Tag: Health Issues

Closing Thought–06May24

Just a mere 6 months before we go to the polls and then there is Congress who try to act up so they can claim a victory to be used in their expensive campaign ads….

A recent health bill was up for consideration….and the political game was afoot….stop Biden from a legislative win at all costs…..the cost could be your health.

I’m afraid I have some bad news.

As a hospital doctor, I’ve gotten pretty good at delivering bad news. Still, it never gets any easier. It certainly was not easy the day I told my 53-year-old patient, a devoted father of two, that his stomach pains were not from gallstones as everyone had assumed. Whenever a doctor says “bad news,” our minds often jump to that terrible “C”-word we fear: cancer. Unfortunately for my patient, I diagnosed him with a deadly form of cancer: cholangiocarcinoma. Over the next year, I would watch him deteriorate as he was readmitted with complication after complication.

Cancer affects everyone in some way, shape or form. Whether personally or through a family member or friend, the stress and heartbreak of a cancer diagnosis is immeasurable. Which is why I was so surprised when I read that Congress would not be renewing investments in the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative dedicated to curing cancer.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2024/05/05/biden-cancer-moonshot-initiative-congress-funding/73525016007/

Another prime example of how the Congress and the parties have no sense of what is good for the people of this country….for them it is about the elections and the cash.

Is this what you sent your reps to DC to do?…..if not then DO something about it the games these slugs play at your expense.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

Then VOTE!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Decaf Drinkers Beware!

It is another Sunday and a day where I try to be informative…..so today instead of history it will be an FYI.

I admit it I love a good cup of coffee…..when my blood pressure went high my doctor said I needed to cut out salt (no problem for I use very little salt) and to cut my coffee drinking….so under his advice I went to decaf, I would rather drink urinal water then this stuff and then Sue got me some half-caf, better than decaf but still lacked taste….for you see I drink my coffee straight….no milk, no sugar, no flavors of any sort….so taste is important to me….after about a month I chanced it and went back to real coffee (actually Sue got it for me for she was tired of my ‘bitchiness’).

Now that I have given you my diatribe of coffee maybe it is time for me to get to the point……

So if you are a drinker of decaf coffee you might want to pay attention….

For fans of decaffeinated coffee, we have some bad news.

The not-so-buzzy version of coffee can harbor a chemical that can cause cancer, CNN reports, which has health and environmental activists pushing to have the substance banned for its use in making decaf coffee.

Methylene chloride is the substance in question and it’s used by coffee roasters to remove caffeine from coffee beans. It’s also utilized as a solvent in various manufacturing and commercial processes, but the federal government banned its use as a paint stripper in 2019 and is now considering an almost complete kibosh on its use for consumers and industry except in limited settings.

The reason? Short-term exposure to the chemical, research shows, can harm your central nervous system. And being exposed to the chemical for a longer period can induce liver and lung cancers, as well as liver damage more generally.

https://futurism.com/neoscope/decaf-coffee-cancer

My taste buds saved me from this worry….and I thank them.

As long as I have you here and interested….

Is there a coffee apocalypse coming?

When Henri Kunz was growing up in West Germany in the 1980s, he used to drink an instant coffee substitute called Caro, a blend of barley, chicory root, and rye roasted to approximate the deep color and invigorating flavor of real coffee. “We kids drank it,” Kunz remembered recently. “It had no caffeine, but it tasted like coffee.”

As an adult, Kunz loves real coffee. But he also believes that its days are numbered. Climate change is expected to shift the areas where coffee can grow, with some researchers estimating that the most suitable land for coffee will shrink by more than half by 2050 and that hotter temperatures will make the plants more vulnerable to pests, blight, and other threats. At the same time, demand for coffee is growing, as upwardly mobile people in traditionally tea-drinking countries in Asia develop a taste for java.

“The difference between demand and supply will go like that,” Kunz put it during a Zoom interview, crossing his arms in front of his chest to form an X, like the “no-good” emoji. Small farmers could face crop failures just as millions of new people develop a daily habit, potentially sending coffee prices soaring to levels that only the wealthy will be able to afford.

