MS Maze

Now the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified UV-emitting tanning devices as “carcinogenic to humans,” using the combined analysis of more than 20 studies to reach that conclusion. It also points to an increased risk of ocular melanoma from the use of tanning devices.

Whether this information will have any measurable impact on consumers, especially young consumers, remains to be seen. One would think that the perceived benefit of tanned skin would not outweigh the risk of often preventable forms of cancer. But the lure of the “healthy glow” is a powerful one.

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UV-Emitting Tanning Devices Carcinogenic to Humans

Some of the most common complaints of people with M.S. are fatigue, numbness, and weakness – things that cannot be seen and often cannot be understood by those who have not experienced them at high levels. These seemingly benign symptoms can necessitate missing work, school, or social obligations, causing chores to pile up and misunderstandings to arise.

That’s enough to contend with, but what if your family, friends, and co-workers don’t really believe you? What if they think you are faking, or taking advantage of your diagnosis?

Read this post in its entirety:

Dealing with Invisible Symptoms of M.S.

“If you think you may have (disease of choice), ask your doctor about (latest pill).” Rather than advise that you seek diagnosis and consider all treatment options, you are directed to request a particular prescription. Sometimes it’s every day folks urging us on, sometimes it’s a celebrity endorsement — none so surprising as Brooke Shields telling us about the pill that will give us longer, fuller lashes. Seriously.

Pharmaceutical companies are playing into every fear and every illness, real and imagined, as never before. Why market only to doctors when you can reach the patient — the consumer — directly. The number of pharmaceutical ads in prime time television has risen so dramatically that they are all but impossible to ignore. Whatever ails you, there’s a pill to make you feel better.

Photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/755991

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Should Pharmaceutical Ads be Banned from TV?

In a televised press conference, when asked why he felt it necessary to rush and to impose a deadline for health care reform, President Obama replied, “I am rushed because I get letters every day from families who are being clobbered by health care costs. In a country like ours, that’s not right. If you don’t set deadlines in this town, nothing gets done.”

The basic idea, he said, is that in this country, if you want health care, you should be able to get affordable health care. Without a single-payer system, he believes that 97-98 percent of the population would be covered under the bills currently working their way through congress. Also included are protections from the insurance industry practice of canceling the insurance of policy holders who get sick and exclusions for pre-existing conditions.

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1034819

Read this post in its entirety and take the poll: Will Congress pass meaningful health reform this year?

Why the rush on Health Care Reform? “Families are being Clobbered”

It is estimated that more than 30 percent of insured patients with chronic illness cannot afford the co-payments for their medications, which can range from $300 to more than $3,000 per month. Most of these patients are ineligible for other patient assistance programs, forcing many of them to do without.

The Chronic Disease Fund is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to these underinsured individuals so that they can continue to take their much-needed medications and improve their quality of life.

Visit the Chronic Disease Fund’s website to learn more about what they do — and what you can do to help. The CDF is now on Facebook and Twitter, too!

Chances are that you’ve never heard of it, but Fragile X Syndrome is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability affecting an estimated 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 6,000-8,000 females.

It is not contagious or the result of a particular behavior, but is passed from one generation to another. Fragile X is a group of disorders caused by a mutation in a gene on the X chromosome. It may be carried by both males and females and can be diagnosed through DNA testing…

Photo credit: FragileX.org

Learn more about Fragile X:

National Fragile X Awareness Day

Summer is in full swing, and along with it comes backyard barbecues, outdoor recreation, and long sunny days.

The joys of summer are many, but for some people with multiple sclerosis, summer’s heat and humidity can make it even more difficult for already damaged nerve fibers to transmit electrical impulses, resulting in an exaggeration of symptoms, which may include fatigue, dizziness, and extreme weakness.

This kind of temporary flare-up of symptoms is called a pseudo exacerbation because, although the symptoms are uncomfortable and frightening, there is no true neurological damage taking place.

Read this post in its entirety at Care2.com’s Healthy and Green Living: 

Staying Cool with M.S.

From the National Women’s Law Center:

In a recent town hall meeting in Iowa, Senator Grassley was asked by a constituent why everyone can’t have health care benefits as good as his.

The outrageous answer from Senator Chuck Grassley, a leading voice in the health care reform debate in Congress? They should get a job like his.

His outrageous answer shows he is out-of-touch with a majority of Americans who are calling for real health reform this year. And unfortunately, Senator Grassley is representative of others threatening real reform this year.

The National Women’s Law Center invites you to:

Apply for a job in Senator Grassley’s office and show him Americans need quality, affordable, and comprehensive health care now.

The American Medical Association, in a stunning turn-a-round, stated its support of House Bill H.R. 3200, a comprehensive health care reform bill that includes “the establishment and administration of a public health insurance option as an exchange-qualified health benefits plan.”

As recently as last month, The New York Times reported reported that the AMA opposed a government-sponsored insurance plan, saying that health insurance should come from the private market. This announcement is nothing short of amazing.

Photo credit: stock.xchng

Will the AMA’s support strengthen H.R. 3200? Read the post and see the results of the poll:

House Health Care Bill Endorsed by American Medical Association

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states and Canada through the Friendly Town Program or attend one of five Fresh Air Fund camps.

The Fresh Air Fund is currently looking for runners and sponsors to join their Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon on August 16th.

Last summer’s NYC Half-Marathon was a huge success and the Fresh Air Fund-Racers raised more than $125,000. Also needed are Friendly Town hosts for next month. Host families open their hearts and home to a NYC child who would not otherwise have the opportunity to escape the hot, crowded city streets.

Find out how you can participate in this year’s New York City Half-Marathon.

The Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee passed The Affordable Health Choices Act, a proposal for health care reform that requires shared responsibility — from government, insurance companies, medical providers, individuals, and employers.

Included in the bill is the hotly debated public option. Another key provision provides that no insurance company would be allowed to deny coverage for a pre-existing condition, nor would they be allowed to price those people out of the market. It would put an end to the practice of  arbitrary terminations of policies just when the need is greatest…

Photo credit: stock.xchng

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Senate HELP Committee Passes Affordable Health Choices Act

Do you drink bottled water because you believe it to be safer and healthier than tap water?

In our efforts to make informed decisions and take responsibility for our own health and well-being, it makes sense to take a hard look at one of our most basic health needs — safe drinking water.

Above and beyond the health issue, bottled water comes at a much higher price than does tap water, both economically and environmentally. That’s two strikes against bottled water. So is it really safer than tap water?

Photo Credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/serdal/ / CC BY 2.0

Bottled Water vs. Tap Water: Which is really safer?

In addition to contributing to Care2.com’s Reform Health Policy blog, I’m pleased to be joining Care2′s Healthy and Green Living section.

My first article is live and I invite you to visit me and the good folks of Care2, where conversation is never lacking.

It may seem so at first, but a life with MS is not necessarily a life out-of-control. As unpredictable and as debilitating as MS can be, there are some very basic things you can do to take control over this unwelcome intruder in your life.

Read this post in its entirety at Care2.com’s Healthy and Green Living:

Living with Multiple Sclerosis: 5 Steps Toward Empowerment

The controversy over Plan B is playing out in the courts, but what about other issues of conscience in health care?

Certainly we all want the right to make individual choices and the right to live by our own conscience, but when we get into the issue of health care, things get sticky. If our pharmacists have moral objections to other treatments that our doctors prescribe, will they be allowed to refuse to dispense them? Will they withhold information? How and when will we be made aware of our pharmacists’ objections to our prescribed treatment?

Photo credit: stock.xchng

Read this post in its entirety and answer the poll:

Should pharmacists be forced to dispense Plan B?

She’s looking for a boyfriend with benefits… health care benefits.

Boyfriend with Health Benefits