US FDA approves 'female Viagra' with strong warning

WASHINGTON -- A controversial drug to treat low sexual desire in women won approval from US health regulators on Tuesday, but with a warning about potentially dangerous low blood pressure and fainting when taken with alcohol.

Moreover, the US Food and Drug Administration said the first approved drug for the condition, to be sold under the brand name Addyi, will only be available through certified health care professionals and pharmacies due to its safety issues.

The FDA has twice rejected the drug, flibanserin, made by privately held Sprout Pharmaceuticals. Its latest decision comes after an advisory panel concluded in June it should be approved with strict measures in place to ensure patients are fully aware of the risks.

Shares of rival Palatin Technologies rose 29 percent to $1.21 in extended trade.

The drug has been nicknamed "female Viagra" in media reports, even though it does not work like Pfizer Inc.'s blockbuster Viagra pill for men that in 1998 became the first approved drug for erectile dysfunction.

Flibanserin needs to be taken every day.

Unlike Viagra, which affects blood flow to the genitals, flibanserin works on the brain. It is similar to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI's, that include antidepressants such as Prozac.

Originally developed by Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim, flibanserin was first rejected by the FDA in 2010 after an advisory panel said the benefits did not outweigh the risks. Sprout acquired the drug, conducted additional studies and resubmitted the application. In 2013, the FDA rejected it again.

The rejection sparked a lobbying campaign by Sprout, aided by some women's groups who accused the FDA of gender bias because it had approved Viagra for men - a charge the FDA vigorously rejected.

Flibanserin is designed for premenopausal women whose lack of sexual desire causes distress. Women who took the drug in a clinical study had an increase of about 1.0 sexually satisfying event per month compared with those taking a placebo.

Advocates claim that increase is meaningful. Critics say the small benefit is outweighed by the drug’s risks.

source: interaksyon.com

Gym not for you? Easy home tasks also help heart - study

PARIS - Mowing the lawn or washing the car are among simple activities that can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by almost 30 percent in people over 60, researchers said Tuesday.

A study in Sweden found that older people who were physically active around the house stayed healthier longer than couch potatoes -- regardless of whether they also did any kind of "formal" exercise like jogging or going to the gym.

"A generally active daily life was, regardless of exercising regularly or not, associated with cardiovascular health and longevity in older adults," said the study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

While the health risks of prolonged sitting and the benefits of regular exercise have both been well documented, the contribution to good health of "non-exercise physical activity (NEPA)" is not fully understood.

For the study, researchers screened nearly 4,000 Swedish 60-year-olds in 1997-99 and tracked their health for an average 12.5 years.

The participants recorded how frequently they performed certain activities, including doing home repairs, cutting the lawn or hedge, car maintenance, going hunting or fishing, cycling, and gathering mushrooms or berries.

The researchers found that people with high levels of physical activity, excluding formal exercise, had a 27 percent lower risk of contracting cardiovascular disease compared with inactive people, and a 30 percent lower risk of death from all causes during the study period.

The results were "not significantly different" from those for people who did do regular formal exercise but had low NEPA levels, the study said.

Those who did both had the lowest risk.

"Promoting everyday NEPA might be as important as recommending regular exercise for older adults" -- boosting individual and population health as the demographic shifts towards an ever-older population in many parts of the world, the study said.

The researchers factored in other lifestyle factors that could influence the results, including alcohol intake, education level, smoking habits, and diet.

And they warned that care should be taken applying the findings in cultures that may have different physical activity habits and levels.

source: interaksyon.com

Colonoscopies could reduce cancer risk by 40 percent

WASHINGTON DC - A colonoscopy every 10 years could prevent 40 percent of colorectal cancers, according a massive US study out Wednesday, supporting the effectiveness of the commonly-used test.

Those with family history of these types of cancer -- the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the US -- should have more frequent screenings, the study in the New England Journal of Medicine said.

The results confirm the current recommendations for colonoscopies, offering evidence it is particularly useful in preventing cancers that originate in the proximal, or upper, part of the colon.

"Our study provides strong evidence that colonoscopy is an effective technique for preventing cancers of both distal and proximal regions of the colorectum," said Shuji Ogino, a lead author from the Havard School of Public Health.

The screening is crucial in preventing proximal cancers, he explained, because another test, called sigmoidoscopy, uses a scope to examine only the lower part of the colon and "alone is insufficient for preventing proximal cancer."

Unlike sigmoidoscopy, a colonoscopy examines the entire colon, using a camera-equipped device that also has tools to remove cysts and benign tumors.

The authors analyzed data from nearly 89,000 participants in two long-term studies, basing their conclusions on surveys completed every two years between 1988 and 2008.

The researchers also obtained information on any colonoscopies and sigmoidoscopies conducted. They documented 1,815 cases of colorectal cancer and 474 resulting deaths.

They found that both screenings reduced the risk of developing, or dying from, colorectal cancers.

But only the more complete, colonoscopy screening reduced the risk of cancers in the upper part of the colon -- though even still, its effects were less successful than for preventing lower bowel cancers.

They estimated that, if all the participants had undergone a colonoscopy, the overall risk of colorectal cancers would have been reduced by 40 percent -- preventing 61 percent of lower colon cancers and just 22 percent of upper colon cancers.

