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February 28, 2005
"Die in Britain, survive in U.S."
This is a great article which demonstrates the dangers of a "single-payer" health system like what some are advocating for the United States. The hype sounds great, but here is the reality:
Among women with breast cancer, for example, there's a 46 percent chance of dying from it in Britain, versus a 25 percent chance in the United States. "Britain has one of worst survival rates in the advanced world," writes Bartholomew, "and America has the best."If you're a man diagnosed with prostate cancer, you have a 57 percent chance of it killing you in Britain. In the United States, the chance of dying drops to 19 percent. Again, reports Bartholomew, "Britain is at the bottom of the class and America is at the top."
...three-quarters of Americans who've had a heart attack are given beta-blocker drugs, compared to fewer than a third in Britain. Similarly, American patients are more likely than British patients to have a heart condition diagnosed with an angiogram, more likely to have an artery widened with angioplasty, and more likely to get back on their feet by way of a bypass.
...Britain has only half as many CT scanners per million people as the United States, and half as many MRI scanners. With lithotripsy units for treating kidney stones, the United States has more than seven times the availability per million of population than Britain.
..."In Britain, 36 percent of patients have to wait more than four months for non-emergency surgery. In the U.S., 5 percent do. In Britain, 40 percent of cancer patients do not see a cancer specialist."
...As a footnote on Canada, the average wait for a simple MRI is three months. In Manitoba, the median wait for neurosurgery is 15.2 months. For chemotherapy in Saskatchewan, patients can expect to be in line for 10 weeks. At last report, 10,000 breast cancer patients who waited an average of two months for post-operation radiation treatments have filed a class action lawsuit against Quebec's hospitals.
Posted by Dave at 06:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 16, 2005
Great News Coming
There has been a lot of great & interesting HD news in the last few days. I'll have it up shortly!
Posted by Dave at 06:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 10, 2005
HD Testing To Be Featured On TV Drama - 2/14
This also comes from HDSA and is great news...
Huntington’s Disease and story line on Everwood (WB network)
The WB network series, Everwood, recently introduced a character who is at risk for Huntington’s Disease. On Monday, February 14, the character will wrestle with whether she is ready to be tested for the HD gene.
Since the WB network is an independent network. Please consult your local television listings for the date, time and channel for this program. In the Northeast, the show will air on Monday, February 14 at 9 p.m. EST. HDSA will monitor the episode and will be in contact with the WB network should there be any inconsistencies to ensure that future episodes are accurate.
Please advise HDSA if you see any other television series that feature Huntington’s Disease so we can contact the production company and lend our assistance. HDSA is currently working with Crossing Jordan and Gray’s Anatomy (mid-season replacement).
You can contact HDSA at hdsainfo@hdsa.org.
Posted by Dave at 06:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 09, 2005
HDSA Call To Arms - Genetic Discrimination
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED ON GENETIC NONDISCRIMINATION ACT:
HDSA ADVOCATES! WE NEED YOUR HELP!
As you know the U.S. Senate passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (S.1053) in November 2003 but it did not reach the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. Instead, the legislation remained locked in committee and died at the end of the 2004 session. The Senate however views genetic discrimination as an important issue and is once again bringing a bill to the floor for a vote. This NEW bill, S.306, contains much of the original language of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.
Please contact your two US Senators today and let them know that you want their support on this important piece of legislation. Below is a sample letter that you can email or fax to each of your Senators. You can use HDSA’s internet based tool – E constituent – to write directly to your Senators. Just go to www.hdsa.org, click on “advocacy” and then “write to congress”. Select www.senate.gov and enter your zip code. The names of your Senators will appear and you can then link to their web site where they will provide instructions for emailing, faxing, mailing or phoning your message.
Please send your US Senator the following message today:
Dear Senator:
Swift passage of the new Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (S.306) is essential if we are to protect the rights of millions of Americans from genetic discrimination by health insurance carriers and employers.
As a registered voter, I urge you to take a leadership position in this important piece of legislation and move it quickly to the floor of the Senate for a vote. As a member of the Huntington’s Disease community, I also urge you to personally support its passage. No other piece of legislation directly addresses the issue of genetic discrimination.
I applaud the U.S. Senate for recognizing the importance of continuing the battle to enact the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (S.306) and I thank you for voting for the prior bill (S.1063) which did not reach the floor of the House for a vote in 2004.
Sincerely,
Your Name
You can contact Rep. Joe Barton in the following ways:
Writing: 2109 Rayburn Bld, Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-2002
Fax: 202-225-3052
Email: go to HDSA national web site at www.hdsa.org. Click on “Advocacy” and then “Write to your Congressman.” Select www.house.gov and then follow directions to access the home page for Rep. Barton. You can email Rep. Barton directly from this site. Simply copy and paste the message above and be sure to add your name.
Time is of the essence. Please act before February 16th when Rep. Barton takes over as the Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Let him know how important this issue is to you today!
Posted by Dave at 06:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 04, 2005
Curry - It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore
I was just kidding about the 'breakfast' part, but Jean Miller sends this piece she found from the UCLA newspaper on curry and Huntington's Disease. The upshot...curry seems to helpful in protecting the brains of those with Huntington's Disease.
I haven't seen the amounts that were used in the study...but if you're eating out tonight - Why not go for Indian food? A clip from the article:
et in another separate study, Marie-Francoise Chesselet, chair of the department of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine and Miriam Hickey, a postgraduate researcher, is studying the effects of curcumin on Huntington's Disease.Huntington's Disease is characterized by an abnormal genetic mechanism which results in accumulation of the Huntington protein similar to the build-up of beta amyloids in Alzheimer's Disease.
"We found that if we give curcumin to mice they will have less aggregate in their brains, but we don't know yet if that will improve symptoms," Chesselet said.
Since curcumin acts as an antioxidant, it can be additionally beneficial to those with Huntington's Disease.
"It is also safe because people can ingest a lot of curcumin and it's not bad for them," Chesselet said.
"The advantage is that it can be given in the food without being injected," she added.
Posted by Dave at 06:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 03, 2005
Beating Death
A sad story from the Jackson Sun:
Clarksville: Teen to be tried as adult in beating deathA teenager accused of taking part in the beating death of a disabled man will be tried as an adult.
Jervion Shante Akins, 16, faces one count of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated burglary in the July slaying of Shane Crossley. His case was bound over from juvenile court in December, and he was formally charged Tuesday.
Wayne Lee Pierce II, 31, and Ramone Pierre Gholston, 18, were indicted on felony murder and aggravated burglary charged in October. They also were arraigned on those charges Tuesday.
According to warrants and court documents, Crossley - who suffered from Huntington's disease, a genetic disorder that impairs speech and physical abilities - was asleep when the three suspects entered his home. He later woke up and went outside yelling at them.
Pierce, Gholston and Akins beat Crossley on the head and body with a chair, police said. Crossley then went back inside his home, where he died from his injuries.
Posted by Dave at 07:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack