FDA Approves Roche/Genentech Drug Erivedge to Treat Advanced Skin Cancer Not Treatable with Surgery

Basal cell carcinoma is rarely fatal and in many cases surgery is the cure but in some patients is can spread beyond the skin area in to other areas of the body and this is where the new oral drug comes in to help fight and shrink tumors. 

When the cancer has metastasized, this is about the only option available.  There are a few side effects like loss of hair and food tasting different but the benefits seem to certainly outweigh. The pill is taken once a day and the cost will be around $7k a month.  I do hope insurers start to cover this as it has been an issue in California with covering oral cancer medications.  BD

California Legislature Urging Health Insurance Companies to Cover Chemotherapy–Especially With Breast Cancer Treatments

The Food and Drug Administration has for the first time approved a drug to treat advanced cases of the most common skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, the agency announced Monday.

The drug, a capsule called Erivedge (generically known as vismodegib), treats basal cell carcinoma that has metastasized (spread through the body), or that cannot be treated with surgery.

In a clinical study in 96 people, 30 percent of those with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (which had spread to surrounding tissue), and 43 percent of those with metastatic cancer (which had spread to distant sites in the body) saw their tumors shrink or heal while taking the drug, according to a statement from the FDA. Patients took one pill by mouth each day. 

Doctors treat non-metastatic cases with surgery, radiation or topical treatments, and have an extremely high success rate. But no other treatments exist for inoperable cases, such as people with tumors that have extended into the brain, or people who would become disfigured from surgery

Basal cell carcinoma is linked to mutations in genes that are part of a signaling pathway called the hedgehog pathway. Erivedge works by inhibiting the hedgehog pathway.

http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/31/10280479-fda-approves-first-drug-for-inoperable-skin-cancer

Technorati Tags: Roche,Genentech,drugs,FDA,cancer,skin cancer,oral drugs,insurance,basal cells

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California Federal Judge Issues Tentative Rule that Blocks Cutting Medicaid Payments

In November of last year the CHA also filed suit against the cutting of Medicaid in California.  Do you know how hard it is to find doctors in California who will honor Medicaid?  Ask a doctor trying to find a referral for a child, it’s hard.

California Hospital Association Sues HHS With Kathleen Sebelius Named To Block a 10% Cut With Medi-Cal Reimbursements

This has a big impact on hospitals too, many of which are not in the best financial picture to day.  Shoot even a couple weeks ago Cedars decided to no longer support mental health care at the hospital so cut backs are all over the place.  BD

A federal judge in California issued a tentative ruling that blocks the state of California from cutting Medicaid payments by 10% for physicians, clinics, pharmacists, dentists, ambulance providers and durable medical equipment suppliers.
Trade associations representing the providers sued the California Department of Health Care Services and HHS arguing that the cuts violated federal law requiring that Medicaid programs ensure access to services, and that federal officials failed to appropriately consider the impact of the cuts in approving them.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20120131/NEWS/301319974/judge-blocks-california-from-cutting-medicaid-payments

Technorati Tags: Medicaid,California,judge,ruling,physicians,healthcare,HHS,insurance,federal laws

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Komen Foundation Cuts of Funds to Planned Parenthood - Wall Street Was Lit up in “Pink” Last Week For Fund Raising from Hedge Funds and Other Financial Companies

This makes you wonder where in the world philanthropy is going today and how much will remain.  The reasoning is very strange here and if they don’t want to spend the money, be honest and say so.  Planned Parenthood said it was all the anti abortion talk that caused them to withdraw. 

We all know that abortion is the “default topic” for all of our digital illiterate Congressmen. 

When things with finance and technology come up they just default back to the same old topic because they don’t participate at a very high level if at all in the real world we live in with algorithms driving almost every move and opportunity out there and depriving many.  Yes I have written quite frequently about our digital illiterates in Congress and the “default” topic.  See what they talk about in Congress via the image below, enlightening is is not and shows a huge resistance to talk about important issues. 

Digital Illiteracy Still Plagues Law Makers–Severe Focus on Abortion Rights Proves It–Is This Where Our Lawmaking Knowledge Leaves Off or Even Begins? Scary…

The the Komen Foundation said it was against their “rules” to donate money for any organizations being investigated so should we investigate the Komen foundation while we are at it.  Many now will not receive breast cancer screenings. 

But wait, this gets better as over at the Wall Street Journal the New York Stock Exchange was lit up in pink last week..hmmmm.  This was the 4th annual Painting Wall Street Pink night.  Did this have any influence here, I guess only the hedge fund shadow may know.  As you can read below the quote, “it made for a great photo op”….Let’s hope that there are not any conditional donations taking place for sure. 

“Despite all the supposed Wall Street types, few of the young professionals, it seemed, had been to the trading floor other than for the annual benefit. It made for one great photo op. Guests lined up to "ring" the trading bell like they were waiting to sit on Santa's lap. They snapped pictures with the many ticker screens and the floor's telephones.”

Last year at this time they were suing over the use of the word “Cure” and Stephen Colbert and rightly so made a good case out of how this was not inline with charities.  Gosh forbid don’t use the word “Cure” as now it seems like with charities that’s a four letter word.  These were all small mom and pop charities too.  I have always kept a link on this site for the Komen Foundation but maybe I should move that one out and put a link in for Planned Parenthood instead.  Below is a clip from the Colbert show on the million dollars spent with lawsuits over the four letter word from the Komen Foundation last January.  BD

Susan G. Komen Foundation Attacking Other Charities Over Use Of The Word 'Cure'

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Planned Parenthood contends that the Komen foundation is yielding to longstanding pressure from anti-abortion groups, which Komen denies.

A spokeswoman for the Komen foundation, Leslie Aun, told The Associated Press that the main factor in the decision was a new rule adopted by Komen that prohibits grants to organizations being investigated by local, state or federal authorities. Ms. Aun told The A.P. that Planned Parenthood was therefore disqualified from financing because of an inquiry being conducted by Representative Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida, who is looking at how Planned Parenthood spends and reports its money.

After the A.P. article was posted on Tuesday afternoon, the Komen foundation declined to make Ms. Aun or another staff member available to discuss the Planned Parenthood decision. The foundation issued a statement saying it was seeking to “strengthen our grants program” and had “implemented more stringent eligibility and performance criteria.”

“Any kind of impediment for women, including a referral to go someplace else, will mean that women delay getting further screenings and women who may have cancer will discover it later than they might otherwise,” Ms. Durgin said. “A lot of our clients are just one hassle away from not getting services at all.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/us/cancer-group-halts-financing-to-planned-parenthood.html

Technorati Tags: Breast Cancer,Breast Cancer Charities,Breast Cancer Research,Cancer,Cancer Prevention,Fundraising,Huffington Post Komen,Komen,Lawsuit,Lawsuits,Lung Cancer,Philanthropy,Susan G. Komen,Planned Parenthoodhood

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New Acidic Neurotoxic Sweetener from Monsanto!

