Health: United States
Archives
- 2002
Food Guide Pyramid for Older Adults (2002)
Older adults often need specialized diets to counterbalance age-related
physiological changes. To accommodate the gradual lost of bone density,
decreased sense of thirst, and potentially increasing need for minerals
and vitamins, it’s important that older persons take more calcium,
vitamin D, and vitamin B-12. Tufts University has come up with a food
pyramid designed specifically for older adults 50 years and older. Eight
8-ounce glasses of water or liquids make up the base of the pyramid,
topped by specified amounts of fortified grains, deep-colored fruits,
bright-colored vegetables, dry beans, nuts, poultry, fish, lean meats,
and low- and non-fat dairy products. See
guidelines for details.
Yoga Trumps Bingo as Centers for Aged
Try New Approach (December 29, 2002)
The Lenox Hill Senior Center at St. Peter's
Church in Manhattan is not a popular image or stereotypes of senior centers. Many
old people no longer act or think like "older "people. So a concern for senior
centers is how to make themselves relevant to the "younger"
elderly. With them it’s a matter of French lessons, music, dancing but
no bingo, please...
As
Drug Patents End, Costs for Generics Surge (December 27, 2002)
The benefit of generic drugs instead of
brand-name drugs often turns out to be considerably less than it could be.
Prices of generic drugs are rising almost twice as fast for several
reasons: companies with weak profits are disappearing as the generic
industry consolidates and everyone from manufacturers to distributors to
retailers are grabbing a higher profit.
So the sick, disabled, and elderly patients continue to pay high
prices in this unregulated market.
Drug
Makers Battle Plan to Curb Rewards for Doctors (December 26, 2002)
Drug makers acknowledged
that they routinely reward doctors and pharmacists for switching patients
from one brand of drug to another. They also make payments to insurance
plans to increase the use of their products. A coalition of 19
pharmaceutical companies and doctors are now fighting hardly a Bush
administration plan to restrict these gifts and other rewards.
Do older persons and other consumers of needed pharmaceuticals have
any voice in the matter? Or
does profit reign?
A New Source for Discount
Prescriptions (December 26, 2002)
The practice of
cross-border buying is gaining credibility. Some pharmacy-benefits
programs are moving to cover drug purchases made in Canada. UnitedHealth
Group, the country's biggest health insurer, recently told AARP that it
would reimburse members of a benefits plan for prescriptions filled in
Canada and other nations.
Chasing Youth, Many Gamble on Hormones
(December 22, 2002)
Dr. Livesey and
Dr. Joseph Raffaele founded Anti-Aging Medicine Associates, a
clinic in Manhattan. Older men and women taking growth hormone lost fat
and gained lean body mass without dieting or exercising. This expensive
treatment with growth hormone, which has been approved by Food and Drug
Administration but for use by people with medical deficiencies, doesn’t
stop the questions about healthy aging and the side effects of high doses.
Quick Study: Heart Disease,
Osteoporosis and More (December 18, 2002)
Here you will find the latest findings from studies on diet and
lifestyle and their impact on heart disease. Also, other reasons to
exercise: stronger bones and lower blood pressure.
Got
Wrinkles? Go Fish (December 17, 2002)
Most doctors agree that aging skin cells produce
excess amounts of free radicals. Here is the funny and personal story
about a woman who tried the Three-Day Nutritional Face-lift: fish, fish
and …. fish anytime. But theory and real observed results have been
revealed to be totally different from
what
has been expected.
Note
by the Secretariat to the Commission for Social Development on Modalities
for review and Appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on
Aging (December 16, 2002)
"This UN note addresses the
role of the Commission for Social development in integrating the different
dimensions of population ageing in its work and modalities for review and
appraisal of follow-up the Second World Assembly on Ageing 2002."
Treating
Disease With a Famous Face (December 15, 2002)
Americans listen to
celebrities, not the medical expert who is unknown to them. While
attaching a celebrity to a disease can motivate sufferers to seek
treatment or lead to more research financing, the arrangements are
ethically complicated. Celebrities
often want to raise money for so-called orphan diseases.
By example the publicist said. Lynda Carter was to be
the new celebrity spokeswoman for the IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
F.D.A.
Seeks Quicker Approval of New Drugs
(December 12, 2002)
The decision to approve of a generic drug is supposed to be made within
six months after an application is filed, but it's not at all unusual for
the process to take 14 to 16 months. The new head of the Food and Drug
Administration, Dr. Mark B. McClellan, said that he intended to speed the
approval of new drugs and crack down on deceptive pharmaceutical
advertising.
Statins: Miracles for Some, Menace for a
Few (December 10, 2002)
Statins have been hailed as miracle drugs for
their ability to prevent deaths from heart attacks by lowering
cholesterol. There are also strong hints that statins may protect against
strokes, Alzheimer's disease and osteoporosis. But many patients are
unaware of the signs of trouble associated with statins: major surgeries,
combinations with other drugs….
Thurmond's
100 - Year Journey
Senator
feted by kin, peers on Capital Hill (December 6, 2002)
The oldest and longest-serving US senator, Strom
Thurmond, celebrated his 100th birthday.
