The Medical Freedom Channel

“Cisco Systems’ sleek new on-site health clinic looks more like a pampering day spa than a medical facility for the company’s employees and their dependents. Patients sign in on wireless tablets. They chat with their doctors in private ‘care suites,’ anterooms equipped with large, high-definition screens where they can view and discuss their vitals and medical information before entering the exam room. Comfortable padded exam tables, a choice of robes or gowns and an en suite bathroom help salve any indignities that await. The clinic, which opened for patients Nov. 24 at the networking equipment-maker’s San Jose headquarters, is part of the company’s new $38 million LifeConnections Center, which also includes an employee child care center that can accommodate 400 children and a 48,000-square-foot gym. A number of large corporations … offer on-site clinics as a way to improve their employees’ health, cut medical costs and reduce the amount of time workers spend out of the office for doctor appointments.” (12/21/08)

http://tinyurl.com/7efba7

“That day in July was one that Tammy Morse won’t soon forget. Cassandra Edmonds, a single parent from Bridgeport, Conn., enrolled in Medicaid after she was laid off by the city schools. Five months earlier, her husband lost his job as a recruiter for the financial services industry. Now it was the summer and the family savings were gone. She saw no way to get health insurance coverage for her family other than to apply for Medicaid. And that was why she made the drive from her Stratford, Conn., home to the nearest office of the state Department of Social Services. ‘It was humbling,’ said the mother of two. ‘It’s funny how your attitude changes, because honestly, I was probably a little judgmental previously. … For lack of a better way to put it, that was for other people. It wasn’t for me.’ Around the country, similar stories are playing out for thousands of families.” (12/22/08)

http://tinyurl.com/9xtcc2

“Think twice about blaming sweets for your out-of-control children this festive season, and those added pounds might not be due to an ill-advised late-night meal. As for an aspirin to cure a hangover? Forget it. That’s the advice of two researchers seeking to debunk some common medical myths that crop up during the holidays but have little scientific backing, they say. ‘In the pursuit of scientific truth, even widely held medical beliefs require examination or re-examination,” Rachel Vreeman and Aaron Carroll of the Indiana University School of Medicine wrote in the British Medical Journal. ‘The holiday season presents a further opportunity to probe medical beliefs recounted during this time of year.’” (12/18/08)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,469267,00.html

“Bristol-Myers Squibb Co said on Tuesday it agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle charges connected with an anti-trust investigation by the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Last year, Bristol-Myers pleaded guilty to two federal criminal counts related to allegations that it illegally concealed a side deal with the generic drugmaker Apotex to block introduction of a generic form of Bristol’s blood-thinning drug Plavix. In the wake of the federal investigation, the New York Attorney General’s office led its own probe on behalf of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Under the settlement, the company acknowledged responsibility for violating court orders in two earlier lawsuits in which it settled state charges that it unlawfully deprived consumers of cheaper generic versions of its drugs Buspar and Taxol.” (12/23/08)

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE4BM56A20081223

“Improved medical technology and techniques, combined with a rapidly aging population, mean there’s more need — and more opportunity — for senior surgeries than ever, said Dr. Mark Katlic, director of Thoracic Surgery at the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. … Along with the rise, though, have come the questions: In a country where healthcare costs are fast outpacing the ability to pay, and where it’s feared that the federal Medicare program could fail within a decade, should doctors perform surgery on the elderly just because they can? Or are limited resources better reserved for younger people who will benefit longer?” [editor’s note: My 83-year-old father had potential for a hip-replacement a few months back; he and his doctor agreed on a far-less-costly (mostly to Medicare) hip-resurfacing, and he’s now getting along at least as well as the recovery from the more extensive/expensive procedure woulda been - SAT] (12/18/08)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28282424/

