Showing posts with label black doctors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black doctors. Show all posts

Sunday, March 14, 2010

The latest in African American Health - 3/15/10


  • Obama delays Asia trip to deal with health care

    Obama delays Asia trip to deal with health care

    By theGrio

    10:06 AM on 03/12/2010

    WASHINGTON (AP) - President Obama has delayed his first international trip of the year to focus attention on the final push to salvage his health care legislation...

    > READ MORE

  • Too many Tigers, not enough Trojans

    Too many Tigers, not enough Trojans

    By Dr. Janet Taylor

    7:05 AM on 03/12/2010

    OPINION - What's notable is reportedly not only did Woods not wear a condom, but his partner's didn't insist upon it...

    > READ MORE

  • How black women can combat genital herpes crisis

    How black women can combat genital herpes crisis

    By Dr. Janet Taylor

    10:42 AM on 03/11/2010

    OPINION - According the Center for Disease Control nearly half of all African-American women are infected with the HSV-2 virus...

    > READ MORE

  • New studies reveal the urgency of first lady's obesity fight

    New studies reveal the urgency of first lady's obesity fight

    By Janice K. Bryant

    8:44 AM on 03/10/2010

    Risk factors leading to higher rates of obesity begin as early as pregnancy, especially among African-American and Hispanic children...

    > READ MORE

  • Alzheimer's cases rising among blacks, Hispanics

    Alzheimer's cases rising among blacks, Hispanics

    By theGrio

    5:07 PM on 03/09/2010

    VIDEO - It's an increase in Alzheimer's cases at a time when heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer deaths are all going down...

    > READ MORE

  • 10-year-old becomes health care reform lobbyist

    10-year-old becomes health care reform lobbyist

    By theGrio

    3:44 PM on 03/09/2010

    VIDEO - Marcelas Owens has been campaigning for changes in the health care system since his mother died after she fell ill and lost her job and her insurance...

    > READ MORE




  • Saturday, February 27, 2010

    Black News: Shortage of Doctors?

    By Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

    I did an appearance last night on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss the issue of Health care reform. This has been heavy on the mind of our president for his entire first year in office and has led to quite a few political battles on Capitol Hill. Health care is in serious jeopardy, as the cost of entitlement programs such as Medicaid/Medicare and Social Security threaten our nation's economic security. Our national debt has risen to unprecedented and frightening levels, and our politicians have little incentive to do anything about it.
    One additional problem that we are running into on the issue of health care is the fact that our nation doesn't have enough Primary Care physicians. These doctors are incredibly important, since they are the first line of defense against illness in America.
    Over the next 10 years, our nation is expected to have a shortfall of 40,000 Primary Care doctors. By 2025, that number is expected to balloon to over 120,000. To make matters worse, our population is aging, implying that there will be a greater demand for these doctors in the future.

    Click to read.

    Sunday, February 14, 2010

    The Latest in African American Health – 2/14/10


  • First lady launches 'Let's Move' effort against childhood obesity

    First lady launches 'Let's Move' effort against childhood obesity

    By theGrio

    9:35 AM on 02/09/2010

    WASHINGTON (AP) - Michelle Obama says she loves burgers and fries, but she wants her daughters -- and the rest of America's children -- to learn about better nutrition...

    > MORE

  • Bad malaria pills in Africa raise resistance fears

    Bad malaria pills in Africa raise resistance fears

    By theGrio

    10:06 AM on 02/08/2010

    High rates of the most effective type of malaria-fighting drugs sold in three African countries are poor quality...

    > MORE

  • Denver boy, 9, died after state-benefits error denied him asthma medication

    By theGrio

    5:04 PM on 02/04/2010

    A Montbello mother says her 9-year-old son's death from severe asthma could have been prevented had Denver Human Services resolved problems with his Medicaid pharmacy benefits...

    > MORE

  • Among black girls, challenges of fighting obesity go beyond diet

    Among black girls, challenges of fighting obesity go beyond diet

    By theGrio

    9:02 AM on 02/01/2010

    CHICAGO (AP) - Like nearly one-third of American teens, Paris Woods is overweight. Her doctor worries her weight will creep up into the obesity range. One out of four black girls her age is obese.

