January 26th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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In Britain, the National Health Service used to pay for gastric bypass for individuals with BMIs greater than 35, but a new rule has raised the qualifying BMI to 45 and above. So many people were having gastric bypass, that it was overburdening the system. In response, some people are trying to gain weight to qualify for the surgery!
Here’s what a couple of British folk have to say:
“It’s grossly unfair and incredibly short-sighted. There are hundreds of other people like me who can’t afford private surgery, and the message seems to be pay up or pig out.”
“Instead of surgery and rehabilitation my only option is McDonalds and ice cream”This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
January 17th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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Interesting research ongoing in Brazil: Dr. Luiz Castello-Branco has spent the last 3 years studying the HIV-killing effects of a compound derived from algae. Apparently, in a Petrie dish of human cells, the algae reduces viral replication by 95%. Dr. Castello-Branco suggests that this algae could be added to a gel that women could use to protect themselves from HIV transmission during sexual contact. The algae will be tested in mice next month, and then human studies may begin as early as next year. Let’s all hope that the algae is as effective in humans as it seems to be in the lab! This could become a really great advance in HIV prevention.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