Neotame, New Neurotoxic Sweetener: FDA Says No Label Needed, Not Even in Organics

A Monsanto-created chemical, Neotame is likely more toxic than Aspartame. The FDA has quietly decided that we don't have the right to know if it's adulterating our food, not even if the food is labeled USDA Organic.

by Heidi Stevenson

2 January 2011

Aspartame can step aside. There's a new sweetener in town and it isn't saddled with the inconvenience of having to be listed on labels, so it can be sneaked into any prepared food, even USDA so-called Organic. So sayeth the FDA. Neotame is a Monsanto-created chemical similar to Aspartame, including its neurotoxic properties.

Monsanto developed Neotame as their Aspartame patent was expiring, and had no trouble in gaining FDA approval in 2002. They added 3-dimethylbutyl, a chemical listed as hazardous by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to Aspartame, making it both sweeter and more toxic.

Toxicity

Both Aspartame and Neotame contain substances that are metabolized into formaldehyde, a highly toxic poison, and an excitotoxic amino acid that agitates, thereby damaging, nerves.

At the time Neotame was originally approved by the FDA, Feingold.org, which battles the addition of many dodgy food additives, stated:

We did a search of MedLine to find studies of adverse effects or side effects of Neotame. Only four studies appeared, two of which were not studies, and the other two of which were actually a single study done by NutraSweet company researchers.

Feingold aptly described one of the nonstudies as effectively saying, "If we don't look, we won't know anything bad." The other, by the World Health Organization, is not a look at potential toxicity, but rather is about setting acceptable daily intakes of Neotame, along with other artificial sweeteners. Note: One must wonder how the FDA justifies non-listing of an ingredient for which there's an acceptable daily intake.

Mary Nash Stoddard, founder of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network, compared the historic arc of tobacco company research with that of Aspartame. It applies equally well to Neotame:

There is a parallel issue with which to compare the Aspartame issue. That of cigarettes and the deadly effects of smoking. The massive Tobacco Industry is able to produce large volumes of scientific studies showing smoking does not cause: lung cancer, heart disease, strokes or death. Today, mainstream science accepts the fact that smoking can be deadly and addictive. So it is with Aspartame, whose approval was based, not on scientific fact, but as an issue of public policy.

Neotame Labeling

From the beginning, Neotane labeling has been limited. It's in the background noise of products produced by Agribusiness.

Up to this time, Neotame hasn't been sold to the public, but that hasn't been necessary. It's been used widely in prepared foods. So, the less awareness the public has, the less likely it is that people will try to avoid it. For the most part, the technique has worked. Now, very quietly, the FDA has decided that the public shouldn't be informed when Neotame is included in any product. Even Organic products, which are supposed to be unadultered with chemicals, are not required to state when Neotame is inside.

India will soon serve as guinea pigs for Neotame. It will soon be launched there as a tabletop sweetener, like Equal and Splendor, by NutraSweet, which owns and sells the product.

Neotame is now being marketed as Sweetos for use in cattle feed. Molasses has been utlized to get cows to eat foods made unpalatable by chemical additives. Neotame is both less costly than molasses and subject to fewer regulations. How do you like that? A natural food is more stringently regulated than a known-poisonous chemical that's put into food.

The reach of Neotame is likely to be extensive. They're planning to replace other artificial sweeteners with it. A major seller of artificial sweeteners, which goes by the misleading name of Ensigns Health Care Pvt Ltd, intends to use it in place of sucralose.

In the EU, Neotame has been approved by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA). As is so common in the EU, the product is hidden behind an E-number. So, labels don't have to say that products contain Neotame. They only need to list "E 961". Naturally, with hundreds of E-numbers, how many people can be aware of which ones are truly dangerous?

It looks like the FDA's loosening of labeling rules for Neotame is part of a large-scale effort to make it a near-ubiquitous artificial sweetener, to be found on the tabletop, in all prepared foods—even organics—and even in the meats consumed.

The solution is fairly simple, but not necessarily easy. If you want to avoid foods adulterated with Neotame, among other dangerous additives and overprocessing, then you need to grow your own foods and prepare them yourselves, or purchase only from suppliers whose processing and sourcing is known to you, which generally means locally-produced.

Read the original article on Gaia Health at:

http://bit.ly/ycJGKo

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FDA’s New Claim: “Your Body Is a Drug—and We Have the Authority to Regulate It!”

FDA’s New Claim: “Your Body Is a Drug"

In another outrageous power-grab, FDA says your own stem cells are drugs—and stem cell therapy is interstate commerce because it affects the bottom line of FDA-approved drugs in other states!

We wish this were a joke, but it’s the US Food and Drug Administration’s latest claim in its battle with a Colorado clinic over its Regenexx-SD™ procedure, a non-surgical treatment for people suffering from moderate to severe joint or bone pain using adult stem cells.

The FDA asserts in a court document that it has the right to regulate the Centeno-Schultz Clinic for two reasons:

1. Stem cells are drugs and therefore fall within their jurisdiction. (The clinic argues that stem cell therapy is the practice of medicine and is therefore not within the FDA’s jurisdiction!)
2. The clinic is engaging in interstate commerce and is therefore subject to FDA regulation because any part of the machine or procedure that originates outside Colorado becomes interstate commerce once it enters the state. Moreover, interstate commerce is substantially affected because individuals traveling to Colorado to have the Regenexx procedure would “depress the market for out-of-state drugs that are approved by FDA.”

We discussed the very ambiguous issue of interstate commerce last September—it’s an argument the FDA frequently uses when the basis for their claim is otherwise lacking. As we noted then, the FDA holds that an “interstate commerce” test must be applied to all steps in a product’s manufacture, packaging, and distribution. This means that if any ingredient or tool used in the procedure in question was purchased out of state, the FDA would in its view have jurisdiction, just as they would if the final product had traveled across state lines.

This time the FDA just nakedly says in court documents that the agency wants to protect the market for FDA-approved drugs. No more beating around the bush—their agenda is right out in the open! This appears to be a novel interpretation of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C), as evidenced by the government’s failure to cite any judicial precedent for their argument.

The implication of the FDA’s interpretation of the law, if upheld by the court, would mean that all food, drugs, devices, and biologic or cosmetic products would be subject to FDA jurisdiction. The FDA is expanding its reach even to commerce within the state, which we argue is far beyond its jurisdiction, in order to protect drug company profits.