A Program
Intended to Offer Health Insurance to the Poor (December 4, 2002)
An experimental program sponsored by the World
Bank and the International Labor Organization provides health insurance to
poor people in developing countries by allowing small, regional insurers
to pool risk over a large area, making them less vulnerable to large
epidemics.
Medical Errors:
Practicing Physician and Public Views (December 2002)
This study by the Harvard School of Public Health
and the Kaiser Family
Foundation
documents the attitudes of doctors and the public about
medical
errors and their or their families' experiences with medical
errors
in the course of receiving medical care. The surveys also
compare
physician and public perspectives on the extent of the problem.
Side Effects: New Face:
Younger but Blander (November 26, 2002)
Botox (botulinum A exotoxin )injections can
smooth out a patient's forehead but may also limit the mobility of the
eyebrows and paralyze the facial muscles that cause the skin to crease,
according to a new study from the Indiana University Medical Center.
World
Trade Talks Struggle Over Cheap Drugs Access (November 25, 2002)
Representatives from the World Trade
Organization's145 member states are facing a looming deadline to clinch a
deal. All countries agree that the poorest states should have ready access
to cheap drugs, often versions copied by third world producers of
medicines patented by multinationals. But they are split on which countries should get automatic exemption from
patent rules.
US
Launches Plan To Abolish Key Tariffs (November 25, 2002)
In an attempt to revitalize the faltering WTO
Doha trade round, the US will release a proposal for all WTO countries to
eliminate tariffs on manufactured (non-agricultural) goods by 2015. The
proposal is based on a study by the National Foreign Trade Council, a US
business lobby that pushes for lower trade barriers in developing
countries.
2002 National Poll Women 50 + (November
2002)
The US Administration on Aging has conducted a
poll focused on the evolving issues that confront women as they age. This
interesting document shows that midlife and older women are worried about
income and health first and age itself second.
California Seniors and Prescription Drugs
Report on California Seniors conducted by the KFF: nearly one in five
California seniors (18%) were without drug coverage in 2001.
US
Says WTO Deal Must Safeguard Drug Manufacturers (November 21, 2002)
US government
has
proposed allowing poor countries to
license companies in another developing country to manufacture generic
drugs in order to have safety for big drug makers.
Heart Study Bolsters Doubt on
Hormones (November 20, 2002)
A new study found surprisingly that hormone
supplements and antioxidant vitamins hold no heart benefits for older
women who already have heart disease. Doctors suggested that the vitamins
might interfere with cholesterol-lowering drugs. In fact, heart disease
appeared to progress more quickly in women who took hormones, high doses
of vitamins E and C, or both, than in those on placebos.
Power
of Positive Thinking Extends, It Seems, to Aging (November 19, 2002)
People who are psychologically healthier live
longer. Now, it
has
been
shown that this sentence is true: an optimistic view of
life can help you to cope with the stress of life.
Is
Frailty Inevitable? Some Experts Say No (November 19, 2002)
The assumption is that frailty is the price to be
paid for living to an advanced age. But even if you exercise, there is no
guarantee you will get less frail. Researchers
are looking at the basis of frailty to learn if it is inevitable or if it
can be prevented or reduced in intensity. A new frontier for elder
health.
Ageless
Apostle of Muscle (November 19, 2002)
The health and fitness guru
of 1950s and '60s television fame is currently eighty-eight years old and
bursting with vitality. Since age forty, Jack has performed a series of
incredible feats of strength on his birthdays. For example, at age
seventy, he swam, handcuffed, towing seventy boats and seventy people, for
one and a half miles.
Aging:
Brain Boosts, From the Other Side (November 19, 2002)
A new study adds useful information about brain
aging process.Older people best able to press both brain sides into
service do better on skills tests compared with those less adept at using
both sides. For example as the lead author noted: “Instead of picking up
a heavy object with one arm, they might use two."
Older
Patients Benefit from Statin Use-Study (November 18, 2002)
A study
presented at the American Heart Association meeting found that elderly patients who use cholesterol-lowering drugs may enjoy the same
benefits as their younger counterparts.
Generic
Drugs Are Welcomed in Discount Program for Elderly (November 15, 2002)
Seven brand-name manufacturers offer discounts on
prescriptions to low-income elderly people. It’s a new program they
created, called Together Rx. To qualify for the card, elderly people must
be enrolled in Medicare, not have public or private drug coverage, and
have annual incomes of less than $28,000 for individuals or $38,000 for
couples.
The Kind of Noise That Keeps
a Body on Balance (November 14, 2002)
A new survey explained how the noise made the nerves in the feet more
sensitive and puts more pressure on one part of the foot. Good news for
disabled elderly people.
Growth Hormone Changed Older
Bodies, for Better and Worse (November 13, 2002)
American researchers find that the human growth
hormone can transform older people ‘s bodies. However, this growth
hormone that is also used by athletes and bodybuilders has severe side
effects on the health of nearly half the test subjects.
