Rich vs. Poor Health
The following timeline was created to help illustrate how potential and/or cumulative influence and/or events can impact [for good or for bad] upon individual human health. In some places, bold type highlights were added for quick summary review. [E.M. / D.R.D.]
January 2009
2009 - Found Not Harmful? / Thimerosal - January 26th, 2009: "[....] Thimerosal, used in some vaccines to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus, hasn't been in U.S. childhood vaccines since 2001, except for certain flu shots. Italy and other European nations began removing it in 1999. U.S. health officials recommended the removal of thimerosal as a precaution and to reduce the overall exposure of children to mercury. [....] The study [see the February issue of the Journal Pediatrics], funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drew praise from outside experts. [....] The children received either 62.5 micrograms or 137.5 micrograms of ethyl mercury from all their shots during their first year of life. Thimerosal breaks down as ethyl mercury in the body. Before the reduction of thimerosal in the United States, the maximum exposure for infants was 187.5 micrograms of ethyl mercury. [NP] The researchers found the children in both groups scored on average, in the normal range on 11 tests of memory, attention, motor skills and other brain functions." [Based on: A.P. article (Substance once in vaccines is found not to be harmful / Only one case of autism in child was found, and that was in a group that got a lower level of thimerosal, Italian researchers say.), p. A10, S.L.P.D., 01/26/09]
2009 - Gaza children scarred, experts say - January 26th, 2009: "[....] Psychologists say Israel's three-week offensive inflicted more severe trauma than previous conflicts in Gaza because civilians in the crowded sliver of territory had no safe place to run to. A wartime study among hundreds of Gaza children showed a rise in nightmares, bedwetting and other signs of trauma, said psychologist Fadel Abu Hein. [NP] Counselors and aid workers fear that Gaza's children, who make up 56 percent of the 1.4 million people here, will grow up hating Israel and become easier prey for extremists. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (Gaza children scared, experts say / Fighting may produce long-term psychological effects, promote militancy, counselors fear.) by Karin Laub, p. A10, S.L.P.D., 01/26/09]
2009 - Drugs taint water near plants in India - January 26th, 2009: "PATANCHERU, INDIA - When researchers analyzed vials of treated wastewater taken from a plant where about 90 Indian drug factories dump their residues, they were shocked. Enough of a single, powerful antibiotic was being spewed into one stream each day to treat every person in a city of 90,000. [NP] And it wasn't just ciprofloxacin being detected. The supposedly cleaned water was a floating medicine cabinet - a soup of 21 different active pharmaceutical ingredients.. [< typo?] Half of the drugs measured at the highest levels of pharmaceuticals ever detected in the environment, researchers say. [....] Last year, The Associated Press reported that trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals had been found in drinking water provided to at least 46 million Americans. But the wastewater downstream from the Indian plants contained 150 times the highest levels detected in the United States. [....] Pharmaceutical contamination is an emerging concern worldwide. In its series of articles, the AP documented the commonplace presence of minute concentrations of pharmaceuticals in U.S. drinking water supplies. The AP also found that trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals were almost ubiquitous in rivers, lakes and streams. [NP] The medicines are excreated without being fully metabolized by people who take them, while hospitals and long-term care facilities annually flush millions of pounds of unused pills down the drain. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (Drugs taint water near plants in India / Some drugs impede growth in cells; antibiotic-resistant bacteria a threat.) by Margie Mason, p. A11, S.L.P.D., 01/26/09]
2009 - Fired couple resort to death for whole family - January 28th, 2009: "A man who fatally shot his wife, five young children and himself Tuesday [01/27/09] had earlier faxed a note to a TV station saying the couple had just been fired from their hospital jobs and together planned the killings as a final escape for the whole family. 'Why leave the children to a stranger?' Ervin Lupoe, wrote, before shooting his wife, 8-year-old daughter, twin 5-year-old daughters and twin 2-year-old boys shortly before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday." [Based on: News Services article (LOS ANGELES / Fired couple resort to death for whole family), p. A5, S.L.P.D., 01/28/09]
Febuary 2009
2009 - FDA Approved / Drug From "Engineered" Goats - February 7th, 2009: "WASHINGTON / New drug [ATryn - approved 02/06/09] uses milk from 'engineered' goats" [Based on: Title for A.P. article, p. A19, S.L.P.D., 02/07/09]
2009 - No Tie to Vaccines? / Children's Autism - February 13th, 2009: "A special federal vaccine court in Chicago ruled Thursday [02/12/09] against thousands of parents claiming their children's autism was caused by vaccines, saying such theories were 'speculative and unpervasive.' [NP] The court used strong language to dismiss the claims, and to admonish some of the parent's experts and physicians." [Based on: News Services article (VACCINES / Court finds no tie to children's autism), p. A10, S.L.P.D., 02/13/09]
