health care
retrospectacle | January 5, 2007Although I thought about making a post about the refusal of the corrupt earmark system to just die already, I think something more in my scope of interest is the current ethics debate regarding a severely mentally handicapped child. Specifically, her parents have opted to surgically stunt their child's physical development to prevent puberty (hormones, menstruation, growth, etc) and to keep her weight at a level that they can manage. She is currently 9 years old, and has the mental capacity of a 3 month baby--she can only lie on her back and kick her legs/arms around. She relies on her…
retrospectacle | January 4, 2007 I came across an interesting topic on the Irascible Professor's blog: whether or not banning harmful food product such as trans-fat infringes upon a person's right to eat whatever they want, healthy or otherwise. This question is in response to libertarian John Stossel's article "What Will They Ban Next?" where Stossel opines that citizens' eating habits should not be monitored by the government. Stossel says trans fat gives French fries "that texture I like" and since heart disease in America is declining, "So, if they're [trans fat] killing us, they're not doing a very good job." Booooo.…
revere | December 27, 2006I don't ordinarily write about health care reform here, partly because it isn't my expertise, partly because other interests come first, partly because others do it much better. But I have been thinking a good deal about what needs to be done for our public health infrastructure and that necessarily brings health care reform into the picture, whether I want it there or not. My view of it is primarily as a consumer. I pay ridiculous health insurance premiums and still feel underinsured. But I also see it from the provider's point of view, where the current system, while lucrative for some, is…
retrospectacle | December 1, 2006So, some Dutch psychologists have released the results of a study that indicates living in urban areas raises the risk of suffering from bulimia, but not anorexia.
They found women in cities were five times more likely to have the binge-and-purge illness than those who live in villages and hamlets but that there was no difference in anorexia rates.
Bulimia is also more secretive than anorexia because people are ashamed of their behavior. They try to avoid telling other people about it," said Van Son.
"The reason for the association is speculative," she said.
It seems rather obvious to me why…
revere | November 28, 2006Misery doesn't love company. Misery loves hope. Unfortunately, those of us in the beleaguered northern hemisphere won't find it in the Land of Oz, where Bush clone John Howard apes the chimp.
Via the sometimes hopeful, sometimes despairing but always excellent blog, The ImpactED Nurse (Canberra, Australia), comes an exasperated groan.
It's all in the comments.
terrasig | November 27, 2006Direct-to-consumer drug advertising is an unusual art form, even for those who consider advertising to be art.
So why is Abe Lincoln in the kitchen with a talking beaver and a chessboard??
This imagery is the latest in the fight among prescription sleep-aids, brought to you in this case by Rozerem (ramelteon, Takeda).
John Mack's Pharma Marketing Blog first took on this unusual ad campaign over the summer, but it was this morning's Wall Street Journal piece (subscription req'd, but I'll quote heavily) by Brian Steinberg that got my attention since he attempted to answer the question, "Why…
retrospectacle | November 27, 2006November is Native American History Month, and while walking down the corridors of the UM Hospital this morning, I spied a flier with some disturbing statistics. I had known that Native Americans suffered a large disparity in health, as compared to the rest of America, but check this out:
- American Indians and Alaskan Natives have the 2nd highest infant mortality rate in the nation and the highest rate of SIDS
- The death rate among American Indians ages 15-24 are also higher than those of white persons in the same age group
- American Indians and Alaskan Natives are five times more likely…
revere | November 19, 2006Nancy Pelosi is the new Speaker of the House but she has some illustrious (as well as not so illustrious) predecessors. Denny Hastert was not so illustrious. Tip O'Neill, the legendary congressman from Massachusetts, was another matter. O'Neill rented an apartment in Washington, DC, but mostly continued to live amongst his constituents in North Cambridge. One of his specialities was "constituent services," which meant anything from solving minor problems with the bureaucracy to finding jobs or government contracts. He is the source of the adage, "All politics is local" and he practiced retail…
retrospectacle | November 3, 2006So, the news has been a-flurry with research breakthroughs related to aging and longevity. To add to the pile is a recent study which suggests that lowering core body temperature will also lengthen life span.
Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., report in tomorrow's issue of Science that solely by lowering the core body temperature of mice, they could extend the lives of their experimental subjects by as much as 20 percent. They accomplished this feat--conferring an extra three months of life to the animals, which typically live just over two years--without varying diet.
To…
retrospectacle | November 2, 2006Better preventive care, innovative surgical techniques, improved nutrition, and accessible pharmaceuticals have all had a hand in increasing the lifespan of Americans. Recently, research on caloric restriction and Resveratrol has provided science with additional tools to increase longevity. But what guarantee do we have as to the quality of that longer existence? Do we really want to live long, only to end up in cognitive decline in a rest home or mental facility? A study published in this month's PLoS Medicine examines the incidence of dementia at the end of life.