Forgotten
heroes:
Family
caregivers
(November 12, 2002)
On
the caregiving theme, Washington is
debating how to slice up the Medicare pie between beneficiaries and providers, with hospitals, doctors and home-care agencies vying for bigger
portions. But one key group isn't
even at the table: the 27 million family members.
Nursing
Home Report Card Is Released by Government (November 13, 2002)
The
government wants to help consumers judge the quality of care at 17,000
nursing homes around the country. For all nursing homes that participate
in Medicaid or Medicare, the government is publishing up to 10 measures of
performance or quality.
Postmenopausal
Pregnancy Is Medically OK, Study Finds
(November 12, 2002)
Though old enough to be grandmas, there's no medical reason healthy women
in their 50s should be prevented from having babies with donated eggs,
according to the largest study of motherhood after menopause.
How
Perils Can Await the 'Worried Wealthy' (November 12, 2002)
Anxious consumers want to have their bodies
scanned by three-dimensional computerized X-rays from chest to groin. It
costs a lot of money and is not always a proof of value: do American
people play the “Malade Imaginaire” by Moliere?
Menopause Without Pills:
Rethinking Hot Flashes (November 10, 2002)
A transformation of the medical landscape is taking place in the menopause
field. Try to live with your symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats as
well as vaginal dryness), doctors now say. The hormone replacement therapy
can help with these symptoms and help to decrease some risks but there is
no reliable way to determine which women are at particular risk for breast
cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis or colon cancer. And there is still
nothing yet to prevent Alzheimer’s.
Long-Term
Hormone Therapy May Reduce Alzheimer's Risk for Women (November 6, 2002)
A new study observes
that
women who chose to
take estrogen are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. One problem
is that women who take hormones after menopause are different from those
who do not take the drugs. Hormone users tend to be more educated, for
example, and healthier.
HealthSouth
Earns Fall on Medicare Change (November 5, 2002)
HealthSouth Corp. said
its net income fell 32 percent, hit by Medicare changes for reimbursement
for group physical therapy. Net income at the provider of physical
therapy, outpatient surgery and diagnostic imaging centers, dropped to
$53.6 million from $79.1
million in last year's third quarter.
Drug
Makers Pour Ad Money Into Final Days of Campaign (November 4, 2002)
Neither Republicans or Democrats will say
publicly exactly how much they get from the drug industry contributions.
But one thing is sure, Pfizer, the world's largest drug company, is
spending about $4 million on ads running in major markets in 23 states,
many of them battlegrounds where the prescription-drug issue is hot, such
as Florida, Minnesota and Missouri.
Fuzzy
line on drug prices (November 3, 2002)
Numerous private individuals and groups, as well
as the federal and state governments, have launched investigations saying
pharmaceutical companies funneled covert rebates to pharmacies and health
plans, effectively cutting the wholesale prices of drugs without offering
the same discounts to government programs as required by law. Here is an
example story about Warner-Lambert's successor, Pfizer, which did not
admit guilt. Pfizer agreed to settle for $49 million a whistleblower's
lawsuit.
Three
Generic-Drug Makers To Create a Cheaper Prilosec (November 1, 2002)
Three generic-drug makers announced that it will
launch a copycat version of the huge-selling ulcer and heartburn drug
Prilosec. An unusual court decision makes them
help consumers.
The
public on Prescription Drugs for Seniors (October 2002)
This Kaiser Family Foundation report deals with
the debate over public knowledge about prescription drug coverage to
seniors. About 9 in 10 adults support providing prescription drug coverage
for seniors through Medicare.
Social
Whirl May Help Keep the Mind Dancing (October 29, 2002)
New studies suggest that ordinary activities of
personal contact exercise the brain
and
are at least as useful as more formal
intellectual activities.
Report urges healthier senior
lifestyles in Nevada (October 28, 2002)
The Nevada Senior Services Task Force issued a
new report on Nevada’s senior citizens. It had the fastest-growing old
population nationwide from 1990 to 2000. The plan cited previous studies
that show Nevadans drink and smoke at a rate higher than the national
average.
Drug Agency Weighs Role of Hormone
Replacements (October 25, 2002)
The future of the hormone therapy is in big trouble those days. The
Women's Health Initiative study of Prempro, which costs more than $600
million, would like to answer the question of combination of estrogen and
progestin at the same time. It found that Prempro conferred slight risks
of heart attacks, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer that were not
balanced by its benefits, slight decreases in hip fractures and colon
cancer. What would makers of new drugs for menopause do to show they are
safe in long-term studies?
Big Pharmas, Big Karmas (October 25,
2002)
On
Friday, October 25th 2002, more than one hundred demonstrators
from trade unions and senior organizations gathered outside Pfizer
Corporation’s headquarters in NYC. They shouted and carried bright signs
saying, “Big Pharma, Bad Karma.”
Speakers told their terrible experiences of denial of
pharmaceuticals due to high prices or lack of coverage.
“We want Canada’s health system—not the profit monopoly in
the United States.”
Other speakers pointed to the public health care of the European
Union and asked, “Why not here?”
When consumed wisely, vitamins are
more effective than other medicine (October 24, 2002) (in Russian)
Vitamins can not only preserve
sight for older people, but also can help to save spending on expensive
drugs. These results were presented at the annual conference of
ophthalmologists in Orlando, USA.