2009 - U.S. Deaths / Preventable Medical Mistakes - February 17th, 2009: "[....] Between 48,000 and 100,000 people die in the United States each year from preventable medical mistakes, according to a landmark study by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academics of Science. [....]" [Based on: Opinion Page article (Never-never land), p. C8, S.L.P.D., 02/17/09]
2009 - Stem Cell Injections Hurt Child - February 18th, 2009: "[....] It is the first documented case of human brain tumors appearing after fetal stem cell therapy ['reported Tuesday in the journal PloS Medicine.']. [....]" [Based on: News Services article (STEM CELLS / Experimental injections hurt child, report says), p. A4, S.L.P.D., 01/18/09]
2009 - Trivia / Prostate Cancer - February 20th, 2009: "Men age 75 to 80 are unlikely to benefit from routine prostate specific antigen testing, according to a John Hopkins study published in the The Journal of Urology. The researchers found that men in this age group with PSA levels less than 3 nanograms per milliliter are unlikely to get prostate cancer." [Based on: News Services article (Prostate testing), p. A8, S.L.P.D., 02/20/09]
2009 - Food Poisoning Trivia / U.S.A. - February 20th, 2009: "Next time you have a case of diarrhea that lasts a day or more, chances are better than 1 in 3 it was food poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [NP] Scientists have counted more than 250 food-related types of illness, according to the CDC. [NP] Using CDC figures, it is estimated that there are 87 million cases, 371,000 hospitalizations and 5,700 deaths a year in America." [Based on: News Services article (Food poisoning in U.S. is widespread, CDC says), p. A8, S.L.P.D., 02/20/09]
2009 - Brain Implant? / FDA Approved - February 20th, 2009: "Patients suffering from obsessive, distressing thoughts have a new treatment option: a pacemaker-like device that relieves anxiety with electrical jolts to the brain. [NP] The FDA approved Medtronic's Reclaim Deep Brain Stimulator device as the first implant to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder." [Based on: News Services article (OCD treatment), p. A8, S.L.P.D., 02/20/09]
2009 - Tiny Periscope - February 26th, 2009: "Vanderbilt scientists have invented the world's smallest version of the periscope and are using it to look at cells from several sides at once. They are the width of a human hair." [Based on: News Services article (Tiny periscope), p. A2, S.L.P.D., 02/26/09]
March 2009
2009 - Medical Scans Trivia / U.S.A. - March 2nd, 2009: "More than 95 million high-tech scans are done each year, and medical imaging, including CT, MRI and PET scans, has ballooned into a $100-billion-a-year industry in the United States, with Medicare paying for $14 billion of that. But recent studies show that as many as 20 percent to 50 percent of the procedures did not help diagnose ailments to treat patients." [Based on: News Services article (NEW YORK / Medical scans often don't help, studies find), p. A11, S.L.P.D., 03/02/09]
2009 - Agent Orange Appeals Rejected / U.S.A. - March 3rd, 2009: "The U.S. Supreme Court turned away three appeals that sought to revive lawsuits over the Vietnam War defoliant Agent Orange against Dow Chemical Co., Monsanto Co. and other chemical makers. [NP] The justices, without comment, let stand lower court decisions that dismissed claims by 16 U.S. military veterans and their families and as many as 5 million Vietnamese nationals. [NP] The rebuff marks one of the final chapters in the 35-year legal battle over Agent Orange and its links to birth defects, cancer and other diseases. Dow, Monsanto and others agreed in 1984 to a $180 million settlement to wrap up all claims." [Based on: Article (AGENT ORANGE / Appeals are rejected), p. C2, S.L.P.D., 03/03/09]
2009 - "Personalized Genome" Sequencing / U.S.A. - March 4th, 2009: "Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have used 'personalized genome' sequencing on a person with pancreatic cancer to locate a mutation that is responsible for initiating the disease. The discovery marks their first use of a genome scanning system to uncover mutations in genes." [Based on: News Services article (genome testing), p. A9, S.L.P.D., 03/04/09]
2009 - Trivia / Growing Kidneys - March 11th, 2009: "Stem cells were used to create kidneys inside a mouse embryo that did not have them. Tokyo University's Institute of Medical Science said. 'If we become able to create human kidneys inside pigs, we'll be able to solve the problem of a lack of organs for transplant surgery,' professor Hiromitsu Nakauchi said." [Based on: News Services article (Growing kidneys), p. A9, S.L.P.D., 03/11/09]
April 2009
2009 - Perchlorate / U.S. Drinking Water Supplies - April 4th, 2009: "Traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel were found in powdered baby formula, and could exceed what's considered a safe dose for adults if mixed with water also contaminated with the ingredient, according to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The chemical, perchlorate, has turned up in several cities' drinking water supplies." [Based on: News Services article (Chemical found in baby formula), p. A22, S.L.P.D., 04/04/09]
