POWER WANDS
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| News For Breast Cancers By Joan Estelle High ©1-31-2010 |
| It is a very scary thing for a women to find a lump
in her breast tissue. Getting a mammogram is usually the next step. Getting Mammograms yearly is causing some disagreement between the health care professionals. That and PSA tests for men's prostate problems maybe given further study. When you are young with firm breast mammograms range from uncomfortable to hurt. I used to think that the man that invented them should have his testicle x-rayed that way. The problem with them is false negative, they miss some cancer, false positives they find other things than cancer and they expose women to more radiation than was originally thought. If something suspicious is found the next step is getting a biopsy. In the past and currently the treatment for breast cancer has been a trial by fire for women. Although there are a few men who get breast cancer this disease is life threaten mostly to women. I remember as a young women hearing the screams of a neighbor lady who was suffering some thing awful with breast cancer. Surgery had left her arm swollen to twice the size. Thank God we have come a long way down the road, from those days 60 years ago. Now there is a 90 percent survival rate, if the cancer is found early. Yet only lung cancer l kills more women each year. Mastectomies are not the only treatment used today. Surgery, chemo, Radiation, immunotherapy , vaccines can be part of the treatments as well. They are looking at possibility that some of the bone drug used for bone thinning osteoporosis may be adapted to use in preventing breast cancer in healthy women. At this time these medicines have sided effects that can cause bone and joint pain. In rare cases they have caused the patient being treated to have their jawbone decay. A interesting study that sounds like something from a Sci.Fi. story is using microwaves with chemo to shrinks breast cancer which may eliminate the need for mastectomies up to 90 %, in as little as 5 years. This could be a major break through in preventing lost of a women's breast. Clinical trials are scheduled for this coming year. (Don't try this at home. It is not an microwave oven as you know it.) Researcher looking for the cure and prevention of breast cancer have to take a lot of different factors involved. Age, weight, smoking, diet can all be part of the problem. Women who drink regularly have a 50 percent greater chance of getting breast cancer than women who do not drink. Of course drinking also increase your rate of liver, head and neck, esophageal cancers as well. So even if you have heard that light drinking might help your heart, the damage it does to other organs is worth thinking about. The risk facto is directly tied in to genetic factors. |
| January Update
Health Reform by Joan Estelle High ©1-17-2010 |
Well this year so far we have gone from a ticking clock to more of a ticking bomb. At least some people are finding some aspects of the proposals being considered to be likely to do more a disaster than a blessing . Folks get a little worried when they start talking about 900 Billion dollar programs . Right now they are comparing the proposed Senate bill with the one from the House. The hope is to find the things that they agree on and iron out a compromise. Both sides want health coverage to be a mandatory that would fine individuals who don't have health coverage. They differ in how much they people will be fined if they don't participate. They will need to fine tune the employers mandate. There is some help for small business in the form of tax credits. Medicaid would be expanded for those under 65 depending on their percentage of federal poverty level. They are close in their ideas for help with premiums but have difference on the starting date for this help to kick in. In the matter of health exchanges the difference mainly is, if it will be state wide or nation wide. While the House would like a government run insurance program the Senate proposes a federally supervised privately run multistate plan. Both sides want benefits to be covered from 60 to 90 % medical bills or 65 percent to 95 depending on which version gets picked. Abortion is still a hot topic. Odds are the Catholic Bishops will have some influence in pressure to going with the House position. Personally I think that if any religious organizations that is going to spend their time and money in the political arena should lose their tax exemptions. That would alone could raise a lot of money Looks like they are going to lessen the Donut hole problem starting with adding $500.00 more per person and hopefully giving a 50% discount on brand name prescriptions. Send any comments to thecrystallady @hotmail.com |
A Ticking Clock by Joan Estelle High ©12-21-2009 |
| Well the clock is ticking on reforming health
care before Christmas. Abortion still remains a number one problem. Finding the money to finance a proposed 848 Billion Senate bill is mind boggling. Of course if they cut out war spending and other foreign aid instead of thinking they could cut Medicare 400 billion , that alone would make the goal more attainable. Although there seems to be a lot of fraud stealing Medicare funds , the only way to get the savings up that high would be to cut benefits to Medicare senior citizens. 873 Billion is being proposed for War and related things like weapons, fighters jets and ships for the Navy. Then we have Afghanistan, Guantanamo, unemployment, transportation and subsidies to commercial farmers , also vying for first place in budget appropriations There is talk of taxing health insurance policies up to 35 %, fees on insurance companies, drug makers and other sectors of the health care industry. They actually would like to count on funds penalties from people who don't get health insurance and employers who failed to offer their workers health insurance. Obama wanted businesses with 50 employees to be required to cover their worker or pay a fee. The Senate says they furnish insurance or pay $750 per employee. ( Up to 25 workers are exempt). The House would make companies fines based on a percentage of payroll. The health insurance industry claims they are not making excessive profits. But from what I read the drug manufactures, would be laughed out of the room if they made that statement. The Senate version would have some hardship waivers, The House, would allow hardship wavers but fines would be up to 2.5 percent of income for not getting health insurance. As of the latest news, there will be no chance of buying into the existing Medicare programs with those who are younger than 65. There won't be a new government insurance plan. Once again it looks like the people of this country have been floated down the river with out a paddle. We get penalties if we don't buy into the plan, but the insurance companies get to say what that plan will cost. Also a plan to give the health business to a commercial insurer similar to the health plan for federal employees is being discussed. There is some hope that the stupid "donut hole " which has been very hard on seniors will start to get smaller over the next 9 years. Apparently there is not test for brains required to be in congress or the stupid plan would not have been set up like it was in the first place. Despite the fact that the new regulations for the insurance companies runs to over 400 pages it is doubtful that Congress con control the insurance industries. Maybe they should have to pass a law that would not allow them to take any money for any reason nor gifts or trips , from Drug or Insurance companies Actually that would be a good idea in general. .......Joan |
| Food and Health By Joan Estelle High |
| !2-13-09 While many foods have the potential to improve our health, Too much food will cause a lot of problems with your health. Lack of healthy food definitely is a problem around the world. Even here in the United States we have people especially children who are going hungry. Even people who have money for food , don't have a healthy diet. We are a nation that lives on junk and fast foods. Just a few improvements in your diet can help keep your family well. Taking the time to look at the chart below may give us a few ideas for improving our diet. I saw a list recently that told how Parsley was more than just a decoration on a plate, it contains flavonoids which may help prevent cancer. Sage which is used this time of year in dressings may be good for you if you have high blood pressure. It has been known for a while that cinnamon helps reduce blood sugar. More fruits and vegetables in our diet is something that would help most of us. However if you have health conditions you need to talk to your doctor. There are certain food that interact with prescription drugs. Grapefruit and bananas are a couple. If you are diabetic you should limit your fruit intake and watch your carbs. That could include fruit that is high in sugar and starchy vegetables. Eating lots of vegetables might help you lose weight but it depends on how you fix them. If the only way you can eat them is creamed, buttered or in a cheese sauce, they might not help on your weight control. Be sure to research the net and find out additional information before you make any drastic changes. .......Joan |
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