The researchers speculated there may be molecular or biological differences between upper and lower colon cancers behind the lower success rate.

source: interaksyon.com

US warns of microbes resistant to antibiotics

WASHINGTON - At least two million people per year in the United States get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and 23,000 die from those infections, a new study says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said these numbers are only a conservative estimate. Among other reasons, they come only from infections reported in hospitals and do not address ones that occur in nursing homes and other health care facilities.

The numbers underline the importance of not overusing antibiotics.  



In as many as half of the cases studied, antibiotic use was not necessary or was even inappropriate, such as in viral infections, for instance, the researchers said.

The report also warns against the danger of running short on effective treatments against infection while the number of new antibiotics being developed fails to meet short-term needs.

"If we're not careful, we will soon be in a post antibiotic era," CDC director Tom Frieden said.

"And, in fact, for some patients and some microbes, we are already there. Losing effective treatment will not only undermine our ability to fight routine infections, but also have serious complications, serious implications, for people who have other medical problems," he said.

Most of the 18 microbes included in the study are common, and were divided into three categories depending on their degree of risk: urgent, concerning and important.

Within the urgent group, there are three of particular interest: they are called carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, C. difficile, and drug-resistant gonorrhea, he said.

The first of those is a "nightmare bacteria" that can essentially resist all antibiotics and kill people who get it in their blood.

C. difficile is a life-threatening infection associated with 14,000 deaths and a quarter of a million hospitalizations per year.

As for gonorrhea, there are more than 800,000 infections in the United States each year, with a growing proportion resistant to all available medication.

The way to fight all this is to prevent infection and the spread of resistance, through immunization, safe food preparation and hand washing, the CDC said.

source: interaksyon.com

US study links pollution to autism risk

WASHINGTON DC - Pregnant women who were exposed to high levels of air pollution were twice as likely to have a child with autism as women who lived in low pollution areas, a US study said on Tuesday.

According to experts at Harvard University, the research is the first large national study to examine links between the prevalence of pollution and the development of the developmental disorder.

The findings are published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

"Our findings raise concerns," said lead author Andrea Roberts, a research associate in the Harvard School of Public Health Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

"Depending on the pollutant, 20 percent to 60 percent of the women in our study lived in areas where risk of autism was elevated," she said.

The data came from a large survey of 116,430 nurses that began in 1989.

For the analysis, researchers isolated 325 women who had a child with autism and 22,000 women who had a child without the disorder.

To estimate exposure to pollutants while pregnant, they used air pollution data from the Environmental Protection Agency, and adjusted for factors like income, education, and smoking during pregnancy.

The analysis found that women who lived in locations with the highest levels of diesel particulates or mercury in the air were twice as likely to have a child with autism as those who lived in the areas with the lowest levels.

When the pollutants included lead, manganese, methylene chloride, and combined metal exposure, women in areas with the highest levels of these pollutants were about 50 percent more likely to have a child with autism.

Autism is a brain disorder that affects as many as one in 88 in the United States, and about one in 100 in Britain.

Researchers said the findings suggest that metals and other pollutants should be regularly measured in the blood of pregnant women to give a better understanding of whether certain pollutants increase autism risk.

source: interaksyon.com

Why your smile prefers water over soft drinks

HERE are some interesting stats about soft drinks:

• The average soft drink serving size has tripled since the 1950s.

• The average person drinks about 45 gallons of soda per year.

• Seven percent of adults drink four servings or more per day.

• At least 20 percent of children drink four servings or more per day.

Soft drinks are loaded with sugar and empty calories. Consumption has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart problems.

But of major concern to us, as your lifelong oral health partner, is that sugary, carbonated drinks really bully your teeth!






1. The acids eat away at your tooth enamel

Your tooth enamel is strong—the hardest substance in your body, in fact. But the phosphoric acid and citric acid in soft drinks (ironic name for sodas, isn’t it?) is stronger.

2. Carbonated sugar is replacing calcium-rich milk

In 1966, Americans drank more milk (33 gallons/year) than soft drinks (20 gallons/year). Contrast that with 2010, when the average American drank 45 gallons of soft drinks and only 20 gallons of milk.

3. Diet isn’t really better

You can remove sugar from the equation, but the acid is still there! In fact, many sugar-free soft drinks are more acidic than high-sugar ones.

Root beer may be the safest soft drink for your teeth, even though it’s loaded with sugar. Why? Because it’s comparatively low in acid.

4. Constant sipping creates a constant war zone

Every time you take a sip of a Coke, your mouth becomes an acid-attack zone. It takes your mouth up to 30 minutes to rebalance and create a safe zone for your teeth again. Until then, your teeth ARE losing protective substance, leaving them more vulnerable to cavities, and sensitivity.

5. It’s a dessert disguised as a beverage

Don’t believe us? Here’s the math:

One 12 oz can of Coke (the smallest serving available) has 39 grams of sugar, which is more than:

• 3 snack packs of Chips Ahoy

• 2 servings of frozen yogurt

• A whole slice of apple pie WITH ice cream on top.

So, minimize the damage by:

1. Drinking less! Replace soft drinks with milk, water, even juice.

2. Drinking it all at once, instead of sipping all day.

3. Swishing it down with water to clear away the sugar and acidity.

source: asianjournal.com

Panel questions value of calcium, vitamin D pills

WASHINGTON (AP) — Popping calcium and vitamin D pills in hopes of strong bones? Healthy older women should not bother with relatively low-dose dietary supplements, say new recommendations from a U.S. government advisory group.