Many
Older Adults Don't Get Enough Calcium (October 23, 2002)
Most
older adults are not getting the recommended amount of calcium each day,
even if they take supplements, new study findings suggest.
Gene
May Trigger Age-linked Muscle Decline (October 23, 2003)
Like humans, worms called C.
elegans follow the same aging process but in only 18 days. It helps
scientists to understand why they didn't age in exactly the same fashion though they
were all the same in the start. A researcher
at Rutgers University in New Jersey said that "certain
components of aging may simply be due to chance errors at the cellular
level during a worm's--or a human's—life."
Good and Bad Marriage, Boon
and Bane to Health (October 22, 2002)
Married people tend to live longer than their
single, divorced and widowed counterparts. By example, marriage acts as a
balm against loneliness and stress. But it can mean bad news for women as
well. Marital stress affects older women more intensely and lasts longer
than in the men.
The
Ins and Outs of Buying Legal Drugs Across Borders (October 22, 2002)
The fastest and easiest way to save on
prescription drugs is to skirt the law -- and tens of thousands of
Americans are already doing it.
Upstart
Texas Firm Makes Stir With Cheap Drugs From Canada (October 21, 2002)
A small, Texas-based health-claims processor has
opened a crucial new front in the war over whether Americans should be
allowed to import cheap prescription drugs from Canada.
Oxidation
May Be a Factor in Age-linked Eye Disease (October 21, 2002)
Scientists
discovered a link between oxidative damage and age-related macular
degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that is the leading cause of blindness
among the elderly in developed countries. This can lead to difficulties to
read, drive or perform other activities that require sharp vision.
A
Biotech Outcast Awakens (October 20, 2002)
Provigil is written to treat fatigue and
sleepiness. The growing sales of Provigil are raising questions about the
company's promotion (Cephalon
Inc., )of the drug that treats fatigue and sleepiness and about
society's use of it. In the EU, such advertising is prohibited.
Is there an anti-aging medicine?
The secret to healthy aging is healthy diet and moderate exercise. This
paper will help you choose between good and bad anti-aging medicine
products.
Prevent Falls
Here are eight fact sheets for helping elderly to
prevent falls. Thirty percent of elderly people experience at least one
fall each year.
2
Drug Giants to Restore Big Discounts for Elderly (October 24, 2002)
At
the beginning of October, GlaxoSmithKline
and Bristol-Myers
Squibb, cut back on discounts that they had promised to low-income
people. But the federal law says drug makers must offer Medicaid patients the
lowest price available to any buyer: the 2 companies must return to the
original discounts. It is a big victory.
Good
and Bad Marriage, Boon and Bane to Health (October 22, 2002)
Married people tend to live longer than their
single, divorced and widowed counterparts. By example, marriage acts as a
balm against loneliness and stress. But it means bad news for women
sometimes too because marital stress affects them stronger and last longer
than in the men.
Exercise,
Moderate Drinking Keeps Seniors Active (October 17, 2002)
Moderate
drinking and exercise seemed to slow age-related deterioration. These two
activities protect against natural aging according to a new survey from
the University of Washington.
Forever
Young (October 13, 2002)
Suppose you soon can live to well over 100, as
vibrant and energetic as you are now. What would you do with your life?
AstraZeneca
Gains Victory In Ruling on Prilosec Patent (October 12, 2002)
A US federal judge ruled that three generic-drug makers infringed on
AstraZeneca PLC's patent on Prilosec, a top-selling heartburn treatment.
AstraZeneca's generic challengers from countries like India and Germany
had argued that the formulation patents were invalid. AstraZeneca PLC's
strategy to continue its monopoly for the high price, high profit drug continue
unchecked.
What
Older Women Want, Men Can't Deliver-sex Study (October 11, 2002)
Many older women still want to have sex, but they
may face men who have problems.
Manitoba's
Controversial Niche: Exporting Affordable Drugs (October 10, 2002)
During the past two years, Manitoba is home to
more than half of the 50 licensed pharmacies across Canada that use the
Internet to sell prescription drugs, primarily to Americans, at cheaper
Canadian prices.
Take
a Walk
(October 1, 2002)
“Yes, walking. You know: one foot in front of
the other, repeat, rinse, repeat.” Near 75 percent of the U.S.
population fails to get 30 minutes of daily exercise. But walking is the
best choice as a regular form of physical activity as it is proved in this
amusing article from the New York Times.
Some
Retirees Look Abroad for Prescription Drugs (September 24, 2002)
The demand for Canadian drugs has never been so
high. American doctors can apply for licenses that permit them to write
prescriptions that can be filled in Canada. Sometimes chartered buses are
filled with senior citizens to go here.
A
Chance to Sleep Through the Night (September 23, 2002)
Most men, by the time they get into their 50's
and 60's, have a decrease in urinary function. Its medical name is B.P.H.,
for benign prostatic hypertrophy. These are men who get up repeatedly at
night to urinate, or who can't get through a meeting without rushing to
the men's room. Now, men with moderate symptoms are treated with
medications and most get relief according to new data by N.I.H.