Last year we ran a two-part series on the current status of federal and state law—and FDA jurisdiction—and how it affects integrative treatments (part one and part two).

The Centeno-Schultz Clinic takes your blood, puts it into a centrifuge machine that separates the stem cells, and a doctor puts them back in your body where there is damaged tissue. The clinic has argued numerous times that stem cells aren’t drugs because they are components of the patient’s blood from his or her own body.

The FDA says otherwise: “Stem cells, like other medical products that are intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease, generally require FDA approval before they can be marketed. At this time, there are no licensed stem cell treatments.” There they go again, saying that components of your body are drugs and they have the authority to regulate them! It’s the only way the agency can claim that adult stem cell therapy is within FDA’s purview.

However, the agency seems to be of two minds. When ESPN magazine was doing a story on stem cell treatments, the FDA stated that US policy is to allow the injection of stem cells that are treated with “minimal manipulation,” which federal regulations define as “processing that does not alter the relevant biological characteristics of cells or tissues”—which is certainly the case with the Regenexx clinic.

Despite this policy, FDA has been attacking the clinic for the past four years. They have tried injunctions and demanded inspections in their attempts to make the company bend; this court battle is merely the latest salvo.

The primary role of adult stem cells in a living organism is to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. The hard part has been to get enough of them. But new technology is giving doctors the ability to obtain more stem cells from a patient than previously thought possible, which is why we’re now seeing new treatments. Blood, fat, or tissue is withdrawn from the patient, stem cells are obtained using one of these new processes, and the cells are injected back into the patient where they can repair the patient’s tissue.

Gov. Rick Perry received this kind of stem cell therapy. We and others noted that the governor’s defense of freedom of healthcare choice when it came to his own treatment was starkly at odds with his directive to administer HPV vaccines to young girls against their own (and their parents’) wishes. It’s also at odds with his support for some of the most egregious witch-hunters on the Texas State Medical Board, which he appoints.

Behind Perry’s blatant inconsistency and the latest FDA attempted power grab lies the same problem: a medical system run by special interests under the leadership of the US government, the same government that is supposed to represent “we the people.”

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Dr Young is Nominated for the "Best In Alternative" Medicine

Dear Joshua N Anna Scurry and the Alive Organization, thank you for the honor of your nomination for the "Best in Alternative" medicine. Thank you for considering me for this wonderful honor.

http://web.alivenewyork.com/dr-robert-young-nomination.html

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Medical records of 1,018 patients stolen at Lexington Clinic, but no apparent identity theft

One of the fears of electronic health records is that personal information can be stolen en masse, a possibility that became a reality when a laptop computer was stolen at the Lexington Clinic.

The machine was taken Dec. 7 from the clinic's neurology department at the St. Joseph Office Park. Letters were sent to the 1,018 affected patients last week about the theft, Mary Meehan of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

The laptop contained the names, contact information and diagnoses from patients from as long as five years go. Not among the data were Social Security numbers, credit card or bank account numbers. So far, there is no sign of identify theft. 

The clinic said it took six weeks to informing patients because it took time to "pinpoint exactly what information was on the laptop, which was used in conjunction with the clinic's electromyography machine," Meehan reports.

Another theft happened at UK HealthCare in June, when the medical records of 3,000 patients were taken from the Department of Pediatrics' newborn screening program. Patients were not informed of that breach until two months later. (Read more)

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455 deficiencies found in 72 Kentucky nursing homes in fourth quarter of 2011

State inspectors found 455 deficiencies in 72 Kentucky nursing homes in the fourth quarter of 2011, with one facility accounting for 25 of them alone: Kindred Transitional Care & Rehab-Fountain Circle in Winchester.

The information was released by Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform, a nonprofit organization that advocates for nursing home residents and obtains the data regularly through open-records requests to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and distributes it statewide. The information is posted as part of Medicare's nursing-home comparison data.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the average number of deficiencies for a nursing home inspected in the U.S. is eight and the average in Kentucky is seven. Inspections assess a facility on the care of residents and how that care is administered; on how staff and residents interact; and on its environment. Certified nursing homes must meet more than 180 regulatory standards. The state Office of Inspector General website has more data, such as the results of inspections and the ownership of each facility.

Nursing homes with 10 or more deficiencies in the fourth quarter of 2011 were:

• Bridge Point Care and Rehabilitation Center, Florence (22)

• Pineville Community Hospital (17)

• North Hardin Health & Rehabilitation Center, Radcliff (15)

• Richmond Place Rehabilitation and Health Center, Lexington (13)

• Hart County Health Care Center, Horse Cave (13)

• Parkview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Pikeville (13)

• West Liberty Nursing & Rehabilitation Center (13)

• Redbanks, Henderson (12)

• Knox County Hospital, Barbourville (11)

• The Forum at Brookside, Louisville (11)

• Bradford Square Care and Rehabilitation Center, Frankfort (10)

• Florence Park Care Center (10)

• Boyd Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Ashland (10)

• Corbin Health & Rehabilitation Center (10)

For more information about Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform, click here.

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Freddie Mac Found to be Betting Against Home Owners Being Able to Refinance - “Attack of the Killer Algorithms” On Consumers Part Nine–Home Mortgage Style

Ok in the real world today everyone lives off of behavioral analytics so of course they might just have a ton of information to leverage to make their bets, right?  

If you look and see how this phenomena is taking place today, it’s not just Facebook, but Hedge Funds, High Frequency Traders and so on.  It’s all about those algorithms as Freddie Mac could not have pulled this off without highly sophisticated formulas to hedge their bets. 

High Frequency Traders Using Social Networks and Growing Rapidly With Algorithms That Find, Sort and Leverage-Growing At A Rate Faster Than Facebook

Ultimately, market data both on and off the web is skyrocketing and as hedge funds try to digest it as quickly as possible and to make intelligent use of it, they need to make sure they have an efficient storage and retrieval platform, can integrate various data sets and can provide tools to help their traders understand the data and patterns so you can bet old Freddie was right in here.  I thought the Attack series would slow down but it doesn’t seem to stop.  In case you missed it, here’s part eight as the credit folks and mortgages all go together with complicated formulas to carry out their deeds. 

Consumers Lose More Privacy With New CoreLogic Credit Reporting–”Score” Marketed For Insurers and Employers To Gain Information-California Prohibits Potential Employers – From Using As Jan 1 - Killer Algorithms Part 8

Welcome to the world of discrimination by the algorithm….

I say we should license and tax all of those who buy and sell data and Freddie Mac should be right on the list.

