MS Maze » Health Care Policy http://www.msmaze.com A Guide Through the Maze of Multiple Sclerosis and Health Policy Issues Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:30:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Accused Killer Who Botched His Own Suicide Gets Liver Transplant http://www.msmaze.com/links/accused-killer-who-botched-his-own-suicide-gets-liver-transplant/ http://www.msmaze.com/links/accused-killer-who-botched-his-own-suicide-gets-liver-transplant/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:00:52 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2724 He’s accused of stabbing his wife to death, then attempting suicide by ingesting rat poison, and he’s just received a liver transplant.

MSNBC reports that 42-year old Johnny Concepcion received his new liver at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York. His 36 year-old wife was stabbed at least 15 times after the pair separated and she won custody of their three children. Witnesses identified him as the man they saw leaving the scene.

Read the post and the updated information:

Accused Killer Who Botched His Own Suicide Gets Liver Transplant

Photo courtesy of photoxpress.com and Pete Linforth

]]> http://www.msmaze.com/links/accused-killer-who-botched-his-own-suicide-gets-liver-transplant/feed/ 0 They Want to Suck Your Blood: Not Vampires, but Bed Bugs http://www.msmaze.com/links/they-want-to-suck-your-blood-not-vampires-but-bed-bugs/ http://www.msmaze.com/links/they-want-to-suck-your-blood-not-vampires-but-bed-bugs/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:17:04 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2717 “Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” is more than a cute expression. The little blood suckers are making a comeback and causing problems all across the United States.

Calls to exterminators about bed bugs are up 57 percent in the last five years. A study by the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky found that bed bug populations have increased by 500 percent in the past few years.

This National Geographic video just might get your skin crawling…

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They Want to Suck Your Blood: Not Vampires, but Bed Bugs

Photo from U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Photographer: Piotr Naskrecki

]]> http://www.msmaze.com/links/they-want-to-suck-your-blood-not-vampires-but-bed-bugs/feed/ 0 New VBAC Guidelines: Information and Choice for Women http://www.msmaze.com/links/new-vbac-guidelines-information-and-choice-for-women/ http://www.msmaze.com/links/new-vbac-guidelines-information-and-choice-for-women/#comments Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:00:06 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2713 Restrictive policies regarding vaginal delivery after a cesarean (VBAC) should not be used to force women to undergo a repeat cesarean delivery against their will.

The new guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) say that VBAC is a safe choice for most women with a low-transverse incision.

But will the guidelines result in increased access to VBAC?

Read this post and check out the poll:

New VBAC Guidelines: Information and Choice for Women

Photo courtesy photoXpress.com

]]> http://www.msmaze.com/links/new-vbac-guidelines-information-and-choice-for-women/feed/ 0 So Who Wants Your Cord Blood? http://www.msmaze.com/links/so-who-wants-your-cord-blood/ http://www.msmaze.com/links/so-who-wants-your-cord-blood/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:00:20 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2699 The miracle of birth can also save a life. Did you know that moms and newborns can help critically ill people by donating cord blood?

Read this post in its entirety (includes poll and “Babies are Amazing” video):

So Who Wants Your Cord Blood?

Photo courtesy of photoxpress.com

]]> http://www.msmaze.com/links/so-who-wants-your-cord-blood/feed/ 0 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Wear High Heels and 2 Reasons You Probably Will http://www.msmaze.com/links/5-reasons-you-shouldnt-wear-high-heels-and-2-reasons-you-probably-will/ http://www.msmaze.com/links/5-reasons-you-shouldnt-wear-high-heels-and-2-reasons-you-probably-will/#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:00:36 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2675 If you wear high heels on a regular basis, you’re probably familiar with the strange and uncomfortable feeling that comes with wearing flats or going barefoot. It can be downright painful.

Now we know what causes that feeling. A British study reveals that wearing high heels on a daily basis results in stiffer Achilles tendons and calf muscles that are about 13 percent shorter than normal.