Both nutrients are crucial for healthy bones and specialists advise getting as much as possible from a good diet. The body also makes vitamin D from sunshine. If an older person has a vitamin deficiency or bone-thinning osteoporosis, doctors often prescribe higher-than-normal doses.

But for otherwise healthy postmenopausal women, adding modest supplements to their diet — about 400 international units of D and 1,000 milligrams of calcium — do not prevent broken bones but can increase the risk of kidney stones, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said Monday.

It is not clear if those doses offer bone protection if taken before menopause, or if they help men's bones, the guidelines said.

What about higher-dose supplements that have become more common recently? There's not enough evidence to tell if they would prevent fractures, either, in an otherwise healthy person, the panel concluded. It urged more research to settle the issue.

It's a confusing message considering that for years, calcium and vitamin D supplements have been widely considered an insurance policy against osteoporosis, with little down side to taking them.




"Regrettably, we don't have as much information as we would like to have about a substance that has been around a long time and we used to think we understood," said Dr. Virginia Moyer of the Baylor College of Medicine, who heads the task force. "Turns out, there's a lot more to learn."

The main caution: These recommendations aren't for people at high risk of weak bones, including older adults who have previously broken a bone and are at risk for doing so again, said Dr. Sundeep Khosla of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Those people should consult a doctor, said Khosla, a bone specialist at the Mayo Clinic who wasn't part of the panel's deliberations.

Calcium and vitamin D work together, and you need a lifetime of both to build and maintain strong bones. Vitamin D also is being studied for possibly preventing cancer and certain other diseases, something that Monday's guidelines don't address and that other health groups have cautioned isn't yet proven.

For now, national standards advise the average adult to get about 1,000 mg of calcium, 1,300 for postmenopausal women, every day. For vitamin D, the goal is 600 IUs of vitamin D every day, moving to 800 after age 70, according to the Institute of Medicine, which set those levels in 2010. The nutrients can come from various foods, including orange juice fortified with calcium and D; dairy foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese; certain fish including salmon; and fortified breakfast cereals. Harder to measure is how much vitamin D the body also produces from sunshine.

Most people should get enough calcium from food, said Mayo's Khosla. But while he cautions against too high doses, he frequently tells his patients to take a multivitamin because it's harder to get vitamin D from food and during the winter.

While supplement science gets sorted out, the task force's Moyer advises healthy seniors to exercise — proven to shore up bones and good for the rest of the body, too.

source: philstar.com

Bridging the nutritional gap

MANILA, Philippines - Diabetes, hypertension, obesity — more and more people are getting afflicted with these so-called “lifestyle diseases.”

As a result, their performance at work or at play is impaired. What is causing the increasing number of cases of lifestyle diseases? According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), an unhealthy diet is a key factor in the prevalence of these conditions.

Vitamins and minerals are necessary for proper food metabolism. When people do not get the right amount of vitamins and minerals into their body, they are unable to efficiently turn the proteins and carbohydrates that they eat into energy. This is why even though they eat so much, they still feel weak and get tired quickly.

Vitamins and minerals are also needed to strengthen the immune system. When people have a shortage of important vitamins and minerals in our body, their immune system is less than optimal and they become vulnerable to illness.

This unhealthy diet creates a vicious cycle: when people feel sick or weak or tired, they lose their drive to engage in healthy physical activities such as sports or exercise. Even simple things such as walking or climbing stairs become tiresome. This leads to a sedentary lifestyle, where they feel that changing their diet and physical routine is too great an effort, so, it’s not surprising that their health and our quality of life suffer.

Lack of nutrients

 Based on the 2008 FNRI National Nutrition Survey, more than 70 percent of Filipinos across populations groups lack vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron in their daily diet.

For example, the FNRI’s Recommended Nutrient Intake (RENI) on a daily basis for vitamin A is 550 micrograms for male adults (aged 19 to 65 and above), and 500 micrograms for female adults (aged 19 to 65 and above).

However, the 2008 survey shows that actual average vitamin A intake among Filipino adults is just 499.6 micrograms, while the elderly only take in 379.9 micrograms daily.

In the case of vitamin C, the RENI for male adults (aged 19 to 65+) is 75 milligrams while the RENI for female adults (aged 19 to 65+) is 70 milligrams.

The 2008 survey, however, shows that on the average, Filipino adults only consume 44.7 milligrams of vitamin C daily, while the elderly consume 44.5 milligrams daily.

As for calcium, the RENI for male adults is 750 milligrams for those aged 19 to 64, and 800 milligrams for those aged 65 and above. The RENI for female adults is 750 grams for those aged 19 to 49, and 800 grams for those aged 50 and above.

According to the 2008 FNRI survey, the actual average daily calcium consumption among adults is only 370 milligrams, while the elderly only consume 330 milligrams of calcium every day.

Iron consumption among Filipino adults is also below the RENI. The RENI for iron among male adults aged 19 to 65 and above is 12 milligrams. The RENI for iron among non-pregnant female adults aged 19 to 64 is 27 milligrams, and for those aged 65 and above, 10 milligrams.

Actual average iron consumption among Filipino adults, however, was found to be only at 9.4 milligrams daily, while the average consumption among the elderly was even lower at 7.5 milligrams a day.