The Alternative Millionaire’s Tax–License and Tax Big Corporations Who Mine and Sell Taxpayer Data They Get for Free From the Internet-Phase One to Restore Middle Class With Transparency, Disclosure and Money

If Richard Cordray doesn’t jump in here soon with some algorithmic protection for the middle class there’s no hope in sight.  This keeps getting worse every day.  CoreLogic is in the real estate information business and mines a ton of data for sale all the time, to the point where the state of North Carolina kicked their license to mine out as they didn’t pay for updates and servers were slowing down to a crawl with all the bots as consumers like you and I can’t get through anymore. 

President Appoints Richard Cordray as New Consumer Financial Protection Chief - Hope He Knows And Understands Correcting Flawed Math and Formulas To Battle the “Financial Attack of Killer Algorithms” On Consumers With Banks and Corporate USA

Is this a real slap in the face to where tax payer money bailed them out only to find that they were betting against consumers.  If you don’t believe how bad the numbers are skewed and how bad the marketing is to suck up us gullible and naïve consumers, listen in to the video below and you will find out.  BD

Context is Everything–More About the Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception–Professor Siefe Lecture Given at Google’s New York Office–Big Healthcare Focus

Several U.S. lawmakers and prominent economists on Monday said Congress and the White House should end a financial conflict of interest at the taxpayer-owned mortgage company Freddie Mac.
Freddie Mac, which has a public mission to help make home ownership affordable, also has placed multibillion-dollar bets against American homeowners being able to refinance to cheaper mortgages. NPR, in partnership with ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit newsroom, first revealed Freddie's bets on NPR during Monday's Morning Edition.

Public documents, checked by NPR and ProPublica, show that in 2010 and 2011, Freddie Mac set out to make gains for its own investment portfolio by using complex mortgage securities that brought in more money for Freddie Mac when homeowners in higher interest-rate loans were unable to qualify for a refinancing.

Freddie's trades came at a time when mortgage rates were falling to record lows.

This is the conflict: Millions of homeowners wish they could refinance, but their lenders tell them they can't qualify for today's low rates because of tight rules. Freddie Mac is one of the gatekeepers with the power to set those rules, and lately, it has been saying no more often to homeowners.

"Freddie Mac prevented households from being able to take advantage of today's mortgage rates — and then bet on it," Alan Boyce told NPR. He is a former bond trader who has been involved in efforts to push for more refinancing of home loans.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/01/31/146110055/report-prompts-calls-to-end-freddie-macs-conflict-of-interest

Technorati Tags: Hedge Fund Services,hedge funds,buy-side,data,market data,high frequency trading,algos,micro-blogging,twitter,facebook,social media,privacy,Freddie Mac

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Paleo Diet Article in Sound Consumer

I recently wrote an article for my local natural foods grocery store, PCC, about the "Paleolithic" diet.  You can read it online here.  I explain the basic rationale for Paleo diets, some of the scientific support behind it, and how it can be helpful for people with certain health problems.  I focused in particular on the research of Dr. Staffan Lindeberg at the University of Lund, who has studied non-industrial populations using modern medical techniques and also conducted clinical diet trials using the Paleo diet.
Read more »

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State of Virginia Attaches Amendment to Bill Requiring Women to Have an Ultrasound Before an Abortion That Requires Men to Have A Rectal Exam Before Obtaining A Prescription For Erectile Dysfunction Drugs

Here we are back to the old “default” topic of the digital illiterates, abortions and this is pretty funny as it mocks the ridiculousness of a bill requiring an ultrasound.  You know what, there will be more rectal exams going on I bet than abortions:)  Sad that the amendment didn’t make it through though as it should have but the GOP barely voted it off.   The ultra sound part of the bill is still up for a final vote.  BD

Digital Illiteracy Still Plagues Law Makers–Severe Focus on Abortion Rights Proves It–Is This Where Our Lawmaking Knowledge Leaves Off or Even Begins? Scary…

Digital Illiteracy Continues With Lawmakers at State Levels–Insane Laws Proposed And Being Passed-Financial Puppeteers (Video)

To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication.

"We need some gender equity here," she told HuffPost. "The Virginia senate is about to pass a bill that will require a woman to have totally unnecessary medical procedure at their cost and inconvenience. If we're going to do that to women, why not do that to men?"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/30/mandatory-ultrasound-bill-virginia-anti-abortion_n_1242627.html?ref=tw&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

Technorati Tags: Virgina,abortion,ultrasound,erectile dysfunction,bill,politics,rectal exam,prescrptions,digital illiterates

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Greek Study Shows EMF Impacts the Brain Related to Learning, Memory and Alzheimer's

Greek Study Shows Regions of the Brain Related to Learning, Memory, Alzheimer's Impacted by EMF

A Greek study led by Adamantia Fragopoulou and Lukas Margaritis has demonstrated important protein changes in the brain of animals following whole body exposure to RF electromagnetic fields, similar to the kind of microwave radiation emitted from cell phones, portable phones, WiFi and wireless computer equipment. The study, was published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, Early Online: 1-25, 2012.

Important regions of the brain necessary for learning, memory and other functions of the mammalian brain were impacted by the microwave radiation, including the hippocampus, cerebellum and frontal lobe, at exposures below the ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) safety guidelines. A total of 143 proteins in the brain were impacted by the RF radiation over a period of 8 months, providing new evidence for a potential relationship between everyday cell phone use, wireless transmitters and wireless computer equipment and electrosensitivity symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness and sleep disorders, as well as with tumors, Alzheimer's and even metabolic effects.

The study simulated 3 hours of cell phone exposure over eight months, 8 hours of DECT portable phone exposure over eight months, and included a sham exposure control group. The results showed both down regulation and up regulation of the proteins.

Several neural function related proteins (i.e. Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), Alpha-synuclein, Glia Maturation Factor beta (GMF), and apolipoprotein E (apoE)), heat shock proteins, and cytoskeletal proteins (i.e. neurofilaments and tropomodulin), were shown to be impacted by the radiation, as well as proteins of the brain metabolism (i.e. Aspartate aminotransferase, Glutamate dehydrogenase), in nearly all of the brain regions studied.

Figure 2 from the study shows the 143 proteins that have changed (up- or down-regulated) and their functional relationship based on a literature survey.

