Tag: Health Issues

News On Your Daily Medications

The older we get it seems the more pills and such that we must consume to protect our health….that is a sore spot because drug companies are raising prices and playing with the distribution of said drugs and now we have a leader that does not give a screaming turd about our struggles to pay for these necessities for good health…..

The United States, despite being the richest country in the world and a biopharmaceutical powerhouse, has long struggled with drug shortages. At any given time, up to 100 or more — sometimes many more — drugs are not readily available to American patients, largely because drug manufacturing operates with very little slack that leaves it vulnerable to disruptions. Sometimes, these are specialty drugs for, say, cancer patients who have certain genetics — potentially devastating for those individuals. Other times, as with the recent ADHD medication shortages, it can involve widely prescribed drugs with health impacts that can affect millions of people.

There are moments when these shortages can’t be helped. As I wrote in 2022, the pandemic’s supply chain disruption was the kind of natural emergency that creates unavoidable, acute drug shortages. Americans found it harder to find drugs like Tamiflu or inhalers with albuterol because the manufacturers were having a harder time getting their hands on the raw ingredients for those medicines, which can come from all over the world.

Drug shortages are usually accidental. A pandemic. A factory machine needs repair. Ingredients become tainted. But this time, it would be engineered.

The potential for disruption is enormous: China, which this week has been hit with a 10 percent across-the-board tariff, is the largest supplier of drug or drug ingredients to the US. Pharmaceutical drugs and their components are still the single largest American import from around the world, as longtime health care journalist Merrill Goozner wrote on Monday.

Generic drugmakers, which produce 90 percent of the prescription drugs in the US and often depend on Chinese chemical imports, don’t have easy recourse. It will be difficult for them to raise prices to make up for the additional tariff costs — there’s a good reason for that, but it has the potential to fuel shortages with a trade war afoot.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/398161/trump-tariffs-china-prescripton-drugs-medicine-shortage

I guess we should start worrying about the availability of our meds in the near future.

Then there is the uncertainty of the Trump admin actually helping us out with lowering prices of these drugs….think again….this op-ed looks at the possibility….

You’d think that President Donald Trump would have shown a little more empathy to senior citizens. He ties the record for being the oldest candidate elected to the Oval Office — with former President Joe Biden of all people. He’ll be an octogenarian by the time he leaves office, so you may be of the opinion that he’d look out for his elderly peers.

Apparently, not.

Medicare recipients, and the families working hard to support them, just aren’t Trump’s people.

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order overturning the two-year effort to give Medicare recipients access to more than 100 drugs for $2 a month. The Medicare $2 Drug List Model included generic drugs for high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and other common ailments many elderly face. No matter. With a swipe of a pen, Trump ended the program to, in his words, ” … to deliver emergency price relief.” Go figure.

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/opinion/editorials/2025/02/07/trump-cuts-medicare-lower-prescription-drug-costs/78199521007/

Speaking of tariffs…..

Your local pharmacy might be the next front in Donald Trump’s trade war.

The president has in recent weeks promised to impose tariffs on all foreign-made medications, a move intended to encourage drug companies to return more of their manufacturing to the US.

In the meantime, the healthcare industry is already bracing itself for the president’s new 10% levy on goods from China, where much of the globe’s pharmaceutical production is based. Drugmakers and hospitals have said they could increase costs, push some generics into short supply, and hurt Americans’ access to treatments, including cancer and heart medicines.

Independent healthcare and trade experts told Yahoo Finance that, even though there are good policy reasons to encourage more US pharma manufacturing, they believed the tariffs could backfire. Slapping taxes on pills made in other countries might push prices higher without making it worthwhile to bring back many factories, they warned. Worse, it could exacerbate already chronic shortages of generic drugs by driving some companies out of the market entirely.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-to-put-tariffs-on-prescription-drugs-experts-warn-it-could-backfire-131058249.html

So be prepared for your health costs is about to become more expensive and will remain so until someone in DC cares about you…..if ever….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is This A ‘Death Panel’?

I recall back in the days Obama and his push for healthcare the GOP and its minions of stupid kept on and on on the meme of his ideas would create ‘death panels’ and Americans would pay with their lives.

Does anyone else remember those idiot statements?

Well here is one for the d/bags on the Right….those ‘death panels’ may be back.

