The Nutrition Post » Health Care

How Sunburns Work

mariahmckenna — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:44:17 +0000

Sunburns can be painful and dangerous to your health, so doctors recommend avoiding the sun or using sunscreen. Learn about sunburn in this HowStuffWorks video.

How Nurses Help With Smoking Cessation

mariahmckenna — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:24:56 +0000

Quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do for good health, but it can be a difficult task. It is important to have some help. Perhaps a nurse can aid you on that path to a healthier life.

Some Cancers Caused By Infections

mariahmckenna — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:00:40 +0000

When we think of what causes cancer, what often comes to mind is tobacco smoke, or having a family history of the disease, but now research shows some cancers are linked to certain infections.

Nuts: Portion Control Is Key

mariahmckenna — Thu, 10 May 2012 02:26:36 +0000

Nuts pack a powerful punch as a snack, but portion control is key. Susan Hendricks has more in today's Health Minute.

Healthy Food = Beautiful Skin

mariahmckenna — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:48:03 +0000

Beauty is not all about makeup. Your health reflects your outer appearance. You are what you eat, from your head to your feet.

I think the most asked question I get from people is "How can I get beautiful skin?"

If you want beautiful skin, start from the inside and out.

Health Insurance Law For Children Is Being Played Out

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:57:01 +0000

I just applied for an insurance plan for my 10-year-old daughter, but she was denied because she has asthma. I thought the new health reform law required insurance companies to cover kids.
You're mostly correct. As of Sept. 23, 2010, insurance companies that sell "child-only" health plans — as well as individually purchased family plans that cover dependents — cannot deny coverage to anyone under the age of 19 because of a health condition. They also can't exclude care associated with a pre-existing medical condition. "It's federal law," says Mike Odeh, senior health policy associate with Children Now, an Oakland-based children's rights group.
But the federal law is playing out in various ways across the country. Many insurers dropped out of the child-only insurance market when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act took effect, making it impossible in some states to purchase an insurance plan for a child not covered under a family policy. (They continue to offer family plans, however, because those markets are too lucrative to ignore.)
Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group, says the law creates an incentive for parents to buy insurance only after their kids are sick. That leaves insurers with a sicker — and therefore more costly — group of people to cover.
"Plans said, 'We're not going to be able to [afford to] offer plans to kids at all,'" Zirkelbach says.
According to a survey released last year by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, 39 states had at least one insurer leave the child-only market after the health reform law took effect, and 17 states reported having no carriers selling these plans.

E.R. Doctors Face Quandary With Painkillers

mariahmckenna — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:54:24 +0000

Dr. Bruce Lobitz, an attending physician in the emergency department at Upstate Carolina Medical Center in Gaffney, S.C., sees about 10 patients a week complaining of toothaches. “The bane of our existence,” he calls them.

It’s not just that doctors like him lack the training and tools to solve their dental problems. Many of these patients, he fears, complain of tooth pain simply as a ruse to get prescriptions for narcotics.

“Almost all dental patients request a prescription for narcotic pain pills,” Dr. Lobitz said. “ ‘I just need something to tide me over until I can see a dentist’ — that’s the classic line.” Sometimes, drug-seekers will show their cards: “They’ll say they’re allergic to everything except Vicodin.”

Dental patients — mostly uninsured or indigent — are not unusual in emergency rooms. Poor patients may forgo preventive care and delay treatment until they face a medical crisis. In many states, adult dental benefits under Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor, have been scaled back or eliminated. And dentists often don’t accept Medicaid patients.

But emergency physicians like Dr. Lobitz cannot know whether someone who claims to be in agony from dental issues is telling the truth — or simply plans, he said, to “go to the next emergency room, next town over, and get another 30 Vicodin.”

Health Insurers Plan Over $1 Billion In Rebates

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:43:01 +0000

Health insurers are expected to give rebates of more than $1 billion to consumers and employers this year, under a provision of the federal health overhaul that forces them to offer refunds if they don't spend enough of the premium dollars they take in on health care.

An early picture of the effects of the requirement, one of the aspects of the health law that drew the most concern from the insurance industry, is emerging from new analyses based on estimates that insurers filed with state regulators.

The nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, which calculated total rebates at $1.3 billion, says that around $426 million will go to people who bought their own health plans; $541 million will go to large employers; and $377 million to small businesses.

In a separate analysis based on the same filings, Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Borsch estimated the total rebates at around $1.2 billion.