The 2008 FNRI survey also found that 65 percent of Filipinos across population groups are not taking enough calories to meet their daily energy requirement.

The RENI pegs the energy requirements for Filipino male adults as follows: 19 to 29 years old, 2,490 kilocalories (kcal); 30 to 49 years old, 2,420 kcal; 50 to 64 years old, 2,170 kcal; and 65 years old and above, 1,890 kcal.

For female adults, the energy requirements are: 19 to 29 years old, 1,860 kcal; 30 to 49 years old, 1,810 kcal; 50 to 64 years old, 1,820 kcal; and 65 years old and above, 1,410 kcal.

On the average, however, Filipino adults only consume 1,915 kcal daily while the elderly consume even less, with only 1,436 kcal daily.

According to FNRI’s computation, these figures mean that 65 percent of Filipinos are not getting enough energy for their everyday activities.

So how do people change to a healthy lifestyle and be at their best? Obviously, they need to commit themselves first to a healthy diet. The FNRI website (www.fnri.dost.gov.ph) provides an illustrated, dietary guide called the Filipino Food Pyramid to help people make the right food choices for optimum health and nutrition.

 Besides switching to a healthy diet, Filipinos also need to take health supplements to fill in the nutrition gaps on days when, for one reason or another, one’s food choices are less than ideal.

There are encouraging signs that more and more Filipinos are becoming educated about the value of nutritional supplements and they are taking more of these. FNRI surveys show in 2003, only 22.9 percent of Filipinos said they took health supplements. In 2008, that figure had risen to 46.8 percent.

The top two reasons these people gave for taking supplements were health and extra energy. Other reasons were “doctor-recommended,” “perform better in school/work,” and “not getting enough vitamins from the diet.”

To get the maximum benefits from a vitamin and mineral supplement, make sure to choose one that has complete nutritional content.  Centrum is complete and specially balanced with 30 vitamins and minerals the body needs, from vitamin A to zinc. For adults aged 50 and above, on the other hand, Centrum Silver’s age-adjusted formula is perfect for the changing needs in their golden years.

source: philstar.com

Top 4 Tips to Cut Health Insurance Costs

Health insurance has been seen more of a necessity than a luxury to many individuals and households in recent years. There are clear benefits to private healthcare and as it has become more common place prices and deals are a lot lower making private health care available to a wider spectrum of society.  If you are thinking of taking out health insurance for yourself, your partner or your family, there are a few guidelines that, if followed will help you obtain the best deal possible for your situation.

Customise your Coverage – Always make sure you are getting exactly what you need from your coverage. Many people don’t realise they are paying over the odds for aspects of their policy that are surplus to their needs. Many policies allow you to pick and choose exactly what you need releasing you from expensive yet redundant clauses. If the company you are with does not offer this, it may be worth having a look around for a policy that does.

Compare your Choices – Make sure to use all of the free tools out there that assist you in comparison of private health insurance.

Reassess your needs annually – Many people fail to reassess their policy on a regular basis.  It really is a mistake to be complacent when there could be better deals out there.  Premiums generally increase annually on 1 April, so it is a good idea to look around in advance of this date.

Haggle – If you do choose to cancel your current policy in lieu of a better deal online, make sure you ring up your current provider to cancel instead of taking the offer to cancel online. This may seem like a more laboured option but many insurance companies are eager to keep their customers, and may offer you a better deal. Because of this the ball will then be in your court. Explain to them the deal you have found elsewhere and see if they are willing to match or even beat it, saving you even more on your premiums.

source: everythingfinanceblog.com

The natural way to energize

MANILA, Philippines - Health buffs and workout junkies are always on the lookout for energy drinks in different variants and flavors, all of which are highly stacked and packed in your nearest supermarket or convenience store. Your usual energy drink commonly contains familiar energy-boosting ingredients such as ginseng, guarana, gingko biloba and caffeine, to name a few, among other substances. Now, there is an all-natural drink that serves the same purpose — Dole Juice Up Rejuvenate.

Dole Juice Up Rejuvenate is the all-natural pineapple juice you’ve grown to love, now infused with active ingredients of ginseng and guarana. It gives you the same energizing effect with the usual revitalizing goodness and freshness of pineapple juice.

Ginseng is a natural extract taken from the root of the ginseng plant, which is proven to increase energy for all physically strenuous tasks. It is widely used to lower cholesterol, increase energy and endurance; fights fatigue, stress, as well as prevent infections.

Ginseng is also considered as one of the most effective anti-aging substances. It is even capable of alleviating possibilities of developing degenerative diseases as it increases mental and physical capacity over time.

For such a common root, Ginseng presents a myriad of benefits, which makes it widely popular not only in Asia, but all over the world.

Guarana, originally native to South America, is found to be one of the richest, most natural sources of caffeine, which is one of the most common stimulants. Apart from increasing physical endurance, the Guarana extract is proven to be a central nervous system stimulant as it increases memory retention and alertness levels. The extract also increases the body’s core temperature and metabolic level — the perfect mix for health conscious individuals.


You need an energy drink that keeps up with your active lifestyle while you keep yourself naturally healthy. Dole Rejuvenate, apart from its Ginseng and Guarana content, also contains Vitamin C which boosts the immune system, promote bone health and increase iron absorption.

Dole Rejuvenate offers you the same amount of energy-boosting substances with the refreshing, all-natural goodness of pineapple juice. Surround yourself with clean, healthier options and opt for a better hydrating choice.