Since both Sue and I are fighting cancer I keep an eye on the doings that could be news for others that suffer as well…..and news from the Lord High Executioner’s office is not promising.

… all purchasing is frozen using government purchase cards; researchers cannot submit abstracts to meetings or manuscripts to journals; hiring is stopped entirely for 90 days — though it is unclear if that time frame may change — and all job listings must be pulled down; and of course, no external communications at all, and any activity remotely considered DEI-adjacent is stopped.

It is difficult to overstate the damage this can do to both cancer research and treatment. The NCI has around 3,500 employees, and is the largest cancer research funding body in the world. It supports the dozens of NCI-designated Cancer Centers around the country, and helps coordinate clinical trials across more than 3,000 sites. Though the list of prohibitions didn’t necessarily target them directly, there are reports of canceled appointments for patients set to enter some of those clinical trials.

Across NIH, researchers as well as administrators and support staff are some combination of terrified, angry, and confused. One employee told me they simply didn’t know what to do — meaning, literally how to spend the work day — once the commands to stop all purchasing, travel, and more came down. Another source within a different NIH institute said, “I feel like every time we try to keep things moving, we get another directive to stop.” Another pointed out that this will also affect training the next generation of doctors and researchers — interviewing for the NIH’s Graduate Partnership Program, in which graduate students at other universities work in NIH labs, has been suspended, and if that doesn’t lift within a month or so then there will likely be no such visitors next year.

https://www.splinter.com/trumps-assault-on-nih-will-kill-people-with-cancer

Is this the ‘death panel’ that the GOP warned us about in the past?

Seems to me that there is evidence that it is just that and it is different from the Obama claim because that is examples here and with Obama there was just bullshit.

I will continue to watch and write when something is said or done….our health is important and should not be fucked with in any way by any minor dictator in waiting.

Update:  Trump has rescinded the order for there was a major wave of blow back from states and organizations.

But I look for an end run along the same lines just in different language….he has not given up.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Those On-Line Pharmacies

Another winter’s Sunday and yet another of my attempts to depart some information that may be helpful to my readers…..yes another FYI Sunday.

I know most of us have seen the ads for those drugs that we can order direct…..those drugs for ED, weight loss, etc……personally I think they are a scam and should not be selling their stuff without a doctor’s visit to see if they are needed…..but we Americans want everything to be quick and easy….like those shoes that you need not touch.

But what is being said about these rip-offs?

Nearly all of the world’s 35,000 online pharmacies are being run illegally, and consumers who use them risk getting ineffective or dangerous drugs, per the US Trade Representative’s annual report on “notorious markets.” The report also singled out 19 countries over concerns about counterfeit or pirated products, naming about three dozen online retailers—many of them in China or elsewhere in Asia—that it said are allegedly engaged in selling counterfeit products or other illegal activities. The report says 96% of online pharmacies were found to be violating the law, many operating without a license and selling medicines without prescriptions or safety warnings. Their websites often look like legitimate e-commerce platforms, often with false claims they’re approved by the FDA, said the report released Wednesday.

The FDA and DEA have both issued warnings about risks of buying prescription medicines from such sources. It cited a survey by the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies’ Global Foundation that found nearly 1 in 4 Americans who’ve used online pharmacies reported encountering substandard, fake, or harmful medicines. Last year, federal prosecutors reported a network of illegal drug sellers based in the US, the Dominican Republic, and India had packaged potentially deadly synthetic opioids into pills disguised as common prescription drugs and sold millions of them through fake online drugstores. At least nine people died of narcotics poisoning between August 2023 and June 2024 after consuming the counterfeit pills, the indictment said.

Apart from the risks of using drugs that may contain inert ingredients or those that could cause allergies, the medicines are sometimes made in unsanitary conditions, said the report. The USTR’s annual report cited examples from inside the US, but it also mentioned risks of imported ingredients, including fentanyl from China. Many of the illicit online pharmacies are based outside the US. The “Notorious Markets List” did laud progress in fighting counterfeit and pirated goods. In one case, US authorities, industry groups, and police collaborated in shutting down a Vietnam-based piracy ring, Fmovies, and other related piracy sites, in July and August.

More here.

Always check with your family medical professional before venturing into the world of quick and easy drugs.

Buyer beware!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Medicare And Seniors

Since I am an old person I have been keeping a close eye on anything that might help inform my fellow retirees about Medicare…..

