STB's News You Can Use -- 2 February 1997

* News You Can Use! -- 2 February 1997 *

A blow to Christian Science caregivers
Trends in health care
Healthy oatmeal, "low-fat" pizza
When to start mammograms?
Were zinc lozenges smeared on-line?
Taking human error out of prescriptions
Boosting food safety
Health News & Notes
Buffalo News_ article on STB
Index of past newsletters

Medicare payments to Christian Science caregivers being questioned

There are studies saying that prayer has demonstrable health benefits. Christian Science teaches that prayer is the most effective treatment for illness, so members use no drugs or conventional medical treatments. So why do Christian Science caregivers receive millions in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements? Federal law. But that may be about to change. Attorney General Janet Reno says current legal precedent does not allow the United States government to provide "special benefits" to members of one religious group. Last summer, a federal judge in Minnesota ruled that the payments violate the constitutional separation of church and state. (Associated Press, 24 January 1997)

More managed care, less satisfaction, hospice care at home

*** What is the current mood of hospital patients? "A resounding cry for help," according to the head of a group which surveyed them. One-third felt poorly prepared to go home when they were discharged, and had trouble getting questions answered. A similar study by the American Hospital Association talked with focus groups, and their consensus was that patients find the health care system "confusing, expensive, unreliable and often impersonal." (Associated Press, 27 January 1997)
*** That mood isn't likely to improve in the near future, as managed care becomes more widespread. The journal Health Affairs reports that as of 1995, 73% of all Americans insured through their employers had a managed care option, up from about half of all workers in 1993. The programs emphasize preventative medicine, and restrain costs by reviewing prescribed treatments and care. (Associated Press, 19 January 1997)
*** The percentage of elderly Americans going into nursing homes has dipped, because, as Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala puts it, they "have more choices today." Up until 1995, rates of elderly Americans in nursing homes remained steady, but now there are more home health care options, plus advances in medical technology which may postpone the need for institutional care. (Associated Press, 23 January 1997)
See the HHS press release, which is mostly concerned with avoiding hospitalization for pneumonia in elderly patients. Also, see the note in this newsletter about vaccinating nursing home patients against pneumonia.
*** A similar trend is being seen with AIDS hospices, some of which are closing due to less demand. It's not that people aren't dying of AIDS -- it still claims about 40,000 Americans annually. It's just that some are finding themselves welcomed back by families that once shunned them, and still others are living longer on new drug combinations. (Associated Press, 23 January 1997)

Oatmeal that's healthy, and pizza that's not

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration is allowing a specific food claim that it fights disease. Products made from rolled oats, oat bran and oat flour, and containing enough soluble fiber and not too much fat, may reduce the risk of heart disease. Cereal makers Quaker Oats and General Mills are preparing to label some brands as being healthful. Consumer advocates say the FDA is sending the wrong message, since fruits and vegetables carry plenty of soluble fibers. (Associated Press, 21 January 1997)
*** Both sides would probably agree, however, that Pizzeria Uno went a little too far in describing their "Thinzetta" line of pizzas as being "low-fat." As compared to what? The Federal Trade Commission called that description "false and misleading," and the chain will stop advertising them as such. Regulators said all six pizzas in the "Thinzetta" line were over the limits for calling something "low fat," and some of the pies were found to contain up to 36 grams of fat per serving. (Associated Press, 22 January 1997)

Quigley suspects fraud as stock price drops

One of the obvious downsides of the Internet is the ability of anyone with a computer and a modem to post virtually any information on-line, even if it's a complete and deliberate lie. That's what concerns the Quigley Corporation, makers of Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges. Last summer, the company's stock rose sharply when a report found that lemon-flavored Cold-Eeze could shorten the length of a cold to just a few days. But recently the stock has tumbled, and the firm suspects a smear campaign. Quigley wants the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate fake press releases, faxes, and on-line postings. If someone was trying to sully the company's good name, a possible culprit would be "short sellers" -- investors who profit when shares of a company decline. (Associated Press, 21 January 1997)

