tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24795167274772545722024-03-08T09:41:43.458-05:00Healthy Life Course:Tackling issues of public health through the lifespan: mental health, health reform, the obesity epidemic, family health, and general health policies.Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-17696643817598060332015-11-25T13:21:00.002-05:002015-11-25T13:21:51.451-05:00Coca-Cola's Obesity Research Ends: Ethical True Science Wins<div style="border-image: none;">
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After FOUR years of not posting a single post (a <em>very</em> full time career and three <em>very</em> young children being the reason for the long sabbatical), I'm BACK! I just couldn't help but post after reading about the retirement of Coca-Cola's Chief Scientist. </div>
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Rhona Applebaum, who was Coke's chief science and health officer, helped lead the creation of a nonprofit obesity working group, the Global Energy Balance Network (G.E.B.N.) last year. Coke spent $1.5 million last year on starting this group and nearly $4 million since 2008 supporting projects for two of G.E.B.N's founding members, academics who study obesity. Interestingly, the funding and direction from Coke was to focus the group's work on exercise and physical activity to reduce obesity, and to reduce and minimize the emphasis on calories and sugar's role in obesity (to improve Coke's image, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-07-31/coca-cola-sales-decline-health-concerns-spur-relaunch">and dropping sales</a>, of course). </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T19XwwH_6aE/VlXza_I1JAI/AAAAAAAAqjg/1_uB8I_pLjw/s1600/coke.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T19XwwH_6aE/VlXza_I1JAI/AAAAAAAAqjg/1_uB8I_pLjw/s320/coke.png" width="206" /></a>And as described in an <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/coca-cola-funds-scientists-who-shift-blame-for-obesity-away-from-bad-diets/">earlier (August) NY Times blog post</a>, the <a href="https://gebn.org/">Global Energy Balance Network's (G.E.B.N.) website</a> is registered to Coca-Cola and they are the site administrator, because the other team members "didn't know how to set it up." And in email communication between the G.E.B.N. University of Colorado researcher Dr. James Hill and Coke execs, "...provide a strong rationale for why a company selling sugar water should focus on promoting physical activity. This would be a very large and expensive study, but could be a game changer. We need this study to be done.” Riiiiight; of course they <em>need</em> it to be done, because it means lots of [unethical] funding. </div>
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This is definitely a case of true, valid, ethically-produced science versus large corporations and profits. May science always win, science that is backed with ethical monies anyway. As shown in one of this post's images, "Honesty is the best policy." To give Coke <em>some</em> credit, there is more to the obesity problem than well, Coca-Cola, sugar, and calories. However, to shift (and fund) research 100% away from dietary intake and to other aspects (physical inactivity) is immoral, unethical, and flat-out wrong. It misleads the public and average consumer. What do you think about this controversy? What do you think are primary drivers of the obesity epidemic; and more importantly, what sources did you draw on to develop those opinions? Also, do you drink Coca-Cola? </div>
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For More, Visit:</div>
<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/cokes-chief-scientist-who-orchestrated-obesity-research-is-leaving/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+First+Edition&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=24062143&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_PeFTUQO_VYJCAlz6esycOz4MWaukerYuHBYUB2u9dmcmQdpOHLaH81-uz9aUceQ-c2zWSzCaYGDuhaixNG5pi7CY1FA&_hsmi=24062143&_r=0">NY Times Blog</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-24/coca-cola-s-chief-science-officer-retires-after-obesity-outcry">Bloomberg</a></div>
Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-35559558885546230332011-11-17T11:09:00.000-05:002011-11-17T11:09:47.128-05:00Baby in Bed with Butcher Knife Ad Generates National Reactions<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bUb-kYSkqDU/TsUvW3AcaUI/AAAAAAAACdE/xq1pSdWFd8A/s1600/baby-knife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bUb-kYSkqDU/TsUvW3AcaUI/AAAAAAAACdE/xq1pSdWFd8A/s320/baby-knife.jpg" width="220" /></a>We've all heard that sleeping with your baby in bed with you is somewhat risky. Soft blankets, a soft mattress, parents rolling on top of their babies...there are plenty of ways a child could suffocate and die by co-sleeping (and many children have). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) <i>is</i> more common in co-sleeping families (babies in <i>same bed </i>as parents).<br />
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The city of Milwaukee is taking it one step further by scaring the $#% out of people by releasing these ads. Equating a child sleeping in an adult bed to sleeping with a butcher knife. Wow.<br />
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I'll admit it, as a breastfeeding-on-demand Mom, I sometimes lay my son next to me in bed in the middle of the night and we fall asleep together. Call me an insane demon if you want, Milwaukee. (Note--I do move pillows away from his face, he is not covered or twisted in our sheets, and our mattress is pretty firm--love our Tempur-pedic. But I digress).<br />
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<a href="http://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/healthAuthors/ADMIN/PDFs/PressReleases/2011/110711InfantMortalityAnnouncem.pdf">Here's the press release.</a> And here is <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/health/2011/11/16/nr-cohen-co-sleeping.cnn">CNN's video story about it</a>.<br />
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What do you think? Appropriate? Too extreme?Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-24451481700234720642011-11-14T22:21:00.000-05:002011-11-14T22:21:04.152-05:00Supreme Court on Health Care Reform: History in the MakingToday the Supreme Court announced they will make a ruling on whether or not health care reform is constitutional. The arguments will be heard in February or March and a ruling will come in late June, just a few months before election time. This is serious history in the making, people.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FBJA11glBzo/TsHZxCcuh2I/AAAAAAAACaM/gV0HZ4yPrvQ/s1600/Health-Reform-Skepticism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FBJA11glBzo/TsHZxCcuh2I/AAAAAAAACaM/gV0HZ4yPrvQ/s320/Health-Reform-Skepticism.jpg" width="320" /></a>This follows the ruling from Florida and 25 other states where the appeals courts struck down the law (the only one of 4 cases). <br />
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Roughly speaking, the Supreme Court will decide on two main things: 1) if the individual mandate portion is constitutional and 2) whether the rest of the reform legislation should also be scrapped. <br />
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Stay tuned.<br />
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More detail can be read on <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/14/politics/health-care/index.html?hpt=hp_t2">CNN</a>, <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/11/14/142314466/supreme-court-sets-historic-showdown-for-health-law">NPR</a>, <a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2011/November/14/supreme-court-and-health-law.aspx">Kaiser Health News</a>, or <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/15/us/supreme-court-to-hear-case-challenging-health-law.html?ref=healthcarereform">NYTimes</a>.Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-22706299331304266292011-04-23T21:15:00.002-04:002011-04-23T21:18:07.522-04:00Eat Organic & Improve I.Q.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pgPbSep89Ro/TbN1hlyOfUI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/9-4-SLP6LZQ/s1600/babygenius_PSA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pgPbSep89Ro/TbN1hlyOfUI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/9-4-SLP6LZQ/s320/babygenius_PSA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Are you eating organic? If you're not and you are pregnant or planning on having a baby, you might want to consider it. Three new studies have independently come out with results showing that babies exposed to pesticides in the womb have lower IQs than non-exposed babies. Children with the highest levels of exposure scored 7 IQ points lower than children with the lowest levels of exposure. Wow.<br />