It is a new year and some new stuff around Medicare…..new for 2025….

Prescription drug costs for millions of Americans with Medicare coverage are getting a lot cheaper in 2025.

New cost-saving provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act took effect Wednesday for Medicare enrollees. Chief among them: Out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs are now capped at $2,000 through Medicare Part D, the optional prescription plan associated with the federal insurance program for people over 65 and younger Americans with disabilities.

“Before I took office, people with Medicare who took expensive drugs could face a crushing burden, paying $10,000 a year or more in copays for the drugs they need to stay alive,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday, touting the benefits of one of the largest legislative packages of his presidency. “This week, we take another step closer to an America where everyone can afford the quality health care they need.”

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), about 66 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare, and about 52 million of them have Part D prescription coverage. Most enrollees spend far less than $2,000 a year on their prescriptions, but officials estimate the new cap will help 19 million people save an average of $400 a year.

https://money.com/medicare-prescription-cost-cap/

Let’s talk about the big scam that will get worse…Medicare Advantage….

Trump’s Medicare czar is going to be the quack Dr. Oz, who relishes the idea of everyone having to take out a Medicare Advantage plan….

He has even said the the uninsured do not deserve to live (paraphrase)….

Mehmet Oz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, once said the uninsured “don’t have a right to health,” only the “right to access a chance to get that health.”

“Because they don’t have the right to health, but they have the right to access a chance to get that health,” he added.

This is the type of douchbags Trump wants in control of your life.

But I digress…..what about those scams , the Medicare Advantage plans?

I have tried to keep my fellow retirees informed about the scams that are targeting them…..

Medicare Advantage Plans

And the news just keeps coming and is as usual under-reported….

Donald Trump promises he will “not cut one penny” of Medicare, but like most elected Republicans he’s a strong proponent of Medicare privatization. During his first administration, Trump issued an executive order that said Medicare Advantage, the privatized version of Medicare, “delivers efficient and value-based care through choice and private competition.” Mehmet Oz, the TV doctor Trump nominated to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, disparages traditional Medicare and has called for massive expansion of Medicare Advantage. By remarkable coincidence, as of 2022 Oz owned a reported stake of $550,000 in UnitedHealth, Medicare Advantage’s largest participant.

There are many things the private sector does better than the federal government, among them enriching shareholders like Oz. But the private sector does not provide health care more efficiently than the public sector. That’s been demonstrated over and over, yet nobody wants to believe it. A report published Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal summarizing a year’s worth of its investigations indicates that where Medicare Advantage really excels is in the filing of fraudulent claims.

Congress created Medicare Advantage in 1997 to demonstrate for good and all, damn it, that the market economy could be more cost-effective at delivering doctor and hospital care. The privatization program succeeded in winning over the public: 54 percent of the Medicare-eligible population chooses Medicare Advantage.

Medicare Advantage looks to people over 65 like a better deal because it covers things traditional Medicare doesn’t, such as visits to the dentist or the eye doctor. Some plans even cover acupuncture! But if you get seriously ill and need to be referred to a specialist, Medicare Advantage isn’t so great. An April 2022 study by the Health and Human Services Department’s inspector general found that 13 percent of the referrals denied under Medicare Advantage would have been approved under traditional Medicare.

https://newrepublic.com/article/189804/privatizing-medicare-advantage-scam-claims-fraudulent

There is so much reporting that does not make the national news on these plans…..senior need to be aware of the pitfalls….

Medicare Advantage plans may seem like a good idea. Most of the time, it seems like you’ll be able to save money and may have additional benefits. However, these plans often come with significant downsides that can hinder you from getting the care you need. This could lead to a negative impact on your health and your finances. Below is a list of Medicare Advantage nightmares, some with real-life stories, to keep you in the know. Being aware of these hidden dangers could save you a lot of heartache.

https://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2025/01/06/10150855_the-dark-side-of-medicare-advantage-5-nightmares-that-could-happen-to-you.html

Please if you are considering one of these plans do some research other than listening to an agent who is only interested in how much he can make off you….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is United Healthcare Evil?

Since the CEO of United Healthcare was popped on the streets of NYC there has been scrutiny over what drove the assassin to commit murder.

There have been several stories of people that were screwed over by the big insurance giant…..this is the one that stuck with me….

