Not so, according to a new study recently published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

In this study, researchers reviewed three years of experience (July 2005 to June 2008) of Medicare fee-for-service patients with heart failure and heart attack at almost 5,000 hospitals across the nation. Examining the records of nearly 600,000 heart attack admissions and more than 1 million heart failure admissions, they calculated the 30-day death and readmission rates and found:

• The average 30-day death rate for heart attack was 16.6 percent and the average rate of heart attack readmission was 19.9 percent.
• The average 30-day death rate for heart failure was 11.1 percent and 24.4 percent for readmission.  
• Heart failure death rate ranged from 6.6 percent to 19.8 percent.
• Readmission for heart attack ranged from 15.3 percent to 29.4 percent.
• Readmission for heart failure ranged from 15.9 percent to 34.4 percent.

What’s it all mean?

Well, according to Harlan M. Krumholz, M.D., the study’s lead author and professor of medicine and outcomes researcher at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn,  the results  “suggests that patients’ outcomes are dependent, at least in part, on the hospital that provides their care.” 

The US Dept of Health and Services has correlated the data from this study and put it online at  Hospital Compare so that anyone can see how different hospitals compare to each other on everything from blood clot treatments to nursing care. The site also offers hospitals the opportunity to see how they measure up to their competitors.

(image source)

Post from: Healthbolt

Unfortunately, that leaves a lot of rare and neglected diseases (around 6,000 according to the NIH) under researched and under treated because they only occur in a small percentage of the population.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) is hoping to change this with a influx of funds – to the tune of $120 million over five years – through a new program called Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND)

This program has been set up to support and encourage researchers in government, academic, and companies to focus on the often called ‘orphan diseases.’

But will this work?  After all, the funding really is only a drop in the bucket when you consider that it costs around $1 billion to take a drug to market.

However, when the bucket is empty, every drop counts.

(news and image source)

Post from: Healthbolt

Scary numbers.

But most people will look at those numbers and say, ‘yeah, but that won’t happen to me. I’m safe. My behavior is not risky.”

Unfortunately, it could easily happen to you. All it really takes to get a sexually transmitted disease is one instance of unprotected sex.

Which is why I suggest that anyone who is sexually active or intending to become sexually active read Seductive Delusions: How Everyday People Catch STD’s by Jill Grimes MD.

It’s an easy to read book that focuses on real life stories of young adults as a way of educating and instructing everyone on how to recognize, treat, and prevent STD’s from infecting their lives. Dr. Grimes has chosen to write about the various STD’s in a narrative style that takes us into the examination room with the patient and doctor. As a result, you quickly start to realize that you cannot stereotype those who are suspectible and likely to get infected. It could just as easily be a family member or friend in that room with the doctor.

The ten chapters of Seductive Delusions cover the most prevalent STD’s, among them Herpes Simplex Virus, human papilloma virus, chlamydia, gonnorrhea, and HIV. Each chapter consists of two stories – one from a female point of view and one from a male – and also a factsheet that spells out all the facts about that particular STD.

Read the book from cover to cover and you will discover…

• Which STDs are asymptomatic or hard to diagnose in either women or men
• Why, if you are diagnosed with one STD, you should get tested for others
• Why it’s crucial to tell your past and current sexual partners about your diagnosis
• How to make decisions about the best course of treatment
• Why certain STDs are misdiagnosed and why it’s important to follow up when symptoms persist

STD’s are all around but talking about them is not something that people often do, especially within families. Hopefully, books like Seductive Delusions might just change that. After all, knowledge is power.

Find out how much you already know with this STD quiz.

Post from: Healthbolt

You can now buy jeans that are not only custom made to your body but can also, according to the company, heal the body. Made by the Make Your Own Jeans company, these jeans are able to treat a variety of medical conditions including skin ailments, diabetes, arthritis, digestive problems, high blood pressure and more.

Here’s how it works…

The Ayurveda Organic Jeans are created

Here’s how it works…

The Ayurveda Organic Jeans are created using the ancient Indian technique of dyeing textiles in medicinal herbs. Each dye can contain up to 50 different herbs that are used to practice Ayurvedic medicine. This herbs are then absorbed into your body through the skin each time you wear the jeans.

Fascinating…

(source and images)

Post from: Healthbolt

A new study has been examining the effectiveness of magnetic impulses on the brain to short circuit pain signals. These magnetic impulses are being sent to the brain by a transcranial magnetic stimulation device, a small hair dryer size machine that is held to the back the migraine sufferer’s head.

