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UN iLanceti journal to hold meeting on AIDS response and global health

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:15:54 -0400

19 June 2013 150 Heads of State, policymakers, scientists, advocates and private sector leaders will come together for the first time this month to explore how the AIDS response can be used to shape the future of global health in a United Nations-led meeting in Lilongwe, Malawi. Organized in conjunction with the Lancet medical journal, the UNAIDS and Lancet Commission: from AIDS to ...

American Medical Association Obesity is a Disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:15:06 -0400

The largest U.S. doctors' group said obesity is a disease. The decision, announced this week by the American Medical Association at its annual meeting, could lead to increased funding for obesity research and help people obtain insurance coverage for treatment for obesity. The AMA said obesity requires a range of medical interventions for treatment and prevention. Most insurance companies ...

Letting other system doctors give allopathic drugs dangerous IMA

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:10:01 -0400

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Wednesday opposed a health ministry directive allowing practitioners of homeopathy, ayurveda and siddha to dispense allopathic medicines for common health problems, saying it could prove to be dangerous. At a press conference here, the IMA said the notification is an apparent attempt by the ministry to play with the lives of the innocent citizens in the garb ...

Exposure to high pollution levels during pregnancy may double risk of having autistic kids

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:20:02 -0400

Women exposed to high levels of air pollution while pregnant were up to twice as likely to have a child with autism as women who lived in areas with low pollution, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). It is the first large national study to examine links between autism and air pollution across the U.S. The researchers examined data from Nurses' Health Study II, ...

Brazil to produce H1N1 flu vaccine

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:10:01 -0400

Brazil plans to produce vaccines against the influenza H1N1 virus, Health Minister Alexandre Padilha said. Nationwide production of the vaccine will help the country have an easier and faster access to the drug in case of an epidemic, he said Tuesday. "When Brazil has the technology, no economic crisis, exchange rate fluctuations, nor unilateral decision from a company can put patient treatment ...

Cat nurses orphaned pit bull puppy in Ohio

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:19:00 -0400

CLEVELAND -- A cat caring for four newborn kittens is nursing an orphaned week-old pit bull puppy in Cleveland.Sharon Harvey of the Cleveland Animal Protective League said Wednesday that Lurlene the cat welcomed Noland the puppy to her "unusual little family." The puppy was dropped off at the animal shelter last week when he was a day old.The staff decided to place Noland with the ...

New virus deadlier than Sars

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:16:26 -0400

A mysterious new respiratory virus that originated in the Middle East spreads easily between people and appears more deadly than Sars, doctors have reported after investigating the biggest outbreak in Saudi ...

Serious outbreak of measles in Dutch Bible Belt area opposed to vaccinations

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:07:40 -0400

A measles vaccination kit: an outbreak of measles in the Netherlands is being blamed on the low vaccination uptake in that country's Bible Belt. Photograph: Owen ...

Video American Medical Association declares obesity a disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:56:00 -0400

The American Medical Association declared obesity a disease, leaving many doctors hoping that this changes the way insurance companies view covering treatment. Weight loss surgery is covered by Medicare and insurance companies when there are complications such as diabetes and high blood pressure, but patients who have not yet developed these problems are denied coverage. Dr. Jon LaPook ...

Wisconsin Department of Health Services secretary takes medical leave

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:13:13 -0400

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Kitty Rhoades is taking a leave of absence to have hip replacement surgery. DHS released a statement saying Rhoades' leave began on Wednesday. She hopes to return by the end of July. Deputy Secretary Kevin Moore will take over the agency in the interim although Rhoades said she will be involved in decision-making as her ...

At Least 150 Doctors Ask Obama to Visit Gitmo Prisoners

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:11:28 -0400

Washington, Jun 19 (Prensa Latina) A total of 150 doctors from different countries signed an open letter written to US President Barack Obama for an authorization to visit the 130 hunger strikers in the prison of Guantanamo, Cuba. In the text, published in the specialized magazine Lancet, the doctors assured the prisoners have good reasons to distrust from the health personnel in the prison, ...

Nurses union alarmed about Wesley Hospital denial of previous legionnaires case

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:00:36 -0400

Brisbane 4000 The Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) says Brisbane's Wesley Hospital must explain why it kept quiet about a fatal case of legionnaires' disease two years ago.The hospital is currently dealing with a deadly outbreak that killed one patient and had claimed it was the first such case.Yesterday that story changed when a spokesman admitted a male patient had died after ...

U.S. doctors target sugary drinks bought by government

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:30:02 -0400

By Madeline Will NEW YORK, June 19 | Wed Jun 19, 2013 5:30pm EDT NEW YORK, June 19 (Reuters) - The American Medical Association joined the effort to discourage consumption of sugary drinks on Wednesday with a pledge to work to get them off U.S. government food aid programs for the poor. The nation's largest physician group said removing the sugary beverages from the Supplemental ...

