MS has long been a terrible disease that leaves people completely paralyzed. It is believed that the disease attacks the myelin, which is a protective coating around the nerves. This in turn makes it impossible for the brain to send messages to the nerves that would otherwise enable movement. There are drugs on the market…
Monthly Archives: September 2006
Most People Won’t Buy Own Insurance
Rueters says that nine out of ten people who wanted to buy their own health insurance couldn’t, either because of the cost being too high, or that the insurance company wouldn’t cover a pre-existing condition. More and more companies are no longer offering or paying for employees health insurance because of cost, leaving…
South Africa’s Super bug
A virulent strain of TB (XDR TB) which is extremely drug resistant, is on the rise in South Africa. Of the 52 people killed by this third generation TB all of them also suffered from HIV within 16 days. Doctors there are considering quarantining those with the TB as a preventative measure because of…
New Antibiotics, On The Way!
There are some pretty nasty and resilient bugs going around that our currant antibiotics will not kill. These resistant strains have had doctors worried for a while now and without hope of fighting them. There has been a breakthrough in the development of new antibiotics which will be able to fight the “big…
Link Between Obesity And Blindness
In many developed countries, one in five people are considered obese. Doctors in England are worried that as many as one third could become obese if something isn’t done to stop it. They put out a report saying that it is already established that heart disease and diabetes can result from obesity, but…
FDA Fines Red Cross
The American Red Cross of which I had proudly been a member many years ago, is being fined by the FDA $4.2 million for not complying to their laws concerning the collection of blood. This makes a total of $5.7 million since 2003, when the FDA mandated the rules and fines. These fines…
A Way For Everyone To Save Money
There seems to be a slow growing trend for large companies to offer in-house clinics for employees. Right now just over 20% have them and another five are planning to open them. Doctors who run these in-house clinics are saving money by not having to pay overhead and staff or to even fill…
Possible Fat Buster
Scientists may have discovered that a brown seaweed called wakame, which is used to make a Japanese soup called miso, contains a carotenoid called fucoxanthin. When they fed this to rats, the rodents seemed to be able to loose up to ten percent of their body weight, mostly from around their mid-sections. …
New Drug Approved
Duetact is the name of the new drug for diabetes. It’s a combination of two others that diabetics are already taking, pioglitazone (Actos) and glimepiride (Amaryl). It’s due to be released sometime later this year with a doctors prescription, and will be taken once a day with meals. It comes in three different…