In this study,  researchers worked with 201 people who suffer from “migraine with aura” migraines. Half of them were given a genuine magnetic stimulation device and the other half a ‘pseudo’ magnetic stimulation device that was unable to provide a magnet current. Both groups were told to place the device to the back of their heads as soon as the aura feeling began. The test results showed that 39% of those using the genuine magnetic device remained pain-free two hours after using the device, whereas only 22% of those with the ‘pseudo’ device remained pain-free. The results, researchers say, are promising.

As migraine sufferers know, there is no definitive treatment for migraines. Currently there are three main treatment options…

Migraine avoidance by discovering and avoiding individual headache triggers which often range from chocolate to bright lights, lack of sleep and too much exercise.

Acute migraine treatment when a migraine occurs. Standard treatment in this stage is usually an non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and/or analgesia.

Chronic treatment, often known as preventative treatment, where a person is on regular prescribed medications to prevent migraines from occuring.

None of these treatments – alone or combined – are completely reliable. 

So news that another treatment option might be available in the future will be welcomed with open arms. 

Migraine sufferers, after all,  need all the help they can get.

(source)

Post from: Healthbolt

Farrah’s spent the last couple of years fighting not only the cancer with chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but also the tabloids and paparazzi in an effort to protect her privacy. Having cancer is bad enough, but having to live it out in the eyes of the paparazzi and tabloids that ‘enthusiastically ‘ announce to the world that ‘”Farrah’s Cancer Is Back!” (as the National Enquirer did in 2007) must be the pits.

Seems it’s okay for the media to parade Farrah’s health all over the news in an effort to sell papers and make money but when Farrah decides to do it herself by participating in a documentary (On a Wing and a Prayer) about her treatments, it’s another story. For example, yesterday’s ABC News headline read ‘Farrah Fawcett Cashing in on Cancer Battle?’ which makes it sound like Farrah has no right to “…tell all about her battle with cancer in an upcoming documentary — and potentially make millions in the process.”

Why is that?

Post from: Healthbolt

Well, it’s finally here. – the very first Healtbolt Carnival and  it is huge.

 You know, when we first decided to do this, we were a little nervous. After all, what if we gave a party and nobody came. A natural fear, but one, it seems, that wasn’t warranted. ‘Cause it looks like everyone, and I mean everyone, has come to the party.

So put on your glad rags, grab a drink and start mingling…

And don’t forget to pass the word on. After all, the more the merrier.

SjP presents the sister study…the battle against breast cancer posted at Sojourner’s Place.The Sister Study is the only long-term study of women aged 35-74 whose sister had breast cancer. It is a national study to learn how environment and genes affect the chances of getting breast cancer. A total of 50,000 women will join the effort to find the causes of breast cancer.

Alicia writes about how  Ghost Hunters Declare The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Haunted over at Mental Health Notes, saying, “This historic mental health institution in West Virginia first drew attention when the new owners renamed it the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Now, TAPS (Ghost Hunters) have declared it haunted.”

Jessica Donnovan presents How to Make Diet Shakes That Taste Great! posted at Sensible Self-Improvement, providing information and a couple of diet shake recipes that will make your mouth water.

Crabby McSlacker presents Fearin’ The Flames posted at Cranky Fitness, featuring ideas on how to make your barbequing days healthy, safe, and fun.

Carla Birnberg presents Tues Tip posted at mizfitonline.com, saying Chia is good for you. But what is it and do you know what to do with it?

Barbara Schreiber presents Rx Wine posted at Britannica Blog, updating us on the possible health benefits of red wine, citing a new study that seems to indicate that it’s good for the liver.

D. Singh presents Google Health Launched. Can We Entrust our Health to Google? posted at Internet Marketing Blog, looking at Google Health and what it can do for you.

Marcus presents Motivation To Exercise posted at Personal Development & Self Help, offering some great strategies to get you off the couch and into exercise mode.

Marijke presents Bone marrow transplants – would you be a donor? posted at Marijke: nurse turned writer, asking that we take the time to learn about bone marrow transplants and why it’s important to be on the donor registry.

Israel presents Rising Gas Prices Can Help Your Weight Loss posted at Fat Man Unleashed dot com, making the point that rising gas prices really can be good for our health and our ability to loss weight.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents The Five-Second What??? posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog, offering an entertaining limerick that will stick in your head about food on floor and the five second rule.

You’ll have to turn the page to read the rest….

Shaheen Lakhan presents The Great Embryonic Stem Cell Debate posted at GNIF Brain Blogger, discussing stem cell research and the work of controversial Dr. Geeta Shroff in India.