For information, like Dole PH on Facebook. Dole Rejuvenate is available in leading supermarkets and grocery stores.

source: philstar.com

Vegetables for children

It is often quite difficult to encourage children to eat vegetables. But there are exceptions. There is this young girl, now eight years old who, when she was four, took a bite of ampalaya like she was relishing hotdogs and hamburgers. She has just arrived from the US, and the ginisang bitter gourd must have looked strange to her. Yet, when we asked her to try the dish, she liked it and continued to eat her meal. We have another four-year-old who likes the sayote in tinolang manok, mashed into her rice with the broth. Then recently she tried and enjoyed Chinese cabbage.

Well and good, but not all kids take to vegetables as easily. Vegetables are now being produced into a variety of refreshing beverages and  delicious food. Among these are bottled four-in-one juice, with four types of veggies, sold in supermarkets.

Now comes “The Malunggay Book,” which predictably will be a big help to homemakers who need to supplement their families’ diet with healthy nourishment.

Until recently, malunggay’s usefulness was limited to making soup for pregnant women or those who are lactating. Today it is called “the miracle vegetable.”

Our friends Jimmy and Becs Galvez-Tan, who co-authored the book “Medicinal Fruits and Vegetables,” through their research, found that malunggay has high levels of beta-carotene, Vitamins C and E, calcium and iron and is a good source of potassium and ascorbic acid. Its medicinal attributes are good for maintaining wellness and can help those suffering from rheumatism.

There are now many ways to include its leaves in our daily diet through the recently published “The Malunggay Book” of healthy and easy-to-do recipes. Its authors are chefs Day Salonga and Mon Urbano, who are successful partners in a culinary consultancy.

Try the scrambled green egg and bacon, M vinaigrette dressing, Thai-style curry, chicken roulade, even M cookies and crepes. They may sound strange, but they are healthy and have been made flavorful by the creative duo.

Those who have missed the Italian restaurant Buona Vita on Daang Hari, Molino, Bacoor would be pleased to know that their favorite restaurant has moved to the Molito Mall in Alabang, which is more accessible.

It is bigger and continues to serve all the dishes that have captured the palette of discriminating foodies in the area and beyond. Their paella is what we always go there for. On a recent visit, we tried to venture away from our usual second course of lengua and chose the fish fillet (cream dory) with lemon. Very good choice. It was perfectly crispy, very soft and tasty and came with a small mound of mashed potatoes.

We got a complimentary copy of the “Korean Cuisine” book from the Palms Country Club where  Korean food was recently  featured in their main dining hall. It says the culinary treasures of the country have “hansik,” an energy source with philosophy and science, meaning it goes beyond providing physical strength but also that of the mind and soul.

It is a comprehensive guide to dining in Korea from table setting, to street food to royal cuisine and temple food to table manners. And yes, it gives instructions on how to prepare kimchi, considered the country’s most popular dish made of fermented cabbage and lots of spices plus what the locals call  “healthy bacteria” (lactobacilli), supposed to  help digestion. The latest info is that it contains some elements that may prevent cancer.

Observe the elderly Koreans in the streets of Seoul or any other city. The generation is old, no offense meant, but senior men and women walk alone, no alalays, a testimony to their well-being, indeed.

Eat healthy.

source: philstar.com

Insurance for College Students

College kids show up at school with a lot more than a big bag full of T-shirts and jeans. They also bring a slew of electronics—computers, printers, smart phones, iPads—that can be expensive to replace. Your homeowners insurance will generally cover students’ possessions if they live in a dorm, and it may provide coverage if they’re in an off-campus apartment, as long as their primary residence is still your home. The rules vary a lot by insurer; most require your child to be a full-time student and under age 24.

Some insurers cap the coverage at college at 10% of the possessions limit on your homeowners policy. So if you have a $200,000 policy on your home with 50% of that amount, or $100,000, for contents, your kid’s coverage at college may be limited to $10,000. The liability limits are usually the same as for you (see Check Up on Your Home Insurance).

If your insurer doesn’t cover your child’s off-campus apartment, or if you’d like higher coverage limits, consider a renters insurance policy. That generally costs just $150 to $200 per year, says Melanie Loiselle-Mongeon, an independent agent in Pawtucket, R.I. If your kid has roommates (who aren’t related), each person needs to get a separate renters policy.

Car insurance. Contact your insurer if your kid goes to a college more than 100 miles away and doesn’t take a car. Your premiums can drop significantly (20% on average at Safeco, for example), but he or she will still have coverage when home for the summer or vacations. If your child takes a car to school, your insurance costs will rise or fall depending on the location.

Health coverage. Student health plans, which often cost hundreds of dollars each semester, may have exclusions and low coverage caps, or they may require you to get most health care through the student medical center. Children can usually be covered under their parents’ health insurance policy until age 26, so most families can rely on that insurance when their kid goes to college. (You may have to decline the college’s student coverage to avoid being charged.)

However, if you have insurance through a regional HMO with a small network of doctors and hospitals, coverage may be limited to emergency services if your student goes to college in another state. And even if your plan allows for out-of-network care, you’ll probably have to make much larger co-payments if the network doesn’t extend to the area where the college is located. Insurers with national plans, such as Cigna, typically have plenty of doctors and hospitals in-network around the country. “The best course of action is to request a summary of benefits for the new location,” says Kelly Brooke, of Cigna.