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All three of these studies were published in the latest issue of the <a href="http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/home.action">Environmental Health Perspectives Journal</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfSGIRKBDOA/TbN1IvVN9jI/AAAAAAAAAmM/UlsgljtnH_k/s1600/organic_food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfSGIRKBDOA/TbN1IvVN9jI/AAAAAAAAAmM/UlsgljtnH_k/s200/organic_food.jpg" width="200" /></a>Read more about it at the <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/pesticide-exposure-in-womb-affects-i-q/?ref=health">NYTimes</a>. Or, read each of the three studies themselves. <br />
1) <a href="http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action;jsessionid=ECA5EF48D8765362E8C97EB0C07E5B75?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1003183">Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphates, Paraoxonase 1, and Cognitive Development in Childhood</a>. <br />
2)<a href="http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action;jsessionid=ECA5EF48D8765362E8C97EB0C07E5B75?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1003160"> 7-Year Neurodevelopmental Scores and Prenatal Exposure to Chlorpyrifos, a Common Agricultural Pesticide</a>.<br />
3) <a href="http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action;jsessionid=ECA5EF48D8765362E8C97EB0C07E5B75?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1003185">Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphate Pesticides and IQ in 7-Year Old Children</a>.<br />
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If you're not able to go 100% organic, be sure to look at the <a href="http://www.foodnews.org/">Environmental Working Group's Shopper's Guide</a> and at least eat the <a href="http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214">"dirty dozen"</a> organic!Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-27236325609006532332011-02-01T12:40:00.001-05:002011-02-01T12:41:31.146-05:00USDA's Releases New Guidelines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TUhFI87yq6I/AAAAAAAAAhc/BfB5AFyatCI/s1600/dietaryguidelines_2010.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TUhFI87yq6I/AAAAAAAAAhc/BfB5AFyatCI/s200/dietaryguidelines_2010.png" width="156" /></a></div>Yesterday, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the new <a href="http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-PolicyDocument.htm">"Dietary Guidelines for Americans: 2010."</a> The guidelines come at an important time--when one of every three Americans is overweight or obese. The main focus of the guidelines is to describe the need to balance calories, in terms of food and exercise, to manage weight appropriately and keep your health in check.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TUhFUpXo6vI/AAAAAAAAAhg/p_F4f4_ixsY/s1600/salt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TUhFUpXo6vI/AAAAAAAAAhg/p_F4f4_ixsY/s200/salt.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Some of the new food guidelines include:<br />
1) Limit salt for healthy people to 2,300 milligrams. For those with hypertension, diabetes, or kidney disease, or those over the age of 51, or African Americans of any age, salt should be restricted to 1,500 milligrams per day.<br />
2) Alcohol should only be consumed in moderation, meaning: 1 drink a day for women, 2 drinks a day for men.<br />
3) Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables. Avoid over-sized portions of all foods.<br />
4) Drink water instead of sugary drinks.<br />
5) Less than 10% of your daily fats should be saturated and eat more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated (think nuts, olive oil, etc).<br />
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These guidelines are not extremely surprising, but important to take note of nonetheless. Americans need to limit their daily intake of salt, sugar, bad fats, and alcohol. Additionally, watch your portions. Some of the messages for consumers can be found <a href="http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/PolicyDoc/SelectedMessages.pdf">here</a>.<br />
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The USDA will also be releasing a new food pyramid within the next month or two, so be on the lookout!Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-16988702354892499132011-01-31T13:56:00.000-05:002011-01-31T13:56:21.711-05:00Meditation, Memory, & Stress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TUcDnA_Nu8I/AAAAAAAAAhY/js3jWXNWWUs/s1600/meditation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TUcDnA_Nu8I/AAAAAAAAAhY/js3jWXNWWUs/s320/meditation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>According to a <a href="http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/S0925-4927(10)00288-X/abstract">study published yesterday</a> in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, meditation might alter your brain for the better. <br />
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A group of participants who underwent mindfulness meditation had increased gray matter in the hippocampus, which is where your learning and memory takes place, when compared to a control group. They also had reduced gray matter in the amygdala, or the area where stress and anxiety occur. <br />
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The meditation was called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and has origins in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness_(Buddhism)">Buddhism</a>, where one is supposed to focus on the here and now, being conscious of their breathing, body, and the here and now. Basically, it involves getting to a place where you are not thinking of the past or the future (e.g. to-do list etc), but being completely focused on yourself in the present. The lead author of the paper, Britta Holzel, discusses it in the <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/how-meditation-may-change-the-brain/?ref=health">NYTimes article on the topic</a>.<br />
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This meditation has also been shown to <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/can-meditation-curb-heart-attacks/">reduce blood pressure</a> and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/health/psychology/08medi.html?_r=1">improve your attention span</a>. Although more research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which meditation impacts the brain (and larger studies, as this study only had 16 participants and 17 controls), it certainly is promising to improve one's health.<br />
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Have you ever tried it? It certainly takes practice. But it might be more practice I decide to do. Will you?Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-65336991508409293472011-01-27T07:08:00.000-05:002011-01-27T07:08:11.892-05:00Dime a Drink, What do you Think?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TUFfrKHHupI/AAAAAAAAAhA/V7hDbJMsTkQ/s1600/beer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TUFfrKHHupI/AAAAAAAAAhA/V7hDbJMsTkQ/s200/beer.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>The state of Maryland is proposing a new tax on all alcoholic beverages. <br />
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There are a few reasons for this. One is to reduce the amount of alcohol consumption. Research has shown that as the price of alcohol rises, consumption decreases. Supporters of the tax argue the tax could potentially reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths by 33 each year and reduce those with alcohol-related dependency by 13,000, <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/46279387/Alcohol-Tax-Report-2011">according to a study</a> done at Johns Hopkins.. This would save the state of Maryland $225 million in health care costs during its first year.<br />
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The second reason for the proposed tax is to fund the Medicaid expansion and mental health services for those with developmental disabilities or those needing drug abuse treatment. The bill is expected to raise about $215 million per year for the state of Maryland.<br />
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The tax would be a 10 cent tax per alcoholic beverage, which translates to an extra $2.40 per case of beer. The last time <a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/capital-land/2011/01/dime-drink-booze-tax-hits-md-house-chamber">taxes were raised on alcohol in Maryland</a> was in 1972. The same bill was introduced in the last session of the Maryland assembly, but failed. A 5-cent tax was proposed the year before that, also failing. There are so far <a href="http://mlis.state.md.us/2011rs/billfile/hb0121.htm">54/141 state delegates</a> who have signed on to the current bill. <br />
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Will it pass? If so, will the funds be administered as they are proposed?Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-81350542133569162202011-01-02T20:37:00.002-05:002011-01-02T20:51:56.462-05:00Happy New Year! New Health Law Changes In Effect.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TSEnIOzQXyI/AAAAAAAAAeE/medfXs5yVtk/s1600/happy_new_year_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TSEnIOzQXyI/AAAAAAAAAeE/medfXs5yVtk/s200/happy_new_year_2011.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>With the start of 2011, a number of health law provisions are now in place. These include<br />