(National Institutes of Health)
Insurer
Pushes Use of Generic Drugs As Cost-Cutter (September 20, 2002)
The area's largest health insurer, Blue Cross, is
promoting the use of generic drugs over more costly brand names. It would
save $3 million for each percentage-point increase in usage of generic
drugs rather than brand names.
Action
Alert on Prescription Drugs (September 19, 2002)
The
New York Network for Action on Medicare and Social Security distributed
this Action Alert to its members on September 19, 2002. This critical US health issue shapes policies on how older
people can get the medications they require.
Fighting Pain that Makes You Old
Before Your Time (September 17, 2002)
Peripheral Arterial Pain (PAN) refers to extreme pain suffered during
exertion. This condition,
often underdiagnosed, makes it difficult for persons to get the exercise
they need. This article
details some helpful approaches.
Osteoporosis Getting Serious for Men
(September 16, 2002)
Here is new information about osteoporosis
affecting men—as well as women—and some approaches to retarding its
progress among older persons.
Life
Expectancy Hits 76.9 in U.S.; Health Costs Soar (September 12, 2002)
The good news are people live longer in the US
but the bad news is that they are fatter and racial discrimination cuts
short African, American and Hispanic lives.
Men:
What’s normal, what’s not, as you age (September 10, 2002)
Here are some common changes men’s
bodies may go through as they age. Learn what to expect and what to watch
for.
Even light weights can help elderly get
stronger ( September 6, 2002)
The
ideal way for elderly to train is unknown. But even light loads could
bring advantages and low risk of heartbreak.
Health
Insurance Prognosis Is Poor (September 6, 2002)
The latest US national
survey of health insurance trends founds that employers faced another year
of increases (12.7 percent this year, the largest since 1990.) And there's
also less coverage for retirees and for small-business workers. The
increases are attributed largely to more spending on prescription drugs
and hospital care by an aging population.
Forever Cool (September
5, 2002)
Good tunes cross generation lines : Johnny Cash, Rolling Stones…
Optimism Could Help You Live Longer (September
5, 2002)
Having an optimistic outlook on aging can extend life by seven and half
years, studies shows. Though
negative stereotypes exist and at times bombard the old, boomers and
seniors need to acquire positive self-perceptions.
Sorting Through the Confusion Over Estrogen
(September 5, 2002)
This article develops some issues that govern
women’s choice to continue or discontinue hormone replacement therapy.
Veteran health writer Jane Brody gives an excellent overview.
The Search for Alternatives to Hormone
Replacement Therapy (September 3, 2002)
With
hormone replacement health findings in the news recently, some women have
dropped out of treatment. Many,
though, experience hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disturbances are other
menopausal symptoms that can come back after quitting hormone replacement
therapy.
Community Health Centers: Casting a Wider
Safety Net (September 2, 2002)
An infusion of federal funds is fueling a boom of
expansion among health centers serving the nation's low-income and
uninsured patients.
Medicare+Choice
in New York City: So Far, So Good? (September 2002
)
This
Commonwealth Fund explains "why the
Medicare+Choice program--faltering in many regions--has thus far enjoyed
relative stability in New York City. However, according to the report
there are signs that these conditions may soon change."
Geographic Inequity in Medicare + Choice
Benefits-Findings from Seven Communities (September 2002)
This Commonwealth Fund "compares the 2002 benefit packages of
Medicare+Choice plans to assess the degree of regional disparities in
benefit packages. The authors find wide variations in out-of-pocket costs
for Medicare+Choice enrollees depending on where beneficiaries live."
Medicare + Choice After 5 Years (September 2002)
This Commonwealth Fund report examines "the reasons behind the widespread
dissatisfaction of private health plans, health care providers, and
beneficiaries with the Medicare+Choice program and draws lessons for
broader Medicare reform."
2003 Dennis W. Jahnigen
Career Development Scholars Awards (September 2002)
An initiative if the
American Geriatrics Society, the Dennis W.Jahnigen Career Development
Scholars Program is designed to address the urgent need to create a
structure for developing leaders in geriatrics in academic surgery and
related medical specialties.
Study
Suggests Carbohydrates Are Attacked in Arthritis (August 22, 2002)
Rheumatoid arthritis, a disease without cure that
afflicts more than two million people in the United States, could be
caused by by out-of-control immune cells. Scientists are still unsure.
Cataract Surgery May Cut Older Drivers' Crash
Risk (August 21, 2002)
Older adults who have surgery to repair their
cataracts may be less likely to have a car accident than cataract patients
who opt out of surgery, new study findings suggest.
Mass. plans
new push to home care for disabled (August 21, 2002)
Deinstitutionalization of mentally and physically disabled people
to community settings starts
in Boston . The action comes in
response to federal court rulings requiring that the disabled be treated
in the least restrictive setting possible.
A healthy debate ( August 21, 2002)
This year gubernatorial campaign
is stirring and rising
concern about such issues as ballooning
health costs, a sputtering economy that threatens to push more medical
costs onto employees and swell the ranks of the uninsured, and a Congress
that failed to pass a prescription drug benefit for Medicare.