    > MORE

  • Obese African-Americans at higher risk of stroke

    By theGrio

    11:21 AM on 01/22/2010

    Obesity raises the risk of stroke regardless of race or sex, according to a new study that is one of the first to show a link between obesity and stroke risk in blacks...

    > MORE

  • Cancer victim sheds light on bone marrow donor crisis

    Cancer victim sheds light on bone marrow donor crisis

    By Todd Johnson

    1:07 PM on 01/13/2010

    VIDEO - Seun Adebiyi is proud of his many accomplishments -- graduating from Yale Law School, working for Goldman Sachs and even training for the 2014 Winter Olympics...

    > MORE

  • Hepatitis B and C often ignored as health threat to blacks

    Hepatitis B and C often ignored as health threat to blacks

    By theGrio

    12:26 PM on 01/11/2010

    WASHINGTON (AP) - They're the overlooked viruses: Hepatitis B and C together infect three to five times more Americans than the AIDS virus does, and most don't know it...

    > MORE

  • KFC pulls Australian ad over US racism complaints

    KFC pulls Australian ad over US racism complaints

    By theGrio

    11:51 AM on 01/08/2010

    CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Fast food giant KFC has pulled an Australian television advertisement after it was branded racist in the United States...

    > MORE

  • 7 ways to keep your resolution to work out

    7 ways to keep your resolution to work out

    By Dr. Jeff Gardere

    8:18 AM on 01/05/2010

    OPINION - There are many strategies and techniques to following through on your resolution of joining and actually working out in the gym on a long-term and regular basis.

    > MORE

  • Tiny newborn girl may break world record

    Tiny newborn girl may break world record

    By theGrio

    9:29 AM on 12/22/2009

    VIDEO - A little girl born in Mobile, Alabama may be the world's tiniest baby...

    > MORE

  • NBA star's wife uses baby to exercise

    NBA star's wife uses baby to exercise

    By theGrio

    11:19 AM on 12/11/2009

    VIDEO - Jamison knows a little something about shedding baby weight. The wife of the Washington Wizards superstar gave birth to her third child, Rucker King...

    > MORE

  • Dr. Fleming lives with sickle cell disease and no boundaries

    Dr. Fleming lives with sickle cell disease and no boundaries

    By theGrio

    1:14 PM on 12/10/2009

    VIDEO - Dr. Lester Fleming is learning to be a pilot --something he once thought would never be possible. Fleming was born with sickle cell disease, a red blood cell deficiency...

    > MORE

  • Thursday, February 11, 2010

    Dr. Conrad Murray Still has Patients Who Love Him

    One involuntary manslaughter charge later ... and Dr. Conrad Murray's patients in Las Vegas still can't wait to put their lives in his hands.
    One of his patients -- Marietta Lewis -- claims Dr. Murray is responsible for saving her life, and she told us, "I made sure to call and have my name added to his patient wait list, so that when he comes back, I will still be under his care."
    Well he's back ... Dr. Murray was photographed going into his Las Vegas office yesterday, just two days after he was freed on $75,000 bail.


    Click to read.

    Thursday, November 19, 2009

    Your Black Health: Depression Hits the Black Community Hard

     

     Medicine on Call with Dr. Elaina George 

    Dr George and Delores Jones, a correspondent for AOL speak about dealing with depression and change through inspiration and spirituality. 

    Click here to listen!

    Thursday, November 12, 2009

    Dr. Elaina George Critiques the Healthcare Bill Passed by Congress

    By

    Dr. Elaina George, MD

    The health care reform bill (HR 3962) that just passed the House of Representatives is bad on so many levels it is difficult explain. As it stands, it will destroy both the doctor patient relationship and change the practice of medicine as we know it.

    We have one of the finest health care systems in the world. It has been built on a foundation of choice. Doctors were free to choose the care that they deemed necessary to treat their patients, and patients were free to seek the medical care of their choice. Initially, the foundation was shaken by the rise of the managed care system with capitation. However, over the past 10 years, capitated plans which limit access to specialists have given way to the rise in power of insurance companies. They have used their anti-trust exemption to craft a system that has used monopoly to increase profits on the backs of both doctors and patients.

    Click to read.