Adamantia F. Fragopoulou, M.Sc., PhD Candidate, in the Dept of Cell Biology and Biophysics at University of Athens, Greece, lead author of the study, says, "Our study is important because it shows for the first time protein changes in the mouse brain after EMF exposure and in particular in very crucial regions like hippocampus, cerebellum and frontal lobe, all involved in learning, memory and other complicated functions of the mammalian brain. We have demonstrated that 143 proteins are altered after electromagnetic radiation, including proteins that have been correlated so far with Alzheimer's, glioblastoma, stress and metabolism. In its perspective, this study is anticipated to throw light in the understanding of such health effects like headaches, dizziness, sleep disorders, memory disorders, brain tumors, all of them related, to the function of the altered brain proteins

Lukas H. Margaritis, PhD, Professor Emeritus (as of Sept 2010) of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Dept of Cell Biology and Biophysics, University of Athens, head of the Athens research group, says, "A high throughput approach (mass characterization of biomolecules, similar to microarrays that analyze the total genes of an organism) as that of the Proteomics* has never been used so far in EMF research of BRAIN TISSUES following whole body exposure of model animals (mice) at SAR values below ICNIRP's recommendations. It is also the first time that wireless DECT phones base radiation is involved in lab animal studies and specifically in such molecular effects. The message taken out of this work is that people should be very cautious when using mobile phones next to their body (especially next to their brain), whereas the wireless DECT should be located as far away as possible from places that people use to spend many hours a day, not to mention children of all ages."

PRESS RELEASE RELEASED BY UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS TEAM

Athens, Greece. January 21, 2012. The research group of Professor Lukas Margaritis (Faculty of Biology, University of Athens and the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens), within the framework of the activities seeking for the truth underlining the possible effects of daily life electromagnetic fields, has performed this study as part of the Doctorate Dissertation of Adamantia F. Fragopoulou.

Using ordinary working conditions of mobile phone and wireless DECT base and by applying state of the art proteome science approaches, they demonstrated that a large number of major brain proteins have been changed. Namely proteins that are responsible for the integrity of brain functions, in such critical regions like hippocampus, cerebellum and frontal lobe are below normal levels whereas an equally large number are found well above physiological levels. These “underexpressed” or “overexpressed” proteins may play a role in the short term or long term effects reported as a consequence of mobile phone exposure, including memory deficits, headaches, sleep disorders, brain tumors.

As pointed out in the “DISCUSSION” section of the paper, the possible start-up events may involve the production of ROS (reactive oxygen species) leading to oxidative damage (as suggested recently by Blank and Goodman of Columbia University in New York City); heat shock protein activation; and finally, changing the expression of a large number of brain proteins, as was demonstrated in this study.

The Fragopoulou et al. study is the first large-scale analysis of the mouse brain proteome to be published so far. The research team having recently been awarded a large “Thalis” grant is potentially aiming in elucidating the EMF effects from the molecular level up to the organism level, exploiting the most suitable model systems (mice, insects, nematodes, lizards, cell cultures, human skin).

Published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, Early Online: 1–25, 2012 Copyright Q Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.

Abstract:

Brain proteome response following whole body exposure of mice to mobile phone or wireless DECT base radiation
Adamantia F. Fragopoulou1, Athina Samara2, Marianna H. Antonelou1, Anta Xanthopoulou3, Aggeliki Papadopoulou3, Konstantinos Vougas3, Eugenia Koutsogiannopoulou2, Ema Anastasiadou2, Dimitrios J. Stravopodis1, George Th. Tsangaris3 & Lukas H. Margaritis1
1Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Athens University, Athens, Greece, 2Genetics and Gene Therapy Division, Center of Basic Research II, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece, and 3Proteomics Research Unit, Center of Basic Research II, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of two sources of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on the proteome of cerebellum, hippocampus, and frontal lobe in Balb/c mice following long-term whole body irradiation. Three equally divided groups of animals (6 animals/group) were used; the first group was exposed to a typical mobile phone, at a SAR level range of 0.17- 0.37 W/kg for 3 h daily for 8 months, the second group was exposed to a wireless DECT base (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications/Telephone) at a SAR level range of 0.012- 0.028 W/kg for 8 h/day also for 8 months and the third group comprised the sham-exposed animals. Comparative proteomics analysis revealed that long-term irradiation from both EMF sources altered significantly (p , 0.05) the expression of 143 proteins in total (as low as 0.003 fold downregulation up to 114 fold overexpression). Several neural function related proteins (i.e., Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), Alpha-synuclein, Glia Maturation Factor beta (GMF), and apolipoprotein E (apoE)), heat shock proteins, and cytoskeletal proteins (i.e., Neurofilaments and tropomodulin) are included in this list as well as proteins of the brain metabolism (i.e., Aspartate aminotransferase, Glutamate dehydrogenase) to nearly all brain regions studied. Western blot analysis on selected proteins confirmed the proteomics data. The observed protein expression changes may be related to brain plasticity alterations, indicative of oxidative stress in the nervous system or involved in apoptosis and might potentially explain human health hazards reported so far, such as headaches, sleep disturbance, fatigue, memory deficits, and brain tumor long-term induction under similar exposure conditions.

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A couple's journey with infertility; similar tale likely in your town

Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal follows the story of Kelly and James Durst, who turned to in vitro fertilization when they had trouble conceiving a child.

The Dursts are "among the 12 percent of reproductive-age couples in the United States who couldn't conceive without help," Ungar reports.

In April 2010, they gave birth to son Cooper, one of more than 675,000 babies born in the U.S. through assisted reproduction techniques since 1985. "He is literally the light of our lives," Kelly said. "He's why we try to make things better each day."

Ungar follows the Dursts' journey to have a second child, this time using the frozen embryos that were created at the time of Cooper's conception. The embryos will be placed in Kelly's womb.

Given the growing prevalence of assisted reproduction techniques, stories like the Dursts' can likely be found in nearly every community and make for a compelling read. (Read more)

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Prescription pill abuse summit Wednesday at UK hospital

A prescription pill abuse summit will be Wednesday at the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital, featuring many notable speakers.

They will include: Gov. Steve Beshear; Wilfredo Ferrer, U.S. attorney from the Southern District of Florida; Van Ingram, executive director of Kentucky's Office of Drug Control Policy; police chiefs and law enforcement officials; and health care professionals.

"We think this summit will help lay the foundation for a future that will lead to increased communication and awareness among all the societal entities that are engaged in this fight," said U.S. Attorney Kerry B. Harvey of teh eastern District of Kentucky.

