July 18th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged that they had diverted millions of dollars, allocated by Congress, for research of chronic fatigue syndrome, to other research programs. Recently, the CDC released controversial studies that link CFS to to genetic mutations and abnormalities in key physiological processes. The CDC is also sponsoring [...]
July 18th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
The good news is that the FDA has given approval for Ziconotide, a venom derived from ocean snails, and marketed under the tradename, Prialt. It is not an opiate and cannot replace opiate pain medications. Its use can be stopped suddenly without experiencing withdrawal effects. The bad news is that Prialt may cause serious mental [...]
July 18th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
President Bush has vowed to veto a bipartisan plan to extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program to include coverage for 4.1 million non-poor children who are currently uninsured. The cost would about double the total current expense, over a 5-year period, to a total of about $75 billion.
July 18th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
The Journal of Neuroscience, November 22, 2006, reports a connection between specific brain regions and chronic back pain. Pain is a way for an organism to enhance their chance for survival. They will either escape the source of pain or protect the injured body part. The question is what role does chronic pain have in [...]
July 17th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
The mystical leap between the brain and chronic pain conditions remains speculative, according to this November 17, 2004, article in the Journal of Neuroscience. A study of 26 chronic back pain patients (CBP), and an equal number of control subjects, showed a 5-11% loss of neocortical gray matter volume than the control group. A 5-11% [...]
July 17th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
Recent headlines report that a $9 million award was given to 52-year-old Patsy Bates. She had begun chemotherapy for breast cancer after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor. Her insurance company, Health Net, pulled the plug on her coverage half-way through treatment leaving her doctors no choice but to stop chemotherapy. At the root of Health Net’s [...]
July 16th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
John McIndoe, 76, makes a daily 24 mile round trip to visit his Alzheimer’s affected wife. McIndoe lives in England, but his story plays out for others worldwide. Besides seeing his wife mentally decline it has been a frustrating experience getting her the health-care that she needs. What frustrated McIndoe was how England’s National Healthcare [...]
July 15th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
University of Toronto’s Dr. Min Zhuo, reports in the July 18th, Journal of Neuroscience, that there appears to be a connection between chronic pain and a patient’s ability to concentrate. Zhuo injected a hind-paw of a mouse to study the spinal column activity to the area of the brain known to be involved in chronic [...]
July 14th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
In a Science News summary of a July Archives of Neurology article there appears to be a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease among non-smokers. In a study of 12,000 people, it was found that heavy lifetime smokers had the lowest risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is fairly rare in the U.S. When [...]
July 13th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw
In 1996 Congress passed the Veterans’ Health Care Eligibility Reform Act, which was designed to simplify the process of determining benefit eligibility. When applying for benefits, the first thing that happens is the eligibility of the Veteran. Next, a determination is made as to which of the 7 priority groups they will be assigned. Priority [...]
Category :
Chronic Fatigue (CFS)
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