A month after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson prompted many Americans to share personal horror stories of the company’s coverage denials and other practices, a doctor in Austin, Texas on Wednesday shared her own experience that she said exemplified how the for-profit health system “just keeps getting worse.”

In a video posted to TikTok, Dr. Elisabeth Potter said she recently received an unprecedented phone call from UnitedHealthcare about a patient—one who was already under anesthesia and having surgery.

Potter, a plastic surgeon who specializes in reconstructive surgery for breast cancer patients who have had mastectomies, said she was performing a bilateral deep inferior epigastric perforator [DIEP} surgery when UnitedHealthcare called her in the operating room.

The call was urgent, she was told, and needed to be returned right away.

“So I scrubbed out of my case and I called UnitedHealthcare, and the gentleman said he needed some information about her,” said Potter. “Wanted to know her diagnosis and whether her inpatient stay should be justified.”

Potter found that the person calling wasn’t aware that the patient whose care he was questioning had breast cancer and was in the operating room—that information was known by “a different department” at UnitedHealthcare.

Potter’s account, said Nidhi Hegde, managing director at the American Economic Liberties Project, was “another horror story from a doctor dealing with United Healthcare’s terrible authorization process.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/united-healthcare-surgery-coverage

This is horrific but it is not an outlier…

Then there is news about their and others drug pricing…..

The Big 3 companies acting as intermediaries between drugmakers and insurance providers made billions by needlessly jacking up the prices of lifesaving drugs, according to the Federal Trade Commission. In its second interim staff report on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), released Tuesday, the FTC said CVS Health’s Caremark Rx, Cigna’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group’s OptumRx “marked up numerous specialty generic drugs dispensed at their affiliated pharmacies by thousands of percent, and many others by hundreds of percent,” generating $7.3 billion in revenue in excess of the acquisition costs of the drugs over five years beginning in 2017.

In theory, PBMs act as middlemen, negotiating fees with drugmakers on behalf of employers and reimbursing pharmacies for prescriptions, per Reuters. But the FTC’s earlier report on PBMs, released in July, found they are “vertically integrated” with healthcare conglomerates, which “exercise vast control over huge swaths of the healthcare sector.” That report analyzed two specialty generic drugs, flagging markups over 1,000%. This report expands the analysis to 51 specialty generic drugs. For these, the Big 3’s price-markup revenue climbed from $522 million in 2017 to $2.1 billion in 2021. “Cancer drugs alone made up nearly half of the $7.3 billion” in revenue over five years “with multiple sclerosis medications accounting for another 25%,” per NBC News.

The companies—found to have “reimbursed their affiliated pharmacies at a higher rate than they paid unaffiliated pharmacies on nearly every specialty generic drug examined”—also generated an additional $1.4 billion over five years through the practice of billing plan sponsors more than they reimbursed pharmacies for the drugs, the report notes. A rep for Express Scripts says the report is misleading, with the analyzed drugs accounting for less than 2% of what health plans spend on medications in a year, per Reuters. An OptumRx rep said the company lowers drug costs and saved patients $1.3 billion last year. But the report found patients’ out of pocket costs for the 51 drugs totaled $279 million in 2021, “an annual compound increase of 14%-21% since 2017,” per Reuters.

To my way of thinking this is evil and all the industry needs to be held to a higher standard than it is today….but sadly if that happens it will be after this next 4 years.

These companies are just sick as well as greedy and evil…..period.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

IST Health Minute

+++Let me say from the onset I am not offering medical advice just offer up some recent studies that could effect you and your health….please see your doctor before starting any new plans of action for your health+++

It is Sunday and I would like to offer a wee bit of FYI…..as we grow older we fight many health battles….most common of them is blood pressure and weight….I offer up a few looks at both of these problems….

Last Sunday I posted on some news about high blood pressure and according to the response it was about as popular as a turd in a punch bowl….or people just do not care about their health….I decided to try again and re-post it….

For The Blood Pressure Watchers

Next the other thing that us seniors seem obsessed about is watching our weight…..there is some research that says we need not be tied tom those scales….

There are good reasons to step away from the scale. It can be a place of supreme stress, in a society that prizes thinness and stigmatizes fat. Then there’s the mounting scientific evidence that weight–and, accordingly, body mass index–are unreliable indicators of health. 