If no in-network providers are nearby, consider an individual health insurance policy. In most states, a healthy person in his or her early twenties can get coverage for $150 or less per month. You can get price quotes at eHealthInsurance.com or find out about local policies at HealthCare.gov.

By buying a high-deductible policy, you can keep premiums low and still have coverage for major emergencies (most plans must also provide some preventive-care benefits without co-payments or deductibles). If your child has a policy with a deductible of at least $1,200 and isn’t claimed as a dependent on your tax return, then he or she can make tax-deductible contributions to a health savings account that can grow tax-free for future medical expenses.

source: kiplinger.com

High salt consumption endangers US kids - study

WASHINGTON DC - Children in the United States consume too much salt, putting them at risk for hypertension and other health problems, according to a study published Monday in the science review Pediatrics.

The study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that kids between the ages of eight and 18 took in an average of 3,387 milligrams of sodium a day, more than twice the 1,500 daily recommended by doctors.

The study monitored the diets of 6,235 youths and found that their sodium intake was about the same as that of adults, with more than three-quarters of the salt coming from processed and fast foods.

Too much salt is linked to high blood pressure -- a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke and several other problems which were once found almost exclusively in adults, but which are now increasingly seen in children.

The risk of high blood pressure was particularly high among overweight and obese youths, the CDC said.

Health officials in the United States called the study's findings alarming.

"It's very disturbing that this nation's children and teens consume too much salt in their diets at school and home," said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association (AHA)

"High blood pressure, once viewed as an adult illness is now affecting more young people because of high sodium diets and increasing obesity," she said.

"While new nutrition standards for school meals are helping, progress is slow. This study strongly underscores the need to move faster because our kids are on an early path to heart attacks and strokes."

The AHA urged the US Food and Drug Administration to set mandatory limits on the sodium content of foods and urged federal authorities to make the reduction of sodium a national priority.

source: interaksyon.com

Trend in genital cosmetic surgery alarms US gynecologists

LOS ANGELES -- Trained as a gynecologist and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. John Miklos calls himself a "medical tailor," specializing in surgery to reshape a woman's private parts.

The Atlanta surgeon, who has performed gynecological surgery for nearly 20 years, cites cases of patients who say their sexual response improved after vaginoplasty, a procedure to surgically tighten a vagina stretched by childbirth or aging.

"Women come to me and say they don't have the urge to have sex anymore because they don't feel anything," Miklos said. "I guarantee that if a man didn't feel anything, he wouldn't have sex either."

Female genital cosmetic surgery is a small segment of the US plastic surgery market, but it is growing, with thousands of women estimated to undergo such procedures every year. That growth comes despite a warning from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in a 2007 notice to member physicians that strongly questioned the medical validity and safety of female genital cosmetic surgery. Earlier this year the group debated the trend at its annual meeting in San Diego.

"None of these procedures have proven effectiveness, and there is potential for harm," Dr. Cheryl Iglesia, a Washington, D.C., gynecologist and former ACOG committee member, wrote in an editorial published in the June issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "Women are being misled or are confused about what is normal," she wrote -- and about what constitutes a condition that can actually be helped through treatment.

Critics say the trend is the latest service aimed at women pursuing an impossible ideal of physical perfection, hyped by Internet pornography and advertising by surgeons who may not explain all the risks, such as infections, scarring, pain and the loss of the very sensations some patients seek to enhance.

"Even when women are told of potential complications, like insensitivity of the clitoris ... they still may be unstoppable if they have the notion that they need a younger-looking or more perfect or more desirable vulva," said Harriet Lerner, a psychologist specializing in women's issues.

More than 2,140 U.S. women underwent "vaginal rejuvenation" last year, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons put the U.S. total at nearly 5,200 in 2010. Experts note such figures do not include the many procedures done by gynecologists.

ACOG not only points to the risks of genital surgery but also emphasizes that female sexual response is driven by psychological factors rather than genital appearance. The group has asked its members to be aware of how they might unwittingly influence a patient to consider surgery.

In practices across the country, doctors say more women, from teenagers to those in their late 70s, want to discuss the procedures, which can cost between $2,500 and $12,000 and are usually not covered by insurance.

"I tell every patient you are normal the way you are," said Miklos, who each year performs as many as 180 labiaplasties to cut back the skin flaps surrounding the vaginal opening. "I would never suggest that they get one. What is the right size of a nose, or a chin? That's up to the individual. It's her right to decide."

From repair to aesthetics

Corrective gynecological surgery has been available for decades, including procedures to alleviate incontinence or sagging of the vaginal canal after childbirth. In the 1990s surgeons began offering procedures that promised the improved aesthetics, self-esteem and confidence associated with nose jobs or other plastic surgeries.

"One side was longer than the other side. ... It was something that bothered me," said Kari, a 36-year-old labiaplasty patient of Beverly Hills, California, plastic surgeon Fardad Forouzanpour. (She did not want to give her last name.) "It makes me more comfortable. I like the way that it looks."

She said her boyfriend was not involved in her decision, but she did "look at a few Playboys here and there."

One patient, who did not want to use her name, said she had surgery because she hated the look of her labia, even though her husband had no problem with her appearance.