To stave off the looming threats, some agricultural scientists are hard at work breeding climate-resilient, high-yield varieties of coffee. Kunz, the founder and chair of a “flavor engineering” company called Stem, thinks he can solve many of these problems by growing coffee cells in a laboratory instead of on a tree. A number of other entrepreneurs are taking a look at coffee substitutes of yore, like the barley beverage Kunz grew up drinking, with the aim of using sustainable ingredients to solve coffee’s environmental problems—and adding caffeine to reproduce its signature jolt.

https://slate.com/human-interest/2024/04/coffee-cup-best-bean-brand-climate.html

Damn climate change!

I shall continue to drink that magical brew until my last breath or until I can longer afford it whichever comes first.

A little FYI for my readers….have a marvelous Sunday and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

How About Dem Drug Prices?

What made me want to post on this topic was last month I got ticket shock when I picked up my meds and were told that it would be $536 for a month’s supply.

Then I started wondering what had happened to all those promises from Biden and his Dem cohorts…..what is going on these days with our drug prices?

There is a fight coming over the Medicare pricing reform….PhARMA is not happy and has gone to court….

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that the pharmaceutical industry’s powerful trade group and allied organizations filed in an attempt to kill Medicare’s new drug price negotiation program, which threatens manufacturers’ virtually unrestrained power to drive up the prices of lifesaving medicines.

Judge David Alan Ezra of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas tossed the lawsuit on procedural grounds, ruling that the National Infusion Center Association (NICA)—which does not manufacture or sell prescription drugs—lacked standing to sue.

Because NICA was the only plaintiff based in Texas, Ezra—a Reagan appointee—dismissed the lawsuit, which was joined by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the Global Colon Cancer Association. The coalition argued that the Medicare price negotiation program is unconstitutional, a claim that advocates have dismissed as cover for the industry’s attempt to protect its profits.

A spokesperson for PhRMA, which spends tens of millions of dollars a year lobbying Congress, told Axios in a statement that the group is “disappointed” with the judge’s decision and is weighing its next legal steps.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/judge-tosses-pharma-lawsuit

At least one judge is on our side but I would not get too cocky….if it goes to SCOTUS it will screw us mere peasants for at least one spouse of a sitting judge is in the pocket of PhARMA.

Speaking of lobbyists….last year, 2022, PhARMA spent $374 million on buying support from Congress.

Then there is whopping bonuses the CEOs are raking in…..

Could any corporate execs walking our world today be any greedier than the execs who run Big Pharma? Hard to say. But out-grasping Big Pharma, suggests a new report out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, would certainly require some serious greed.

Consider, for instance, the pay record of the Big Pharma colossus Johnson & Johnson.

Two years ago, Johnson & Johnson pocketed $17.9 billion in profits and rewarded its CEO with $27.6 million in compensation. That same year, overall, saw Johnson & Johnson lay out $17.8 billion on stock buybacks, dividends, and executive pay — and only $14.6 billion on R&D.

“In other words,” the Senate panel’s report noted, “the company spent $3.2 billion more enriching executives and stockholders than finding new cures.”

New Hope for a Check on CEO Compensation

Did you read that?   PhARMA spent more on stock buy backs than it did on R&D….recovering R&D is one of the excuses for high prices.

Enough is enough!

Promises do not pay the bills….time to get serious about controlling drug prices or STFU and go home!

Pharmaceutical companies are angry with Bernie Sanders. The Vermont senator has vowed to force pharma CEOs to publicly answer for why their drug prices are so much higher in the United States than in other nations.

Brazenly, the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck initially refused.

An attorney for Johnson & Johnson accused the senator of using Senate committee hearings to “punish the companies who have chosen to engage in constitutionally protected litigation.” The company, along with Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb, issuing the Biden administration for allowing Medicare to regulate certain prescription drug prices.

For the last two decades, it’s been a free-for-all for pharmaceutical companies in the U.S.

In 2003, then-President George W. Bush signed a Medicare reform bill into law, promising help for seniors struggling to pay for medications. But that law stripped the federal government of its power to negotiate drug prices for Medicare’s participants. And that’s driven drug prices up for everyone.

Drug Prices Should be Controlled

Will us peasants ever be the one thing on Congress’ collective mind?  Or are we just a means to an end?

I believe the later is true.

How about you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

IST Sunday FYI–Diabetes

This is for all my readers that maybe suffering with diabetes….myself I was diagnosed with type 2 4 years ago….it came out of the blue….that is not true….my doctor told me 7 years ago I was pre-diabetic and a change in my diet would be best….I ignored the advice and a couple years later I had Type 2.