Male Hormone Therapy Popular but Untested (August
19, 2002)
As fresh
debates about Hormone Replacement risk and danger therapy in women
proceed, when new debates arise on hormone
replacement — in older men. Testosterone – a male hormone is now being
considered as a possible antidote for aging and a way to get a lean and
muscular body. But
testosterone can fuel the growth of prostate cancer, it can increase red
blood cell production, and possibly can increase the risk of clots that
can cause heart attacks and strokes Is it safe enough to prescribe ?
Detecting heart disease early (August 19, 2002)
US researches found that it
is possible to detect early heart diseases by checking the levels of a particular protein in the
blood. In a second study, doctors found antibiotics could protect against
heart disease.
West
Nile: Prepare, Don't Panic
(August 19, 2002)
West Nile virus is becoming a real
threat to people’s health and life. The
risk of serious complication tends to increase with age or a failing
immune system. West Nile
vaccine is on the stage of development and till that time one can protect
oneself by simple measures like: wearing long-sleeved shirts and long
pants and using insect repellent during mosquito season.
Reducing side effects of
Retinoic Acid Cancer treatment (August 15, 2002)
Retinoic Acid (RA) is being widely used by doctors in treatment of cancer.
The drawback to RA however, is that it requires high dose in order to be
effective and that can be very toxic for patient. Cornell University
scientist found the way to use smaller doses of RA.
A Peril of the Veil of Botox
(August 6, 2002)
In the era of beauty worshiping, Botox injection for cosmetic uses seems
as a panacea for theaging face. It
has many benefits – no need for operation,
it is painless and the result will be
an endlessly renewable face-lift. Botox,
however, paralyzes the underlying muscles that control facial movement and
produce wrinkles. As it takes wrinkles away, it is also robs the face of
some human expression. And this raises the question: What are the
implications for human relationship through facial communication.
New Knees May Be in Order When
Other Options Fail (August 13, 2002)
The human knee though
an engineering masterpiece , is a very vulnerable joint that can
deteriorate with age. There are two ways to cope with a deteriorated knee
– total knee replacement, recommended for aging people and tibial
osteotomy, recommended for younger patients.
What the Tooth Fairy Forgot:
Dentists for Rural America (August 7, 2002)
A shortage of dentists in rural stretches of the upper
Midwest reaches crisis proportions and lead to postpone retirement for
such old doctors as Dr. Nemer, 70 who had planned to retire five years ago
but has stayed on because he cannot find anyone to take over the thriving
practice he built over a lifetime in the isolated farm town .
Artificial
insemination can work in older women (
August 5, 2002)
If a woman lost hope of getting pregnant after 40, she
can be artificially inseminated. Artificial
insemination, according to research’s works
in older women and is
less expensive than in vitro fertilization
Louisiana
lawmakers seek funds to battle West Nile virus
(August 4, 2002)
West Nile (WN) has emerged in
recent years in temperate regions of Europe and North America, presenting
a threat to public , equine, and animal health. The most serious
manifestation of WN virus infection is fatal encephalitis (inflammation of
the brain), often deadly for people.
Scientists
unravel secrets of long life (August 2, 2002)
Scientists in the
United States claim they have discovered three things can prolong
person’s life. These are low body temperature, low levels of insulin and high level of DHEAS, circulating in the blood.
Drugstores to Boost Drug
Cards After Senate Rejects Legislation (August 2, 2002)
Although the Senate failed
to pass legislation this week providing prescription-drug benefit to
Medicare recipients, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores agreed
market a discount-drug plan for seniors organized by the
Together Rx coalition of seven pharmaceutical companies. The goal
of the Together Rx coalition
is to educate and enroll
seniors, beginning with a campaign scheduled for six major cities this
fall.
Evaluation
of the Wellspring Model for Improving Home Quality (August 2002)
A Commonwealth Report about the nursing home care : " The Wellspring
Alliance of 11 non-profit nursing homes in Wisconsin has stabilized staff
turnover and remained free serious quality deficiencies on state
inspections."
Why
Tai Chi Is the Perfect Exercise (July 31, 2002)
Tai Chi combines intense mental focus with deliberate, graceful
movements that improve strength, agility and — particularly important
for the elderly — balance.
Senate Rejects Medicare Drug
Benefits for Elderly (31 July, 2002)
On July 31, 2002 the Senate killed legislation to provide prescription
drug benefits promised to the elderly by both parties. Sixty votes were
needed to keep the proposal alive – and Democrats could muster only 49.
Prescription drug
coverage and seniors: How well are states closing the gap? (31 July, 2002)
This 2001 survey of seniors in eight states reflects
attempts of many states to
provide drug coverage for low-income seniors through Medicaid and
state-funded pharmacy assistance programs. It finds marked differences
among states in the percentage of seniors with coverage and in the sources
providing coverage. In all
states Medicaid was an important source of coverage for the poor, but the
depth of Medicaid drug coverage varied widely across states.