    Saturday, October 24, 2009

    Barack Obama Declares National Emergency for Swine Flu

    Hundreds of residents line up for free H1N1 vaccinations Friday at an Encino, California, clinic.

    President Obama has declared a national emergency to deal with the "rapid increase in illness" from the H1N1 influenza virus.

    "The 2009 H1N1 pandemic continues to evolve. The rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many communities across the nation, and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources in some localities," Obama said in a statement.

    "Thus, in recognition of the continuing progression of the pandemic, and in further preparation as a nation, we are taking additional steps to facilitate our response."

    The president signed the declaration late Friday and announced it Saturday.

    Calling the emergency declaration "an important tool in our kit going forward," one administration official called Obama's action

    Click to read.

    Sunday, October 11, 2009

    Black Health News: Americans Struggle with the High Cost of Health Insurance

    "The high cost of each premium and the high deductible a person or family must pay per year is my biggest complaint against health insurers."

    "For example, I pay around $300 a month for my wife and me for basic coverage, and pay a deductible of $750 each every year, not to mention a co-pay of $15 to $20 at the window."

    "My yearly income is around $32,000 a year. Very little is left for goodies. Meanwhile, a doctor takes in $80 to $120 a visit that lasts 15 to 20 minutes. Imagine how much he makes a day, a week, a month, a year. Plenty of goodies here."

     

    Click to read.

    76 Children Die from Swine Flu in the US

    Vanessa Chan, 6, of Boston, receives an intranasal H1N1 vaccine ...

    From Yahoo News

    Health officials said Friday that 76 U.S. children have died of swine flu, including 19 new reports in the past week — more evidence the new virus is unusually dangerous for the young.

    The regular flu kills between 46 and 88 children a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That suggests deaths from the new H1N1 virus could dramatically outpace children's deaths from seasonal flu, if swine flu continues to spread as it has.

    CDC officials say 10 more states, a total of 37, now have widespread swine flu. A week ago, reports suggested that cases might be leveling off and even falling in some areas of the country, but that did not turn out to be an enduring national trend.

    "We are seeing more illness, more hospitalizations, and more deaths," the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat said at a press conference Friday.

    The new virus, first identified in April, is a global epidemic. The CDCdoesn't have an exact count of all swine flu deaths and hospitalizations, but existing reports suggest more than 600 have died and more than 9,000 have been hospitalized. Health officials believe millions of Americans have caught the virus.

    The virus is hitting young people harder. Experts believe older people are suffering from it less, perhaps because they have a bit of immunity from exposure over the years to somewhat similar viruses.

     

    Click to read.

    Visit Your Black World

    Friday, October 9, 2009

    A Doctor Says She Won’t Be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccine

    by Dr. Elaina George, Your Black World 

    I have had several patients ask me whether or not they should get the swine flu (H1N1) vaccine. My response has been the same. I will not be getting the vaccine because I don’t think it is safe.

    I am an MD who was trained to practice medicine the old fashioned way. My education was based on understanding and treating disease. As a surgeon, I was taught that in some cases surgical correction is the most efficient and expedient way to fix a problem or cure a disease. In short, I have a healthy respect for the standard medical care that is practiced in this country.

    However, over the past 10 years since I have been in practice, I have seen a disturbing trend that has become increasingly more common. Although we have the most advanced medical system in the world, the best trained physicians, and access to new and ever evolving medications, we as a nation and particularly the minority population are getting sicker at a younger age, and our quality of life is suffering. There are more people suffering from depression, anxiety, and learning disabilities than at any time in our history. Unfortunately, we have learned to manage diseases by taking a pill everyday instead of doing what it takes to prevent the illness in the first place. It is past time to look to good nutrition and prevention as a means of preventing and curing chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and some cancers which have risen to epidemic levels.

    When I made the personal decision to ask questions about the Swine flu vaccine, the answers that I discovered contradicted the mantra that has been championed by the media, government officials, and the vaccine manufacturers. What we are being told simply does not make any sense. The most important question that I have learned to ask (from the politics of healthcare to every other facet of our society that affects us as individuals) is - who stands to gain?