Since my diagnosis I have change my heathen ways and it is under control….it has been a struggle for the foods I truly enjoy are not that good for a diabetic.

Now I try to help out wherever I can but before venturing on something new please consult your medical professional.

I read a couple of stories this past week that I thought would be nice to pass on to my readers that may have diabetes.

An expert weighs in on managing diabetes….

Insulin was a game-changer when doctors started giving it to patients with Type 1 diabetes in the 1920s. At the time, science journalist Gary Taubes explains to the Guardian, most people with the disease died. Insulin not only saved lives, but offered patients the ability to eat basically as they normally would. Years later, it became clear that there were long-term complications including, Taubes says, heart disease, atherosclerosis, neuropathy, kidney failure, blindness, and amputations. Physicians at the time considered these complications of diabetes, but Taubes argues they were actually complications of the disease when insulin therapy is used to control it. Taubes has also researched the low-fat dietary advice that ran rampant for a while, and which he has called “a big fat lie” that’s behind America’s obesity epidemic. Carbs, he’s argued, are more dangerous than fat.

Put it all together, and the argument Taubes is making is this, in his words: “If I tell you not to eat the carbs and we minimize the insulin use—which for type 2 [diabetes] could be no insulin—I might keep you alive” longer than if insulin therapy alone is the treatment. The extensive article also delves into the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which are so significant some see it as odd the two share a name (while insulin is strictly necessary for survival in type 1 cases, diet and lifestyle changes may be sufficient for type 2). And it looks at the controversy surrounding Taubes’ ideas, which are far from widely accepted in the scientific community, while also talking to patients who’ve experienced success with low-carb diets—as well as those who cast doubt on the idea. Ultimately, Taubes says, more must be researched: “The science has been pretty awful.” Read the full piece at the Guardian.

This next article is called a “game changer”….

Diabetes sufferers could one day have pancreatic cells transplanted into their forearms to treat the condition, pioneering research suggests. In healthy bodies, islet cells in the pancreas produce the hormone insulin, which is crucial for regulating blood sugar.

But these cells are destroyed by the immune system in people with Type 1 diabetes. Scientists are developing a technique in which donated islets are transplanted just under the skin on the arm, where they then perform the job of producing insulin.

An ongoing trial with eight patients has seen “encouraging” results. If successful, the treatment could free hundreds of thousands of sufferers from painful injections and the need to frequently check their blood sugar.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1867671/diabetes-insulin-pancreas-transplant-health

I hope that these stories were informative and interesting for those that suffer from diabetes.

May your Sunday be filled with joy….as always Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–09Feb24

There seems to be a big push in the media and elsewhere to help curb the incidents of mental health problems….but can it be helped?

Unbelievably, what’s happening to people on the inside is even more horrifying and dangerous than our outward collapse(s). The mental health of millions upon millions of people is disintegrating fast — and this inner disintegration is fueling and intensifying all the varied types of outer disintegration that are plaguing us.

Disinformation. Endless lies. ‘Fake News.’ Hate. Distrust. Increasing racism. Far right terrorism. Partisan violence. Scapegoating. Demagoguery. Voter suppression. Open oppression of women and LGBTQ+ folks. Tyrannical new laws.

The litany of social horrors goes on and on — but it’s crucial to see that they all emerge directly from our increasingly twisted and c-r-a-z-y inner realities. This is where our pundits, reporters, and commentators keep getting it all so wrong.

Americans’ Mental Health Is Collapsing at an Astonishing Rate

A fascinating article well worth the time to check his assertions out….personally I think he is spot on.

This all I have for this week….onto the weekend and my take on many other things.

I hope you have a great weekend and as always…..Be Well and Be Safe.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Sue Update

As I wrote yesterday the chemo has been kicking Sue’s butt….she has been feeling poorly for a couple of days…..not eating, crappy feeling all around so yesterday I had her call her doctor and he said she needed to get to the ER immediately.

After 6 hours of sitting around waiting for test ‘results’ to come back….of course Sue is bitching she wants to go home but that did not happen…..she was checked into the hospital, for at least last night…..and we wait.

This morning Sue is in isolation because her white cell count is really low….that is the best I can get out of doctors.

This is not good…..I shall limit my posts to one a day for now….at least until I have all the info on Sue’s case.