Other procedures include creating a new hymen for "revirgination" and "G-spot amplification," which involves injecting the area in the front wall of the vagina with collagen or another filler to enhance sexual gratification. In some cases, patients may not leave satisfied. One way Miklos seeks clients is by running a website called botchedlabia.com, where women who have already experienced complications can get advice on revisions.

Undue influence

Surgeons say many patients have been influenced by images of the waxed, buffed or surgically altered genitals of porn actresses.

"They see these porn stars who have things done, and they look so nice and clean-cut," said Forouzanpour, who does 15 to 25 labiaplasties a month. "It is normal to have some extra skin, or some discoloration."

While studies have shown some social advantages to plastic surgery that improves a person's overall appearance in public, like a nose job or face-lift, there is no data showing the benefits of altering one's genitals.

"The ethical question is: How much are you playing on women's insecurities?" Dr. Iglesia said. "Women are getting very much duped into thinking there is a standard look for the vulva."

By all measures, Miklos has thrived on his expertise. Along with partner Dr. Robert Moore, he now has practices in Atlanta, Georgia and Beverly Hills. He says he tries to stay away from procedures with more dubious outcomes.

For example, surgery claiming to enhance the "G-spot," which may play a role in sexual arousal, raises red flags as no controlled studies have been done, or are likely to be done, to show whether it has any effect.

"I don't routinely do them. People ask for them, but I don't want someone to pay $1,000 and have high hopes," Miklos said. "People get upset when there is no response."

source: interaksyon.com

J & J to remove harmful chemicals from products such as Neutrogena, Clean & Clear - NYT

Johnson & Johnson announced plans to eliminate several harmful chemicals like formaldehyde from its line of consumer products meant for adults by the end of 2015, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

The latest move comes after the company said in November it was phasing out formaldehyde-releasing preservatives from its baby products. The diversified healthcare company is extending the program to include well-known drugstore brands like Neutrogena, Aveeno and Clean & Clear, the paper said.

"We've never really seen a major personal care product company take the kind of move that they're taking with this," said Kenneth Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, one of the organizations that has been negotiating with company officials to change their practices, the paper said.

J&J previously said it had been reducing the use of formaldehyde-releasing preservatives from its baby products since 2009 when the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics first raised concerns with the company about its baby shampoo.

Formaldehyde is considered to be a possible trigger for some cancers and skin allergies.

Susan Nettesheim, vice president for product stewardship and toxicology for the company's consumer health brands, said the project was a major undertaking and would require extensive spending on research and development to find alternatives, the Times said.

The cost of the project was not revealed by the company, the paper said.

J&J officials could not be reached by Reuters for comment.

source: interaksyon.com

Mobile phones revolutionizing health care

Manila, Philippines - The growing sophistication of mobile networks offering affordable and higher speeds of data transmission alongside cheaper and more powerful devices is transforming the way health care services and information are accessed, delivered, and managed.
In the Philippines, Smart Communications, Inc. is currently the only telco that has invested in mobile health, or mHealth, harnessing the Internet and mobile technologies to carry out programs under its Kabalikat sa Kalusugan corporate initiative.
mHealth refers to the practice of medicine and public health, supported by wireless communication devices such as mobile phones and tablet computers. It links patients to services, which include health information on demand, record management, and the remote, real-time monitoring of conditions and even life-threatening ailments.
The flagship of Smart’s mHealth efforts is Project SHINE (Secured Health Information Network and Exchange). Designed to promote efficiency, it enables health facilities and professionals to create electronic medical records, send electronic referrals to other health facilities, generate report, and send reminders to patients. The cloud-based service can be accessed via web or mobile.
SHINE was recently recognized at the Asia Communication Awards in Singapore as the Best Emerging Market Initiative.
In partnership with the Physicians for Peace-Philippines (PfP), Smart has also deployed a mobile and web application that allows doctors to provide real-time evaluation and advice on prosthesis use for amputees in far-flung communities. It is called Amputee Screening via CEllphone NeTworking (ASCENT).
A similar application, OpSmile Mobile, was launched late last year for Operation Smile. It will be used for patient profiling of potential beneficiaries of Operation Smile medical missions.
Another initiative is the Mobile Surgery Services Project of the Mindanao Consortium of Surgeons and the Misamis Oriental provincial government. Following an initial one-year free Internet access provided by Smart to provincial hospitals in various towns, resident doctors now consult specialists online, via a webcam and free Windows-based video chat and video conferencing application called ooVoo.
Patients from these towns no longer have to travel to consult specialists based in Cagayan de Oro City or even Metro Manila, while doctors get a more accurate patient profile preparatory to medical missions to these areas.


In Tarlac, records keeping has gone paperless, with patients’ personal and medical data directly keyed in to the clinic database using computers, mobile phones, and Smart’s Internet service, thanks to Wireless Access for Health (WAH). This project is led by Qualcomm, the Department of Health, Tarlac provincial government, Tarlac State University, USAID, and Research Triangle Institute (RTI) with Smart as the telco partner.
Rural health clinics are equipped with netbooks and wireless broadband connectivity to support the computerization of patients’ medical records using a system for barangay health centers and the transmission of vital information to health authorities. Internet mobile phones will also be deployed for testing in barangay health centers for data gathering.
In a report, former Socio Economic Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga Jr. said that one of the biggest challenges to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in health is the limited access to health information and services, especially among the poor.

