11 May, 2009 – 20:04 | 7 Comments

In an about-face to their stance during the Clinton Administration, leaders of the nation’s healthcare industry have promised to cut prices in response to the Obama Administration’s vow to resolve the healthcare crisis and make health care available to every…

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Doctor-Patient Frustrations: A View From Both Sides
1 July, 2009 – 6:32 | 7 Comments

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Healthcare reform is a hot topic these days and everybody has an opinion.  It seems that no two people have the same opinions, though, which makes a wildly complex issue even more so.  And it’s a quite frustrating issue, too. Read the full story »

Daily Sex Improves Sperm DNA Quality & Chance of Conception
30 June, 2009 – 23:04 | 2 Comments
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Some couples having difficulty conceiving may enjoy the suggestion from an Australian infertility expert to have sex every day for seven days before ovulation.  The call for everyday sexual intercourse is a reversal of advice commonly given to couples facing…

Does Toddler-Like Teen Hold Secret to Fountain of Youth?
29 June, 2009 – 7:21 | 3 Comments
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That’s the question 16-year-old Brooke Greenberg’s father asks.  Brooke has defied the aging process in a way so unique even medical experts are baffled.

Global Alcohol Deaths Rise Alarmingly in Recent Years
28 June, 2009 – 9:23 | No Comment
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The latest issue of the premier British medical journal, Lancet, carries a report from the University of Toronto describing the alarming increase in alcohol-related illness and death in recent years.  The report describes the global burden as large enough to…

Nick Jonas Addresses Senate on Behalf of Juvenile Diabetes
27 June, 2009 – 14:05 | 3 Comments
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The folks on Capital Hill are just as star-struck as the rest of us, when a famous celebrity is in their midst.  This certainly proved to be the case on June 23, when pop sensation Nick Jonas headed to Washington…

Michael Jackson’s Untimely Death Puts Spotlight On Sudden Cardiac Arrest
26 June, 2009 – 20:12 | 3 Comments
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Fans around the world were shocked to learn of the untimely death of pop sensation Michael Jackson on June 25.  While there is no conclusive cause of death known at this time, it is commonly believed the 50-year-old performer died…

Heroic Antarctic Surgery Doctor, 57, Dies of Cancer
24 June, 2009 – 18:14 | 2 Comments
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Most of us will never become doctors but most of us do become patients at one time or another.  Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald was both patient and doctor in a heroic surgery she performed on herself while stationed in Antarctica…

Drug Makers Agree to Shrink Medicare D’s Donut Hole
23 June, 2009 – 6:38 | 3 Comments
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President Obama announced on Monday that the pharmaceutical industry has collectively agreed to dramatically reduce the cost of prescription drugs, including brand name drugs, to Medicare beneficiaries facing the dreaded donut hole in the program’s Plan D prescription option.  The…

GPS, Shoe Makers Team Up for Alzheimer’s Safety
23 June, 2009 – 6:36 | 3 Comments
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GPS specialist, GTX Corp., and footwear manufacturer, Aetrex, have teamed up to develop a shoe with tiny embedded GPS tracking devices that will make keeping up with Alzheimer’s disease patients much easier, bringing safety to the patient and peace of…

MRSA Becoming More Common After Dog, Cat Bites
22 June, 2009 – 21:36 | One Comment
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Every year, in both the United States and Europe, just about 1% of all emergency room visits are the result of a dog or cat bite.  That percentage may seem small but a new report in the journal, Lancet Infectious…

Anesthesiologist Passes Deadly Meningitis to Two New Mothers
22 June, 2009 – 7:33 | No Comment
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One woman has died and the other is in critical condition after contracting cases of bacterial meningitis that was traced to an anesthesiologist who treated them both shortly after each woman gave birth.  Neither of the babies has any sign…

Two Major Pharmaceutical Makers Will Donate Swine Flu Vaccines
22 June, 2009 – 1:23 | 2 Comments
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Pharmaceutical companies around the world are hard at work to develop a vaccine that minimizes or eliminates a person’s chance of getting the H1N1 swine flu now sweeping the globe in pandemic proportion.  For some of these drug companies, the…

Consulting Firm Projects 9% Rise in Healthcare Costs for 2010
21 June, 2009 – 22:49 | One Comment
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The consulting firm, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), has released a report that projects a 9% rise in healthcare costs employers can expect to pay in 2010.  The report also projects employers will pass some of that cost along to its insured employees,…

New H1N1 Swine Flu Viral Strain Discovered in Brazilian Patient
18 June, 2009 – 6:32 | 9 Comments
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One of the most alarming aspects of the H1N1 swine flu virus isn’t necessarily that it’s spread around the world and has now reached pandemic proportions.  It’s that the current virus, which, in general, causes a rather mild form of…

Unauthorized Human Trials Bring Criminal Charges Against Device Maker Executives
17 June, 2009 – 21:26 | No Comment
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In a rare move, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has filed criminal charges against a manufacturer of medical devices and four of its top executives for improper promotion of a cement-like bone filler, including encouraging surgeons to use…