“Breakfast may indeed be the most important meal of the day (as long as that meal is not a doughnut), a study suggests. Using data from a national health survey of U.S. adults, researchers found that people who ate lower-calorie foods for breakfast tended to have a higher-quality diet overall. Furthermore, men who ate a healthy breakfast generally weighed less. Among women, breakfast eaters — regardless of the food involved — tended to weigh less than those who skipped the morning meal. The findings, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, give some support to past studies finding that breakfast eaters are less likely to be overweight — and that eating a high-quality breakfast, rather than grabbing a pastry, is the key.”[editor’s note: As someone who used to think that a “plain cruller” was health food, this would be revolutionary, if I had not learned it several years ago - SAT] (12/18/08)

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE4BH4U020081218

“Many doctors claim that 1 in 10 people are carrying the virus for genital herpes. Yet genital herpes is rarely discussed in society and often leaves those infected feeling isolated and doomed. Fortunately, hope exists. With the right combination of herbs and nutrition at the right dose, genital herpes can be reversible. … Because doctors claim there is no cure, it seems like a life sentence. … Whilst the medical profession views genital herpes as incurable, it has been discovered that with natural medicine, it can be reversed. Herbs such as galangal, lapacho, astragalus, una de gato (also known as Cat’s Claw), myrrh, ligustrum and pansy are antiviral. Thyme, licorice and cayenne are all herbs that specifically fight the herpes virus.” (12/18/08)

http://www.naturalnews.com/025119.html

“The Bush administration, in its final days, has issued a federal rule reinforcing protections for doctors and other health care workers who refuse to participate in abortions and other procedures because of religious or moral objections. Critics of the rule say the protections are so broad that they limit a patient’s right to get care and accurate information. For example, they fear the rule could make it possible for a pharmacy clerk to refuse to sell birth control pills and face no ramifications from an employer. Under longstanding federal law, institutions may not discriminate against individuals who refuse to perform abortions or provide a referral for one. The administration’s rule, issued Thursday, is intended to ensure that federal funds don’t flow to providers who violate those laws.” [editor’s note” If this were sincerely intended to protect the rights of health practitioners, pharmacists, et alia to not violate their personal religious beliefs about ABORTION … it MIGHT have a place here — at least for pharmacists/physicians accepting Federal funds. Since it seeks to extend it to such personal-choice issues as birth control (but not, curiously enough, any sexual enhancements, like Viagra?), it’s clearly over the top - SAT] (12/18/08)

http://tinyurl.com/4x435f

“The … G-spot does exist, but according to Italian scientists only 1 in 4 women have it, New Scientist reported. Researchers at Italy’s University of L’Aquila found definitive anatomical differences between females who say they have vaginal orgasms (versus clitoral orgasms) and those who don’t. … By using ultrasound technology, scientists found that the females who can achieve an orgasm during penetrative sex have a thicker tissue area in the region between the vagina and the urethra. Researchers think high testosterone levels may be responsible for the thicker tissue, and they are studying that concept.” [editor’s note: So this seems to say that women with higher “masculine” aspects (testosterone) are more likely to experience pleasure in sexuality? That’s just too bizarre! - SAT] (12/18/08)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,469265,00.html

“The number of deaths and heart attacks due to second-hand smoke exposure may fall by as much as 30 percent if current downward trends in passive smoking exposure continue, according to a new report. ‘Exposure to passive smoking has been reduced by 25 percent to 40 percent, and its burden has been reduced by 25 percent and 30 percent over the last 8-10 years, but the burden remains substantial,’ Dr. James M. Lightwood and colleagues write in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Lightwood of the University of California San Francisco and his team used the Coronary Heart Disease Policy Model to gauge the health and cost burden of passive smoking on US residents over 35. The model is a computer simulation of the impact of heart disease caused by smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other factors.” [editor’s note: Inasmuch as “secondhand smoke” has still not been proven as damaging to others (except perhaps in a few confined, long-term cases), this is the usual BS from “health sources” with the usual vested interests - SAT] (12/18/08)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28300406/