U.S. lawmakers float bill for Medicare to cover obesity treatment

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:20:54 -0400

By Yasmeen Abutaleb WASHINGTON, June 19 | Wed Jun 19, 2013 5:20pm EDT WASHINGTON, June 19 (Reuters) - A day after the American Medical Association classified obesity as a disease, U.S. lawmakers introduced bipartisan bills in the Senate and House of Representatives that would require Medicare to cover more obesity treatment costs. The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, spearheaded in the ...

2nd West Nile Virus case reported in MS

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:07:33 -0400

The Mississippi State Department of Health has reported the state's second human case of West Nile Virus of 2013. The case is in Forrest ...

Some doctors seek to Innovate health care shifting to cash only

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:53:57 -0400

A new approach to medical service renders both insurance companies and emergency rooms largely redundant for routine care, saving money for consumers and lowering health care ...

Public health approach to bullying and suicide prevention urged

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:46:13 -0400

Bullying is a public health problem that can be prevented to improve the health of young people, researchers say. In today's online supplement to the Journal of Adolescent Health, experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed studies on the links between bullying, depression and suicide in ...

AMA Doctors Declare Obesity is a Disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:43:47 -0400

The American Medical Association House of Delegates passed a measure in Chicago Tuesday to officially recognize obesity as a disease. The measure read: "RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association recognize obesity as a disease state with multiple pathophysiological aspects requiring a range of interventions to advance obesity treatment and prevention." "Recognizing obesity ...

Guantanamo Hunger Strikers Must Receive Independent Medical Advice Doctors Urge Obama

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:43:19 -0400

Hunger strikers currently detained in Guantnamo Bay should receive independent medical advice, 153 doctors told President Barack Obama in an open letter published today in The Lancet. An increasing number of doctors and healthcare professionals are expressing concern and alarm that the hunger strikers are not receiving a proper or humane standard of medical care by military doctors. There are ...

US Doctors Tell Gov. Suntais Family He Cant Function As A Normal Person

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:24:25 -0400

By Saharareporters, New York Neurological doctors treating Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State in the United States have told his family and the state government footing his medical bills the governor cannot return to normal state of mental health that would enable him to function as a governor. Mr. Suntai first received treatment at the famous John Hopkins University Hospital in ...

U.S. Doctors’ Group Labels Obesity a Disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:12:33 -0400

By Steven ReinbergHealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) — In an effort to focus greater attention on the weight-gain epidemic plaguing the United States, the American Medical Association has now classified obesity as a disease. The decision will hopefully pave the way for more attention by doctors on obesity and its dangerous complications, and may even increase insurance ...

Doctors’ Group Wants To Ban Companies From Marketing Energy Drinks To Kids

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:12:24 -0400

formally endorsed banning the marketing of energy drinks to children under age 18, citing the health risks associated with beverages high in caffeine and supplements like taurine. ';Energy drinks contain massive and excessive amounts of caffeine that may lead to a host of health problems in young people, including heart problems, and banning companies from marketing these products to ...

‘Guantanamo detainees distrust military doctors’ – open letter to Obama

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:00:49 -0400

Health Over 150 doctors and medical professionals have signed an open letter to US President Barack Obama calling for hunger-striking prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba to receive independent medical care. The letter, published in the Lancet medical journal, states that the detainees have "very good reason" not to trust local medical staff, who are required to ...

Obesity called a disease by U.S. doctors group

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:57:59 -0400

In order to fight what it described as an "obesity epidemic," the American Medical Association voted to recognize obesity as a disease and recommended a number of measures to fight it. The association voted on the measure Tuesday at its annual meeting in Chicago. The AMA noted that obesity rates in the United States have "doubled among adults in the last twenty years and tripled ...

Drug companies in Europe fined for pay-to-delay scheme

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:39:50 -0400

Antitrust regulators in Europe said they had fined several drug companies $195 million for conspiring to delay bringing a generic drug to market. The New York Times reported Wednesday the companies fined included Danish drugmaker Lundbeck and German pharmaceutical firm Merck. The European Commission's antitrust division said the companies formed an agreement in 2002 to delay producing a ...

Weighty issue Doctors at AMA vote to make obesity a disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:09:03 -0400

View results The American Medical Associated opened the door for mandatory insurance treatment for tens of millions of overweight Americans with a Tuesday vote to define obesity as a disease.An estimated 78 million adults and 12 million children in America are considered obese, by AMA standards, ...

Planned Parenthood American Journal of Public Health Study Shows Public Clinics Provide More Choices More Care

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:27:12 -0400

American Journal of Public Health Study Shows Public Clinics Provide More Choices, More Care WASHINGTON - August 14 - A new study in ...

Physicians for a National Health Program Millions of Chronically Ill Lacking Insurance Cant Get Needed Care

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:26:55 -0400

Millions of Chronically Ill, Lacking Insurance, Can't Get Needed Care CHICAGO - August 4 - Over 11 million Americans with chronic physical illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and asthma are not getting the medical care they need because they ...

Physicians for Human Rights Human Rights Groups Petition Iran for Release of HIVAIDS Doctors

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:26:53 -0400

www.IranFreeTheDocs.org MEXICO CITY - August 4 - A coalition of AIDS and human rights organizations that includes Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) has launched a campaign to free two Iranian physicians, Drs. Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei. The doctors, who are brothers, are active in HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment in Iran. According to international ...

