Chemotherapy Treatment of Children Multiplies Risk of Cancer Later in Life
August 24, 2009
Natural News
By David Gutierrez
Adults who underwent chemotherapy as children are at a significantly higher risk of developing cancer as adults, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen, Denmark, and published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Researchers examined the medical histories of 47,679 people from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden who had been diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20 between the years of 1943 and 2005. They found that those diagnosed with a childhood cancer ran three times the risk of developing cancer in adulthood as an adult of the same generation who had not had cancer as a child. This elevated risk held strong even into old age.
The generation most likely to develop second cancers was that diagnosed between 1975 and 2005, followed by those diagnosed between 1960 and 1975 or those diagnosed before 1970. Because the doses used in radiation treatment have steadily decreased over the years, while chemotherapy treatment has become steadily more aggressive, the researchers concluded that childhood chemotherapy is the most likely culprit for the increased risk of adult cancers.
“What we need now is two-fold: new treatment ideas to decrease the risk of later effects, and much better surveillance of childhood cancer survivors during adulthood,” lead researcher Jorgen Olsen said. “Cancer treatments don’t just increase the risk of other cancers, but can lead to all sorts of other problems — from cardiovascular to reproductive.”
Pediatric oncologist James Nicholson of Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge agreed that survivors of childhood cancers need to be carefully monitored for new cancers throughout their lifetimes.
“A study like this does raise awareness of the problem,” he said. “If it means alarm bells ring earlier when there are symptoms in people who were treated for cancer as a child that would be a very good thing.”
Click here for the full report from Natural News
A Flu Information Site I Recommend…
August 24, 2009 by KT
Filed under Kevin's Blog
The Flu Case is the only website to find REAL information regarding the Swine Flu, vaccinations, and the criminal activity surrounding it.
Click here to get the latest information on this life threatening issue!
KT
Drugged to Death; Our Kids and Our Troops
August 19, 2009
Citizens Commission of Human Rights International
By Jim Marrs
Today, one of the biggest problem we have, and one of the things that shocks so many Americans, is the rise of teen suicides and the rise of school shootings. Yet all we hear from the corporate mass media on the shootings is “Well, we need to take the guns away.” Let me tell you something, I went to school in Texas. We took guns to school. Nobody shot anybody. So what’s changed? Drugs. Kids on psychiatric drugs. Nearly every school shooter in this country can be shown to have been involved with psychotropic drugs—either taking them at the time of the shootings, or what can be even worse, coming off of them. And teen suicides? Read the FDA black box warnings, these drugs can cause suicidal ideation. So logically, if kids are being drugged up with antidepressants, and if in fact teen suicides are rising, then it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that we better stop drugging our kids to death.
Psychiatric drugs cause major changes in brain chemistry and in behavior. International drug regulators warn that the drugs we are doling out to kids can cause mania, psychosis, depersonalization, suicidal and even homicidal ideation. If we take a look at the school shooters that were under the influence of these drugs, you have to wonder why there hasn’t been a federal investigation into the correlation between drugs documented to cause violence and suicide and kids taking them who then became violent and suicidal. If even a handful of these school shooters were found to be taking PCP or smoking crack we would have headline news announcing a causal relationship between illicit drug use and acts of violence. But because these kids are taking legal drugs, prescribed by a psychiatrist for an alleged mental disorder, something we use to refer to as “childhood,” the powers that be don’t think it merits an investigation. Well we are all aware of how much Pharma spends on lobbying efforts. Regarding corporate media I would venture a guess that the reason they haven’t taken on the issue is simple: Big Pharma is now one of, if not the largest, advertisers in the United States, with $5 billion a year spent on direct to consumer advertising.
The rise of drug-induced acts of violence and suicide isn’t limited to our schools. In January 2009 it was reported that more of our military died of suicide than of combat deaths. Why is that? Could it be because our military are getting pumped full of psychiatric drugs? What Time Magazine referred to as “America’s Medicated Army?” Well if we are “medicating” our troops with antidepressants and antipsychotics, drugs documented to cause suicidal reactions, let’s put 2 and 2 together and state the obvious—these drugs are minimally a contributing factor.
Many people don’t realize that psychiatry’s love affair with the military dates back more than 90 years; During World War I the biggest problem the German military had was desertions—people leaving the front lines of the War. So the Germans turned to psychiatrists who came up with a solution: Electroshock. Psychiatrists theorized that if the shock soldiers experienced due to the brutalities of war made them desert the front lines, then another kind of shock—electroshock—could get them to be good little soldiers and willingly return to combat. Maybe because electroshock wiped out their memory, or maybe because soldiers chose to face the front lines rather than have another 450 volts of current tear through their brain, it worked. Psychiatry had come up with a winning strategy for the military to deal with reluctant soldiers and since that time the love affair between the two entities has never waned.