The Confusion Of Hospital Pricing

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:34:01 +0000

When Augie Hong awoke with severe abdominal pain nearly two years ago, he went to the hospital emergency room closest to his home in San Francisco. The diagnosis was acute appendicitis, and doctors removed his inflamed appendix.
Mr. Hong had health insurance, so he wasn’t too worried about paying. Then the bills started to arrive.
“That’s when I got nervous,” said Mr. Hong, 36, who has insurance through his job at an investment firm.
In all, Mr. Hong was charged $59,283, including $5,264 for the doctors. According to the Healthcare Blue Book, that amount is six times the fair price for an appendectomy in Northern California, which is $8,309 (including a four-day admission) for the hospital and an additional $1,325 for the doctor. Even after Mr. Hong’s insurer paid the hospital $31,409 and Mr. Hong paid the doctors $4,034, the bills kept coming.
A new study suggests that Mr. Hong’s experience is not unusual. Hospital charges are all over the map: according to the report published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, fees for a routine appendectomy in California can range from $1,500 to — in one extreme case — $182,955. Researchers found wide variations in charges even among appendectomy patients treated at the same hospital.

What Causes Heart Failure And The Associated Symptoms In Women?

Mark-A — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:39:23 +0000

Dr. Starling explains the causes and symptoms of heart failure in women and provides advice on ways to prevent heart failure in your future Dr. Mark Starling graduated from the University of Washington and now practices medicine at Banner Heart Hospital in Mesa, Arizona.

Cholesterol Levels Are Dropping In The U.S., CDC Says

Mark-A — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:21:58 +0000

U.S. health officials say only 13 percent of U.S. adults have high total cholesterol. That may seem incredible in a nation where two-thirds of adults are overweight.

Experts believe it's largely because so many Americans take cholesterol-lowering drugs, but dropping smoking rates and other factors also contributed.

The Facts About The Flu Shot

Mark-A — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:40:09 +0000

Learn more about the flu vaccine and find out the answers to the most common questions.

Health@Google: Dr. Daniel Siegel, Taking Time In

Mark-A — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 02:38:09 +0000

Health@Google Series May 26, 2011 Presented by Dr. Daniel Siegel. Studies of physical health, emotional well-being, longevity, happiness, and even wisdom suggest that our ability to be aware of our own internal world and feel deeply connected to others is at the heart of both resilience and mental health. This ability to see the mind or to have "mindsight" is a learnable skill that stabilizes the lens through which we come to sense our feelings, thoughts, and memories. Mindsight promotes more meaningful and empathetic relationships, an integrated and flexible brain, and a coherent and resilient mind.

How TEDMED ‘Groupinspire’ Could Change the World

Dr. Layla McCay — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:25:07 +0000

Last week I found my usually-diverse Twitter feed had coalesced into a single hashtag, the trolley buses chugging through the streets of Washington, D.C. were sporting bold logos on their sides, and all around the city people were wearing giant nametags bearing their name, face, and three things they liked to talk about. There was no mistaking it: TEDMED was in town.

For the world of health care last week, TEDMED was the only party at which to see and be seen. The thousand or so delegates had been specifically "curated" to encapsulate the epitome of health care innovation. For 3.5 days they basked in cutting-edge, quirky talks by people "shaping and creating the future of health and medicine," punctuated by lavish dinners and parties, TEDMED-themed M&Ms, and morning runs, as sanctioned by the Cookie Monster (one of the celebrity speakers at this extravaganza). Meanwhile, the rest of the medical world followed the #TEDMED hashtag on Twitter or soaked up the inspiration in real time at one of TEDMED's mostly academic simulcast venues around the U.S.

Diabetes Groups Issue New Guidelines On Blood Sugar

Mark-A — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:05:16 +0000

Type 2 diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder, and treating the disease often requires a personalized, multi-pronged approach, say new expert guidelines on treating high blood sugar levels, issued Thursday.

The recommendations are a joint effort by the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

"We're making a lot of progress in managing type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Vivian Fonseca, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association. "The new guidelines are more patient-centered. The message is to choose an appropriate [blood sugar] goal based on the patient's current health status, motivation level, resources and complications."

Breakthrough In Breast Cancer Screening After Cancer Research UK Report

Mark-A — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:43:33 +0000

Future generations of women could avoid unncessary and potentially harmful breast cancer treatment, scientists say, as biggest ever study identifies 10 different strains of disease for first time.