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1) Shrinking the "doughnut hole," meaning that seniors who fall into the doughnut hole (those who have spent between $2,840-$6,448 on medications, including what insurers pay) will now get a 50% discount on brand-name medications. This compares to a $250 rebate they received in 2010.<br />
2) Health insurers can use incentives (such as reduced premiums) for employees who join wellness programs or meet certain health targets. The discounts can be up to 30% of employee-related health insurance costs. More info <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/01/your-money/01money.html?ref=todayspaper">here</a>.<br />
3) Health insurance companies must now spend 80% (for small-group plans) on improving patient care, as opposed to spending on general profits/salaries, and admin costs. If they fail to do so, they must give rebates to customers (starting in 2012). This percent is 85% for large group plans. <br />
4) Primary care physicians and general surgeons receive 10% more in reimbursements from Medicare.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TSEoQMAXAGI/AAAAAAAAAeM/FpXbvuFYTus/s1600/mammography.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TSEoQMAXAGI/AAAAAAAAAeM/FpXbvuFYTus/s320/mammography.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>5) Medicare will pay 100% of preventive care, meaning seniors on Medicare receive free health screenings (e.g. colorectal cancer, mammograms, etc) and other services (e.g. smoking cessation programs).<br />
6) Medicare beneficiaries with annual incomes $85,000+ (for individual) or $170,000+ (for couples) will get smaller subsidies from Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage)...and the start of higher premiums.<br />
7) Holders of flexible-spending accounts will no longer be able to pay for most over-the-counter supplies with their accounts and will now require a prescription. <br />
8) Community-Based Care Transition Program is underway, which is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Demonstration project designed to put evidence-based care transition services into place for Medicare beneficiaries to reduce the risk of hospital readmissions and improve the quality of care for seniors. Hospitals and community-based organizations apply to the Department of Health and Human Services to implement this program, based on other successful care transition models, which have eased the transition from hospital to home and reduced hospital re-admission rates. More information found <a href="http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2010/04/29/improving-care-transitions-a-key-component-of-health-reform/">here</a>. .<br />
9) Certified Nurse Midwives will now receive the same rate as physicians by Medicare. They were previously only paid 65% of the physician rate. <br />
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Mandatory health insurance doesn't come into play until 2014.<br />
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For more information, check out: <a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2011/January/01/2011-health-care-provisions.aspx">Kaiser Health News</a>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-66602140566613749722010-09-29T09:18:00.000-04:002010-09-29T09:18:46.952-04:00Health Reform is Happening!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TKM7vJSYffI/AAAAAAAAAXc/PRwM3TL2WIo/s1600/kff_healthreform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TKM7vJSYffI/AAAAAAAAAXc/PRwM3TL2WIo/s1600/kff_healthreform.jpg" /></a></div>It's been 6 months since the health reform bill was passed. Confused about what is in the health reform bill? Confused about what it means for you? About when things will occur? Then, a great resource to check out is: <a href="http://healthreform.kff.org/the-animation.aspx">Health Reform Hits Main Street</a>, a short animated "YouToons" video by the Kaiser Family Foundation.<br />
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Last week (Thursday, Sept 23rd) a number of provisions of the bill went into effect. Six of them are as follows: <u>One</u>, insurance companies (for employer plans) are no longer able to deny health insurance coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes or asthma. <u>Two</u>, lifetime limits on coverage are dropped, meaning there is no lifetime limit on what you spend on hospital stays or other medical costs. <u>Three</u>, free preventive care must be given by new health insurance policies purchased. These things include preventive screenings, immunizations, and other preventive tests cannot have a copay. <u>Four</u>, insurance companies are not allowed to drop you from coverage when you get sick and additionally, they can't look for an error on your application form and then deny coverage based on that. <u>Five</u>, there is an expanded appeal process for denied claims, meaning you can do an external appeal to an independent third party (instead of just to your insurer directly). <u>Six</u>, dependent children under the age of 26 can remain on their parent's health insurance policy, as long as their job doesn't offer insurance. The under-26 population are currently one of the most likely to be uninsured groups, and allowing them to be on their parent's plan will generally save money (to pay for other provisions above) by allowing younger and healthier into the insurance pool to reduce the overall risk and thus, premium costs. Go to <a href="http://gettingcovered.org/">Getting Covered.org</a> if you have questions about how the dependent coverage rules work in your state. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TJjHlWvem8I/AAAAAAAAAW8/66DXns3-f6E/s1600/WAD_report_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TJjHlWvem8I/AAAAAAAAAW8/66DXns3-f6E/s320/WAD_report_cover.jpg" /></a></div>According to the <a href="http://www.alz.org/documents/national/World_Alzheimer_Report_2010.pdf">World Alzheimer's Report</a>, released today, Alzheimer's Disease costs $600 billion, or 1% of the world's GDP. <br />
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Today is <a href="http://www.alz.co.uk/adi/wad/">World Alzheimer's Day</a>, a day to recognize this tremendous public health problem, create awareness, and to take action. To find events occurring world-wide, <a href="http://www.alz.co.uk/adi/wad/wad2010events.html">click here</a>. <br />
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To tell your Congressional representative to vote for the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA), <a href="http://www.kintera.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=mmKXLbP8E&b=6239707">click here</a>. The goal of NAPA is to create a national inter-Agency group within the Department of Health and Human Services to come up with a national plan for fighting Alzheimer's Disease.Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-63302164257153079432010-09-18T09:12:00.001-04:002010-09-18T09:13:10.668-04:00War Against McDonaldsThe <a href="http://www.pcrm.org/">Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine</a>, a nonprofit advocacy group with a mission of promoting preventive medicine and conducting clinical research, released a controversial advertisement two days ago. This ad shows a man on a gurney with his death grip (pun intended) on a fast food hamburger. The end shows the McDonald's logo (the largest fast food chain and producer of high-fat, high-sodium, & high-cholesterol meals) with "I Was Loving It." <br />
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You can watch the ad by <a href="http://www.pcrm.org/news/commercial_targets_mcdonalds_high-fat_fare_100914.html">clicking here</a> and can view the NYTimes story by <a href="http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/doctors-group-attacks-mcdonalds-in-tv-ad/">clicking here</a>.<br />
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What are your reactions? Mine? Finally someone is educating the television-viewing public about potential dangers and consequences of eating unhealthy.Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-52627228969823853402010-08-28T18:05:00.002-04:002010-08-28T18:11:38.773-04:00UnMoral Minds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/THmHP4FUSyI/AAAAAAAAAT8/gQD3QCCJGfA/s1600/marc_hauser_harvard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/THmHP4FUSyI/AAAAAAAAAT8/gQD3QCCJGfA/s200/marc_hauser_harvard.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Wow, not even peer-reviewed journal articles are safe from false information. Apparently a Harvard researcher, Marc Hauser, may have provided false, made-up data (at least for the control condition of the study) for a 2002 article published in the journal <i>Cognition</i>. Although extremely rare something like this would happen, it's worth taking note of. Sad to say, but this man will likely be looking for a new career. Ironically, he published a book called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Moral-Minds-Nature-Designed-Universal/dp/0060780703">Moral Minds</a>. </i>It looks like someone teaching others about right and wrong has a few things to learn.<br />