2009 - Chemical Erases Memory in Rats - April 9th, 2009: "Forget about it / Researchers ['At SUNY Downstate Medical Center'] find chemical ['called ZIP' - that interferes with PKMzeta] that can erase memories in rats and could one day be in a drug for people." [Based on: Title for New York Times article by Jim Dwyer, p. A8, S.L.P.D., 04/09/09]
*Links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/nyregion/08about.html?scp=1&sq=chemical%20that%20can%20erase%20memories%20SUNY&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/health/research/06brain.html?scp=2&sq=chemical%20that%20can%20erase%20memories%20SUNY&st=cse2009 - Nano-Building Blocks / Biological DNA? - April 13th, 2009: "Researchers in Montreal have succeeded in finding a new way to manufacture nanotubes, one of the important building blocks of the nanotechnology of the future. Their building material? Biological DNA. A team of researchers at McGill University can now tailor different geometries, rigidities and porosities into these nanotubes through the introduction on non-DNA molecules. The work is to be reported in today's edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology." [Based on: News Services article (DNA 'tricked' to act as nano-building blocks), p. A4, S.L.P.D., 04/13/09]
2009 - Pharmaceuticals in Waters / U.S.A. - April 20th, 2009: "U.S. manufacturers, including major drugmakers, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that often provide drinking water - contamination the federal government has consistently overlooked, according to an Associated Press investigation. [....] Last year, the AP reported that trace amounts of a wide range of pharmaceuticals - including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones - have been found in American drinking water supplies. [....] Some scientists say they are increasingly concerned that the consumption of combinations of many drugs, even in small amounts, could harm humans over decades." [Based on: A.P. article (Inquiry: Drugs legally dumped into waters / Contamination is being overlooked.), p. A10, S.L.P.D., 04/20/09]
May 2009
2009 - "Not a Drug"? / Cheerios - May 13th, 2009: "Cheerios, the world's best-selling cereal, isn't as wholesome as its maker General Mills Inc. claims, U.S. regulators said. Packaging and Internet advertising violate federal law with promises to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, according to a letter posted on the FDA's website. [NP] General Mills, ordered to fix the issues or risk product seizure, said it would try to resolve the issue. 'We certainly don't have any issues with the safety of Cheerios,' Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said. 'We just believe that the labeling on this particular product has gone beyond what the science supports.' [that it is 'not a drug'?]" [Based on: Bloomberg News article (Cheerios must rework label), p. A9, S.L.P.D., 05/13/09] - [My brackets text. - D.R.D.]
2009 - Air Quality Trivia / Spain - May 15th, 2009: "[....] A new study has found the air in Madrid and Barcelona [Spain] is also laced with at least five drugs - most prominently cocaine. [NP] The Superior Council of Scientific Investiugations, a government scientific institute, said on its website Thursday [05/14/09] that in addition to cocaine, they found trace amounts of amphetamines, opiates, cannabinoids and lysergic acid - a relative of LSD - in two air-quality control stations, one in each city. [NP] The group said the findings would be published in the U.S. journal Analytical Chemistry." [Based on: News Services article (Smog in Spain includes cocaine), p. A8, S.L.P.D., 05/15/09]
2009 - Trivia / CMV & High Blood Pressure - May 15th, 2009: "Common virus [cytomegalovirus, or CMV] might lead to high blood pressure" [Based on: Title for News Services article, p. A8, S.L.P.D., 05/15/09]
2009 - Chemotherapy Case / Minnesota - May 16th, 2009: "A Minnesota judge ruled that a 13-year-old cancer patient must be evaluated by a doctor to determine if the boy would benefit from restarting chemotherapy over his parents' objections. In a 58-page ruling, Brown County District Judge John Rodenberg found that Daniel Hauser has been 'medically neglected' by his parents, Colleen and Anthony Hauser, and was in need of child protection services." [Based on: News Services article (Judge rules parents must allow Chemo), p. A17, S.L.P.D., 05/16/09]
2009 - E. Coli Bacteria / Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. - May 18th, 2009: "The state allowed tourists at the Lake of the Ozarks to swim in waters that officials knew were infested with harmful E. coli bacteria for two weeks at the beginning of the summer tourist season, Gov. Jay Nixon said Wednesday [09/30/09]. [....] The new information shows that Public Beach 1 at Lake of the Ozarks had four times the allowable level of E. coli as early as May 18. [....]" [Based on: Article (Tainted lake was a risk in mid-May / Nixon suspends Department of Resources official for giving him false information.), p. A1, S.L.P.D., 10/01/09]
2009 - Linked to Plastic Bottles / BPA in the Body - May 22nd, 2009: "Study ['A Harvard study released Thursday' (05/21/09) 'published on the website of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.'] links BPA [bisphenol A] in body to bottles ['Hard plastic drinking bottles'] / Other studies tie controversial chemical to health problems" [Based on: Title for Boston Globe article by Beth Daley, pp. A1 & A10, S.L.P.D., 05/22/09]