New Prostate Cancer Treatment Cuts Side Effects With Ultrasound

Mark-A — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:18:00 +0000

We always knew nice sounds were good for us, and now we have more proof. Scientists say a promising new ultrasound treatment could fight prostate cancer while limiting or even eliminating side effects from more traditional therapies.

The medical journal Lancet Oncology released a 41-patient study that suggests high-intensity focused ultrasound could reduce urinal incontinence and impotence–two typical side effects of prostate cancer treatment–by emitting sound waves that heat targeted cells, causing minimal damage to surrounding tissue.

Practice Fusion CEO On Social Electronic Medical Records

Mark-A — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:33:44 +0000

Listen to Practice Fusion CEO Ryan Howard discuss his thought son the "social" electronic health record.

5 Great Talks From TEDMED 2012

Mark-A — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:25:21 +0000

Watch excerpts of TEDMED 2012 talks in Washington, D.C. Speakers include Virginia Breen, Jonathan Glass, Marc Triola, E.O. Wilson and others. Video courtesy of TEDMED.

We Can Aim For More Than A Long, Sick, Expensive Life

Dr. Cindy Haines — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:07:44 +0000

My mind is still on overdrive with images and concepts that I picked up during a three-day whirlwind of learning from our nation's medical visionaries at the recent TEDMED conference in Washington, D.C.

But although many of these notions are dressed up in a new outfit of flash and "buzz," at their core you'll still find wisdom that we've all heard before.

An example: America's central health problem isn't so much that we're dying early. Our system is quite good at pulling people back from the brink of death, whether they've fallen off a ladder or had their second heart attack. The problem is actually that we're living longer… but the longevity is fueled by very expensive chronic diseases that were preventable. The dream of living a long, healthy life has been replaced by living a long, sick life.

Is that what we really want?

Cancer Related To Risk Of Heart Attack And Suicide

Dr. Douglas Fields — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:06:55 +0000

What your doctor says — not what he does — could kill you.

The diagnosis of cancer often leads to agonizing distress for most people. A new study in the April 5, 2012 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine shows that a surprising number of cancer patients die not of cancer, but of a heart attack or suicide triggered by the diagnosis.

Previous studies had found an increase in suicide and death from cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke) in cancer patients, but it was unclear whether or not this was related to the difficulty of living with the debilitating disease and from coping with the sometimes unbearable side effects of cancer treatments. Alternatively, people may succumb to the stress brought on simply by learning that they have the life-threatening disease. A study of 6 million Swedes, by Dr. Fang and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, has suggested it may be the diagnosis itself that kills through heart attack or suicide.

First Impressions of Our Future Health: Thoughts From TEDMED 2012

Dr. Cindy Haines — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:04:11 +0000

This week, I have seen a potential future of the nation's health — and heard from and interacted with some of the players that are trying to impact and improve it. Actually, I've seen many possible versions of this future and heard from quite a few of these innovative thinkers.

I'm writing this after spending several exhausting, enlightening, exhilarating days at TEDMED. TED is an organization that brings together thought leaders and visionaries who give talks that inspire. It started with a focus on technology, entertainment, and design (that's the TED) and has evolved to include an arm devoted to health and medicine. This year's conference brought forward-thinking folks with an interest in health to Washington, D.C.

Graying America Gets Wired To Cut Healthcare Costs

Mark-A — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:20:25 +0000

Baby boomers wired to their iPads and smart phones are giving U.S. health experts some new ideas about ways to cut the soaring costs of medical care in graying America.

Some of the ideas might sound like "Robo-Granny". An astronautical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has made a skin-tight undersuit equipped with sensors that can constantly monitor the vital signs of its elderly wearer and feed the data into a computer that fires off health alerts. It was first designed for a landing on Mars.

There's also Paro, the robotic seal that has fur, big eyes and responds to voice commands, a low-cost companion that the AgeLab at MIT is testing to help calm elderly people with dementia. Then there is the magic carpet with a built-in sensor that monitors gait to check for risk of falling.

Health at Google: Eric Topol

Mark-A — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:50:06 +0000

Dr. Eric Topol visits Google to talk about his book: The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care.

Doctors Learn To Cook Healthy, ‘Crave-able’ Foods

Mark-A — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:30:54 +0000

Some people cannot travel without Advil or a neck pillow. Dr. David M. Eisenberg, an associate professor at the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, feels incomplete without his beloved paring knife and eight-inch Wüsthof cleaver.

