British woman sleeps for weeks at a time

Jul 14, 2011 Posted Under: Health Vocabulary

The media described 17-year-old Louisa Ball of Worthing, England, as the present day ”Sleeping Beauty” following a disorder which had made her sleep for a week every month. Her long hours of sleep saw her missing weeks of school and dance classes. According to ABC News, Louisa was diagnosed with Kleine-Levin Syndrome KLS, an incurable autoimmune disorder that is said to disrupt the region of the brain that controls appetite, sleep and libido. “I missed my end-of-school exams, obviously, because I was in an episode,” ABC quoted her as saying. Read full post…

Study: No Health Risks At Samsung Factories

Jul 14, 2011 Posted Under: Health Vocabulary

SEOUL (CNN) — A health study on the working conditions at Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor factories concluded Thursday that there are no health risks posed at South Korean workers, disappointing former employees battling the electronics giant and government agencies for compensation.

The Samsung-commissioned study, conducted by U.S.-based firm Environ, concluded there is no scientific link to the diagnosis of leukemia of several ex-plant workers, but failed to immediately release data backing the conclusion, citing sensitivity over trade secrets.

“We will consider releasing data excluding trade secrets,” Kwon Oh-hyun, President of Samsung Electronics Device Solutions, said at a news conference.

Former Samsung plant workers and bereaved family members have been fighting for work injury compensation since 2009 and believe the substances used for manufacturing semiconductor parts has led to leukemia and rare forms of cancer.

Supporters of the former employees questioned the validity of the report.

“They have not addressed any of the controversial issues and continued to lay out abstract answers. Read full post…

Cigarette taxes reduce smoking, but not with everyone: Study

Jul 14, 2011 Posted Under: Health Care Solutions

  

Higher cigarette taxes in recent years have helped reduce smoking in Canada, but not so much among certain groups, prompting researchers to warn against leaning too heavily on tax policy as a tactic for reducing smoking.

A study, conducted by economists at Concordia University in Montreal, showed that for every 10 per cent increase in cigarette taxes between 1998 and 2008, there was a 2.3 per cent overall reduction in people smoking, which in itself, was deemed significant.

But the results haven’t been significant within certain socioeconomic or age groups, such as those aged 25 to 44 and people with higher incomes.

“Some people are not going to respond to these taxes,” said Mesbah Sharaf, a PhD candidate at Concordia and co-author of the report, which was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. “

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It’s not an advocate’s job to save a patient’s life

Jul 13, 2011 Posted Under: Health Care Solutions

One of “our” patients someone whose hand we have held, who we have protected from problems in the hospital, who depended on our advocacy expertise as a way to make the rough road through disease and debilitation smoother. A patient we had built a comfortable and friendly relationship with, a patient we invested ourselves and our work in

That patient dies.

And we feel like we have failed.

It’s the nature of advocacy work that patients don’t come looking for us until they have been diagnosed with something that will, perhaps, eventually end their lives.  That’s why they seek our help.  They are fearful, they don’t understand the overwhelming amount of information they are expected to immediately comprehend. They have dec

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Do tea, coffee drinkers have lower ‘superbug’ risk?

Jul 13, 2011 Posted Under: Health Vocabulary

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People who regularly drink tea or coffee may be less likely to carry the antibiotic-resistant “superbug” MRSA in their nostrils, a new study suggests. Researchers found that of more than 5,500 Americans in a government study, those who drank hot tea or coffee were about half as likely as non-drinkers to harbor MRSA bacteria in their nostrils. Read full post…

If You KNEW This Was Your Last Infertile Day …

Jul 13, 2011 Posted Under: Health Posts

To read more of Lori Shandle-Fox’s Trust Me: Laughing IS Conceivable blogs,

I mean if you absolutely KNEW with 100 percent certainty that you were going to be pregnant tomorrow and all of your infertility woes would be over forever, what would you do?

(It’s my version of either:

“What would you do if you knew you only had a week to live?” OR:

“What would you do for a Klondike bar?”)

I know a lot of women would probably thank GD first and then their fertility doctors.

I would do the same. I would certainly thank my fertility doctors.

Read full post…

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