2009 - Lung cancer tied to menopause treatment - May 31st, 2009: "[....] Hormone users who developed lung cancer were 60 percent more likely to die from the disease as women who weren't taking the hormones, according to results reported Saturday [05/30/09]. [....] It's the latest finding from the Women's Health Initiative, a federal study that gave 16,608 women either Prempro or a placebo. The study was stopped in 2002 when researchers saw more breast cancers in those on Prempro, the estrogen-progestin pill made by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. They continue to follow what happens to women in the study." [Based on: News Services article (Lung cancer tied to menopause treatment), p. A11, S.L.P.D., 05/31/09]
June 2009
2009 - Swine Flu Pandemic - June 11th, 2009: "Swine flu is now a pandemic [06/11/09 - 'the first official pandemic declaration in 41 years.'] / 'Further spread of the disease is inevitable,' WHO director-general says." [Based on: Title for Marketwatch article, p. A10, S.L.P.D., 06/12/09]
2009 - Documentary / "Food Inc." - June 26th, 2009: "[....] It's not a scenic drive. The documentary attempts to demonstrate that the food Americans eat is largely controlled by a handful of corporations - and all at the expense of the environment, human health and the economic well-being of farmers. [....]" [Based on: Article ('Food, Inc.' chews up Monsanto, agribusiness cousins). A1, S.L.P.D., 06/26/09]
July 2009
2009 - Trivia / C-Reactive Protein - July 1st, 2009: "[....] Researchers analyzing data from more than 100,000 people conclude that their study 'argues against' the notion that C-reactive protein causes heart disease." [Based on: News Services article (Blood protein called a bystander), p. A12, S.L.P.D., 07/01/09]
2009 - Brain-Computer Interface Technology - July 6th, 2009: "It sounds like something from a science fiction movie: Sensors are surgically inserted in the brain to understand what you're thinking. Machines that can speak, move or process information - based on the fleeting thoughts in a person's imagination. [....] The research is a component of 'Brain-Computer Interface Technology,' which decodes brainwaves in a certain part of the brain. Computers are then programmed to understand those signals and perform an action accordingly. [NP] But so far, only signals for imagined actions have been decoded. Moving on to decoding speech will make communication to computers from the mind easier. [....] Because patient testing would require surgery, children with epilepsy are given the chance to participate because they already have similar equipment placed in their brains that also locate electric signals in the brain. [....] A biomedical engineering doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Adam Wilson, 28, has already adapted the existing BCI technology to allow people to use Twitter without their hands. [....] The Twitter application, however, is less invasive than what Washington U. [Mo.] researchers are using. Unlike the implanted brain sensors, the ones Wilson used are less sensitive to brain signals, but can be placed atop the head like a swim cap. Those sensors are being tested by five to 10 people with disabilities at home, allowing them to tell their caretakers that the room is too hot, for example, Wilson said. [....]" [Based on: Article (Computers may be able to 'read' thoughts / BCI - Sensors detect, decode brainwaves; computers are programmed to perform an action accordingly.) by Liz Stoever, p. A3, S.L.P.D., 07/06/09]
2009 - Protection Against Electronic Harassment / Wichita, Kansas - July 7th, 2009: "The courts finally have spoken: In Kansas, it's no longer legal to harass a person by blasting him with secret electromagnetic energy weapons. [NP] At least it's no longer legal to do that to James Walbert of Wichita. [NP] Mr Walbert, a self-described inventor, asked for a legal order of protection against a former business partner whom he claimed had 'stalked myself and family members with electronic and microwave devices.' [....] One, FFCHS daily Harassment Log, described Mr. Walbert's court order [12/30/08] as the 'first official recognition of the need to protect citizens against electronic harassment.' [NP] A New York Times story last November quoted mental health experts who worry that such websites reinforce delusional thinking. [NP] Also quoted is Mr. Guest. In 2007, he asked Missouri lawmakers to investigate claims of people like Mr. Walbert. 'I believe there are people who have been targeted, he said. [NP] And that the truth is out there some where. Way, way out there." [Based on: Article (That little voice inside your head / Our view - Missouri lawmaker explores the farthest frontiers of science.), p. A16, S.L.P.D., 07/07/09]
2009 - Breast Cancer Trivia - July 10th, 2009: "One in three breast cancer patients identified in public screening programs may be treated unnecessarily, a new study says. [....] Some cancers never cause symptoms of death, and can grow too slowly to ever affect patients. And it is impossible to distinguish between those and deadly cancers, any identified cancer is treated. But the treatments can have harmful side-effects and be psychologically scarring. [....] The research was published today in the BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal. Jorgensen [Karsten Jorgensen] and Gotzs [Peter Gotzsche] did not cite any funding for their study. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (Too much breast cancer treatment? / Wherever more women are screened, some will get unnecessary therapy, study finds.) by Maria Cheng, p. A21, S.L.P.D., 07/10/09]