Read this post in its entirety:

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Wear High Heels and 2 Reasons You Probably Will

Photo used under Creative Commons License via Flickr with thanks to d u y g u

]]> http://www.msmaze.com/links/5-reasons-you-shouldnt-wear-high-heels-and-2-reasons-you-probably-will/feed/ 0 Six Months After the Quake: Haiti Needs All the Help it Can Get http://www.msmaze.com/links/six-months-after-the-quake-haiti-needs-all-the-help-it-can-get/ http://www.msmaze.com/links/six-months-after-the-quake-haiti-needs-all-the-help-it-can-get/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:43 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2653 Six months after a devastating earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and left 1.3 million homeless, Haiti’s lack of infrastructure and leadership continues to impede efforts to rebuild.

Basic living conditions — access to shelter, water, sanitation, and health care — have yet to be restored for many Haitians, and much of the rubble remains unmoved.

Find out what’s being done right now for the people of Haiti. Read this post in its entirety:

Six Months After the Quake: Haiti Needs All the Help it Can Get

Image used under Creative Commons License via Flickr with thanks to Edyta.Materka

]]> http://www.msmaze.com/links/six-months-after-the-quake-haiti-needs-all-the-help-it-can-get/feed/ 0 A Synthetic Marijuana Called Spice http://www.msmaze.com/links/a-synthetic-marijuana-called-spice/ http://www.msmaze.com/links/a-synthetic-marijuana-called-spice/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:59:49 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2648 Spice is the generic name for a so-called “synthetic marijuana” or “fake pot.” In most states and in the District of Columbia, it is perfectly legal to buy and sell spice which, when smoked, can produce a marijuana-like high.

The popularity of spice has caught the attention of lawmakers in several states. What does spice’s originator have to say about it?

Read the article in its entirety and check out the poll:

A Synthetic Marijuana Called Spice

Image from PhotoXpress.com

]]> http://www.msmaze.com/links/a-synthetic-marijuana-called-spice/feed/ 0 Aspartame’s Sickeningly Sweet Controversy http://www.msmaze.com/links/aspartames-sickeningly-sweet-controversy/ http://www.msmaze.com/links/aspartames-sickeningly-sweet-controversy/#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:33:54 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2637 If you want to get a good discussion going on a controversial subject, just say the word “aspartame.”

Read this post in its entirety and check out the poll:

Aspartame’s Sickeningly Sweet Controversy

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/963640

]]> http://www.msmaze.com/links/aspartames-sickeningly-sweet-controversy/feed/ 0 We’re Havin’ a Heat Wave… 7 Tips to Avoid Heat Stroke http://www.msmaze.com/symptoms/were-havin-a-heat-wave-7-tips-to-avoid-heat-stroke/ http://www.msmaze.com/symptoms/were-havin-a-heat-wave-7-tips-to-avoid-heat-stroke/#comments Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2633 The summer of 2010 began with a sweltering heat wave in much of the U.S., with temperatures hitting triple digits, coupled with high humidity.

Young children, the elderly, and people with serious health conditions are at particular risk of heat stroke. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), heat-related illness occurs when your body cannot properly cool itself by sweating. Very high body temperatures can damage the brain and other vital organs. Risk factors include age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use.

At least one person on the east coast has died due to excessive heat exposure this month.

How to avoid heat-related illness…

Read this post in its entirety:

We’re Havin’ a Heat Wave… 7 Tips to Avoid Heat Stroke

Related Reading: Surviving Summer with Multiple Sclerosis

Photo: CDC

]]> http://www.msmaze.com/symptoms/were-havin-a-heat-wave-7-tips-to-avoid-heat-stroke/feed/ 0 3 Danger Zones on the Bridge to Health Care Reform http://www.msmaze.com/links/3-danger-zones-on-the-bridge-to-health-care-reform/ http://www.msmaze.com/links/3-danger-zones-on-the-bridge-to-health-care-reform/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 23:04:37 +0000 Ann Pietrangelo http://www.msmaze.com/?p=2619 As we attempt to cross the bridge to health care reform, we’ve got to watch our footing.

People with pre-existing conditions were a main focus of the legislation, but millions of us will have to wait until 2014 for even the slightest relief.

Read this post in its entirety:

3 Danger Zones on the Bridge to Health Care Reform

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/896851

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