From Yahoo news:
It's…
retrospectacle | November 1, 2006A Nature podcast today details new fascinating research about a pill that may extend lifespan by up to 20%. Resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, is the only compound that has lengthened the life of every organism its been given to: yeast, worms, flies, and now mice. And, most recently, David Sinclair of Harvard University has results that show that this compound can also combat the ill health effects of a high-fat ("McDonald's") diet in mammals. Mice that were given a high-fat diet as well as Resveratrol lived as long as mice that were fed a healthy balanced diet. Even more interesting…
retrospectacle | October 28, 2006I was stunned as I scrolled through this short Powerpoint presentation composed by the CDC, published in JAMA over the years. Its a compliation of obesity rates beginning in 1985, going up until 2005. What might be the cause for the surge in obesity rates? Possibly the over-availability of cheap oils and starches, says the International Task Force on Obesity.
Makes this recent news release regarding the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome even more important.
Want better gas miliage? Some suggest shedding the pounds. A new pill from a Belgian group, called Rimonabant, may speed the process.
retrospectacle | September 13, 2006
A recent Yahoo news story reports that life expectancy is tied to race, income, and where you live. Although not unexpected, it makes for quite interesting food for thought on the disparities that exist in the current health care system in America, as well as genetic factors involved in life span.
Asian-American women living in Bergen County, N.J., lead the nation in longevity, typically reaching their 91st birthdays. Worst off are American Indian men in swaths of South Dakota, who die around age 58 -- three decades sooner.
Compare those longest-living women to inner-city black men, and the…
terrasig | September 10, 2006Most of last week's posts were about music, so I thought I'd round out the holy trinity of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.
Traveling this weekend gave me an opportunity to indulge in one of my secret guilty pleasures: reading USA TODAY.
First up, as it were, is Kitty Bean Yancey's story on the opportunity for Atlanta-based passengers to join the mile-high club in a private plane for just $299:
Q: Who goes on these flights?
A: Couples from 18 and 19 up to their 60s. I've taken between 75 and 100 in five years. I've had people fly in from New York, New Jersey and Miami just to do the mile-high…
terrasig | September 6, 2006My ScienceBlogs.com colleague, Alex Palazzo at The Daily Transcript, has just posted on the announcement of a 3rd major San Diego/La Jolla research institute with plans to establish a presence in Florida.
Current issues of Roman numeral mixups notwithstanding, Florida has been very quietly rising on the national biomedical research scene, especially in the years since your humble Pharmboy stomped terra in Hogtown.
I discussed this issue about two weeks ago here at Terra Sigillata.
Therein, you'll find lots of good links to Florida research universities big and small and some editorial…
retrospectacle | September 2, 2006In the UK, fertility treatment is free under their health care system. However, experts are now suggesting that obese women should be denied access to in vitro fertilization unless they lose weight. The reasoning behind this are the high health risks associated with the treatment if the patient is severely overweight. The British Fertility Society suggests that these women may receive free IVF after losing weight. A BMI over 36, which is severely obese, would disqualify a woman from receiving the therapy.
From Yahoo News:
"Obese women are less likely to get pregnant and more likely to…
retrospectacle | August 29, 2006From the Wall Street Journal:
In the unending quest for a miracle diet pill, Americans are trying an array of prescription drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat a variety of illnesses. None of them have been approved as diet drugs -- but for many, weight loss is a side effect.
The list includes drugs meant to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (Adderall and Ritalin), depression (Wellbutrin), epilepsy (Topamax and Zonegran), diabetes (Glucophage and Byetta), sleep disorders (Provigil), smoking (Zyban) and even opiate overdoses (Narcan). Often these drugs are…
terrasig | August 24, 2006The wimpy approval of OTC status today for Plan B emergency contraception only for women 18 and older has me nonplussed.
I've been disgusted by the intrusion of politics into science and medicine on this issue for quite some time.
As some Terra Sig readers know, a major network news outlet keeps the real Dr Pharmboy on their experts list for commentary on pharmacotherapy issues but my exact comments rarely make it on-air. Perhaps these will be inflammatory enough to get a call to be on this time, and then you'll all know who I am. (No, I am not Dr Raymond Woosley, but I wish I were.)
So here…
retrospectacle | August 22, 2006Ugh, in a few short hours (8am Wednesday) I'll be under the nitrous gas at the dentist. I really hope I don't get loopier than absolutely necessary, as I *do* need to go to lab today/tomorrow.
As to what I'm getting done, well just a simple teeth cleaning.
Why nitrous for a silly cleaning, you may ask? Because of this. (Scroll down to see the article.)
Hey, not ALL my genes could be great. :D
retrospectacle | August 14, 2006University of Michigan researchers are using gas bubbles to block the flow of oxygen to tumors, like a cork in a bottle. They can also be used to deliver drugs to tumors. The theory behind this is to create a artificial embolism, or blockade of a blood vessel, referred to as embolotherapy. When this occurs naturally, it usually is the result of coronary disease (cholesterol deposits or blood clots which become dislodged) which can lead to a stroke or aneurysm. By creating an artificial gas-bubble embolism, a doctor is able to carefully control the path of the bubble from the outside with high…