Marijke presents Company’s calling: For Grace’s founder, Cynthia Toussaint speaks out posted at Help My Hurt. Interesting interview where Cynthia talks about her struggles with having having the disease she suffers from – Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) also known as the Suicide Disease – recognized.

Jose DeJesus MD presents How to Make Your Energy Last Through the Afternoon posted at Physician Entrepreneur. Great tips for any feeling sluggish in the afternoons.

Tip Diva presents Tip Diva | Top Ten Tips – Managing The Side Effects Of Chemotherapy posted at Tip Diva. Dealing with chemotherapy is tough but knowing what to expect and how to deal with it before it happens might just makes things a little easier.

Chris Davis presents Healthy Snack Trend: Single-Serving Nut Butters posted at The Healthy Snacks Blog, for peanut butter fans everywhere.

Andre Blackman presents Man vs. Machine: When I Realized I Wasn’t a Robot posted at Pulse & Signal, discussing why it’s so important, in this digital age to keep a balance in life to ensure good health.

monica presents Eating Less Beats Exercise for Longevity posted at SmarterFitter Blog, discussing two recent studies that support calorie restriction for longevity.

Scott Kustes presents You Walk Wrong And Your Shoes Are To Blame posted at Modern Forager, looking at what shoes do to your feet.

Michael Snyder presents 10 Powerful Secrets For How To Build A Great Marriage posted at Shattered Paradigm, offers some great tips to help both your marriage and your health.

Aparna presents Beauty and Personal Grooming: Our face reflects our health posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming. What does your face say about you?

Brandon Patchin presents Intensity Propensity: The Importance of High Intensity Exercise posted at www.OneChanceToLive.com, looking at what it can do for fat loss and health.

Health Chaos presents Scoliosis and what to do? posted at Health Chaos. Here’s one person’s take on dealing with scoliosis.

Barbara Y presents Homemade Facial Masks posted at All Natural Blog. Try these homemade facial masks for better skin.

Larry W presents Weight Training Safety posted at Muscle Bound Blog. Tips on making your weight training sessions safe.

Murphy S presents Saving money on your organic food shopping! posted at All Organic Blog. Saving money is something on everyone’s mind these days.

Davexplorer presents What is natural cooking? posted at Natural Cooking Blog. It’s easy. Here’s how.

Alfred L presents Natural Cure for Bad Breath posted at Only Natural Blog. Interesting tips for dealing with bad breath.

Dean Moyer presents Sciatica Relapse Question posted at The Back Pain Blog, discussing how to avoid a relapse of sciatica symptoms during rehabilitation.

Marijke presents Prenatal care – what is it? posted at Womb Within, giving us a brief rundown why pre-natal care is so important for both mother and baby.

Joanne presents Benefits of Sunbathing and Risks of Sunscreen posted at Open Mind Required. Interesting discussion on the controversy of sunbathing and sunscreen.

Michael Beck presents How a Famous Copywriter Can Help Your Practice posted at Chiropractic Marketing | Chiropractic Advertising, offering a 4 Part Marketing formula to help health professionals grow their business practice.

Walter presents Tired? You May Not Be Getting Enough Sleep posted at Highlight HEALTH

Dianne M. Buxton presents Professional Footwork, Muscle Memory For Ballet, and Neural Pathways posted at Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes, looking at the relationship between nutrition and brain health, and developing reflexes for exceling in sports and ballet.

Melanie Thomassian presents 10 Tactics to Give Work Stress the Boot! posted at Dietriffic. We all have to deal with work stress to some degree or another, so it’s helpful to learn how to deal with it before it becomes too much.

garry presents Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Will Help You to Become Successful. posted at 2 Million Dollar Bills, offering tips on keeping a healthy body and mind.

aruntheace presents Benefits of Green tea / Weight loss tea posted at HealthyBitz.

Michael. presents Beauty and the Beast: How Attractiveness Affects Your Life posted at A Law Student and Young Lawyer Blog – Law Vibe. discussing the correlation between attractiveness and success.

Murphy S presents Practical Tips to Prevent Acne posted at All Natural Acne. As anyone who has dealt with acne knows, any tip that makes it go away is worth it’s weight in gold.

Trisha presents What is the face of noma? posted at Women’s Health Research News. Learn more about this terrible disease that strikes African Chlidren.

TherapyDoc presents Definition: ADHD posted at Everyone Needs Therapy, saying, “This discussion tends to get pretty heated.”

Brandon Patchin presents Pesticides and Parkinson’s posted at www.OneChanceToLive.com, looking at the relationship between the chemicals and the disease.

Technology Editor presents Lowering Prescription Drug Costs posted at Physician Entrepreneur, discussing politicians, legislation, and doctors prescribing.