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Read <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/science/28harvard.html?_r=1&ref=science">the story here</a>. And because I know you're interested (obviously I was), <a href="http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~mnkylab/HauserBio.html">here is the man behind the story</a> and his photo is at right.Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-12278226605420349842010-08-12T14:57:00.001-04:002010-08-28T17:54:36.283-04:00Will You Develop Alzheimer's Disease? Do a Spinal Tap and You May Find Out.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had to share this extremely interesting study. It is one of the many findings found from the </span><a href="http://www.adni-info.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, of which I worked a research coordinator for at the </span><a href="http://www.kualzheimers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">University of Kansas Medical Center</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> site. One of the large $60 million study's goals was to look for biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease. Previously, the only definitive confirmation of an Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis was autopsy, whereupon one could see plaques and tangles in the brain. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TGRD0kk7nyI/AAAAAAAAARo/9fZboCrQeSU/s1600/doctor+and+elderly+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TGRD0kk7nyI/AAAAAAAAARo/9fZboCrQeSU/s320/doctor+and+elderly+man.jpg" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Published on Tuesday in the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Archives of Neurology</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, was an article using results from ADNI to predict who with memory loss would go on to develop Alzheimer's Disease. The authors were 100% accurate in using spinal fluid to make this prediction. The article is titled, "</span><a href="http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/67/8/949"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Diagnosis-Independent Alzheimer Disease Biomarker Signature in Cognitively Normal Elderly People.</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">" </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Also interesting was the fact that the authors found this Alzheimer's Disease "signature" biomarker (presence of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles) in 36% of people who were cognitively "normal," or healthy people with no signs of memory loss. Would you want to find out if you were going to develop Alzheimer's Disease or not? It might be possible very soon. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/THmFZJG5ctI/AAAAAAAAAT0/rfh_rRElFac/s1600/plaques+and+tangles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/THmFZJG5ctI/AAAAAAAAAT0/rfh_rRElFac/s320/plaques+and+tangles.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A cure though? Not yet possible. The current treatments for Alzheimer's Disease only treat symptoms, not the underlying disease. This means the current medications will ease some of the disease's side effects, but the plaques and tangles will continue to build up in your brain and the disease will progress. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/health/research/10spinal.html?_r=1&ref=health"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Click here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to read a NYTimes news article written about this same study. </span>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-86238437950834903682010-06-16T10:42:00.000-04:002010-06-16T10:42:43.557-04:00Real Men Go To The Doctor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TBjhrPpeQhI/AAAAAAAAAMM/RPL5sGuKiig/s1600/fatherdaughter_dance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TBjhrPpeQhI/AAAAAAAAAMM/RPL5sGuKiig/s400/fatherdaughter_dance.JPG" width="282" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Recent research shows than men are 24% less likely to visit a doctor than women are. And they are more likely to be hospitalized for health conditions that could have been prevented. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Thus, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ--where I am currently employed) released <a href="http://www.ahrq.gov/healthymen/">their public service advertising campaign</a> yesterday to promote men's preventive health. The timing coincides with <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/men/nmhw/index.htm">Men's Health Week</a>, which, for 2010, is June 14th through 20th. Laura Landro covered the story in an excellent video for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which you can watch <a href="http://online.wsj.com/video/news-hub-why-do-men-avoid-doctors/1AAA4625-0A05-43DB-8D12-E566283E7E6E.html?KEYWORDS=Laura+Landro">here</a>. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TBjhtydpucI/AAAAAAAAAMc/apNKB7JSD9Y/s1600/mph_stuborness_ooh.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="91" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TBjhtydpucI/AAAAAAAAAMc/apNKB7JSD9Y/s200/mph_stuborness_ooh.JPG" width="200" /></a>Please encourage your friends and family to visit the doctor. Simple preventive tests can detect diseases early, when treatment is easier and your health outcomes will be better. <a href="http://www.ahrq.gov/healthymen/prevent.htm">Here is a list</a> of preventive medical tests men should have completed. Immunizations and screening tests for body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure, depression, sexually transmitted diseases, and colerectal cancer are just a few of the preventive tests that should be done. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TBjhtZVBEzI/AAAAAAAAAMU/Jpj5sdKTGPU/s1600/mph_newspaper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/TBjhtZVBEzI/AAAAAAAAAMU/Jpj5sdKTGPU/s320/mph_newspaper.JPG" width="224" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There are a number of campaign materials <a href="http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=501">here</a>, including television, radio, and print. I highly suggest checking them out--they are effective, well-crafted, and really interesting! I've included a couple of the print materials and an outdoor banner as the images for this story. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I love this. Stick a candle in an apple and I'm happy. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But don't worry, birthday cakes and sweets are still allowed on the kids' birthdays--they just can't be eaten on-site. The sweets will get sent home with parents, who can them decide on their own whether to allow their kids to indulge or not. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Is this taking it too far? Or is this a great idea to combat our overwhelmingly growing obesity problem and teach children healthy eating habits? </span>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-742114579099130342010-05-11T21:30:00.000-04:002010-05-11T21:30:23.707-04:00Curative+Palliative=New Hospice?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S-oAj1MXUdI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/kJ_HrvFPbi4/s1600/hospice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S-oAj1MXUdI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/kJ_HrvFPbi4/s320/hospice.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Prior to health reform, Medicare (federal program for 65+ and disabled) only covered palliative (non-curative) care for individuals on Hospice care. Hospice is both a type of care and a philosophy for terminally ill patients, focused on management and alleviation of pain symptoms and spending the end of one's life with friends and family in a manner of dignity and peace. The focus is on quality of life, rather than lengthening duration of life, or providing cures, and occurs on one's home or a hospice facility. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With health reform becoming law, Medicaid (state-federal program for the poor) must now provide both palliative care and curative care for children with terminal health conditions. Additionally, Medicare is instructed to start approximately 15 demonstration projects around the US (rural/urban mix) to test this palliative and curative combination. Basically, the demonstration projects will be 3-year programs allowing individuals to receive all currently covered Medicare services while simultaneously receiving hospice care. If the demonstration projects show benefits (defined as the impact on patient care and quality of life) without increasing costs, this could become a new policy for Medicare. It is listed as <a href="http://www.healthreform.gov/health_reform_and_hhs.html">Section 3140</a> of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (and its reconciled Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act) and is called the Medicare Hospice Concurrent Care Demonstration Program. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What do you think the outcome will be? Will this combination of therapies work? Will costs increase? Does the addition of curative therapies confuse the point of hospice care (to end life peacefully and with dignity)? Will this make the end of life easier or more difficult for families? </span>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-91417787230131920132010-05-05T23:40:00.001-04:002010-05-06T00:15:05.336-04:00Robots & Quality Health Care<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In yesterday's </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wall Street Journal</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, John Carreyou talks about </span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304703104575173952145907526.html?KEYWORDS=JOHN+CARREYROU"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">da Vinci</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (the robot, not the artist). The da Vinci is a robot used to perform minimally invasive surgeries. The machine costs between $1.4 million and $2.2 million and is manufactured by </span><a href="http://www.intuitivesurgical.com/index.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Intuitive Surgical</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. It's operated by surgeons with joystick controls with the purpose of providing better visibility and greater flexibility and ease in surgeries. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tha da Vinci then is argued to be good for patients because leads to: less blood loss, smaller scars, and less infection. Additionally, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12908224"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">one study</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> found da Vinci surgeries to cut hospital stays, thus reducing hospital costs by a third. Sounds great, but what are the potential problems?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For one, if unexperienced doctors are performing these procedures, there could be harmful outcomes for patients. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The da Vinci has been marketed as a technological advantage for small hospitals to be competitive with other hospitals. One such hospital, </span><a href="http://www.wdhospital.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wentworth-Douglas Hospital</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, in Dover, New Hampshire, has been using the da Vinci for years. The hospital has performed about 300 surgeries in 4 years. As a comparison, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">individual</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> robotic surgery experts, like </span><a href="http://www.roboticoncology.com/physician-profile/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dr. David Samadi </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">at Mt. Sinai, average 400-600 per year. Now, Wentworth-Douglas hospital is under investigation for quality concerns with the robotic surgeries. There have been some complications in surgeries, but the hospital also notes their da Vinci complication rates are below some recently published rates.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There isn't current data to compare the rates of complications across hospitals, comparing high-volume (high number of procedures in a year) to low-volume. However, there is data on number of procedures and offsetting cots. One recent study in the Journal of Urology said that doctors need to perform over 500 per year to offset costs of traditional surgery.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So how can we ensure that we can allow for technological innovation while ensuring consistently high quality medical care delivered to patients and keeping costs down? If it takes continuous experience (i.e. high volume hospitals, specifically the physicians in the hospitals, performing the procedures frequently) to ensure top-notch quality, how do we ensure access to top quality to less-resourced areas? Can we ensure equality in quality geographically?</span>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-25718319297612544732010-04-10T21:56:00.001-04:002010-04-10T21:57:55.155-04:00The Skinny on Childhood Obesity<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S8Eqece3beI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/vbz8iJQbhZU/s1600/michelleobamaevanvucciassociatedpresswashpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S8Eqece3beI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/vbz8iJQbhZU/s200/michelleobamaevanvucciassociatedpresswashpost.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yesterday, Michelle Obama led the White House Childhood Obesity Summit. The meeting was a follow-up to her (much-needed) </span><a href="http://www.letsmove.gov/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Let's Move</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Campaign she announced in February. We all know childhood obesity is a problem and the first lady is getting some national discussions started on how to combat this public health epidemic within the next generation. Both Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary </span><a href="http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kathleen Sebelius</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and Surgeon General </span><a href="http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Regina Benjamin</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> have also </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1234975529"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">s</span></a><a href="http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/01/20100128c.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">tated their plans</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to help Americans stop the obesity epidemic.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S8Ec-AvA2lI/AAAAAAAAAGA/Ucp3gLTRGGQ/s1600/childhoodobesityovertime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S8Ec-AvA2lI/AAAAAAAAAGA/Ucp3gLTRGGQ/s1600/childhoodobesityovertime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S8Ec-AvA2lI/AAAAAAAAAGA/Ucp3gLTRGGQ/s200/childhoodobesityovertime.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One of the leading health policy journals, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Health Affairs</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, released their special March 2010 issue (Vol 29, No 3), with the theme: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Child Obesity: The Way Forward</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. In this issue, there are a number of great articles discussing implications of childhood obesity and potential next steps to combat it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Regarding costs, </span><a href="http://www.human.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=jhc38"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">John Cawley</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">'s article on "The Economics of Childhood Obesity," mentioned two interventions shown to be not just effective, but cost-effective in youth. One is the </span><a href="http://www.catchinfo.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH)</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and the other is </span><a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/prc/proj_planet.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Planet Health</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (cost-effective for females). He argues that we need to use policies and incentives to promote cost-effective interventions and to find other cost-effective measures to stop this problem costing us $14.1 billion in outpatient care and $237.6 billion in inpatient care each year (direct costs). </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S8Em0T9vqlI/AAAAAAAAAGI/Zb4V6UR3gpQ/s1600/sugarysoda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S8Em0T9vqlI/AAAAAAAAAGI/Zb4V6UR3gpQ/s200/sugarysoda.jpg" width="156" /></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, what can we do and what's being done? </span><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/about/leadership/leaders/Frieden.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thomas Frieden</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was the lead author on an action agenda, "Reducing Childhood Obesity Through Policy Change: Acting Now To Prevent Obesity," in the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Health Affairs </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">issue. Recommendations include: food and beverage taxes, zoning policies, banning ads, counterads, increasing exposure to healthy foods, increasing physical activity, and decreasing sedentary behavior. However, the food and beverage taxes would likely need to be pretty high as a </span><a href="http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.2009.0061"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">study released last week</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Health Affairs</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> revealed soda taxes at 4% have no effect on consumption. However, if the tax revenues are used to fund cost-effective interventions for childhood obesity, there is still potential benefit in these increased taxes, also noted by the authors. The authors also called to duty: federal, state, and local governments, parents, the food industry, and businesses to act.