Many governments are already looking at mHealth as a complementary strategy for strengthening health systems and achieving the health care delivery, particularly in poor and developing countries.
Mobile devices have bypassed conventional telephony systems, allowing people to communicate across vast geographical distances. This is all the more crucial for far-flung, underserved communities where these devices are sometimes the only means of sharing information.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates there are now over five billion wireless subscribers and over 70 percent of them reside in low- and middle-income countries. The GSM Association says commercial wireless signals now cover over 85 percent of the world’s population, in most cases extending beyond the reach of roads and electrical grids.

In the Philippines, mobile phone penetration rate is seen approaching 100 percent in the second half of the year, pushed by increasing mobile data consumption and the availability of more smartphone handsets in the market.

source: philstar.com

Chemotherapy can backfire and boost cancer growth: study

PARIS -- Cancer-busting chemotherapy can cause damage to healthy cells which triggers them to secrete a protein that sustains tumour growth and resistance to further treatment, a study said Sunday.

Researchers in the United States made the "completely unexpected" finding while seeking to explain why cancer cells are so resilient inside the human body when they are easy to kill in the lab.

They tested the effects of a type of chemotherapy on tissue collected from men with prostate cancer, and found "evidence of DNA damage" in healthy cells after treatment, the scientists wrote in Nature Medicine.

Chemotherapy works by inhibiting reproduction of fast-dividing cells such as those found in tumours.

The scientists found that healthy cells damaged by chemotherapy secreted more of a protein called WNT16B which boosts cancer cell survival.

"The increase in WNT16B was completely unexpected," study co-author Peter Nelson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle told AFP.

The protein was taken up by tumour cells neighbouring the damaged cells.

"WNT16B, when secreted, would interact with nearby tumour cells and cause them to grow, invade, and importantly, resist subsequent therapy," said Nelson.

In cancer treatment, tumours often respond well initially, followed by rapid regrowth and then resistance to further chemotherapy.

Rates of tumour cell reproduction have been shown to accelerate between treatments.

"Our results indicate that damage responses in benign cells... may directly contribute to enhanced tumour growth kinetics," wrote the team.

The researchers said they confirmed their findings with breast and ovarian cancer tumours.

The result paves the way for research into new, improved treatment, said Nelson.

"For example, an antibody to WNT16B, given with chemotherapy, may improve responses (kill more tumour cells)," he said in an email exchange.

"Alternatively, it may be possible to use smaller, less toxic doses of therapy."

source: interaksyon.com

Massachusetts Aims to Cut Growth of Its Health Costs

The Massachusetts legislature passed a first-in-the-nation bill on Tuesday that seeks to limit the growth of health care costs in the state.

The bill would not allow spending on health care to grow any faster than the state’s economy through 2017. For five years after that, any rise in health care costs would need to be half a percentage point lower than the increase in the state’s gross domestic product.

Legislative leaders say the bill, which includes other cost-slowing provisions, could save as much as $200 billion in health care spending over the next 15 years.

Although Massachusetts, under Gov. Mitt Romney, in 2006 became the first state to require most residents to have health insurance — the model for President Obama’s national health care overhaul — the law did little to slow health care costs that were already among the highest in the nation. Such spending has increased by 6 percent or 7 percent a year recently, compared with annual state economic growth of less than 4 percent.

Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, has been pushing for a plan to rein in health spending, promising that Massachusetts would show other states how to “crack the code on costs.” He is expected to sign the bill, which was filed just before the end of the legislative session as a compromise plan after the House and the Senate passed differing versions.

According to a summary of the bill released by legislative leaders on Tuesday, a new commission would monitor the growth in health costs and enforce the spending targets. But the bill contains no real penalty for missing the targets, and some consumer advocates are skeptical.

“These targets have the potential to establish a clear incentive to make real changes that will reduce costs, eliminate waste and improve patient care,” Cheri Andes, executive director of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, said in a statement. “However, to accomplish these aims, an enhanced enforcement mechanism will likely be necessary.”

The bill includes a number of other provisions meant to cut health care costs, including dedicating $60 million collected from insurers over the next four years to prevention efforts and encouraging the creation of “accountable care organizations,” groups of doctors and hospitals that work together to coordinate patients’ care.

One contentious proposal that was not included in the final bill would have imposed a “luxury tax” on high-priced medical providers and would have redistributed the money to struggling hospitals. Past investigations have revealed that large, prestigious providers — like Partners HealthCare, which owns Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, both affiliated with Harvard — command substantially higher reimbursements from insurers than do their smaller and lesser-known peers.

In recent reports, Attorney General Martha Coakley, a Democrat, concluded that differences in payments to hospitals could not be explained by variations in quality, their mix of patients or the costs of academic medicine.

But some policy analysts warned lawmakers against regulating cost growth too tightly, saying that squeezing the state’s world-famous health care sector could hurt its overall economy.

The bill would require that the new commission review providers that fail to meet the spending limits, and it would allow the attorney general to investigate those whose prices are “materially higher” than others’. But Nancy Turnbull, an associate dean at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the bill was “not nearly what we need to deal with market power and the unjustified price differences that result.”

The bill, Ms. Turnbull added, “still relies on the political will and resolve of political leaders to take action in the face of what will continue to be the overwhelming position and power of these dominant providers, and as this bill and others show, that is very tough to do.”

source: nytimes.com