The summit is from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pavilion A auditorium. For more information, call Harvey's office at 859-685-4805. (Read more)

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Context is Everything–More About the Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception–Professor Siefe Lecture Given at Google’s New York Office–Big Healthcare Focus

A great video from Charlie Siefe, Professor at NYU and in his talk at Google.  If you read here enough then you know I am a fan because he’s right and breaks this down to what reality is.  He may have sold a few books from this blog too come to think of it:)

What do you think of what you read in the news today?  Listen up here and you might begin to think a little differently. I have my own interpretation on how some of this comes down the hill for consumers which I have called “The Attack of the Killer Algorithms” to take this from his very scientific information down to how it eventually affects all of us as consumers.  Actually I went one step further with my opinion here and talked about our new consumer protection chief and hoping that he too has some understanding of the Dark Arts and again what I call the “attacks” and the link below has some good examples of how we are in fact under attack when deception is involved.  These are all public documented stories with my interpretation as questioning the algorithms and their intents of whether we are looking for accurate or desired results.  Welcome to the world of discrimination by the algorithm. 

President Appoints Richard Cordray as New Consumer Financial Protection Chief - Hope He Knows And Understands Correcting Flawed Math and Formulas To Battle the “Financial Attack of Killer Algorithms” On Consumers With Banks and Corporate USA

The video is about 70% healthcare stats and information so it is well worth the watch.  I love the study about apples and bananas eaten together that could cause cancer, very good example of totally random calls and this is just food, but how does it impact you and when you see this often enough, how does it affect what you think?  There’s nothing real here.  Our “P” values have deceived us.  This is a long and lengthy video to view when you have time to absorb it all. 

Professor Charlie Siefe at Google, New York

Confirmation bias, he speaks of, listen up here and see what this means.  Most published research findings are wrong he states.  Even scientists who are doing the best job they can are wrong much more often than they are right.  Time helps the results to become more accurate.  Politicians play on this heavily. 

If you missed it, here’s another broadcast worth listening too and I had a ton of referrals from MIT and other websites on this one with readers. 

“Numbers Don’t Lie, But People Do”–Radio Interview from Charles Siefe–Journalists Take Note, He Addresses How Marketing And Bogus Statistics Are Sources of Problems That Mislead the Public & Government

Mathematical nonsense is a danger we live with today and is changing our society in ways that may not always be the best.  Stay tuned for the Q and A session as cancer stats are discussed along with quite a few other stats and reports.  Diabetes testing is brought up and the fact that there are error bars on the meters, not saying they are not worth using, but be aware of variance.  BD

Charles Seife, a journalist with Science magazine, has also written for New Scientist, Scientific American, The Economist, Wired UK, and The Sciences, among many other publications. His previous titles include Alpha & Omega and Zero. He received an MS in Probability Theory and Artificial Intelligence from Yale.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/weekend-reading-stop-thief-edition/38171

Technorati Tags: Proofiness,algoirthms,mathmatics,12 step addictions,healthcare,desired results,rogue algorithm,Charles Seife,books,numbers,analytics,journalism,Google,drugs

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FDA wants to reduce standard for fluoride in public drinking water

Lowering the amount of fluoride in drinking water, as proposed in January by the Food and Drug Administration, will increase medical expenses and harm the poor and the poorly educated the most, a mother writes in an op-ed piece in the New York Times.

Jane E. Brody delves into the concept of fluoridation, pointing out its benefits. "In the early years, rates of tooth decay among the young dropped by 60 percent in communities that adopted fluoridation," she writes. "Every $1 invested in fluoridation saves approximately $38 in dental treatment costs."

Though fluoride was initially thought to become incorporated into developing teeth, it was later found that its benefit is topical, meaning it works on teeth already formed. "Fluoride, which is present in saliva and concentrates in dental plaque, inhibits the action of acid on tooth minerals," she writes. "It also promotes remineralization by sticking to tooth surfaces, where it attracts calcium ions present in saliva."

Still, there remains controversy about whether or not fluoride is safe, with the substance being accused of causing everything from heart disease to Alzheimer's disease. "None of these supposed risks has ever been established in scientifically valid studies," Brody writes. "The only proven risk, a condition called fluorosis, which results in white and sometimes brownish markings on the teeth from too much fluoride, rarely results from a normal intake of fluoridated water."

Since fluoride is also available in other substances, like toothpaste, the FDA proposed reducing the amount of fluoride in public drinking water to 0.7 milligrams per liter, from a range from 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams. Brody feels the move is a mistake: "Fluoridation confers the greatest benefit to those who need it most: the poor and poorly educated and those with limited access to regular dental care," she writes. "In the years ahead, removal of fluoride from drinking water will almost certainly cost taxpayers millions of dollars in increased Medicaid expenditures." (Read more)

In Kentucky, there is 100 percent fluoridation in public drinking water systems, though perhaps half a million residents get their water from wells, springs or cisterns.

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Kentucky ranks 37th, Louisville 33rd in percentage of commuters who bike or walk to work

Kentucky ranks 37th in the nation for its number of commuters who bike or walk to work. Of the 51 largest cities in the county, Louisville ranks 33rd.

These are the findings of the Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report, compiled by the Alliance for Biking & Walking. As well as looking at commuter numbers, it also examined how safe those commuters are and where transportation funding is being spent on "alternative means of local travel," reports Jeannine Stein of the Los Angeles Times. (Times photo by Wally Skalij)

Alaska, despite its cold climate, has the highest percentage of commuters who bike or walk to work. Boston has the highest ranking among cities. The lowest are Alabama and Fort Worth, Tex.

Across the country, 12 percent of all trips are on foot (10.5 percent) or by bicycle (1 percent), though from 2000 to 2009, the number of cycling commuters increased by 57 percent. While numbers are growing, safety is a concern. In the 51 largest cities, 12.7 percent of trips are by foot and 1.1 percent are by bicycle, but 26.9 percent of traffic fatalities are pedestrians and 3.1 percent are bicyclists.

Despite the risk, the report makes a connection with biking or walking and health. It points out cycling and walking levels fell 66 percent between 1960 and 2009, while obesity levels increased by 156 percent. The picture was more grim when it came to children. Between 1966 and 2009, the number of children who biked or walked to school fell by 75 percent, while the percentage of obese children rose by 276 percent.

Despite the physical benefits of the activity, states spend just 1.6 percent of their federal transportation dollars on bicycling and walking, amounting to just $2.17 per capita, the report found.

Instead of biking or walking, people are still relying mostly on their cars. The report found 40 percent of trips in the United States in 2009 were shorter than two miles, but Americans used their cars for 87 percent of trips that were 1 to 2 miles in distance. When it came to trips up to 1 mile long, Americans still used their cars 62 percent of the time.

The report was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AARP and Planet Bike.

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Should companies refuse to hire employees who smoke? Opposing views outlined

The growing controversy surrounding companies who refuse to hire employees who smoke is featured in two opposing opinion pieces in USA Today.