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Additionally, issue and policy briefs were released in Washington DC. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee started a series of hearings on child obesity and how to address the epidemic, with the first in the series being the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Health Affairs</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> hearing on March 2. A number of stakeholders convened to begin discussions on what can be done, the built environment, and food policy. You can view the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Health Affairs</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Issue Briefing </span><a href="http://www.healthaffairs.org/issue_briefings/2010_03_02_childhood_obesity/2010_03_02_childhood_obesity.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Aside</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">: One of the speakers was </span><a href="http://www.nemours.org/about/leadership/changdebbie.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Debbie Chang</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Vice President of Policy & Prevention for </span><a href="http://www.nemours.org/service/preventive/nhps/about.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Nemours</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. I consulted with </span><a href="http://faculty.jhsph.edu/default.cfm?faculty_id=480"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dr. Cynthia Minkovitz</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and the </span><a href="http://www.jhsph.edu/wchpc/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Johns Hopkins Women & Child Health Policy Center (WCHPC)</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> on a policy scan last year regarding current policies practiced by youth-serving organizations to promote healthy eating and physical activity. It's exciting to be a part of positive change for our nation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What are your thoughts on the best way to fight childhood obesity? What is the largest barrier to stopping the epidemic?</span><br />
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<tr><td width="770"><a href="http://content.healthaffairs.org.ezproxy.welch.jhmi.edu/" style="color: #3333cc; text-decoration: underline;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Health Affairs</span></span></i></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, 29, no. 3 (2010): 357-363</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The theme issue for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Health Affairs</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> was supported by the </span><a href="http://www.rwjf.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Robert Wood Johnson Foundation</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photo of Michelle Obama courtesy of Evan Vucci/Associated Press</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span></span>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-66758037269339862542010-04-08T14:55:00.006-04:002010-04-08T15:04:14.720-04:00It's National Public Health Week!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S74omggBfQI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/zqP8_H35Xyw/s1600/APHA+Logo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 100px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S74omggBfQI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/zqP8_H35Xyw/s200/APHA+Logo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457844440444009730" /></a><br /><br />We are halfway through <a href="http://www.nphw.org/nphw10/home1.htm">National Public Health Week</a>, which runs from April 5th-11th!! I thought I better get a quick post in to promote public health myself! <br /><br />So what does Public Health do? <a href="http://www.aphaportal.org/generationpublichealth/pg_gphvideo.htm">Click here</a> to find out!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hhs.gov/ophs/news/20100406.html">Click here</a> to view the Statement by Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh, MD, MPH.Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-75546670337445896962010-03-23T10:31:00.011-04:002010-03-23T21:35:53.452-04:00Health Reform Makes History - What Does it Mean?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S6jg8OjufUI/AAAAAAAAAEk/zrL3EEYsDGw/s1600-h/obamahealthreform.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S6jg8OjufUI/AAAAAAAAAEk/zrL3EEYsDGw/s200/obamahealthreform.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451854674236702018" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The House voted late Sunday March 21, 2010 (219-212 vote) in favor of sending the Health Reform Bill to President Obama. In addition, the House Democrats made some changes to the Senate's health reform bill (220-211 vote) which now goes back to the Senate. They must pass word-for-word reconciliation. As I post this blog entry, Obama is signing this long-awaited bill for the health of our nation.<br /><br />32 million uninsured will now have health insurance. Excluded in this number are: illegal immigrants (who are also banned from purchasing in the health insurance exchanges), those eligible for Medicaid who won't enroll until they seek care, and those choosing to pay the fine instead of purchasing health insurance.<br /><br />Here is a breakdown of (some of) what is included in this historical piece of health legislation.<br /><br /></span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Effective Immediately up to 6 Months From Now</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">:<br />1) Insurers can't deny coverage to sick children (due to preexisting health conditions)<br />2) Free preventive care--screenings and preventive care must be excluded from annual deductibles on any new plans (all other plans affected in 2018)<br />3) No caps on lifetime benefits and restrictions on annual limits on coverage<br />4) Young adults allowed to stay on parent's insurance until the age 0f 26<br />5) Medicare Advantage (Medicare benefits delivered by private firms) gets cuts in spending in 2011<br />6) Children on Medicaid or state CHIP can't be dropped from now until 2019<br />7) Excise tax on tanning beds (10%)--"sin" tax<br />8) Individuals without coverage because of preexisting conditions can purchase it from high-risk pools (to be combined into exchanges in 2014)<br />9) Rebate of $250 for Medicare seniors in the "donut hole" for prescription drug benefits. First of incremental steps to close the hole (half-closed next year)<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Effective in (or just prior to) 2014</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">1) Individual Mandate--Everyone must purchase health insurance or pay annual fine of $95 (rises to $695 in 2016) unless they can prove financial hardship.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">2) State health insurance exchanges--marketplace of insurance plans--goes into effect<br />3) Insurers can't deny coverage to adults with preexisting health conditions<br />4) Insurers required to cover maternity care same as medical procedures<br />5) Tax credits will start helping pay premiums for working families with incomes up to $88,000 per year<br />6) Medicaid expanded to cover more low-income people, up to 133% of federal poverty level<br />7) Medicare payroll tax increase of 1% for individuals making >$200k and couples making >$250k<br />8) New Medicare tax on unearned income of 3.8% (in 2013)<br />9) "Donut Hole" closing--Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage gap to be fully closed by 2020</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Other items</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">In 2018, "Cadillac health plans" are taxed 40% of value of the plan above thresholds (of $10,200 per individual or $27,500 per family)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The bill maintains longstanding federal funding restrictions (known as Hyde Amendment) on abortions. The exception would be in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">It is estimated by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to cut federal deficits by $143 billion over the next decade. This bill is a landmark piece of legislation to improve the health of our nation's people. In my eyes, this is an incremental step (and focused on health </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">insurance</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> reform), but an amazing step nonetheless. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">What are your thoughts about this this historical event, the passing of health reform?