August 1st, 2010 by AndrewSchorr in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Andrew Schorr, Cancer Survivors, Empowered Patients, Former Cancer Patients, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare reform, Insurance Changes, Life Insurance Companies, Life Insurance Industry, Life Insurance Revisions, Medical History, No Appeal Process, Northwestern Mutual, Oncology, Patient Empowerment, Patient Power, Request Denied, The War Against Cancer
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I have always heard that Northwestern Mutual Life (“The Quiet Company”) was a grade-A company. And for years I have been happy to have a disability insurance policy and a term life one with them. I got those policies back in the early 1990s, and it was a good thing I did.
In 1996 my health changed. I was diagnosed with leukemia. I knew I was very lucky to have insurance in place because, as many told me: “You’ll never get insurance now.”
Now fast-forward 14 years, and 10 years after receiving treatment in a phase II clinical trial. I have no evidence of disease and have not had any evidence for nine years. The drug therapy I received in a trial has now been approved by the FDA and in Europe as the standard of care. People are living well with this leukemia and it is extending life — some people may even be cured.
So I asked the insurance company to consider giving me the ability to change my policy, to take advantage of lower rates and optimize my coverage for a longer life. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Andrew's Blog*
August 1st, 2010 by Steve Novella, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Alcohol, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Appetite Control, Calorie Density, Calorie-Dense Foods, Cessation of Smoking, Consumption of Meat, Diet and Exercise, Diet and Nutrition, Diet and Weight, Eating Meat, Eating More Vegetables, Eating Out of Home and Obesity, EPIC-PANACEA Project, Epidemiology, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Physical Activity, Food and Nutrition, Gaining Weight, Less Physical Activity, Macronutrients, Meat Eaters, Nutrition, Portion Control, Regular Exercise, Self-Reported Weight, Total Caloric Intake, Total Weight, Types of Diets, Weight Control, Weight Gain, Weight Management
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A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is reporting an association with eating meat and weight gain. This is a fairly robust epidemiological study, but at the same time is a good example of how such information is poorly reported in the media, leading to public confusion.
The data is taken from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition–Physical Activity, Nutrition, Alcohol, Cessation of Smoking, Eating Out of Home and Obesity (EPIC-PANACEA) project. This is a long-term epidemiological study involving hundreds of thousands of individuals, and is therefore a great source of data. We are likely to see many publications from from it. This one looked at the association of meat eating –- poultry, red meat, and processed meat -– with total weight. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
July 31st, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: Biomedical Engineering, Cervical Ring, CervoCheck, Early Detection, Early Labor Detector, Electrical Signals, External Tocodynamometer, Johns Hopkins University, Medical Device, Obstetrics And Gynecology, Pre-Term Labor, Pregnant Women, Premature Birth, Preventive Medicine, Uterine Contractions
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A team of biomedical engineering masters students at Johns Hopkins have developed a device that they hope will be able to spot oncoming pre-term labor in pregnant women earlier than by using an external tocodynamometer.
The CervoCheck device is meant to be inserted into the vaginal canal/cervical opening where it then can measure electrical signals characteristic of contractions. Prototypes of the device are currently being tested in animals. We sympathize with those who have to insert them into pigs(?). Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
July 31st, 2010 by JenniferKearneyStrouse in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Facebook, Friendship, General Medicine, In-Person Friendships, Interpersonal, Lifespan, Live Longer, Longevity, Mental Health, Online Friendships, Personal Relationships, PLoS Medicine, Psychology, Social Health, Social Networks, Strong Social Ties
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A study published in the July PLoS Medicine is getting a lot of press for its conclusion that strong social networks are related to increased lifespan.
The meta-analysis of 148 studies involving 308,849 people found that those with stronger relationships were 50 percent more likely to survive over 7.5 years of follow-up. What’s more, the researchers reported that a lack of strong social ties is as bad healthwise as drinking or smoking, and worse than not exercising or being obese.
But although the association between strong social ties and improved longevity seems robust, other factors could be at play, and applying the findings in clinical practice could be difficult. And sorry, Facebook fanatics: Online “friendships” aren’t thought to count as much as in-person ones do. (PLoS Medicine, New York Times, TIME, The Atlantic)
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
July 31st, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
Tags: and Risk Factors Study 2010, Bill Heisel, Gary Schwitzer, Global Burden of Diseases, Global Health Measurement Project, Global Health Survey, Harvard University, Health Policymakers, Healthcare reform, HealthNewsReview.org, IHME, Injuries, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Johns Hopkins University, University of Washinton, Unversity of Queensland, WHO, World Health Organization
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My friend and colleague Bill Heisel, one of our news reviewers, also works at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. He wrote to me that this group:
“… has launched a major global health survey to measure the impact of more than 300 diseases or injuries and more than 40 risk factors. This is the most ambitious global health measurement project in two decades. And when people answer the survey, they will be providing information that will directly shape the final outcome of the research because ‘disease burden’ is partly objective but partly subjective.”
And his pitch to anyone to take the 15-minute, anonymous, online survey is this:
“With unprecedented money and attention pouring into global health efforts, the need for accurate data is urgent. By taking part in the survey, you will contribute to the scientific understanding of global health problems and ultimately enable policymakers to make better decisions.”
Click HERE to begin the survey. Thanks for the news, Bill. And thanks to anyone who takes the time to complete the survey. You may help this team reach its goal of 50,000 people around the globe filling out the survey.
The research is part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010 led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, in collaboration with Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Queensland, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
And you can follow the project on Twitter.
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