2009 - Monkeys better off with fewer calories - July 10th, 2009: "A 20-year study found cutting calories by almost a third slowed the aging of monkeys and fended off death, researchers reported their study today [07/10/09] in the journal Science. [NP] Scientists have long known they could increase the life span of mice and more primitive creatures such as worms and flies with deep, long-term cuts from normal food consumption. Now comes the first evidence that such reductuions delay the diseases of aging in primates, too." [Based on: News Services article (Monkeys better off with fewer calories), p. A21, S.L.P.D., 07/10/09]
2009 - False Reports Common? / Ovarian Cancer Screening - July 10th, 2009: "False results are common among the only screening technologies available for ovarian cancer, a disease that killed an estimated 15,500 women last year in the United States, according to a report published in Thursday's [07/09/09] New England Journal of Medicine. 'It's not the message people want to hear,' said Dr. Daniel L. Clarke-Pearson, the author of the report and the chairman of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill department of Obsterics and Gynecology." [Based on: News Services article (Ovarian cancer screening questioned), p. A21, S.L.P.D., 07/10/09]
2009 - Research targets chemical in plastics - July 16th, 2009: "A chemical [Bisphenol A] commonly used in plastics causes damage to reproductive systems in mice, according to new research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. [....] In one sample from 2004, the federal Centers for Disease Control and prevention found BPA in the urine of 93 percent of the 2,517 Americans who were tested. Women generally had higher BPA levels than men, the testing showed. [NP] The structure of BPA is similar to the steriod hormone called estradiol. The BPA, like estradiol, can attach to estrogen receptors on cells. The BPA may then block or stimulate the effects of estrogen. [NP] In the study on mice, researchers found that the chemical harms the cells, follicles and hormones necessary for ovulation. [NP] 'These are the only follicles that are capable of ovulating and so if they don't grow properly, they're not going to ovulate and there could be fertility issues,' Flaws [veterinary biosciences professor Jodi Flaws] said in a statement. [NP] The hormones are not only required for reproduction, but also contribute to bone and heart health. [NP] Researchers found that BPA affected follicle growth in the mice in two days following an exposure. About a week after a heavy exposure, the levels of the hormones progesterone, testosterone and estradiol were lowered by nearly 100 percent. [NP] Federal health officials have said humans are not exposed to the high levels of BPA that have been shown to be harmful in animals. But the 2008 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also said the previous research does cause concern for exposure to fetuses, infants and children. [NP] The Illinois scientists said their research suggests possible problems for adults, including infertility issues." [Based on: Article (Research targets chemical in plastics / In the lab - Study at University of Illinois finds Bisphenol A harms reproductive systems in mice.) by Blythe Bernhard, p. B3, S.L.P.D., 07/16/09]
2009 - Settlement / Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp - July 16th, 2009: "Drug makers Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. will pay $5.4 million to settle a multistate investigation that they delayed the release of test results casting doubt on the effectiveness of two blockbuster cholesterol drugs. The companies settled with attorneys general from 35 states, including Missouri and Illinois, and the District of Columbia. The study compared Zetia and Vytorin with Zocor, a drug that is one of Vytorin's ingredients." [Based on: A.P. article (Drug makers will pay to settle), p. A12, S.L.P.D., 07/16/09]
2009 - E. Coli Trivia / Lake of Ozarks, Mo. - July 17th, 2009: "Nixon [Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon] decries [07/15/09] E. coli secret / He calls DNR wrong to withold report showing high levels [May 2009] in Lake of Ozarks." [Based on: Article title, p. A19, S.L.P.D., 07/17/09]
2009 - Mercury Fillings OK? - July 29th, 2009: "After more than three decades of controversy, the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday [07/28/09] issued new safety guidelines for mercury-based dental fillings that reaffirn the agency's long-held position that their use isn't a serious health threat to patients. [....] More than 100 million Americans have dental amalgams that are about 50 percent liquid mercury and 20 percent to 35 percent a powdered alloy made from silver, tin, copper, zinc and other metals, the FDA says. [....] 'The best available scientific evidence supports the conclusion that patients with dental amalgam fillings are not at risk for mercury-associated adverse health effects,' Runner [Susan Runner, the head of dental services at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health] said. [....]" [Based on: McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS article (Mercury-based fillings are OK, FDA reaffirms / Consumer groups promise a court challenge.) by Tony Pugh, p. A13, S.L.P.D., 07/29/09]
