Video of the Day: Recession Leaves Diabetics Without Care, At Risk

The economic crisis is pushing diabetics to literally risk life and limb, as many who have lost jobs and health insurance now are cutting back on -- even going without -- doctor visits, insulin, medicines and blood sugar testing.

Watch now:

Watch more breaking news now on our video feed:



Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Your Site For Added Home Medical Ease

Whether it's diabetic supplies, power scooters or bathroom assistive equipment, home medical supplies can enhance a person's life and really add to their quality of life.

Home medical equipment has really changed the face of health care and made patients happier at home and giving them a feeling of being self sufficient.

Now Allegro Medical wants to make life even easier by helping you order your home medical supplies right over the Internet. Shop Allegro's website by brand, by equipment category or by medical condition -- so you can find just the right items you need. Or search Allegro Medical for more than 54,957 individual products.

Allegro Medical will even let you set your purchase on auto re-order to enable you to set deliveries at intervals that you choose for even added convenience and peace of mind.

Allegro Medical opened the first ecommerce site in the medical equipment and home health care supplies industry in 1998, and since then they have expanded to include such mainstream consumer products as exercise and fitness equipment, dietary supplements, maternity and baby supplies and outdoor gear.

This was a sponsored post.

Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Baby Aspirin Better for Your Health, University of Kentucky Study Says

Nearly a quarter of a million Americans each year may be hospitalized with bleeding complications caused by needlessly taking a daily dose of an adult-sized aspirin rather than a baby aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke.

A study by a group of UK HealthCare Linda and Jack Gill Heart Institute cardiologists found that the commonly prescribed 325 mg adult tablet may be more than many people need each day. The study, which is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that doses higher than a baby aspirin, 75 to 81 mg, are no better at preventing cardiovascular events long-term and are associated with increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Gill Heart Institute cardiologists and University of Kentucky College of Medicine faculty Dr. Charles Campbell, Dr. Steven Steinhubl and Dr. Susan Smyth, along with Dr. Gilles Montalescot of the Instjtut de Cardiologie-Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pitié--Salpêtrière in Paris, France, systematically reviewed published data regarding clinical studies involving aspirin dosing. Even in patients with diabetes, who may be more difficult to treat, they found no large-scale studies that support higher doses of aspirin.

"While aspirin is an effective drug for the prevention of clots," says Campbell, lead author of the report, "the downside of aspirin therapy is an increased tendency for bleeding (particulary from the GI tract). We believe the minimum effective dose should be utilized (75-81 mg)." However, Campbell notes, "We also believe more study in this area is warranted to determine if the minimum dose is effective for everyone, or if dose should be adjusted from person to person."

Aspirin is the most-used drug in the world. More than 50 million people, or 36 percent of the adult population in the United States, consume 10 to 20 billion aspirin tablets each year to protect their hearts from clots, which are the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

"Patients should check with their doctor to be sure, but there is almost no one who needs to take more than 81 mg of aspirin a day for protection from heart attacks," Steinhubl says.

Going forward, the study notes that the greatest challenge ahead for physicians may be to determine how to identify the best blood-thinning regimen for their patients.

Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Foundation Announces $500 Million Commitment to Reverse Childhood Obesity in U.S.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced it will commit at least $500 million over the next five years to tackle one of the most urgent public health threats facing the United States: childhood obesity. This is the largest commitment by any foundation to this issue, RWJF says. The foundation's goal is to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States by 2015.

During the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups, more than quadrupling among children ages 6 to 11. Today, more than 33 percent of children and adolescents -- approximately 25 million kids -- are overweight or obese.

Preventing obesity during childhood is critical, because habits that last into adulthood frequently are formed during youth. Research shows that overweight adolescents have up to an 80 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. Earlier onset of obesity leads to the earlier onset of related illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer.

In addition to the toll on U.S. health, obesity also poses a tremendous financial threat to the U.S. economy and health care system. It's estimated that the obesity epidemic costs the United States $117 billion per year in direct health care costs and lost productivity. Childhood obesity alone carries a huge price tag -- up to $14 billion per year in direct healthcare costs to treat kids.

"This is an all-American crisis," says Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of RWJF. "It affects all Americans, and it will require all of America working together to turn it around. Our commitment is a call to action for families, schools, government, industry, healthcare and philanthropy. To reverse the obesity epidemic and create a culture of health, we must provide families with better access to healthy choices."

The foundation says it will focus on improving access to affordable healthy foods and opportunities for safe physical activity in schools and communities. It will place special emphasis on reaching children at greatest risk for obesity and related health problems: African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander children living in low-income communities.

Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.