Cardiorespiratory, or aerobic, fitness is a much better predictor of all-cause mortality and heart disease risk than BMI, according to a comprehensive review published November 12 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. People classified as overweight and obese who had high cardiorespiratory fitness were not at higher risk of death or chronic diseases like hypertension than their thin counterparts. They also had 2-3-fold lower mortality risk than those of “normal weight” but with low fitness, per the recent research. It’s just the latest entry into the litany of studies demonstrating that fitness and fatness are far from mutually exclusive.

“Once you factor in fitness, BMI really didn’t have much statistical predictive ability at all,” says Siddhartha Angadi, senior author on the November analysis and an associate professor of Kinesiology at the University of Virginia. “The risks of being unfit are far greater than the risk of carrying a few extra pounds,” he adds.

https://www.popsci.com/health/tracking-fitness-without-bmi/

Again this is not medical advice just FYI on subjects I found while searching the web….please check with your doctor before altering any of your health routine.

Have a wonderful day and try to relax and enjoy yourself….and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

For The Blood Pressure Watchers

A very cold Sunday of the new year and I will drop some FYI instead of my traditional probing questions.

This post is for any of my readers that suffer with a BP problem….and are looking for answers.

As we grow older it seems that we are inflicted with high blood pressure and have to constantly attempt to keep it in check.

Is it possible that the BP pressures could be better than we think?

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is often called the “silent killer” because it can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health problems without noticeable symptoms.

For many years, people have been told to worry if their blood pressure numbers creep above a certain range.

However, new research and expert opinions suggest that the situation might not always be as dire as it seems. For some people, high blood pressure may not be as dangerous as once thought, and the numbers alone don’t tell the whole story.

Blood pressure is typically measured with two numbers: systolic (the top number) and diastolic (the bottom number). For decades, a reading of 120/80 mmHg has been considered ideal, while anything above 140/90 is categorized as high.

Research has shown that not all cases of high blood pressure carry the same level of risk. For example, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine followed older adults with high blood pressure and found that for many, especially those aged 80 and above, lowering blood pressure too aggressively with medication didn’t always lead to better outcomes.

https://knowridge.com/2024/12/why-high-blood-pressure-numbers-might-not-always-be-alarming/

Talk to your doctor about these findings…..

I read this article that I felt I should pass onto my fellow sufferers….

++++But first….Please do not attempt anything medical on your own…. before you change anything consult your medical professional to be sure that it is a fit for your body++++

This is a claim of a natural treatment for high blood pressure….

Researchers from Pantox Laboratories propose that fasting could help reverse high blood pressure naturally by disrupting harmful metabolic cycles.

While a high-salt diet is widely recognized as a major contributor to high blood pressure, simply reducing salt intake often produces only modest results.

This suggests that salt might interact with other aspects of a modern diet to create self-sustaining cycles that keep blood pressure elevated, even when dietary salt is reduced.

Therapeutic fasting, which involves temporarily abstaining from food, has been shown to significantly lower high blood pressure. One reason for this effect is that fasting reduces insulin secretion, which is closely linked to blood pressure regulation.

By minimizing insulin levels, fasting may help reset the body’s metabolic balance and interrupt the cycles that maintain hypertension.

Recent studies have demonstrated that a structured regimen of water-only fasting, followed by a low-fat, low-salt, whole-food vegan diet, can lead to dramatic reductions in blood pressure without the need for medication.

These reductions are not temporary; patients who adhere to the follow-up diet often maintain their improved blood pressure levels over time.

This suggests that fasting, combined with a healthy maintenance diet, could offer a lasting solution for high blood pressure, potentially acting as a natural “cure.”

For those unable to commit to complete fasting, a protein-sparing modified fast—where protein is consumed in limited amounts to prevent muscle loss—might offer similar benefits.

If this approach proves effective, it could provide a safer and more practical way to implement fasting in outpatient settings, making it accessible to more people.

The implications of fasting extend beyond high blood pressure. Researchers suggest that its ability to break harmful metabolic cycles could also make it effective in treating other conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and autoimmune disorders.

For example, fasting followed by a protective maintenance diet may provide a powerful strategy for managing these conditions. If a metabolic disorder can be prevented—but not reversed—by a specific diet, combining fasting with the diet may offer a more comprehensive and effective treatment.

This research highlights the potential of therapeutic fasting as a natural, drug-free approach to managing chronic health conditions.