    I will not be getting the swine flu vaccine because:

    1. The vaccine makers have been given immunity from being sued for any bad outcome

    After the deaths and injuries associated with the Swine flu vaccination campaign in 1976, the vaccine manufacturers lost billions of dollars in civil suits. That cannot happen this time around. Congress has since passed two bills that shield vaccine makers from civil suits. The first in 1986 protects vaccine makers from civil suits filed by people who have been injured by a vaccine due to ‘unavoidable side effects’. In 2006 another iteration of the shield law (The Epidemic Preparedness Act) was passed as part of the Patriot Act and extends the shield to include protection if the drug maker has ‘no willful knowledge’ that a vaccine may cause injury. In short, a maker of the Swine flu vaccine simply has to say they didn’t know the vaccine was going to cause harm then they cannot be sued. This won’t be hard to do since they have not fully tested the vaccine.

    1. There are many ingredients in vaccines called adjuvants that are put in to stimulate the immune response

    Click to read.

    Monday, October 5, 2009

    Dr. George Advice: What to Ask Before Taking that Swine Flu Vaccine

    Dr. Elaina George, MD, Your Black World Medical Contributor

    With the H1N1 swine flu virus vaccine becoming available this month, there is a big push to vaccinate as many people as possible. However, whether

    or not you decide to take the vaccine, there are important questions you should ask your doctor or other health practitioner to make sure it is the right choice for you and your family.

    1. Does the Vaccine contain additives such as mercury or squaline?

    Additives called adjuvants like mercury (thiamerisol) are added to inhibit bacterial contamination. However, some studies have

    implicated mercury as a cause of autism and squaline as a cause of neurological damage respectively.

    2. How can I avoid getting a vaccine that contains mercury?

    Ask to receive your vaccine from a single dose vial. Unlike the multiple dose vials which contain thiamerisol, the single dose

    vials do not contain that additive.

    Click to read.

    Sunday, September 27, 2009

    Health News: 5 Things You can Do to Stay Healthy

    by Dr Elaina George, MD

    Instead of waiting for the outcome of the healthcare debate to decide your fate, use some simple common sense strategies to take back the power to control your own health.

    1. Start exercising

    An increase in activity of as little as 20 minutes 3 times a week can make a difference in your risk of heart disease,

    diabetes and obesity. You don’t have to get fancy with a gym membership. Try taking the stairs at work instead of the

    elevator, or park further from the entrance when you go to the market or mall.

    2. Eat Smaller portions

    You may not want to give up your junk food or fried food, but try to limit your portions. Instead of buying a six pack

    of soda, buy a two liter bottle. You can better control the portions along with your intake of calories.

    3. Drink more water

    The average person should be drinking 1 ounce per kilogram of his/her weight in water per day. (1 lb = 2.2kg).

    Studies have shown that people eat more when they are dehydrated because the signals in the body can confuse

    hunger with thirst. If you are hungry, try drinking an 8-12 oz glass of water before you decide to eat that snack.

    Click to read more.

    Friday, September 25, 2009

    Health News: First Swine Flu Vaccines Set to Arrive Oct 5

    USA Today

    U.S. health officials say the first swine flu vaccine should be in some doctors' offices as early as Oct. 5. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the U.S. vaccine shipments will go directly to doctors, clinics and other providers designated by each state.

    States are expected to begin ordering their share of the nation's H1N1 flu vaccine on Wednesday, said Paul Jarris, executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. That day, the CDC brings its secure ordering site online.

    Distribution will start with 6 million to 7 million doses of the nasal spray vaccine, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday. Forty million doses of injectable vaccine are due to arrive soon after, with another 10 million to 20 million doses due weekly.

     

    Click to read.

    Saturday, September 19, 2009

    Political Scientists Break Down Healthcare Reform

    Your Black World 

    Listen up as Dr. Wilmer Leon speaks with Dr. Pearl Ford about President Obama’s Healthcare Reform Plan.  Click here to listen to the latest exciting episode!

    Both are graduates of Howard University’s Political Science Program

    Friday, September 18, 2009

    Obama Says Race Doesn’t Matter in Healthcare Fight

    from CNN, Your Black World 

    President Barack Obama said Friday that angry criticisms about his health care agenda are driven by an intense debate over the proper role of government — and not by racism.