A Public Health and Healthcare Spending Time Bomb Hepatitis C

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:45:59 -0400

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) (Photo credit: AJC1) By Mina Marmor and Henry I. Miller The relatively obscure liver inflammation caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant threat worldwide, and its prevalence is growing. It demands greater attention from both public health officials and drug developers. The ...

U.S. doctors say obesity is a disease

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:51:08 -0400

An overweight person is shown in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., May 12, 2005. Obesity rates are at an all-time high, especially in certain parts of the country, say researchers, who have "mapped" the changes to illustrate how Canadians' waistlines have expanded over time. (Richard ...

Health Department questioned on spending again

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:22:35 -0400

(13 mins ago) More questions have been raised over the Department of Health's use of public money to train staff. Two weeks ago it was revealed that an assistant health director had been given full-paid leave for a year to study as a barrister. Now it's emerged that since 2010 three other staff have been granted full-tuition sponsorship from the government -- amounting to over ...

Minimally Invasive Techniques Allow Doctors To Remove Suspicious Polyps Keep Colon Intact

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:34:14 -0400

Millions of people each year have polyps successfully removed during colonoscopies. But when a suspicious polyp is bigger than a marble or in a hard-to-reach location, patients are referred for surgery to remove a portion of their colon - even if doctors aren't sure whether the polyp is cancerous or not. Since only 15 percent of all polyps turn out to be malignant, many patients are ...

Celebrate the Defeat of the Granny Bashers Billionaire-backed Campaign Fails to Cut Social Security and Medicare

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:06:12 -0400

Campaign to Fix the Deb t and its efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare. Just to remind everyone, the Campaign to Fix the Debt (CFD) is yet another Peter Peterson-inspired initiative that has as its main goal cutting and/or privatizing Social Security and Medicare. Peterson has used the billions of dollars he earned as a Wall Street investment banker and private equity fund manager to ...

Doctors group urges ban on marketing energy drinks to youths

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:56:55 -0400

A group representing 225,000 U.S. doctors called for a ban on marketing energy drinks, such as those from Red Bull GmbH and Monster Beverage Corp., to youths. The American Medical Association, in a vote at its annual policy meeting in Chicago, Tuesday endorsed a policy that called for limiting how the caffeinated beverages are sold to those younger than 18. The group cited studies that link the ...

Breast cancer patients may have to pay for aftercare say doctors

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:11:00 -0400

Cancer Care Programme (NCCP).However, Dr Ray Walley, chairman of the GP committee in the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), said this would mean an extra workload for GPs and those with a medical card may have to be charged."The HSE is failing to fund or invest in cancer-care services in general practice, thereby passing all costs on to patients, including medical-card patients."Patients ...

Foreign workers owe Msian public health institutions US$8.2m in medical fees

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:06:45 -0400

Foreign workers owe public health institutions a staggering 26 million ringgit (US$8.2 million) in medical fees, said Home Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He said many foreigners did not settle their medical bills at public hospitals. Due to this, the government would review policies for insurance packages and medical coverage for such workers. Dr Ahmad Zahid said the study would be part of an ...

Doctors allow hiker to start eating solid food

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:14:17 -0400

BISSOONDAYE Geeta Seenath was allowed by doctors to have solid food as part of her diet on Monday, as she continues to recover from the harrowing ordeal of being lost in the Toco forest for seven ...

Doctors Confirm Fibromyalgia Is Not Imaginary

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:10:15 -0400

Fibromyalgia , a widespread deep tissue pain, affects about ten million people in the US. The condition causes tenderness in the hands and feet, fatigue, sleep disorders and cognitive decline. For years, the disorder was believed to be imaginary and often even attributed to patients making up the illness. The latest research not only proves its existence, but it has also pinpointed the source. ...

Medical council prosecutes 10 fake doctors

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:51:09 -0400

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, on Tuesday, said it was currently prosecuting over 10 fake medical doctors that were apprehended at various times while disguising as ...

Medicare Cost-saving changes coming for diabetics

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:27:38 -0400

WASHINGTON -- Medicare begins a major change next month that could save older diabetics money and time when they buy crucial supplies to test their blood sugar - but it also may cause some confusion as patients figure out the new system.On July 1, Medicare opens a national mail-order program that will dramatically drop the prices the government pays for those products but patients will have to ...

Doctors Don’t Talk About Sexual Health Often Enough With Teen Boys

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:17:46 -0400

new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health finds. Doctors especially need to start bringing up these topics more with young men. Nearly one in five sexually active boys report that they’ve never heard anything about condoms or contraceptives from their teachers or their doctors. National guidelines for medical professionals already stipulate that doctors must discuss these type of ...

Punjab govt introduces new software for doctors

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:01:14 -0400

Even though the emails were never sent, govt prosecutors argue that they help establish a pattern of Apple serving as a "ringleader" in a conspiracy with the publishers to force the retail book industry to adopt higher prices of ...