2009 - Cancer Risk? / Tanning Beds - July 29th, 2009: "Tanning beds pose danger, experts say ['The research was published online in the medical journal Lancet Oncology on Wednesday'] / new classification puts them as top cancer risk." [Based on: Title for A.P. article, p. A13, S.L.P.D., 07/29/09]
2009 - U.S. spending big on alternative medicine - July 31st, 2009: "Americans spend more than one-tenth of their out-of-pocket health care dollars on alternative medicine, according to the first national estimate of such spending in more than a decade. [NP] Chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists and herbal remedies are commanding significant consumer dollars as people seek high-touch care in a high-tech society, the report released Thursday [07/30/09] by the government shows. [NP] Altogether, consumers spent an estimated $34 billion on those and other alternative remedies in 2007, the report found. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (U.S. spending big on alternative medicine), p. A20, S.L.P.D., 07/31/09]
August 2009
2009 - Preventable Medical Mistakes / U.S.A. - August 9th, 2009: "Preventable mistakes made in medical care are the nation's leading cause of accidental death, a Hearst investigation has documented. [NP] Analysts of key national research on the issue shows that the death toll from medical injury, including infections that patients acquire in the course of their medical treatment, approaches 200,000 a year. [....]" [Based on: Hearst Newspapers article (Medical goofs cost lives, study finds / 1999 report focused on preventable mistakes, including infections, but death rate continues to rise), p. A10, S.L.P.D., 08/09/09]
2009 - Poverty Trivia / U.S.A. - August 20th, 2009: "The ranks of poor and uninsured Americans are likely increasing - with more than 38.8 million believed to be in poverty. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (Number of poor, uninsured likely up) by Hope Yen, p. A9, S.L.P.D., 08/20/09]
2009 - Mercury in Fish / U.S. Streams - August 20th, 2009: "The toxic substance mercury was found in every fish sampled in a study by the U.S. Geological Survey. [NP] About a quarter had mercury levels exceeding what the Environmental Protection Agency says is safe for people eating average amounts of fish. From 1998 to 2005, scientists tested more than a thousand fish, including bass, trout and catfish, from 291 streams nationwide." [Based on: News Services article (Mercury found in all fish in sample), p. A9, S.L.P.D., 08/20/09]
2009 - Chemical Weapons Incineration? / U.S.A. - August 20th, 2009: "The Army has won dismissal of an environmental lawsuit over its plan to incinerate chemical weapons at storage sites around the country. A federal judge threw out the suit aimed at stopping the plan to destroy the stockpiles dating as far back as World War II, required under an international treaty." [Based on: News Services article (Suit against Army is dismissed), p. A6, S.L.P.D., 08/20/09]
2009 - New clue on bee colony collapse - August 25th, 2009: "Researchers have a new clue to the collapse of honeybee colonies across the country [U.S.A.] - damage to the bees' internal 'factories' that produce proteins. [NP] The new study of sick bees disclosed fragments of ribosomes, which make proteins necessary for life, according to a study in today's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." [Based on: News Services article (New clue on bee colony collapse), p. A13, S.L.P.D., 08/25/09]
*Trivia: "[....] 'Microarrays for other organisms also contain these mysterious pieces of ribosomal RNA, for reasons that are not yet altogether clear,' said Gene Robinson, one of the study's co-authors and an entomology and neuroscience professor at the University of Illinois. [NP] Berenbaum said that when the researchers were studying the CCD bees, they found viruses that had hijacked their ribosomes, taking over their cellular machinery to manufacture only viral proteins. [NP] When that happens, the bees become susceptible to a number of problems that have been suspected of causing colony collapse disorder, according to the study. [NP] Nutritional deficiencies, genetically modified plants, a parasitic fungus and the Varroa mite have all been identified as possible culprits behind colony collapse disorder. [NP] 'If your ribosome is compromised, then you can't respond to pesticides, you can't respond to fungal infections or bacteria or inadequate nutrition because the ribosome is central to the survival of any organism,' Berenbaum said. 'You need proteins to survive.' " [Based on: Article (A clue to honeybee deaths / U of I scientists say a breakdown in the manufacturing of essential proteins may contribute to colony collapse disorder, or CCD, in bees.) by Kim McGuire, p. A3, S.L.P.D., 08/31/09]
2009 - Atrazine / Public Water Supply, U.S.A. - August 25th, 2009: "Common weed killer atrazine is showing up in public water supply ['throughout the country'] / Report by National Resources Defense Council says that average levels of atrazine in two towns in Illinois exceeded EPA standards. Excessive amounts have also been found in two Missouri watersheds." [Based on: Title for article by Kim McGuire, p. A2, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 08/25/09]
2009 - Warning on hormone therapy - August 26th, 2009: "A new study links hormone therapy for prostate cancer with a higher risk of death in older men with serious heart problems. The treatment was linked with a 96 percent higher risk of death after adjusting for other factors, says today's Journal of the American Medical Association." [Based on: Article (Warning on hormone therapy), p. A7, S.L.P.D., 08/26/09]