A new way to combat errors in prescriptions

*** A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association finds that errors in prescribing and administering drugs will cost the average large teaching hospital five million dollars -- annually. That's what it costs to keep patients for a few extra days when they suffer bad drug reactions. The study concluded that more than half of the cost is due to hospital error. (Associated Press, 21 January 1997)
*** What sorts of errors? What about poor penmanship? The American Society of Hospital Pharmacists says there is a death ever day because of wrong medications or wrong doses, due to poor handwriting. That estimate was mentioned during National Handwriting Day. (Associated Press, 23 January 1997)
*** And one way to avoid such problems may be automation. Recently, the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance invested $600,000 in an automatic tablet counter and eight computerized medication dispensers. The intent is to save pharmacists and nurses time, while reducing the risk of errors. The administrators also expect that the system will save one million dollars over the next five years. The automation will cut three full-time human being jobs from the pharmacy department, hence the savings. (Broadcast News, 20 January 1997)

Clinton calls for safer food; Canada moves against "mad cow"

*** U.S. President Bill Clinton is including 43 million dollars in the upcoming budget for improved food safety. The money would fund a modernization of the systems that protect the nation's food supply. Food poisoning kills about 9,000 Americans each year, and sickens about 33 million. The Food and Drug Administration would get more than half of the new funds, mostly to begin a long-awaited seafood safety program. Another 11 million dollars would go to an early warning system, to track and research illnesses, linking federal agencies with state health offices, to enable quick sharing of data. The plan would also increase the number of federal testing centers, allowing the government to run "sentinel sites" in eight states. (Associated Press, 24 January 1997, 25 January)
Both the United States and Canada are responding to the "mad cow" disease scare. Both nations will soon move to ban the practice of feeding cows ground-up bits of other animals, such as cows and sheep, which currently make up about 20% or more of cattle feed. The practice has been linked to the appearance of "mad cow" disease in Britain, where cows were apparently fed sheep tissue which had been infected with scrapie, a fatal brain disorder. Britain was forced to slaughter huge numbers of its cattle, when eating the tainted beef was connected with another brain disorder, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, in humans. (Associated Press, 2 January 1997; Broadcast News, 23 January)

News You Can Use! (but I couldn't squeeze in)

Heart disease begins in the young: Researchers at the Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans studied the autopsy records of men and women who had died at a young age, between 15 and 34. It found that those who ate a fat-rich diet or smoked had *already* begun to build up fatty deposits in their aortas and coronary arteries. (Associated Press, 28 January 1997)
I Don't Like Fridays: "Self" magazine reports that Mondays is, as expected, the most likely day for people to experience life-threatening irregular heartbeats. But the second most likely day is Friday. They speculate that's due to stress and fatigue that reaches a breaking point at the end of the work week. (CBS Radio, 24 January 1997)
Vaccinate seniors against pneumonia: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied records for three states, and found that under five percent of nursing home residents get vaccinated for pneumonia. But up to 28% of those who contract pneumonia in nursing homes die. The CDC says seniors can get the pneumonia shot when they get their flu shot, and think it's not encouraged because of the fear of a bad reaction. (Broadcast News, 23 January 1997)
Germ-killing toys: A while back in News You Can Use!, we told you about the Microban process, which bonds a germ-killing layer to plastic or fiber. A major toymaker got such a great response to their germ-killing high chair, that they've unveiled a new line of germ-killing toys. Hasbro says Microban stops mold, mildew, fungi, and bacteria, including E. coli, salmonella, strep and staph. (Associated Press, 27 January 1997)
Ebola scare in the Philippines: A monkey-breeding farm is under 24-hour surveillance, until it kills all of its monkeys. The Philippines government says the 600 monkeys are infected with the Ebola virus. The infection was discovered last year, when the farm shipped two monkeys to a Texas breeding facility. While U.S. health officials say the Ebola strain they carried apparently poses no threat to humans, the chance existed that the strain could mutate into a more lethal form. (Associated Press, 27 January 1997)

*** News You Can Use! -- 2 February 1997 ***

* News You Can Use! -- 2 February 1997 *