    "Are there people out there who don't like me because of race? I'm sure there are," Obama told CNN. "That's not the overriding issue here."

    The nation's first black president spoke about the issue of race during a battery of interviews on Friday. In a media blitz aimed at pounding home his health care message, he taped interviews with ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Univision to be shown during the networks' Sunday morning talk shows.

    Some excerpts aired during Friday night broadcasts.

    Time and again, Obama was asked about whether the tenor of thehealth care debate turned nasty because of undercurrents in racism.Former President Jimmy Carter raised the point prominently this week when he said the vitriol was racially motivated.

    Click to read.

    Black Health News: The 6 Things You Need To Know Before You Take The Swine Flu Vaccine

    by Dr. Elaina George, Your Black World 

    Although the Swine flu virus has been identified in over 70 countries, it has not been as deadly as expected

    • The world wide number of swine flu cases currently is 209,500 with 2,185 deaths

    The common flu is more deadly

    • In the US there have been 40,000 cases identified with 1,876 deaths. This is quite low when you compare the death rate to the typical flu virus which kills over 30,000 people per year.

    Most cases of Swine flu have been mild

    • Most people have had mild self-limited symptoms that resolve without any medical intervention.

    Click to Read.

    Thursday, September 17, 2009

    Health News: Using a Tooth to Restore Vision?

    image 

    from the Black Doctors Blog

    Doctors in Miami announced Wednesday that they had performed a vision-restoring surgery that used the 60-year-old patient's tooth.

    The surgery, the first in the USA, was performed Labor Day weekend at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Afterward, patient Sharron Thornton was able to see for the first time in nine years. "Sharron was able to see 20/60 this morning. She was seeing only shadows a couple of weeks ago," says ophthalmologist and surgeon Victor Perez.

    Thornton was blinded in 2000 by a reaction to a drug she was taking, which damaged her cornea. Perez likened Thornton's cornea to a dirty car windshield. He says her eye surface was too dry for a corneal implant, a standard treatment.

    Click to read.

    Wednesday, September 16, 2009

    Health News: Should You Divorce just to pay Medical Bills? This Couple Did

    image

    News from The Huffington Post

    For Mary McCurnin and husband Ron Bednar, money trouble has followed health trouble. In 2003, the couple declared bankruptcy after their insurance covered only 10 percent of treatment costs for her breast cancer and his intestinal bleeding. In 2004, McCurnin's breast cancer returned, and Bednar underwent open heart surgery.

    Now, after repeatedly refinancing their house to pay medical bills and living expenses, they're broke. To improve their chances of growing old together, they've filed for divorce.

    "It occurred to me that I could get my first husband's Social Security," said McCurnin. Her first husband, to whom she'd been married 20 years, died in 1989. When she turns 60 in November, McCurnin said she will be eligible for $1,200 in monthly survivor's benefits from the previous marriage. As the Social Security Administration told her, she can't have the survivor benefit if she's married to someone else.

    Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/16/loving-couple-divorces-to_n_287094.html

    Black Health News: What’s Wrong with Healthcare? Listen Up!

     

    image

    In this episode of Medicine on Call, Dr. Elaina George interviews Jason Rosenbaum from The Seminal, a healthcare publication.  What is wrong with healthcare?  What is the state of healthcare reform?  What are the goals for healthcare?

     

    Click here to listen!

    Monday, September 14, 2009

    Black Health News: President’s Speech Doesn’t Boost Him in the Polls

    image

    President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress last week didn't provide much of a boost to his job approval rating, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday shows. The nationwide survey pegs his approval at 54%, precisely where it was in two USA TODAY polls in August.

    (A separate, daily poll by Gallup showed Obama's approval dipping as low as 50% last month.)

    USA TODAY's Susan Page reports that 43% disapprove of the job he's doing, a tick up from the August polls and a new high in the 14 surveys we've taken since the inauguration in January.

    That's not to say Rep. Joe Wilson, the South Carolina Republican who heckled the president during his speech, fares well. Two-thirds of those polled, 68%, say they oppose what the congressman did, and about one in four (23%) say they're "outraged" by it. (That group included 41% of Democrats and 8% of Republicans.)

     

    Click to read.