Health News and Medical News

Dietary Supplements May Pose Risk to Older Cancer Survivors

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:11:10 +0000

Older cancer survivors need to listen to warnings about the potential risks of dietary supplements, say Duke University Medical Center researchers and colleagues.

They noted that many older cancer patients who’ve survived five years or more take vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements in an effort to remain disease-free. However, this supplement use may backfire.
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Massage Envy Employee Raises Breast Cancer Awareness

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:10:19 +0000

With two survivors of breast cancer in her family, Copperfield Massage Envy’s Clinic Administrator Stacy Jones is all too familiar with the disease.

So the fact that her employer is giving free massages to benefit a cure on Sept 15 is more than just a labor of love.

After Jones’ mother, Mary Moran of West Virginia, underwent a full mastectomy and removal of a lymph node five years ago, she had to wear a battery operated pump that wrapped around her arm to drain the excess fluid caused from the lymph node removal.
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High-risk Women Act Fast on Breast Cancer

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:08:17 +0000

Christina Applegate’s choice to undergo a double mastectomy puts her in the company of a growing number of women taking aggressive steps to avoid dying of breast cancer.

Studies show more patients are choosing mastectomies, even though women are just as likely to survive if they have smaller, breast-conserving surgeries.
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FDA Investigating Possible Link Between Ezetimibe/Simvastatin and Increased Cancer Risk

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:07:11 +0000

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing healthcare professionals that it is investigating a report from the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) trial of a possible association between the use of simvastatin/ezetimibe (Vytorin) and a potentially increased incidence of cancer.

Recently, the FDA obtained preliminary results from the SEAS trial. The clinical trial tested whether lowering LDL-cholesterol with simvastatin/ezetimibe would reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in individuals with aortic stenosis. A lower overall cardiovascular risk was not found with simvastatin/ezetimibe compared with placebo.
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HR Exects Want Govt to Regulate Health Care Costs

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:05:40 +0000

A majority of corporate human resources managers think that the federal government should play a role in regulating health care costs and coverage, according to a new survey.

But the Workscape Inc. effort also found that the respondents don’t believe either political party offers a clear-cut resolution.

The survey, by Marlborough, Mass.-based human resources IT company Workscape, found that the 1,242 respondents were almost evenly divided on whether the viewpoints of either John McCain or Barack Obama could positively affect the current state of rising health care costs and coverage in the U.S. (more…)

HR Exects Want Govt to Regulate Health Care Costs

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:04:11 +0000

A majority of corporate human resources managers think that the federal government should play a role in regulating health care costs and coverage, according to a new survey.

But the Workscape Inc. effort also found that the respondents don’t believe either political party offers a clear-cut resolution.

Diagnosing Skin Cancer By Smell

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:01:50 +0000

Scientists in the US have found that skin cancer has a distinctive smell that can be detected by sensitive laboratory equipment and they hope the discovery opens the door to developing a new non-invasive way to diagnose basal cell carcinoma and other cancers of the skin using “odor profiles”.

The research was led by scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit basic research institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The findings were presented on Tuesday 20 August at the 236th meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.
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Health Insurance Scheme for Poor, First in State

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:01:08 +0000

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday launched the ambitious National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the state. Smart cards of NHIS were also distributed to some of the beneficiaries on the occasion in Bhagalpur.

The scheme was launched through video-conferencing in Patna in the presence of central and state government officials while ministers Ashwini Chaubey and Awdhesh Narayan Singh along with divisional officials were present in Bhagalpur.
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Plan Would Protect Health-Care Workers Who Object to Abortion

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:00:01 +0000

The Bush administration today announced plans to implement a controversial regulation designed to protect doctors, nurses and other health-care workers who object to abortion from being forced to deliver services that violate their personal beliefs.

The rule empowers federal health officials to pull funding from more than 584,000 hospitals, clinics, health plans, doctors’ offices and other entities if they do not accommodate employees who refuse to participate in care they find objectionable on personal, moral or religious grounds.
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Osteo Drug Stops Bone Loss From Breast Cancer Chemo

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:49:07 +0000

The osteoporosis drug Zometa (zoledronic acid) prevented bone loss at 12 months in premenopausal women undergoing chemotherapy after they had surgery for early stage breast cancer, a new study found.

The multicenter, phase III study is the first to evaluate the use of zoledronic acid in premenopausal breast cancer patients. The 101 women (85 completed the study) were divided into two groups that received either zoledronic acid or a placebo every three months for one year. All the women were given oral vitamin D and calcium supplements.
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