Too many Americans still using tobacco, CDC says

Millions of Americans have quit smoking, but it's still the nation's leading preventable cause of death and disease

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/too-many-americans-still-using-tobacco-smoking-cdc-report/

Mayo Clinic Minute: Does forgetfulness when you're young mean you'll get Alzheimer's disease?

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzD8blp6V9w

Obesity to Blame for Epidemic of Knee Problems

Excess weight can cause dislocation of your knee and may even lead to a complication that results in amputation of your leg.

From: https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/news/20171110/obesity-to-blame-for-epidemic-of-knee-dislocations-complications?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Sleep Apnea May Boost Alzheimer's Risk

If your sleep is continually disrupted by a condition called sleep apnea, you might face a higher chance of developing Alzheimer's down the road.

From: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20171110/sleep-apnea-may-boost-alzheimers-risk?src=RSS_PUBLIC

ADA discourages DIY orthodontics through resolution

The ADA "strongly discourages" the practice of do-it-yourself orthodontics because of the potential for harm to patients, according to a new policy passed by the 2017 ADA House of Delegates.

From: By David Burger http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/november/ada-discourages-diy-orthodontics-through-resolution

Decoding Dental Benefits: The top 5 concerns of dentists

This is the second in a series featuring answers and solutions for dentists when it comes to the world of dental benefits and plans. The series is intended to help untangle many of the issues that can potentially befuddle dentists and their teams so that they can focus more of their time on patient care.

From: By David Burger http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/november/decoding-dental-benefits-the-top-5-concerns-of-dentists

Does Your Pet Have a Weight Problem?

More than half of pet cats and dogs are overweight, leading to potential health problems for your furry companion.

From: https://pets.webmd.com/news/20171109/does-your-pet-have-a-weight-problem-heres-how-to-tell?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Is Strep Linked to Scary Kids' Behavior Disorder?

Researchers are studying whether strep might be a cause of pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, or PANS, which causes severe behavioral changes in children.

From: https://www.webmd.com/children/news/20171110/is-strep-linked-to-scary-kids-disorder?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Tourists say they contracted hepatitis A on trip to San Diego

San Diego County is battling the worst hepatitis A outbreak​ seen in the U.S. in decades, with 20 dead and hundreds of cases confirmed

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tourists-say-they-contracted-hepatitis-a-on-trip-to-san-diego/

Tearful meeting for pair forever linked by face transplant

Sixteen months after transplant surgery, man who lived nearly a decade with severely damaged face met the woman who agreed to donate her deceased husband's

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tearful-meeting-for-pair-forever-linked-by-face-transplant/

Obamacare Enrollment Tops 600,000 in First Week

More than 600,000 Americans signed up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act in the first week of open enrollment season.

From: https://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/news/20171110/health-highlights-nov-10-2017?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Low-Fat Diet May Cut Pancreatic Cancer Risk

A low-fat diet may lower older women's risk of pancreatic cancer, a new study suggests.

From: https://www.webmd.com/cancer/pancreatic-cancer/news/20171109/low-fat-diet-may-cut-pancreatic-cancer-risk-for-overweight-older-women?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Childhood Spanking Linked to Mental Health Woes

Adults who were spanked as kids may face heightened risk of certain mental health problems, a new study suggests.

From: https://www.webmd.com/children/news/20171109/childhood-spanking-could-heighten-adult-mental-health-woes?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Chuck Norris speaks out after claiming MRI drug poisoned his wife

Norris and his wife, Gena, are suing 11 medical companies​ after they say she was poisoned by a drug used during a routine MRI scan

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chuck-norris-gena-norris-lawsuit-medical-companies-mri-contrast-agent/

Chuck and Gena Norris sue over alleged MRI contrast agent poisoning

Actor Chuck Norris and his wife, Gena, are suing 11 medical companies after they say she was poisoned by a drug used during a routine MRI scan. The drug is a contrast agent, which enhances MRI images and helps with diagnosis. Anna Werner reports.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/chuck-and-gena-norris-sue-over-alleged-mri-contrast-agent-poisoning/