September 2009
2009 - Unsafe Drinking Water / U.S. Schools - September 25th, 2009: "Over the last decade, the drinking water at thousands of schools across the country [U.S.A.] has been found to contain unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins. An investigation found that contaminants have surfaced at public and private schools in all 50 states - in small towns and inner cities alike." [Based on: News Services article (Unsafe drinking water at schools), p. A10, S.L.P.D., 09/25/09]
2009 - Financial Divide? / U.S.A. - September 30th, 2009: "[....] The wealthiest 10 percent of Americans, those making more than $138,000 each year, earned 11.4 times the roughly $12,000 made by those living near or below the poverty line in 2008, according to newly released census figures. That ratio was an increase from 11.2 in 2007 and the previous high of 11.22 in 2003. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (Wealthy, poor are even farther apart), p. A6, S.L.P.D., 09/30/09]
2009 - Dying of Stress? / Koalas - September 30th, 2009: "The koala, Australia's star symbol, is dying of stress. Koalas live in the rolling hills and flat plains where eucalyptus trees grow, because they need the leaves for both food and water. But as people move in, koalas are finding themselves with fewer trees, researchers say. The stress is bringing out a latent disease that infects 50 to 90 percent of the animals." [Based on: News Services article (Koalas stressing out), p. A15, S.L.P.D., 09/30/09]
October 2009
2009 - Autism Trivia / U.S.A. - October 6th, 2009: "[....] One in 91 children in the U.S. has autism spectrum disorder, according to a study ['a telephone survey of more than 78,000 parents.'] released Monday [10/05/09] in the medical journal Pediatrics. That smashes the previous estimate of one in 150 released two years ago. [....]" [Based on: Article (Boom in children battling autism), p. A1, S.L.P.D., 10/06/09]
2009 - Nobel Prize in Medicine / U.S.A. - October 6th, 2009: "[....] The key is the end of the chromosomes, where caps known as telomeres reside. An enzyme discovered by the researchers, dubbed telomerase, prevents the end from being shaved off and maintains the health of the cell as it replicates - earning it the title of 'immortality enzyme'. [....]" [Based on: Bloomberg News article (3 in U.S. win Nobel for work on cell 'immortality' / It's the first time two women have jointly won the prize.) by Michelle Fay Cortez, pp. A1 & A6, S.L.P.D., 10/06/09]
2009 - Weed killer will get closer look by EPA - October 8th, 2009: "[....] As recently as this summer, staff members argued that current regulations were adequate. Water systems in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa Kansas, Mississippi and Ohio recently sued atrazine's manufacturers to force them to pay for removing the chemical from drinking water." [Based on: New York Times article (Weed killer will get closer look by EPA / Herbicide atrazine is among most common contaminants of American drinking water.) by Charles Duhigg, p. A12, S.L.P.D., 10/08/09]
2009 - Chronic Fatigue &Prostate Cancer Connection? - October 9th, 2009: "A virus linked to prostate cancer was tied to chronic fatigue syndrome. Blood from 101 patients was tested; two-thirds was found to carry the virus, research published in the journal Science said." [Based on: News Services article (Chronic fatigue virus found), p. A25, S.L.P.D., 10/09/09]
2009 - Food Safety / U.S.A. - October 12th, 2009: "Food safety questioned / Critics [The center for Science in the Public Interest] say outbreaks of food-borne illness show FDA reliance on industry self-regulation isn't enough to protect consumers." [Based on: Title for article, p. A5, S.L.P.D., 10/12/09]
2009 - Biology of Happiness? - October 15th, 2009: "Eastern philosophy guru Deepak Chopra says he has one way to reform our sorry state of health care: by reconnecting with our spiritual side. [....] In a phone interview, Chopra said that what we think and how we feel physically change our brains and bodies. He pointed to research on neuropeptides, which are protein-like molocules used by brain cells to communicate information to one another. [NP] Thinking a thought or feeling an emotion, he said, causes a synapse to fire neuropeptides not just to other brain cells, but to cells throughout the body including the immune system. Once a cell receives a neuropeptide, he added, its information changes that cell down to the genetic level. [NP] 'Now we're starting to see that how you behave, how you think, your personal relationships, social interactions, environment, diet, stress levels, they all modulate the activities of your genes,' he said. 'So what you think can change your genes and the structure of your brain.' [....] Chopra is a medically trained endocrinologist and former chief of staff at New England Memorial Hospital during the 1970s. He said he quit traditional medicine because 'we were acting like legalized drug pushers and prolonging suffering.' [....]" [Based on: Article (Eastern philosopher stresses the biology of happiness / Deepak Chopra says what we think and how we feel physically change our brains and bodies.) by Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, pp. B1 & B3, S.L.P.D., 10/15/09] - [My bold text highlights. - D.R.D.]