Family Caregivers Often
Frustrated With Long Term Care Options (July 29, 2002)
An NPA (National PACE Association) study reveals
that finding long term care in the community for
families and friends who provide care in the community for elderly people
with chronic care needs, trying to find long term care services is
frustrating. There is no single community based agency that family
caregivers perceive. This study can be useful to adapt further the
programs of PACE to meet family caregivers needs.
Estrogen, After a Fashion
(July 28, 2002)
Writer
Ann Patchett reflects on how scientific the scientists can be as they
devise drugs for some women.
Drugs, particularly those dealing with cosmetic “improvements”
in women, depend on fashion, she claims.
Ignored are the many poor women throughout the world for whom drugs
to combat malaria, HIV-AIDS symptoms, and other life-threatening diseases
are beyond their means. The market denies health to them.
More
People 65 and After Getting Cosmetic Surgery (July 24, 2002)
Expensive cosmetic surgery makes some older
persons feel better about themselves.
Others do it to avoid on-the-job age discrimination.
While the high cost of
surgery makes it unavailable to almost all older persons, this article
details the motivations of the few who decide they want a “lift.”
Pfizer
Feeds Its Drug Habit (July 23, 2002)
Pfizer's
$60 billion purchase of Pharmacia will create the world's largest drug
firm with $9.2 billion in profits. This Fortune article wants to
solve this question: “When it comes to drugs, is bigger necessarily
better?”
States
Use Their Purchasing Power As Leverage to Limit Drug Prices (July 21,
2002)
State governments have discovered a new weapon in
their battle against drug makers' price increases: market forces.
Prozac Mailed Unsolicited to a
Teenager in Florida (July 20, 2002)
The Prozac story is not finished. Michael
Grinsted, a young teenager, who has never suffered from depression, got a prescription drug Prozac by mail. The
Grinsteds said they might join a class-action lawsuit that a 59-year-old
woman filed this month in state court in Fort Lauderdale against Lilly,
the Walgreen Company and several doctors.
Research Suggests More Health
Care May Not Be Better (July 20, 2002)
According to a paper
published in the journal Health Affairs, Medicare's typical lifetime
spending for a 65-year-old in Miami is more than $50,000 higher than for a
65-year-old in Minneapolis. Can this gap be explained by regional
differences in medical costs? No. The reason is abundance of supply,
including medical doctors and services. The study suggests that more
doctors do not assure better health.
Brand-Name Drug Industry
Overwhelms Generic in Campaign Contributions and Lobbying Spending (July
19, 2002)
As the U.S. Senate considers legislation opposed by the brand-name drug
industry to provide consumers with faster access to cheaper generic drugs,
a new Public Citizen study shows how the brand-name prescription drug
industry has outspent the much smaller generic drug industry by a 40-to-1
margin on campaign contributions and lobbying.
Senate Backs Use of Drug
Lists By States in Medicaid Programs (July 19, 2002)
The Senate approved giving states authority to
use preferred-drug lists and other cost-cutting measures in their Medicaid
programs.
Plan to Import Drugs From
Canada Passes in Senate (July 18, 2002)
The Bush administration does not want to sign legislation to import drugs from Canada
although Congress has already approved it. Their US based argument
is that drugs could be risky for public health. There is also big
resistance from drug companies.
Text of letter to US
Senator Ted Kennedy about affordable prescription drugs (July 17, 2002)
Anne Marie Mayer, GAA volunteer, this summer
joined the Patriot’s Bus
Ride to Washington D.C.
to find answers to following questions “Why should we have to go
to Canada for affordable prescription
drugs?” Why must we pay prices 40-60% higher than Canadians for the
letter to US Senator Ted Kennedy.
Survey Halted, Drug Makers Seek to
Protect Hormone Sales (July 17, 2002)
Recent results on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) research, where it was discovered that HRT can
increase the risk of breast cancer, stroke, blood clots and heart attacks,
presents doctors with a difficult choice--should
they stop prescribing HRT or not? The survey also shows that
sales representatives from drug companies that promote HRT drugs tripled the number of doctors they visited last week
compared with the week before the study came out.
Age Lines (July 16, 2002)
Some good health news about good cholesterol,
dementia and beauty: older people with prior stroke or neck conditions who
want to have a salon shampoo must exercise caution.
Pfizer to Buy Large Drug Rival
in $60 Billion Deal (July 15, 2002)
Drug giant Pfizer Inc., bought Pharmacia for $60 billion and became the
world’s largest pharmaceutical company. Pfizer press releases suggest that the merger would help
limit price increases. Observers
are dubious that the drug industry consolidation into several giant firms
would lower prices. Rather, it creates less competition on the basis of
price. Regulators have yet to
approve the sale.
Senate Panel OKs Generic Drug
Bill (July 12, 2002)
Election issues shape how serious Senators want to be over the high cost
of prescription drugs. Two
other questions lurk in the background:
How indebted are Senators to political contributions
originating in drug company profits? Are back room deals underway to
privatize Medicare?
A Knee Surgery for Arthritis Is
Called Sham (July 11, 2002)
A popular operation for arthritis of the knee worked no better than a sham
procedure in which patients were sedated while surgeons pretended to
operate, researchers are reporting today.
