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Mesothelioma: A Killer
Lurks in the Lungs |
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Health Tip: 'Natural' Doesn't Always Mean Safe |
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September 24, 2004 06:03:17 AM PDT , HealthDay |
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(HealthDayNews) -- Don't assume that herbal health products are safer than other medicines just because they come from plants, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) says.
Although herbal products often are advertised as "natural," they aren't natural to the human body.
Unlike prescription drugs and other medicines, herbal products don't have to meet government approval standards before they can be sold. For one thing, they may not be pure, and may include plant derivatives that could make you sick.
Herbal products may be unsafe if you have certain health problems. Talk to your doctor before taking them if you have high blood pressure, thyroid or psychiatric problems, Parkinson's disease, an enlarged prostate, blood clotting problems, diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, a history of stroke or liver problems, the AAFP says. |
Health Tip: Biofeedback |
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September 24, 2004 06:03:17 AM PDT , HealthDay |
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(HealthDayNews) -- The word "biofeedback" was coined in the late 1960s to describe training people to alter brain activity, blood pressure, muscle tension, heart rate and other bodily functions that normally are not controlled voluntarily.
Modern biofeedback techniques can help some people control an ever-growing list of conditions including migraine and tension headaches, chronic pain, and high blood pressure, the Association for Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback says.
One commonly used device, for example, picks up electrical signals from the muscles and translates the signals into flashes of light when muscles become tense. In time, the group says, this device can help relax tense muscles by focusing the mind on slowing the flashes of light.
After a while, the group says, biofeedback users should be able to control tense muscles this way without being attached to the sensor. |
Medicare to send drug discount cards to poor in US
Last Updated: 2004-09-23 14:02:35 -0400 (Reuters Health)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government will send prescription drug discount cards to 1.8 million poor Medicare patients who have yet to sign up for $1,200 in savings offered over the next 14 months, officials said on Wednesday, in the wake of criticism over the complexity of the scheme.
The beneficiaries will be automatically eligible for discounts offered through the cards at local pharmacies. Recipients need to contact the card sponsor or Medicare to get the $1,200 credit for purchasing medicines, a benefit for the poor under the Medicare law enacted last year.
Health officials said the effort was aimed at simplifying the process for the millions of low-income elderly and disabled people covered by Medicare who had not signed up for the cards on their own.
The Bush administration "does not want any low-income senior to have this opportunity and not take advantage of it," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said at a news conference.
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for seniors and disabled people.
About 1.1 million poor Medicare patients already have signed up for the discount cards, a temporary measure until broad prescription drug coverage starts in 2006.
Roughly 7 million beneficiaries are poor enough to qualify for the $1,200 credit, which includes $600 for the rest of this year and $600 for 2005.
An additional 3.3 million people who are not considered low income have enrolled in the discount card program, officials said.
Critics, including some Democratic lawmakers, have faulted the slow pace of enrollment given that up to 41 million Americans were eligible for the discount cards. They have said the enrollment process is bewildering and they have also questioned whether the savings would be meaningful.
The 1.8 million people who will receive discount cards in the mail in the next couple weeks are enrolled in state assistance programs and therefore believed to meet the income tests to be eligible for the low-income credit.
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