2009 - "Systemic Failure" / DNR, Mo. - October 17th, 2009: "Nixon fires aide over report on lake [of the Ozarks] E. coli / He says investigation found 'systemic failure' in DNR's process of testing waterways [Mo.]" [Based on: Title for Article, p. A1, S.L.P.D., 10/17/09]
2009 - Thimerosal Additive / Swine Flu Vaccine? - October 20th, 2009: "Vaccine glitch for pregnant women / States' bans on additive ['the mercury-based additive thimerosal'] in swine flu inoculations are slowing distribution." [Based on: Title for Article by Blythe Bernhard, p. A1, S.L.P.D., 10/20/09]
2009 - Cancer from Nuclear Fallout? / U.S.A. - October 21st, 2009: "[....] The new research was spurred by the 2001 reappearance of 85,000 teeth that had been donated for the 1960s study, which was conducted by Washington University [Mo.] scientists. The teeth were found in an old bunker at the university's Tyson Research Center, where they had been stuffed into envelopes that included information about the donors, one of whom was Edward Ketterer ['he passed away in 2006 at the age of 47'] [....] Washington University scientists analyzed most of the teeth for strontium-90, which was created by the bomb blasts and absorbed by the teeth and bones of infants. [NP] They suspected that the children were exposed by drinking milk from cows and goats that grazed on grass contanimated by fallout. They called it the 'milk pathway.' [NP] The study concluded that St. Louis children born in 1964 had about 50 times more strontium-90 in their baby teeth than those born in 1950, before the start of atomic testing in Nevada. [....] Of the healthy donors, levels of strontium-90 were insignificant, the research shows. But the donors who died of cancer had about 122 percent more of the isotope in their teeth than the healthy donors. [....]" [Based on: Article (WU baby teeth study's findings are confirmed in new research / Men who got cancer had high level of radioactive isotope) by Kim McGuire, pp. A1 & A4, S.L.P.D., 10/21/09]
November 2009
2009 - AIDS Trivia - November 10th, 2009: "AIDS leading cause of death ['One in five'] in young women ['ages 15-44'], U.N. says [11/09/09]" [Based on: Title for News Services article, p. A15, S.L.P.D., 11/10/09]
2009 - Tainted Fish / U.S.A. - November 11th, 2009: "Nearly half of lakes and reservoirs nationwide contain fish with potentially harmful levels of the toxic metal mercury, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which found mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls in all fish samples it collected from 500 lakes and reservoirs from 2000-2003." [Based on: News Services article (Half of fish toxic, study finds), p. A9, S.L.P.D., 11/11/09]
2009 - BPA affects factory workers - November 11th, 2009: "Male factory workers in China who got very high doses of a chemical that's been widely used in hard plastic bottles had high rates of sexual problems, according to a study published by the journal Human Reproduction. Heavy exposure to BPA, or bisphenol A, on the job was linked to impotence and lower sexual desire and satisfaction." [Based on: News Services article (BPA affects factory workers), p. A9, S.L.P.D., 11/11/09]
December 2009
2009 - Cell Phone Warnings? / U.S.A. - December 21st, 2009: "A Maine legislator wants to make the state the first to require cell phones to carry warnings that they can cause brain cancer, although there is no consensus among scientists that they do and industry leaders dispute the claim. A similar effort is afoot in San Francisco, where Mayor Gavin Newsom wants his city to be the nation's first to require the warnings." [Based on: News Services article (Maine to consider cell phone cancer warning), p. A21, S.L.P.D., 12/21/09]
2009 - Israel harvested organs in '90s without permission - December 21st, 2009: "Israel has admitted that in the 1990s, its forensic pathologists harvested organs from bodies, including Palestinians, without permission of their families. [NP] The issue emerged with publication of an interview with the then-head of Israel's Abu Kabir forensic institute, Dr. Jehuda Hiss. The interview was conducted in 2000 by an American academic, who released it because of a controversy over an allegation by a Swedish newspaper that Israel was killing Palestinians to harvest their organs. Israel hotly denied the charge." [Based on: News Services article (Israel harvested organs in '90s without permission), p. A21, S.L.P.D., 12/21/09]
Pre-1945 / 1945 / 1980 / 2000 / 2009 / 2010
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Last page update - 08/26/09