Challenged to care: Informal
caregivers in a Changing health System (July/August, 2002)
This report from a survey of informal caregivers , who provide unpaid
assistance to ill, disabled or elderly people in the US, reveals the
intense emotional and physical burdens on some caregivers
Should
Anyone Take Hormones? (July 8, 2002)
Postmenopausal women
are familiar with such problems as hot flashes , mood swings, sleep difficulties and vaginal dryness
and they used to cope with them by using HRT (Hormone Replacement
Therapy). But recent studies question the usefulness and safety of HRT
Study:
AIDS Shortening Life in 51 Nations (July 8, 2002)
Demographers and health experts report that AIDS has
begun to cut longevity gains in fifty-one nations in Africa and the
Caribbean. In the USA, Black
heterosexual women are increasingly contracting AIDS as are gay men who
engage in high-risk sexual activities, according to experts.
Most new cases are unaware of that they might have AIDS.
Good
news/bad news story for older Americans (July 08, 2002)
Recent reports from the Administration on Aging
show that Americans
age 50+ are healthier and living longer overall, but at the same time
receive fewer benefits from health insurance.
World Within: Validation
Method Helps Confused Elders Get Heard and Understand (July 7, 2002)
This article describes the Validation method of communicating with
confused older adults developed by Naomi Feil, a Cleveland-based geriatric
social worker whose communication techniques are taught worldwide. Feil
emphasizes that in order to understand, you have to become a detective:
Listen carefully and the individual's behavior and their words will make
sense, and the individual will become calmer because they finally have
been heard.
With loss of independence,
sadness (July 7, 2002)
This Boston Globe article documents the difficulties
that Baseball Great Ted Williams faced following open heart surgery
about18 months prior to his death. According
to family reports, Williams knew about the risks of poor health after the
operation but chose to go ahead. The
article questions the worth of risk-taking procedures that can take
autonomy, if not life, away.
Free Prozac in the Junk Mail
Draws a Lawsuit (July 6, 2002)
Aggressive marketing of a drug to a
doctor’s patient via a free sample in the mail may be stopped cold in a
lawsuit. Invasion of privacy
of medical records, using the
mail for unsolicited drugs, and
an expiring patent on a high-price, high profit,
drug shape this drama
States Split as U.S. Offers
Drug Subsidy for Elderly (July 6,
2002)
Most
States are reluctant to participate in a Bush program to give matching
money for a drug benefit to those with modest incomes but ineligible for
Medicaid. This Bush Program
is “budget neutral” and can have the effect of directing money away
from other recipients of the State’s Medicaid funds.
Staying Cool In Extreme
Heat (July
4, 2002)
As the country endures a summer heat wave, the elderly, very young and ill
are especially susceptible to heat-related illnesses, including death.
This article helps identify heat-related illnesses and provides
methods of relief.
Wisconsin Begins To Enroll Seniors
in Medicaid Prescription Drug Assistance Program (July 2, 2002)
In a leading initiative, Wisconsin opened enrollment for a Prescription
Drug Assistance Program for low-income seniors who are eligible for
Medicaid. This initiative may show whether brand name drug prices continue
to go up in Wisconsin with assured payments from taxpayers.
Methods Are Many to
Reduce Blood Pressure (July 2, 2002)
Here are potential risk factors for hypertension
development and practical measures to reduce blood pressure.
Heart Pump Saves Lives, and Raises
Questions (July 2, 2002)
With tens of thousands of Americans dying of heart failure each year, and
a dire shortage of donated human hearts, cardiologists have long dreamed
of a device that could be permanently implanted in people too old or sick
for a heart transplant. Headlines detail a $ 60,000 heart
machine that may extend the lives of as many as 100,000 people a year. It also generates economic , social and ethical
questions about who deserved that
to live.
Seniors
and Prescription Drugs: Findings from a 2001 Survey of Senior in Eight
States (July 2002)
A Commonwealth report about the senior's prescription use: " Nearly
one quarter of the elderly say they skip medication doses or fail to get
prescriptions filled because of cost concerns."
\51
Top Scientists Blast Anti-Aging Idea (June 2002)
Lots of sparks fly around anti-aging medicines.
Where does prevention strategy end and anti-aging begin?
The search for a Fountain of Youth has a long history.
Medicare
Beneficiaries and Their Assets: Implications for Low-Income Programs
(June, 2002)
This
report, prepared by Marilyn Moon of The Urban Institute and Robert
Friedland and Lee Shirey of Georgetown University's Center on an Aging
Society, reviews the income and assets of the current Medicare population,
provides an overview of asset tests used to determine eligibility for
programs assisting low-income Medicare beneficiaries, and considers how
alternative policy options would affect eligibility for these programs.
Pharmaceutical Research Is
Focusing on the Elderly (June 28, 2002)
Some 135 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are now developing 294
medicines aimed at diseases that disproportionately affect older people.
Companies hope that the new drugs will bring in high profits to
replace those with expired patents.
Diet Rich
in Vitamins C, E May Pare Alzheimer's Risk (26 June, 2002)
Scientists recommend to eat food, rich in vitamin E and
C because it may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer disease, accor | 
