December 20th, 2010 by AndrewSchorr in News, Opinion
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Without having one myself, I am pretty familiar with bone marrow transplant as a potential curative and lifesaving approach. After all, it was invented in my hometown of Seattle and I’ve met Dr. Donall Thomas who won a Nobel prize for developing the approach. I have met people who have been given a new lease on life because of transplant, I’ve known people who have died when transplant did not work for them or complications overwhelmed them, and I know many doctors who are transplant experts.
I know how finding a perfect match can be hard — especially when the patient in need is part of an ethnic minority. And I have heard the horror stories of matched donors saying no to patients who would die if they didn’t receive a transplant from them.
Now comes a story from Massachusetts that’s almost as bad — not a story of sentencing people to death by not donating, but a story of defrauding our healthcare system and, in the process, undermining a legitimate nationwide effort to have more people registered as potential donors. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Andrew's Blog*
October 9th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed
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The Chicago Tribune reports on mammogram marketing tactics being used across the U.S. — some of it apparently to “woo women back to the imaging room” after confusion over conflicting advice about breast cancer screening.
Yes, the tactics include “mammogram parties” offering chocolate fondue, massages, beauty consultations, wine, cheese, roses, and weekend-getaway spa packages. But there’s another side to this, the Tribune reports:
Simply inviting women to “mammogram parties,” could send the wrong message, said Lynne Hildreth, department administrator of women’s oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. …”Mammograms are a medical test, and to treat it like a haircut overlooks that there are very real risks,” said Hildreth. “It’s not the same risk as getting hit by a car, but there’s a real risk of getting a false positive, which means a biopsy work-up, time off work, sleepless nights waiting for test results and a nagging in the back of the mind that never goes away. If we put a woman through that with no medical basis, it’s irresponsible.
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