Paul Terpeluk, medical director of employee health services at Cleveland Clinic, explains why the policy makes sense for his company. "Consider that cigarette smoke contains hundreds of chemicals and compounds that are toxic and at least 69 that cause cancer," he writes. "To ignore this would be to undermine our commitment to health and wellness, which includes providing a healthy environment for our employees, visitors and patients. Plus, the policy has not proved to be an overwhelming obstacle for job applicants. Since it was instituted, less than 2 percent of job offers — about 300 out of 20,000 — have been rescinded due to positive nicotine tests." (Read more)

But a USA Today editorial expresses a different view, in response to Baylor Health Care System's move to stop hiring workers who smoke. "Intruding this deeply into people's privates lives raises questions that bear scrutiny," it reads. "Companies can charge smokers more for health coverage or ban smoking on the job. But punishing people for using a legal product on their own time crosses a troubling line."

The editorial makes an exception for health-care companies who want to practice what they preach. "But such practices are not confined to the health care industry, and they raise a broader issue: If employers routinely reject people who engage in risky, but legal, behavior on their own time, what about such things are overeating or drinking too much alcohol?" (Read more)

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West Liberty City Council votes to ban smoking in city buildings, but question may be revisited

The West Liberty City Council voted narrowly last week to ban smoking in city buildings, reports Miranda Cantrell of the Licking Valley Courier.

Mayor Jim Rupe opposed the move, which passed 3-2 with one abstention. If the vote had been tied, Rupe could have broken it.

"Rupe, a smoker, advised council members to consider city employees who smoke, including City Clerk Sally Barker and some department heads," Cantrell reports. Council Members Mark Walter and Belinda Jordan said they were trying to help members of the public who use city buildings.

"Barker said the council will likely revisit the smoking issue at next month's meeting," Cantrell reports. "No effective date for the ban was suggested." (Read more)

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Okra

Continuing my theme on unusual medicinal herbs I chose Okra, or ladies fingers as it is sometimes called. Okra is mostly used in stews perhaps African style, but has also been used as an alternative medication. The pods, shown above contain large amounts of vitamin A and C, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. The plant is also rich in mucilaginous substances, which lubricate the intestines and are recommended for soothing duodenal ulcers and reducing high cholesterol levels.

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GE Discontinues Centricity Advance EHR for Small Practices

Doctors using the current Centricity for small practices will have to upgrade and of course I’m sure that mean money and cost.  The GE EHR is probably one of the most expensive products out there for a small practice to purchase.  Just a couple months ago software problems created issues for doctors to attest as you can read below, this is the system they are keeping. 

GE Centricity EHRs Need To Fix Their Algorithms (Math)-Some Customers May Not Be Able to Attest Until The End of November After the Software Update

June 30th is the D-Day for posting any new data and it becomes a read only from there until the end of the year.  The upgraded system according to this article will also be able to handle small practices but at what cost increase?  With the purchase of MedPlexus the Advance system was developed to focus on small practices but it looks like they have decided the money is not there so that was a short term target to try and make us of software and algorithms purchased.  BD 

GE Wanted to Target Small Practices for EHRs – The Answer Go Buy One - MedPlexus

GE Healthcare has announced it will discontinue its Centricity Advance electronic health record (EHR) application for small practices as of June 30.

Centricity is GE's EHR platform used by both physician practices and hospitals. It incorporates medical, pharmaceutical, financial and administrative data.

GE will allow physician practices to upgrade to Centricity Practice Solution, the company's flagship EHR and practice-management software.

The company formerly considered Centricity Practice as software primarily for midsize and large practices.

Consolidating its Centricity software into a joint EHR/practice-management product will allow GE to update its health care offerings faster, said Friguletto.

Although Centricity Practice is a licensed product, resellers will offer a remotely hosted version, and GE will help customers migrate to the combined EHR and practice-management platform. VARs will be able to provide the same remote installation and service small practices received with Centricity Advance, said Friguletto. Doctors can also use an onsite version of Centricity Practice.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Health-Care-IT/GE-to-Shutter-Centricity-Advance-EHR-Software-for-Small-Practices-817025/

Technorati Tags: GE,Centricy,medical records,algorithms,integration,EHR,reports,Meaningful Use,attesting,doctors,hospitals,HealthIT

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Nurse At Arizona Hospital Has Licensed Threatened And Was Fired for Educating Patient on Hospice Care–If You Are A Nurse or a Patient Be Sure and Read This One

This is a post from the Nerdy Nurse and really you must read the entire article and see what has happened here.  When you read through here and see the story as told with the nurse educating the patient about a hospice choice as I am guessing it was near that time, the doctor was upset that the surgery plans were messed up, in other words he was not going to do the surgery after the patient heard about hospice. 

This is kind of what we are all talking about right?  Giving the patient their options and allowing dignity here and not putting people through hell as they near the end of life?  Again I am guessing that was the situation here as otherwise hospice would not have been mentioned.  She is using all areas of media to get her story across and I felt compelled to add it here as well as this does not make sense at all.  Is this yet another fall out of economic times with doctors needing the money too?  It does make you stop and think in that direction and it sounds like this is nurse we need to have employed and not lost in the world of politics and out of work.  I post quite a few stories here about nurses striking and many of them are not about money but rather working conditions and patient safety, example of one last year, about safety and patient care and there were more.  BD 

Nurses Hold One Day Strike at Kaiser's Sunset Boulevard Medical Center (Los Angeles) To Bring Attention To Patient Safety

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My name is Amanda Trujillo. I’m a registered nurse of six years , specializing in cardiology, geriatrics, and end of life/palliative care. Back in April of this year I was caring for a dying patient whom I had discovered had no clue about what they were about to participate in when they agreed to get a major invasive surgery. When I properly educated the patient using the allowed materials by my employer they became upset that the physician never explained details of the surgery or what had to be done after the surgery (complex lifetime daily self care). The patient also had no idea that they had a choice about whether they had to get the surgery or not or that there were other options. They asked about hospice and comfort care and I educated the patient within my nursing license and the nursing code of ethics. The patient requested a case management consult to visit with hospice to explore this option further in order to make a better decision for their course of care. I documented extensively for the doctor to read the next day and I also passed the info on to the next nurse taking over, emphasizing the importance of speaking with the doctor about the gross misunderstanding they had about the surgery. The doctor became enraged, threw a well witnessed tantrum in the nursing station, refused to let the patient visit with hospice, and insisted I be fired and my license taken. He was successful on all counts.

Instead of initiating the hospital policy of consulting with an ethics committee to sort out the situation the hospital fired me instead. The doctor was angry that the patient had changed their mind about the surgery and my nurse manager was angry that I “messed up all the doctors’ hard work and planning for the surgery.” Since then, my career has been destroyed, no one will hire me because of the complaint on my license. Despite almost three nursing degrees after my name, my education and experience–at this time–is considered “null and void.” I’m a single Hispanic mother who fought hard to get off of welfare and to make it through school into a career I love.