</span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-1033772942007579292010-03-12T08:46:00.012-05:002010-03-12T10:20:16.228-05:00Grass-Fed Beef: Health Effects for You And the Environment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S5pU4tzXeUI/AAAAAAAAAEc/EdQl0FaqUxM/s1600-h/cow.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 157px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S5pU4tzXeUI/AAAAAAAAAEc/EdQl0FaqUxM/s200/cow.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447760032602487106" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The provocative documentary, </span><a href="http://www.foodincmovie.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Food, Inc.</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, brings to light some of the environmental and ethical issues with the way we eat. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">One of the many issues in this </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Academy Award-</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">nominated documentary, deals with is the farm industry. Cows raised in pastures are raised more humanely and are usually not given hormones or antibiotics. Additionally, the diet for grass-fed cows uses less fossil fuels than corn/soy-fed cows on a feedlot. Grass-fed cows do their own fertilizing and harvesting. Also, although grass-fed cows create more methane, they compensate in a number of ways. Most importantly, pastures reduce greenhouse gas through "carbon sequestration," or carbon capture and storage. They also use less fossil fuels in production and don't emit as much ammonia as feedlots do. The net result, as determined by the </span><a href="http://iere.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Institute for Environmental Research and Education</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> (IERE) is a reduction in greenhouse gases for pastures and significant increases in greenhouse gases for feedlots. See more detail and other environmental benefits of grassfarming at </span><a href="http://www.eatwild.com/environment.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">EatWild</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S5pLNazTdHI/AAAAAAAAAEM/mz9MzR7Pbpk/s1600-h/cow.jpg"></a></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A new </span><a href="http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-9-10.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">report published this week</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> by California researchers in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Nutrition Journal</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> shows that meat from grass-fed cows is nutritionally healthier for you too. The article discusses years have research which have shown that grass-fed diets can significantly increase the amount of cancer-fighting antioxidants, Vitamin A and E, and fatty acids in beef. Grass-fed beef is also lower in dietary cholesterol. In sum, grass-fed beef is healthier for your cardiovascular health and lowers your risk of diabetes and other health problems, like obesity as compared to corn/grain-fed cows. However, it's important to note two things. One, the omega-3 fatty acid levels in grass-fed beef are still much lower than in fish, especially salmon. Two, in order to reap the health benefits, you still need to ensure that you choose lean cuts of the beef. The Mayo Clinic has created a </span><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN00924"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">guide to the leanest cuts of beef</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">For consumers, there are some other issues of interest here. Because the nutrient content is different between the types of beef, the taste is also different, tasting "grassier." Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you. To read more about the taste difference, check out this article from the NY Times, "</span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/30/dining/30well.html?_r=1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">There's More to Like About Grass-Fed Beef."</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Additionally, the cost of grass-fed beef costs more, nearly 3x as much as grain-fed. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Grass-fed beef is sold primarily at local farms and online. If you're interested in purchasing grass-fed meats, EatWild, has a great </span><a href="http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">State-by-State Directory of Farms</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">. You can also take a look at </span><a href="http://www.tallgrassbeef.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Tallgrass Beef</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> (Kansas), </span><a href="http://www.burgundypasturebeef.com/public_home.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Burgundy Pasture Beef</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> (Texas), and </span><a href="http://www.hedgeapplefarm.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Hedgeapple Farm</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> (Maryland). When shopping in regular grocery stores, be careful of the food labels. Oftentimes, the label will say "grass-fed" when the cows were only fed on grass for the first 6 or 12 months, then transferred to a feedlot. Check out Mother Earth's article, </span><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2008-04-01/USDA-Grass-Fed-Label.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"The Label Says Grass-Fed, but is it?"</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> for more information. As they suggest, the best label to look for is the </span><a href="http://www.americangrassfed.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">American Grassfed Association</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> (AGA). </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Do you eat beef? If so, what type of beef do you eat? Are you more intrigued by the environmental or the health issues related to beef? Will this information change your behaviors?</span></div></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-35257911799037892982010-01-13T10:03:00.005-05:002010-01-13T10:27:48.459-05:00Health Reform Passes. Now, The Real Work Begins.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S03irYguZBI/AAAAAAAAAD4/2eqJ-mWaHso/s1600-h/charlie+brown+health+reform+cartoon,+adam+zyglis,+the+buffalo+news.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 164px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S03irYguZBI/AAAAAAAAAD4/2eqJ-mWaHso/s200/charlie+brown+health+reform+cartoon,+adam+zyglis,+the+buffalo+news.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426242360993276946" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Well, as I'm sure you're well aware, Health Reform has passed both Houses of Congress. The House of Representatives passed their version on November 7th, 2009 with a vote of 220-215. The Senate passed their version of the health care bill on December 24th, 2009 with a clear 60-39 party-line vote. A clear victory for health-reform advocates (and a nice Christmas gift for those advocates whom celebrate the holiday), the battle is far from over. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> Step 1 of the battle was passing the bill. Step 2 now is compromising the two forms and agreeing on the bill's provisions, which is no small task. A number of provisions will be hammered out: 1) national versus state health exchanges (no more public option), 2) definition of, and possible taxing of, <a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/September/22/cadillac-health-explainer-npr.aspx">"Cadillac"</a> health plans, and 3) how to pay for this health care overhaul. Democrats are focusing on some provisions appealing to all consumers, such as: 1) the cutoff age for children to be on their parents' health plan moved to 26, 2) eliminated co-payments for preventive services, and 3) no more denying coverage to children under the age of 18 with preexisting conditions. However, that doesn't mean Republicans are done fighting. As <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/24/AR2009122400662.html">stated</a> by <a href="http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Mitch_McConnell">Minority Leader Mitch McConnell</a> (R-KY), "My colleagues [Republicans] and I will work to stop this bill from becoming law."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">I think <a href="http://www.cagle.com/politicalcartoons/PCcartoons/zyglis.asp">Adam Zyglis'</a> (from the Buffalo News) <a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Cartoons/charlie-brown.aspx">Charlie Brown cartoon</a> (above) says it all for our next steps. How far will the compromises go and what will our final version of health care reform look like? Will it be enough?</span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-73037211528985926212010-01-13T09:22:00.009-05:002010-03-10T21:58:45.809-05:00Health Efficiency<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S03ekT2pkuI/AAAAAAAAADo/ZdUXJAPjaRg/s1600-h/medical+records.