Health & WellnessS


Heart

Many patients with heart disease have poor knowledge of heart attack symptoms


JAMA and Archives Journals
Mon, 26 May 2008 16:50 UTC
Nearly half of patients with a history of heart disease have poor knowledge about the symptoms of a heart attack and do not perceive themselves to have an elevated cardiovascular risk, according to a report in the May 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Individuals with heart disease have five to seven times the risk of having a heart attack or dying as the general population, according to background information in the article. Survival rates improve following heart attack if treatment begins within one hour. However, most patients are admitted to the hospital 2.5 to three hours after symptoms begin. "Barriers to seeking appropriate care quickly are both cognitive and emotional," the authors write. If patients do not know the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and other acute coronary syndromes - including nausea and pain in the jaw, chest or left arm - they will not seek treatment for them. If they do not perceive themselves to be at risk for heart attack, they will look for another explanation when they experience these symptoms.
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Red Flag

Diabetes, hypertension up among Palestine refugees: UN


Agence France Presse
Tue, 20 May 2008 14:38 UTC
Geneva - Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are emerging as growing health problems among Palestinian refugees, said a United Nations report published Tuesday.

While the prevalence of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis is under control, nutritional deficiencies are also becoming a growing problem, according to the annual health report by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
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USA

Children in Katrina trailers may face lifelong ailments

John Moreno Gonzales
Associated Press
Thu, 29 May 2008 07:47 UTC
BAY ST. LOUIS, MISS. - The anguish of Hurricane Katrina should have ended for Gina Bouffanie and her daughter when they left their FEMA trailer. But with each hospital visit and each labored breath her child takes, the young mother fears it has just begun.
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Magnify

Detective work identifies life-saving link for melanoma victims

Leanne Edmistone
The Courier Mail
Fri, 23 May 2008 23:27 UTC
A Queensland team has revealed the detective work which uncovered a crucial link to identifying potential victims of a deadly cancer - before it strikes.
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Syringe

Vaccinations and Drugs are being forced on the Public, Part IV

Felicia Benamon
CanadaFreePress
Tue, 27 May 2008 18:34 UTC
Indeed the public is being forced to take vaccines and drugs. My last article gave testimonies from various physicians who bring to light that there is coercion on the part of the government for parents to vaccinate their children.

Perhaps the most shocking incident that comes to mind of government stepping over its bounds with the vaccination issue is the case in Maryland last year. In Prince George's County, MD, more than 1,000 parents were threatened by the State of Maryland with jail time if they did not allow their children to be vaccinated. With armed guards and dogs looking on, the state of Maryland forced the children to be vaccinated at the Prince George's County courthouse!
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Syringe

How Safe Are Vaccines?


NewsInferno.com
Fri, 23 May 2008 18:26 UTC
Under current regulations, state laws require vaccinations for all children enrolling in kindergarten. Today, the U.S. enjoys the highest immunization rate ever: 77% of children are completely up-to-date on their recommended doses and those remaining who are not fully up-to-date are missing just a few shots by the first day of school.

Meanwhile, since the 1980s, the number of vaccinations children receive has doubled, while autism diagnoses have tripled. And, last month the U.S. government - which has always stood by the safety of vaccines - acknowledged that a nine-year-old Georgia girl with a preexisting cellular disease experienced a worsening of her disease due to inoculations she received as an infant, which "significantly aggravated" the condition, resulting in a brain disorder with autism-like symptoms. Government officials won't say why they conceded this case, but did say those with pre-existing injuries can obtain compensation under the program if they establish that their underlying condition was "significantly aggravated" by a vaccine.
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Cow

Organic milk is healthier, says study

Kate Devlin
Telegraph (UK)
Tue, 27 May 2008 17:44 UTC
Drinking organic milk has greater health benefits than drinking normal milk, according to a new study.

Scientists found higher levels of vitamins, antioxidants and "healthy" fat in milk from organically farmed animals.

The researchers believe that letting cows graze on fresh grass boosts the nutritional value of their milk. The benefits could include a lower risk of cancer and heart disease.
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Heart

The tiniest survivor: How the 'miracle' baby born two weeks before the legal abortion limit clung to life against all odds

Amanda Cable
Mail Online
Thu, 22 May 2008 16:14 UTC
It's the iconic image of the abortion debate - the tiny feet of a baby girl born TWO WEEKS before the legal limit for terminations. But what happened next? For the first time, we tell her inspiring story...

tiniest baby
©Unknown
Against all odds: Amillia Taylor's tiny feet in the doctor's hand
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Attention

Military Diagnosing More Post-Traumatic Stress

Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post
Wed, 28 May 2008 13:50 UTC
The number of U.S. troops diagnosed by the military with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) jumped nearly 50 percent in 2007 over the previous year, as more of them served lengthy and repeated combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Pentagon data released yesterday show.

The increase brings the total number of U.S. troops diagnosed by the military with PTSD after serving in one of the two conflicts from 2003 to 2007 to nearly 40,000.

The vast majority of those diagnosed served in the Army, which had a total of 28,365 cases, including more than 10,000 last year alone. The Marine Corps had the second highest number, with 5,581 total and 2,114 last year. The Air Force and Navy had fewer than 1,000 cases each last year, according to the data from the Office of the Surgeon General on a chart released by the Army.

Image
©Damiko Morris - AP
Chart shows number of soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder who served in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003
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Bell

Pharmaceutical Payola -- Drug Marketing to Doctors

Rob Weissman
Multinational Monitor
Fri, 16 May 2008 20:35 UTC
Last week, a Congressional committee properly raked Big Pharma over the coals for misleading advertising of pharmaceuticals.

A hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight subcommittee focused on advertising campaigns for three drugs, including the remarkable case of Robert Jarvik. Jarvik is featured in endlessly re-run ads for Pfizer's blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor. Known as the inventor of the Jarvik artificial heart, he is not a cardiologist, not a licensed medical doctor and not authorized to prescribe pharmaceuticals. He's shown in the ads engaged in vigorous rowing activity, but in fact he doesn't row. Pfizer pulled the ads in February after controversy started brewing.
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