Well, that’s it for this edition.

You can submit your blog article to the next edition of a healthbolt carnival using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: a healthbolt carnival, blog carnival.

Post from: Healthbolt

Now a group of physicians think that they might have the answer on how to deal this this issue. A task force drawn from universities, medical groups, the military and government agencies (including the Dept of Homeland Security, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Dept of Health and Human Services) in the United States have proposed some guidelines that can act as blueprint for hospitals in times of pandemics or extreme disasters.

The reasoning behind creating such guidelines is so that scarce resources – ventilators, medicine, and health professionals – are used in the most objective and effective way.

The final report, published in the May edition of Chest, the medical journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, states…

“If a mass casualty critical care event were to occur tomorrow, many people with clinical conditions that are survivable under usual health care system conditions may have to forgo life-sustaining interventions owing to deficiencies in supply or staffing.”

What this means is that some people will automatically be triaged into the ‘no treatment’ category. This includes people at high risk of death and a slim chance of long-term survival. For example…

• People older than 85
• Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings.
• Severely burned patients older than 60.
• Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer’s disease.
• Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease, or poorly controlled diabetes.

Ths report, as you can imagine, opens up a minefield of ethical and moral issues and is already creating a lot of debate.

As a health professional, I understand the need for having some sort of guidelines but it still feels a little like ‘Playing God’. And when it’s all written down in black and white, it just looks awful cold and uncaring.

So I’m curious.

What do you all think?

Is it ethical? Is it moral?

Let’s talk….

(source: CNN)

Post from: Healthbolt

DiabetesMine and Medgadget are co-hosting the 2nd Annual DiabetesMine Design Challenge…

“a competition designed to foster innovation in diabetes design and encourage creative new tools that will improve life with diabetes.”

This challenge is a follow on from the Open Letter to Steve Jobs that Amy Tenderich from DiabetesMine posted last year right after Apple Inc. has sold its 100-Millionth iPod. Amy’s open letter challenged Steve Jobs and the ‘gods of consumer design’ to champion the diabetic cause and help show the medical device industry how to create more feel good and look good diabetic devices – in other words, move medical devices out of the clunky into the cool.

I don’t know if Amy got any response from Steve Jobs but it did create lots of discussion and conversation, plus some new prototypes, designs, and ideas.

Somehow I think she’s given up on Apple Inc coming to the party. Instead she has issued a challenge to everyone and anyone -individuals and organizations – to put on their thinking caps and start designing.

You’ll need to head over to DiabetesMine to get the full rundown on offical contest rules but here’s a brief synopsis…

* there are two categories – under 18 and over 18.

* Submissions can be made beginning April 30, 2008, until Monday, May 26st, 2008, at 11:59 pm PST.

* All entries must be in the form of a movie or an animation, no more than 2 minutes long (all content in English), which will be submitted by uploading into the DiabetesMine™ channel on YouTube.

* Each product or design concept must be new, i.e. introduced within the last half-year, or in development phase, possibly undergoing user testing now.

The winner from each category will recieve a combination of rewards…

* prize money of $1,000 each in two entry categories. (provided by sponsors Cory and Justin Oringer who have both been living with Type 1 diabetes for more than 10 years each)

* a two hour workshop from IDEO’s Health and wellness consultants to help refine your concept.

* free access ticket for the winner of the adult catagory to the “innovation incubator” Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, October 21-23rd, 2008.

* promotion of the winners by MedGadget and DiabetesMine through articles and blogs, and possibly also feature some of the coolest finalists.

This is a great chance for would be designers to make their mark.

So spread the word.

And don’t forget, the official contest website and rules can be found at Diabetes Mine…

Post from: Healthbolt

The video game is Re-Mission and it features an intrepid nanobot called Roxxi who journeys through cancer patients bodies, destroying the cancer cells, fighting the infections, and dealing with the side effects usually associated with different cancers and cancer treatments.

If you think it’s just another video game, think again. To ensure that Re-Mission was on track to help cancer suffers, a controlled research study was undertaken prior to the game’s release. 375 cancer patients between the ages of 13 and 29 from the United States, Australia, and Canada were recruited to test the games effectiveness.

Here are the results…

“Re-Mission significantly enhanced self-efficacy, cancer-related knowledge, and treatment adherence in adolescents and young adults with cancer. Young people who played Re-Mission maintained higher blood levels of chemotherapy and showed higher rates of antibiotic utilization than those in the control group.”

Re-Mission is available free of charge to young people with cancer. View the tralier and download it here.

Post from: Healthbolt