Thanx everyone for your kind words and best wishes Sue and I appreciate the time it takes to make those statements and well wishes.

For I am out for awhile and will keep you guys posted.

Thanx again.

chuq

Closing Thought–08Jan24

Can you remember Covid?

How about ‘hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)’?

This was the ‘magical’ cure for Covid that was passed around by our fearless leader back in the day.

Sad thing is people believed the crap and died.

In news that’s sure to kickstart a wave of recriminations, researchers have estimated that almost 17,000 people died in six countries during the first COVID-19 wave due to the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), an anti-malaria medication that gained viral traction as a potential treatment against COVID even after scientific evidence failed to back up its efficacy.

A team of researchers from France, Canada and China revealed the findings in a new study published in the science journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. They arrived at the number after performing statistical analysis on medical and hospital data about excess mortality.

“During the first wave of COVID-19, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was used off-label despite the absence of evidence documenting its clinical benefits,” the researchers write. “Since then, a meta-analysis of randomised trials showed that HCQ use was associated with an 11 percent increase in the mortality rate.”

The scientists looked at data from Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and America.

“Although our estimates are limited by their imprecision, these findings illustrate the hazard of drug repurposing with low-level evidence,” the scientists conclude.

Other existing medications had been repurposed to combat COVID because of their track record in treating viruses, like the HIV/AIDS drug ritonavir, the paper notes.

https://futurism.com/neoscope/deaths-hydroxychloroquine-estimate

This is why you should always consult your medical professional before taking any advice from amateurs.

Covid was tragic enough without idiots adding to the misery of others.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–05Jan24

Do you take pills….if so then your meds are probably expensive especially if you fighting off some disease like Diabetes.

I know Biden has brought of insulin down and to that I say ‘bless his heart’…..but what about other drugs?

Well the FDA has just made a ruling on drugs…..

Americans are known to head across the border into Canada to buy their prescription drugs at cheaper costs. Now, for the first time, a state government has received approval to do the same thing on a much larger scale. In a decision described as historic, the Food and Drug Administration has granted Florida’s request to import drugs in bulk from Canada, reports the New York Times. The pharmaceutical industry is expected to file a legal challenge before that happens, but if the move goes through, expect other states to follow suit. Details:

  • The impact: The development has the potential to “change the way Americans obtain prescription medicines and could reduce their cost,” per the Wall Street Journal. Several other states already have applications pending to the FDA, including Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
  • However: Canada is only so big. “There are real constraints on Canada’s ability to even do this—they would basically be giving up drugs that are meant for their population to subsidize drugs for people in Florida,” Stacie Dusetzina, a health-policy professor at Vanderbilt, tells the Journal. More tellingly, a spokeswoman for Health Canada agrees: “Canada’s drug supply is too small to meet the demands of both American and Canadian consumers,” Maryse Durette tells the Times. “Bulk importation will not provide an effective solution to the problem of high drug prices in the US.”
  • Context: The Washington Post notes that the decision comes as Big Pharma appears to realize something has to give on drug prices. Eli Lilly, for example, said this week it would make its diabetes and weight-loss drugs available via telehealth, and CVS is in the midst of a major revamp of its pricing that takes effect in 2025. Both moves could result in lower prices. Politically, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could gain bragging rights over this, as could former President Trump, whose administration pushed the importation law ahead, and President Biden, whose FDA signed off on it.
  • First drugs: Florida plans to import drugs initially for the treatment of HIV, AIDS, diabetes, hepatitis C, and mental illness, per CNN. They would be used for Medicaid patients, inmates, and other patients served by state entities, and the FDA would have to approve any such purchases after vetting them for safety and to verify savings. However, it could be awhile before all the legal hurdles get sorted out.

Something needs to be done to slow down the slugs at Big Pharma…..soon you would have to be Bezos to afford your meds.

Please do not fall the con of a Medicare Advantage Plan….it is a rip-off.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Alzheimer’s: The Great Thief

It is yet another Sunday and time for one of IST’s famous FYI posts.

I recently wrote a post about dementia and the signs to watch….now I would like to do another one on a disease that seems hell bent on destroying a seniors life…Alzheimer’s

I am always worried about losing my mental capabilities as I grow older so I watch for any signs and will act immediately if I spot any…..

