healthcare would work in America....Obama suggested at a town hall event Wednesday night that one way to shave medical costs is to stop expensive and ultimately futile procedures performed on people who are about to die and don't stand to gain from the extra care. American Spectator http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279368/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:43:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2278994/posts It can take just hours after the symptoms appear for someone to die from bacterial meningitis. Now, after years of research, experts at The University of Nottingham have finally discovered how the deadly meningococcal bacteria is able to break through the body's natural defence mechanism and attack the brain. The discovery could lead to better treatment and vaccines for meningitis and could save the lives of hundreds of children. Bacterial meningitis in childhood is almost exclusively caused by the respiratory tract pathogens Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae. The mechanism used by these lethal germs to break through the... University of Nottingham via biologynews.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2278994/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:48:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278977/posts Just-released research about a new class of drugs called “PARP inhibitors” is the most exciting development in cancer research in a decade or more. In just a few years it could save thousands of lives. In the longer term, the drugs could represent a transformational approach to understanding and treating several forms of the disease. All this enthusiasm is based on a small report published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. It focuses on one clinical trial in its earliest stage in 60 patients with breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. Some — but not all — of the... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278977/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:33:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2277945/posts If asked to name the creature most similar to humans, most people would likely pick some sort of primate. Very few would think of zebra fish. But as the researchers at InDanio Bioscience can attest, the striped aquarium staple shares many similarities with humans and could hold the key to greatly improved human health. InDanio, a drug-discovery company based in Toronto's MaRS Discovery District, focuses on nuclear receptors, a class of proteins that are related to some of the most devastating and prevalent diseases on the planet, including immune disorders, obesity, diabetes and most cancers. The problem is, the majority... The Globe and Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2277945/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:13:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277845/posts HOUSTON—Surgeons at Houston’s Methodist Hospital are using technology from video games to prepare for delicate operations. In a low-light room they liken to a cave, doctors use an Xbox controller to manipulate video images of patients’ livers, colons, even brains, looking for the best ways to do life-and-death procedures. . See video at website... KHOU.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277845/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:50:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277375/posts No direct impact caused Paul McQuigg’s brain injury in Iraq three years ago. And no wound from the incident visibly explains why Mr. McQuigg, now an office manager at a California Marine base, can get lost in his own neighborhood or arrive at the grocery store having forgotten why he left home. But his blast injury — concussive brain trauma caused by an explosion’s invisible force waves — is no less real to him than a missing limb is to other veterans. Just how real could become clearer after he dies, when doctors slice up his brain to examine any... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277375/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:07:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276424/posts A Tucson hospital's health-care package promises affluent Mexican women the chance to have their babies in posh surroundings with access to the latest medical equipment. But the marketing materials leave out a key draw in the arrangement: U.S. citizenship for the newborn. Tucson Medical Center's "birth package" gives an official nod to a generations-old practice of wealthy Mexican women coming to U.S. hospitals to give birth. Mexican families do the same thing at all local hospitals, but TMC is the only one actively recruiting their business. The practice is legal, but offensive to some advocates of tougher U.S. immigration standards. Arizona Daily Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276424/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:00:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276729/posts Physicians fear that near-mindless efforts to find cost savings . . . will damage our very ability to practice. WONDERING why the American Medical Association came out against a "public option" in health reform -- that is, against government-offered health insurance for every American? For this MD, at least, it's a simple matter of learning from experience. New York Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276729/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:20:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275840/posts Last July, the third national Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition by Ireland's Health Department determined the Irish were smoking more and getting fatter, and though they were drinking a little less, they still were consuming the third highest volume of alcohol per capita in the European Union. Since the last survey in 2002, the smoking rate had risen two points to 29 percent, despite the blanket smoking ban in workplaces and enclosed public spaces that went into effect in 2007, while the overweight rate jumped from 33 percent to 36 percent. At the same time, Ireland is in the... Waterbury Republican-American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275840/posts#comment Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:40:16 GMT