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 316px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/S03ekT2pkuI/AAAAAAAAADo/ZdUXJAPjaRg/s320/medical+records.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426237841437463266" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">It's a fact. The United States is not a "leader" in health information technology. But we are trying to say "goodbye" to our old ways of paper records (see photo). We may be able to learn a lot of Denmark, a country that started using electronic health records (EHRs) a year ago. Telemedicine is also greatly utilized in Denmark (</span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/health/12denmark.html?em"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">an example of Telemedicine can be found here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">). If the US wants to focus on efficiency in our health care system (we do), then perhaps we should follow our Scandinavian friends' example (Sweden and Norway are also using EHRs).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">To quote the </span><a href="http://www.himss.org/content/files/200808_EHRGlobalPerspective_whitepaper.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">2008 report</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), "healthcare information technology (IT) is a sleeping giant." On top of that, healthcare IT is significantly behind most other sectors (e.g. banking and telecommunications). The report also mentions that Denmark was able to save roughly $120 million per year by using electronic medical records. </span><a href="http://www.commonwealthfund.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The Commonwealth Fund</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> will also be publishing a study later this month, which concludes the Danish information system is the most efficient in the world. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">US policymakers are studying the Danish system and seeing if it is possible to follow their example as we overhaul our current healthcare system. Although it is used in some US hospitals and clinics, EHRs only exist in the minority of hospitals--</span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/business/26health.html?_r=1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">about 10%, or about 17% of physicians use EHRs</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">. Compatibility across and within systems needs significant improvement in the US though. However, last week, two large health systems and users of EHRs--Kaiser Permanente and the Department of Veterans' Affairs--</span><a href="http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/pressreleases/nat/2010/010610vamedexchangepilot.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">announced communication is possible across the two</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> systems (hooray!). </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Of course, electronic health records (EHR) aren't without some concerns. Privacy is one of them. Even though the </span><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-12-17-emr-electronic-records_N.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">majority of physicians think</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> EHRS will save time and money while improving patient care, many are still worried about possible security breaches. This is one area HIT policymakers will have to focus on while moving forward with the United States' journey to advanced HIT and EHR. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">What do you think about the United States and its expanding role into electronic health records using health information technology? I must say that I, for one, am looking forward to the day that I do not have to fill out my prior medical history (AGAIN) at every doctor's appointment I ever make. Have it all in one electronic record would sure be nice.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2479516727477254572.post-57512519111269413372009-10-11T11:11:00.012-04:002009-10-11T12:18:53.815-04:00Health Nuts & Pregnancy Nuts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/StIDhSHbKGI/AAAAAAAAADc/EOHxcU-FyzU/s1600-h/nut+photo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Sc_5UOSWZU/StIDhSHbKGI/AAAAAAAAADc/EOHxcU-FyzU/s320/nut+photo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391375574249449570" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Oh nuts. Many people don't fully appreciate all the health benefits we get from them. Nuts are excellent for our </span><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nuts/HB00085"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">heart health</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> by: lowering our LDL (bad) cholesterol, reducing risk of blood clots, and </span><a href="http://ebn.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/2/3/88"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">reducing risk of coronary heart disease</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">. They do this by providing a Power 12 List: 1) Omega-3 Fatty Acids, 2) L-arginine, 3) Fiber, 4) Vitamin E, 5) Plant Sterols, 6) Unsaturated Fats, 7) Vitamin K, 8) Vitamin B6, 9) Folate, 10) Vegetable Protein, 11) Calcium, & 12) Magnesium.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">In addition to heart health, nuts contribute to health in other ways. They can reduce your </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12444862?dopt=Abstract"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">risk of diabetes</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12391343?dopt=Abstract"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Parkinson's disease </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">and dementia, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14662593?dopt=Abstract"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">macular degeneration</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">, and improve your </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.welch.jhmi.edu/pubmed/17378948?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">mood</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> (e.g. walnuts improve serotonin levels in your brain, similar to antidepressant medications).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">The best nuts: walnuts, hazlenuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, and even peanuts (although not really a nut, but rather a legume). Also, the way in which you eat them matters. Raw or dry-roasted are the best ways and offer equal nutritional value. Oil-roasted nuts have more fat and calories. Try to avoid nuts made with salt--or at minimum, make sure sea salt instead of regular salt is used. If you are a food pyramid follower, nuts belong in the "meat" group. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">The nut craze doesn't come without precaution. Please don't go nuts (pun intended) eating these, as just a handful is approximately 200 calories. Everything in moderation. The reason they are so calorically dense is because of nuts' high fat content. These fats are the healthy ones though, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Pregnancy nuts: there is </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/health/25real.html?scp=12&sq=&st=nyt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">debate </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">about whether consumption of peanuts and other nuts during pregnancy </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18403722?ordinalpos=8&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">increases the risk</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> that a child will develop a nut allergy or asthma OR conversely, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19000582?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">exposure protects</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> a child from </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19689832?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">developing an allergy or asthma</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">. Be sure to read scientific sources of literature and look at the date of publication. A lot of press came out after the July 15, 2008 article I referenced above and </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18403722?ordinalpos=8&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">, but more </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.welch.jhmi.edu/pubmed/19689832?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">recent</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> science says the opposite. Be sure to consult with your physician on this. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">*photo courtesy of nuthealth.org </span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146854584809650072noreply@blogger.com0