While this article is about the UK the signs are the same and I want to help my readers understand and what to look for in the future.

It’s thought that there are over 900,000 people living with dementia, which is caused by Alzheimer’s disease, in the UK. Women are disproportionately affected, being twice as likely to develop the condition than men. Although research on why this is the case is in progress, some factors like hormonal changes (as estrogen has a protective effect on the brain and encourages healthy brain function), differences in sex chromosomes, brain structure, and life expectancy are thought to play a role why someone might enter the stages of Alzheimer’s, per research published in the journal of Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy. 

Other health conditions can also increase the risk, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression, along with lifestyle factors like smoking and drinking alcohol. 

While some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s may seem obvious, they can also appear as symptoms of other conditions – such as symptoms of menopause – which is why, no matter your age, it’s important to know the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

We’re all prone to repeating ourselves sometimes but if this is happening all the time, it could be one of the early signs of Alzheimer’s. Dr Lucy Andrews, an ageing expert and specialist in dementia services with BrainGuard System International, says this includes not remembering something someone has just said, repeating the same story multiple times, or asking the same question over and over again. 

It’s symptomatic of one of the more common signs of Alzheimer’s in general: issues with short-term memory. Along with these social problems, someone might forget where they’ve left something and put everyday items in the wrong place – such as the hairdryer in the fridge or keys in the washing machine. 

“Simple episodes of forgetfulness and confusion are frequently the first signs of dementia,” says London NHS GP Dr Semiya Aziz. “With Alzheimer’s though, the symptoms may not be severe enough to stop the individual from carrying out their daily activities.” When the symptoms become severe, the condition is then categorised as dementia. 

https://www.womanandhome.com/health-wellbeing/early-signs-of-alzheimers/

Those are the signs to watch for in either yourself or your family members.

If signs are there then please consult a medical professional….do not put it off for it will not get better.

Enjoy your Sunday….and as usual….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Stop Eating Meat!

For decades we have heard that cow farts(Burps) is the culprit that is putting dangerous amounts of gases into our atmosphere….and recently the rash of ‘plant based’ food is becoming a fad that makes some happy and others it is a waste of time.

Ask yourself what would actually happen if we all stopped eating meat?

Humans eat a stunning amount of meat every year — some 800 billion pounds of it, enough flesh to fill roughly 28 million dump trucks. Our carnivorous cravings, particularly in industrialized, beef-guzzling countries like the United States, are one reason the planet is warming as fast as it is. Raising animals consumes a lot of land that could otherwise soak up carbon. Cows, sheep, and goats spew heat-trapping methane. And to grow the corn, soy, and other plants that those animals eat, farmers spray fertilizer that emits nitrous oxide, another potent planet-warming gas.

For all those reasons, and many more, activists and scientists have called for people to eat less meat or abstain altogether. At last year’s United Nations climate conference in Egypt, activists chanted slogans like “Let’s be vegan, let’s be free.” At this year’s conference, which starts November 30, world leaders are expected to talk about ways to shift diets toward plant-based foods as a way to lower animal agriculture’s climate pollution, the source of 15 percent of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Cutting out meat can be an effective tool: The average vegan diet is linked to about one-quarter the greenhouse gas emissions of a meat-intensive one, according to a paper published in Nature in July.

But what would happen if everyone actually stopped eating meat tomorrow?

“It would have huge consequences — a lot of them probably not anticipated,” said Keith Wiebe, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Such a quick shift probably wouldn’t cause the sort of turmoil that would come if the planet immediately ditched fossil fuels. But still, the upshot could be tumultuous, upending economies, leaving people jobless, and threatening food security in places that don’t have many nutritious alternatives.

Livestock accounts for about 40 percent of agricultural production in rich countries and 20 percent in low-income countries, and it’s vital — economically and nutritionally — to the lives of 1.3 billion people across the world, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. One-third of the protein and nearly one-fifth of the calories that people eat around the world come from animals.

What Would Happen if Everyone Stopped Eating Meat Tomorrow?

These people state that 15% of greenhouse gases comes from the cow and such farting….what the neglected to tell you is the we humans throw away too much food whether meat or pant based and 30% of greenhouse gases comes from landfills that we load up with the scraps.

I was born a predatory and I shall die a predatory….is that simple enough?

If plant based stuff is so good then why does it taste like meat?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”