While further studies are needed to confirm its safety and efficacy in broader populations, fasting combined with a healthy, sustainable diet could offer new hope for patients seeking long-term solutions to high blood pressure and other metabolic disorders.

(knowridge.com)

Do not attempt this without advice from your doctor

That does it for me today…..enjoy your Sunday and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Do We Need Another Pandemic?

Most of us remember the Covid pandemic and most remember it only because they got some free money…..but the fact is and the question is ‘can it happen again’?

As long as we are remembering the last pandemic we will recall that the accusation is that it came from a research lab in Wuhan China….and that thought brings me to this bit of info….

It’s been five years since we first started hearing about a contagion out of China called the coronavirus, and now there’s word of a new virus causing concern. The Guardian reports that cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, have been surging in the northern part of the country, especially among children, though Chinese health officials are downplaying talk of another pandemic. More:

  • What is HMPV? Per the Cleveland Clinic, the illness is a respiratory disease that’s similar to RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. Symptoms usually mimic those of the common cold (cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat, etc.), but it can also lead to worse infections and spur bronchitis or pneumonia. Young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised people are especially at risk.
  • Viral footage: The Economic Times notes that videos are circulating showing a “scary scene” in China’s hospitals, with coughing patients in masks “crammed” in waiting rooms, with one social media post claiming hospitals are “overwhelmed.”
  • Response: A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, however, didn’t seem alarmed on Friday, simply noting, per the Guardian: “Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season. The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year.” Some experts also agree that the apparent spike in cases may simply be explained by better detection techniques.
  • Outside of China: Neighboring countries are keeping tabs on the illness, with Hong Kong and India already reporting multiple cases, per the Independent. Cambodia and Taiwan are also monitoring the situation.
  • Precautions: There are no vaccines yet available for HMPV, nor any specific antiviral treatments, per Live Science. So far, health experts are offering the same advice they’d give to anyone with a cold: Stay home if you’re sick (or wear a mask if you must interact with the public), wash your hands often, and practice “good cough and sneeze etiquette,” an infectious diseases expert tells the Guardian.

This may be nothing to panic about just yet but it does need to be watched and we should be prepared.

Then a little closer to home….the Bird Flu….most of us have heard about this simply because our eggs are so damn expensive…..but the fact is it can jump species to humans…..and that means yet another potential pandemic waiting…..and even more deaths….

A patient hospitalized in Louisiana last month with severe illness caused by bird flu has become the first person in the US to die from H5N1. The Louisiana Department of Health reported the death Monday, saying the person “was over the age of 65 and was reported to have underlying medical conditions.” Officials said the patient, who had the nation’s first case of severe illness caused by bird flu, had been in contact with sick birds in a backyard flock, the Washington Post reports. The department said it had “identified no additional H5N1 cases nor evidence of person-to-person transmission.” It said that due to “patient confidentiality and respect for the family, this will be the final update about the patient.” The first 60 cases of bird flu illnesses in the US have been mild, a CDC official said, and all of those patients recovered. 

This yet another panic in waiting…..please be prepared for any eventuality.

Guard the toilet paper well!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What About Trumpcare

Seniors Beware!

As we count down to the swearing in day many of use especially seniors are apprehensive about the future of our health care.

Let’s look at what has been amusingly termed as “Trumpcare” (I guess they are jealous of the term of Obamacare)….these are only possibilities, nothing written in stone at this time….

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), widely known as Obamacare, has shaped the American healthcare landscape for over a decade. Despite attempts to repeal it, the ACA remains intact, though there is ongoing debate.

In 2017, Republicans proposed the American Healthcare Act (AHCA), dubbed Trumpcare, as a replacement. Although it didn’t pass, its provisions highlighted financial shifts that could significantly affect coverage and costs.

Here’s a look at how Trumpcare’s proposals compare to Obamacare and what these changes could mean for healthcare in America.

1. Trumpcare Proposed Rolling Back Medicaid Expansion

Trumpcare aimed to roll back Medicaid expansion introduced under Obamacare, which extended coverage to individuals earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Instead of federal funding, Trumpcare proposed block grants for states to manage Medicaid programs.

If this shift is proposed again, it might lead to funding cuts, particularly in Southern states that opted out of expansion. Millions of low-income individuals could face reduced access to affordable healthcare.