He was wielding both with sweaty zeal the other day on the dais of the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, demonstrating a stir-fry with perfectly browned shiitake mushrooms and a heavy dose of sake to the 400 or so pediatricians, endocrinologists, dietitians and other health practitioners who were spending three and a half days in the Napa Valley learning how to cook. “This isn’t neurosurgery,” Dr. Eisenberg said as he whacked a garlic clove with the cleaver. “This is hearty, affordable, cravenly delicious food.”

The son of a Brooklyn baker, Dr. Eisenberg is the founder and chief officiant of “Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives,” an “‘interfaith marriage,” as he calls it, among physicians, public health researchers and distinguished chefs that seeks to tear down the firewall between “healthy” and “ crave-able” cuisine. Although physicians are on the front lines of the nation’s diabetes and obesity crises, many graduate from medical school with little knowledge of nutrition, let alone cooking. It is a deficiency that is becoming increasingly apparent as the grim statistics climb. (By 2050, for example, as many as 1 in 3 adults will develop diabetes if current trends continue.)

Nutritional Deficiencies And Skin Health

Mark-A — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:29:51 +0000

Ben Fuchs explores how nutritional deficiencies can affect our health.

More about Ben Fuchs: Benjamin Fuchs, R.Ph., is a registered pharmacist, cosmetic chemist and formulator for Sanítas Skincare. Mr. Fuchs has been formulating custom skin care products for over 27 years.

Improving Children’s Health Through Proper Nutrition

Mark-A — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:19:25 +0000

At the 2nd Annual World Health Care Congress in Abu Dhabi, Denice Cora-Bramble, M.D., Executive Vice President, Children's National Medical Center, discusses the role of schools in improving healthy lifestyles in children.

7 Acupuncture Points to Help Allergy Sufferers This Spring

Sara Calabro — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:36:42 +0000

Spring is in full swing. For some, it's time for warm air! Fresh flowers! Longer days! For others, it's time for runny noses! Itchy eyes! Sinus headaches!

But people with seasonal allergies should know that spring need not be an unavoidable period of suffering. Nor does it require dependence on Claritin or fear of leaving the house without Kleenex.

Acupuncture offers tools for both preventing spring allergy symptoms and getting rid of them. Specifically, there are seven acupuncture points that can work wonders for preventing and relieving spring allergies.

Still Sour: Sugar Politics Vs. Health And The Economy

Steve Heilig — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:15:38 +0000

Every morning I put about half a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee. And I love it. That is the single use I have for the stuff, although I'm aware it's contained, and often hidden, in so many forms in other things I eat or drink, even though I have always been a healthy eater.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta of 60 Minutes just did a segment titled "Sugar and Kids: The Toxic Truth." Almost a year ago, the New York Times Magazine featured a cover story titled "Is Sugar Toxic?" wherein University of California pediatrics professor Robert Lustig, featured in both these reports, basically answers with an emphatic "yes."

I've been a little reluctant to apply the term "toxic" to sugar, as that often seems to imply that a substance is unhealthy, even deadly, at any level — "the dose makes the poison" is the longstanding toxicological maxim. But that maxim is being challenged on a number of fronts, particularly some industrial chemicals that can impact our health at much lower levels than previously suspected. Plus, we now have to consider the time we are exposed — kids, even embryos, can be particularly vulnerable to some substances, even sugar. But semantics should not be the issue here; if sugar, at levels it is being consumed by many kids and adults, is causing obesity, diabetes, and a host of other conditions, "toxic" might well apply. And thus, when Lustig and his colleagues recommend taxes, controlling access, and restrictions on sales of high sugar products in schools and workplaces, it increasingly makes sense.

Choosing (Medicine) Wisely: Good Answers For Good Questions

David Katz, M.D. — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:58:01 +0000

The big medical news of the past week was about common sense restraint, rather than scientific advance. It was, mostly, about when not to use the medical technology at our disposal.

I refer, of course, to the "Choosing Wisely" program, set in motion last year by the American Board of Internal Medicine (my home turf), and emulated now by nine medical specialty organizations representing such disciplines as internal medicine, radiology, family practice, cardiology, and oncology.

The extensive media coverage that has ensued has, in my opinion, spent too little time on the root problem: why over-testing, which reports suggest may account for an incredible one-third of all health care expenditure in the U.S., developed in the first place. There is passing reference in most articles I've seen to profit, implying that's what this is all about — greedy physicians who need more policing by their professional colleges — and then the subject is dropped. Let's pick it back up, because there is more to it.

Why do excessive tests get done?