I never dreamed a complete stranger could strip our lives away, and under such a circumstance in which I was doing my job and protecting the patient’s rights to full disclosure about the surgery and their right to choose their course of care. Today, we are back on welfare, we can barely keep food in the house, have almost lost our house 4 times, and I cant get health insurance for my daughter who has severe asthma. This situation can happen to any nurse and any patient–and it is happening with more frequency throughout the United States. Nurses are afraid to speak up when they see unsafe or unethical practice taking place with their patients’ lives.

The nurses at the hospital I worked at have told me they don’t teach their patients anything anymore and they don’t report things that concern them for fear of losing their jobs and their lives like I did. There have been similar cases in recent years–most notably in Texas and in Maryland. It boils down to this–without nurses speaking up in dangerous or unethical situations there will be more accidents, more medical mistakes, and more lives lost. Nurses everywhere turn the other direction now because of the threat of retaliation. I’m a strong advocate for patients and families who are at the end of life. The sunset of life is an extremely important developmental milestone in the life of a person and their loved ones. Its a time that should be spent the way the patient and family want it to be spent—and where they want it to be spent. More and more, as I have advanced into nursing, I have seen people lying in hospital beds for weeks on end, suffering debilitating pain, air hunger, bed sores, muscle wasting, and their dignity is not respected–as their family members stood by horrified. No family should have to remember their loved one’s last days and weeks as images of torture.

Nine times out of ten my patients were not even aware that they had the option to go home if they wished–they were just told they “had to keep trying something else.” We as healthcare providers do not have the right to omit that information or option from people and their families, we don’t have the right to refuse a patient the right to visit with hospice to ask questions and learn more, and we certainly don’t have the right to deprive a person of the ability to complete very important developmental tasks at the end of life that involve family. The statistics out there about how many people die in hospitals each year are staggering–and they are dying badly. At this time only 18 states have laws in place to protect patients and nurses. I have been working tirelessly with Senator Nancy Barto here in Arizona to get legislation passed to:

1) Ensure that the rights and choices of patients at the end of life or the end stages of disease are respected and fulfilled without question.

2.) Protect nurses from retaliation for reporting unsafe or unethical practice that could jeopardize the life and safety of patients and their families

3) Specifically define the role of the nurse in end of life teaching/counseling so that ALL physicians understand and honor that part of our job (its our duty and its legal–but every physician has a different opinion and were subject to that when we shouldn't be)

My goal is to get to Capitol Hill. I was making good progress with the Senator until recently when all communication stopped without explanation. I have learned through sources that “politics got involved” and put a stop to my efforts.  I was also advised by a rep from the Arizona Nurses Association that they would not support any nurse reported to the board no matter what the cause because it would “damage their image and reputation”. Our profession is well known for not supporting one another. Nurses who once called me their mentor and friend wont have anything to do with me because it will jeopardize their jobs and reputations. So in essence, this fight has been one that I’ve continued on my own. Now that I have learned that “politics” squashed my efforts at protecting people and nurses I am turning to the public to help me get over that wall. I would appreciate any of you out there writing to Arizona’s legislators: Steve Pierce (President Elect of the Senate); Senator Nancy Barto, Representative Cecil Ash, Governor Jan Brewer, Senator John McCain, or Congressman Trent Franks. I will list their emails at the end of my letter. In the meantime, I need your help and support to get this message out there to the public. Pass my story on to your friends and family on Facebook (Im on there campaigning)–tell them to ask more questions, to speak up when they have concerns, to ask if there are other options. This is real, this is happening, and as the healthcare crisis continues to spin out of control and nurses are pressured “to do more with less”—even less attention will be paid to important safety and ethical issues that can endanger lives and basic human rights. I have written to every media outlet in my state but no one will take my story, I’ve written to 20/20, Dateline, Oprah, Dr. Oz, The Joint Commission, The American Nurses Association, The White House, President Obama,  and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

I have attached the legal brief for your review so you have a better understanding of what happened–understandably some information has been blacked out to preserve privacy.

The nurse investigator on my case reviewed everything I did and said that she had never seen documentation and care so thorough and “above and beyond the call of duty.” Despite her recommendation to dismiss my allegations, the letters of praise from Mayo Clinic Physicians I worked with at one time,  nurse coworkers, and patients,   the allegations were not dismissed as I had expected them to be. This means I have to wait until January 24th-25th 2012 and go before the board to “explain myself.”

I can accept that my short career as a nurse is over—what I cant accept is that the end of my career will mean nothing. If this is the end of my hard work and education I want it to stand for something, I want it to be for good. I want to know that at least no other nurse, their families, or patients and their families will ever have to experience this kind of horror. I took an oath to “First do no harm.” if I walk away without a good fight, then I’ve become part of the problem and I don’t deserve the RN after my name.

Im growing tired of fighting alone so I have reached out to you……….I have to stay the course because its the right thing to do and because I HAVE TO SET THE EXAMPLE  for my daughter Anaya to stand up for whats right no matter how difficult the journey….Please, tell my story to your friends, loved ones–and tell them to tell others. There is strength and change in numbers……..

Thank you for your time in reading this long email…..as you can imagine, its been a long year.

Respectfully

Amanda Lucia Trujillo MSN, RN, DNSc-NP(s)

The following blog post is related to an email that was originally sent to @EchoHeronAuthor. It was then posted on  Vernon Dutton’s Posterous, Amanda Trujillo case will go before the Arizona State Board of Nursing  on January 24th, 2012.

Her story is one of an archaic medical model in which the doctor’s word is supreme and we are all just nurse maids here to do their bidding. This is an indication that there are many who do not wish to continue to advance toward collaborative healthcare in which we work as a team to provide patients with the best care possible. This is also an example of persons who may not be in medicine for the right reasons.

Success in healthcare is not defined by how many treatments and tests you can perform on a patient. Success is defined by the ability to help a patient make informed decisions on their path in health an life. If that path includes surgery, then so be it. If that path does not, and we have informed the patient of all the options and they are capable of making an informed and rational decision, then we have been successful.

I’m really disgusted that a healthcare organization would bow to the tantrum of one very arrogant and immature physician. If there was one example of a surgeon with a God-Complex, this is one.

http://thenerdynurse.com/2012/01/arizona-nurse-has-license-threatened-by-doctor-after-providing-patient-education.html

Technorati Tags: nurse,patient,hospice,doctor,Banner,hospital,end of life,education,politics,Amanda Trujillo,healthcare,medicine

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