2. Trumpcare Planned Changes to Subsidies

The Trumpcare policy proposal retained financial subsidies but changed how they were calculated, focusing on age rather than income and family size, as seen under Obamacare. If this approach is implemented in the next years, assistance for older Americans with lower incomes could be reduced.

Additionally, enhanced ACA subsidies enacted under the Biden administration are set to expire in 2025. Without congressional action, premiums could double, impacting states like Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, where enrollment surged in recent years.

There is so much more—

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/slideshows/ways-trumpcare-could-redefine-your-healthcare-costs/

That’s right those that his staunchest supporters will be hurt the most if these plans go into operation…..

  • More uninsured Americans
    The elimination of the individual mandate is projected to produce 24 million more uninsured Americans by 2026.3
  • Potential waivers of essential benefits
    Obamacare requires every state to provide coverage for a list of “essential benefits” such as maternity care or mental health care. Under Trumpcare, states could obtain a waiver to be excluded from these requirements and can instead draft their own set of essential benefits.
  • Higher potential costs for people with preexisting conditions
    As mentioned above, subsidies could be offered to some people with preexisting conditions. But these subsidies will be countered by the fact that states will be able to obtain waivers allowing insurance companies to charge higher premiums for people with preexisting conditions who experienced a lapse in coverage.
  • Potentially higher premiums for older adults
    Under current law, insurance companies may charge an older adult up to three times as much as they would charge a younger person for the same plan. Trumpcare is projected to increase that limit to five times as much as a younger person.
  • A rollback of Medicaid expansion
    Obamacare installed funds for states to expand Medicaid, but Trumpcare would cut that funding.

I hope the ignorant among us are happy with their stupidity.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Starving Prostrate Cancer

It is the last Sunday in 2024 and what better time to inject some of my now famous FYI?

This info is merely for FYI…..please check with your medical professional before starting or changing any health practices.

As someone who is being treated for cancer I am always looking to pass on any news I find that may help others with their struggles.

Some research is being done in a new way to treat prostrate cancer….

Scientists at Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered a new way to attack prostate cancer by cutting off its supply of essential nutrients.

Their groundbreaking research, published in Science Signaling, reveals how targeting certain proteins in cancer cells can slow tumor growth and potentially lead to more effective treatments for one of the deadliest cancers in men.

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United States.

Current treatments focus on blocking testosterone, a hormone that prostate cancer cells need to grow.

Unfortunately, tumors often become resistant to these therapies, leaving patients with fewer options.

The new research offers hope by identifying a different approach: starving the cancer cells of amino acids, which are critical nutrients for their survival and rapid growth.

The research team, led by Dr. Kirk Staschke and Dr. Ronald C. Wek, explored how prostate cancer cells respond when deprived of amino acids.

Normally, when nutrients are low, a protein called GCN2 kicks in, helping the cells produce more fuel to keep growing. The researchers hypothesized that blocking GCN2 would weaken the cancer cells.

While inhibiting GCN2 did slow tumor growth, it didn’t kill the cancer cells completely. The team then uncovered the cancer’s “Plan B”: a protein called p53. In prostate cancer, p53 remains functional (unlike in many other cancers) and helps the cells survive by restricting cell division and gathering nutrients.

By targeting both GCN2 and p53, the researchers found they could effectively destroy prostate cancer cells. This dual approach exploits unique vulnerabilities in prostate cancer’s metabolism, cutting off its ability to adapt and survive.

This discovery provides a fresh avenue for developing treatments.

While more research is needed, targeting GCN2 and p53 simultaneously could become a powerful strategy to combat prostate cancer, especially in cases where current therapies fail.

Dr. Staschke emphasized the importance of this finding, saying, “Our study reveals a way to starve prostate cancer by exploiting its dependence on essential nutrients. This dual-target approach could be a game-changer.”

he study was a team effort, with contributions from graduate students Ricardo Cordova and Noah Sommers, along with scientists from Rutgers University and the University at Buffalo. The research highlights the potential for collaborative science to tackle tough medical challenges.

While still in early stages, this research provides a promising path for new prostate cancer treatments. By understanding how these tumors survive and adapt, scientists are one step closer to finding better ways to fight this deadly disease.

(knowridge.com)

I hope this will be helpful for those that need treatment….but please before you do anything consult your oncologist and other medical professionals.

Enjoy your last Sunday of the year and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”