Mayo Clinic's first face transplant patient meets donor’s family

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE-xepGLVt8

Boy with dairy allergy dies after school allegedly fed him grilled cheese

New York City officials have shut down a school after an apparent mistake that proved deadly.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/elijah-silvera-dairy-allergy-dies-fed-cheese-sandwich-family/

The cost of chronic pain

There is a saying that being poor is expensive. From personal experience, I know this to be true. But I think it also needs to be said that, especially in the United States, chronic illness can be quite expensive as well. In fact, there is a huge intersection between poverty and disability/illness. As with many intersections, it is a chicken-or-egg scenario, difficult to determine which is begetting which. But one thing is clear: there are often blind spots about these expenses in the medical community and how they can impact chronically ill people already struggling with finances.

Recently I attended a seminar on the topic and was immediately struck by the lack of attention to the expense of the nonpharmacological treatments being advised to take the place of opioids. I watched the doctors on the panel enthusiastically promote acupuncture, yoga, chiropractic care, biofeedback, massage, lidocaine patches, and TENS units. Yet, many of these treatments are not covered by most insurance plans and can be very expensive to pay for out of pocket. In the case of something like massage or acupuncture, it can cost well over $100 per visit. Since these therapies usually require multiple visits to achieve long-term outcomes, it can cost patients hundreds or thousands of dollars to cover the costs of such treatments. Considering that most people with disability live below the poverty level, many people with chronic pain may not be in a financial position to fund these alternative treatments — meaning they are basically unavailable to them.

Likewise, insurance doesn’t cover so many of the nutritional and herbal supplements and compounded medications that offer chronic illness patients a modicum of relief. Recently, my physiatrist wrote me a prescription for compounded low-dose naltrexone, or LDN, to treat my chronic pain. LDN is an opiate antagonist that has been demonstrated during limited clinical trials to reduce symptoms associated with many autoimmune diseases, including pain. However, I was informed by the pharmacy that my insurance plan would not cover it, and it was $80 for a month’s worth of daily dosages. I could not afford it, so I didn’t fill the prescription. Due to its expense, I couldn’t try a non-opioid medication that could have improved my function and quality of life.

Another example is one I face right now as someone with the connective tissue disorder Ehlers- Danlos syndrome. While there is no cure for EDS, I find that one thing that helps relieve some of my pain and minimize further injury is stabilizing my joints and soothing my spastic muscles. This requires generous use of splints, braces, and Kinesiology Therapeutic (or KT) Tape. None of these are covered by my insurance and can add up quickly — especially the KT Tape, which needs to be replaced weekly — straining my limited budget. Likewise, insurance also does not pay for the seat cushions that offer me better ergonomics at my home office so that my spine and hips don’t constantly lock up.

Insurance also didn’t cover the new bed I got last year that offers better back support, or the full-body pregnancy pillow (note: I am not pregnant) that I credit as only thing that has significantly improved my sleep in the past six months. Additionally, I am interested in obtaining some compression clothing, which has been indicated as having potential to improve mobility and pain in EDS patients. But because insurance won’t cover this either, it will require a financial investment on my part that is a huge gamble. If the clothing is not helpful, I’ve sunk in a significant amount of money I cannot recover. As a low-income individual, each choice is one I weigh heavily — the possible positive outcomes versus the potential for failure, and then the money wasted on it and what it could have otherwise gone to, such as rent or utilities.

I am not sure what can be done, except to pressure insurance plans to offer coverage of alternative treatments, and for more companies that offer such treatments or distribute supplements to offer sliding-scale or discounted rates to those of limited means. Hopefully, more pain clinics will start utilizing complementary methods to holistically treat pain symptoms, such as biofeedback and acupuncture, which will offer more incentives for insurance plans to cover them. This begins with awareness and needs to escalate to active advocacy to get us there.

The post The cost of chronic pain appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Laura Kiesel https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cost-chronic-pain-2017111012696

WHO warns that more people will die if ports in Yemen do not reopen to humanitarian aid

9 November, 2017 – For the fourth consecutive day, the World Health Organization’s operations in Yemen have been severely hampered due to the closure of all land, sea and air ports.

From: http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/news/statements/2017/yemen-ports-aid/en/index.html