Today there are mobile psychiatric units that travel with the troops to ensure they’re drugged up as needed. And though they are not yet employing electroshock, as more Americans are made aware that these psychotropic drugs are killing our troops, don’t be surprised if sometime soon you pick up a newspaper and find psychiatrists promoting a new cure for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; Electroshock.
Click here for the full report from CCHR
Stop Prescribing Killer Diabetes Drug, Scientists Warn
August 19, 2009
Guardian.co.uk
By Sarah Boseley
Scientists say doctors should stop prescribing a commonly used diabetes drug, after studies show that it is linked to higher rates of heart failure and death than a similar alternative.
David Juurlink, a Toronto-based pharmacologist and lead author of a paper published online today by the British Medical Journal, says that doctors should no longer prescribe rosiglitazone, which is sold under the brand name Avandia.
His study looked at nearly 40,000 patients aged 66 or older who had been given either rosiglitazone or a similar drug, pioglitazone, by their doctors between April 2002 and March 2008 for type 2 (obesity-related) diabetes. They found that those on pioglitazone had a significantly lower risk of heart failure or death than those on rosiglitazone.
For every 93 patients treated with rosiglitazone rather than pioglitazone, one extra heart failure or death would occur every year, they say.
There has been controversy for some time over rosiglitazone’s effects on the heart. Some scientists have argued over the interpretation of previous studies. But Dr Juurlink, division head of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, believes it is time for doctors to stop using the drug.
“As a clinician, I cannot envision an instance in which I would recommend rosiglitazone over pioglitazone,” he said.
“My logic for recommending that rosiglitazone no longer be used is several-fold: there is an increasing body of evidence that rosiglitazone is associated with more harm than pioglitazone, there is biological plausibility to support this (outlined in our paper – rosiglitazone is a more potent stimulus for salt and water retention in the kidney) and not a single study, to my knowledge, has suggested that pioglitazone might be less safe than rosiglitazone.
“Importantly, rosiglitazone has not a single advantage – not even a theoretical one – over pioglitazone.”
The risks and benefits of the drug have been evaluated by the European Medicines Agency, responsible for licensing across Europe, which said in October 2007 that the benefits of both drugs outweighed their risks. But it warned that rosiglitazone should only be used after a careful assessment of any patient with heart disease.
An editorial published online with the paper suggests that it is still too soon to dismiss rosiglitazone. Two experts, Corinne de Vries, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the University of Bath, and David Russell-Jones, professor of diabetes and endocrinology at the University of Surrey, say that more studies should be done. They urge patients to consult their GP and not discontinue their medicine.
Click here for the full report from Guardian.co.uk
Yoga: Research Finds Natural Way to Control Weight, Beat Middle-Age Spread
August 19, 2009
Natural News
By Sherry Baker
The origin of the word “yoga” is the Sanskrit word yuj, meaning “yoke or union.” And practitioners of this ancient discipline, which combines physical postures, meditation, breathing exercises and a philosophy of mindfulness, aim for a union between the mind and the body. Now western science is backing up this basic tenet of yoga. It appears yoga does help link the mind to the body. What’s more it can link appetite control to weight loss.
According to a new study headed by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, people who practice yoga regularly are less likely to be obese. The reason isn’t necessarily the exercise part of yoga but the mindfulness part that promotes a slim body. Simply put, practicing yoga makes people mindful of what and how they eat — and that, the scientists say, can help prevent the dread phenomenon of middle-age spread in normal-weight people. In addition, it may promote weight loss in those who are overweight.
The new research, just published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, was inspired by a previous study by the same team of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists. Four years ago, Dr. Alan Kristal and his colleagues first found that regular yoga practice seemed to promote weight loss. The researchers theorized that the weight-loss effect might have more to do with increased body awareness than the actual increased physical activity of yoga practice.
Specifically, the scientists suspected that people who practice yoga and mindfulness become more sensitive to feelings of real hunger and also real satiety. Bottom line: yoga practice makes you less likely to eat except when you are actually hungry and more likely to stop eating when you are full. The result? A slimmer body, controlled appetite and a healthy BMI.
In a statement to the media, Dr. Kristal explained the new study confirms his research team’s initial ideas about yoga’s connection to weight control and weight loss. “In our earlier study, we found that middle-age people who practice yoga gained less weight over a ten year period than those who did not. This was independent of physical activity and dietary patterns. We hypothesized that mindfulness — a skill learned either directly or indirectly through yoga — could affect eating behavior,” said Dr. Kristal, who heads the Cancer Prevention Program in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center.
The researchers discovered that people who ate mindfully, meaning they were aware of why they were eating and did not engage in binge eating or munching even though they weren’t truly hungry, weighed less than those who ate mindlessly and in response to anxiety or depression. The scientists did not find a similar association between other types of physical activity, such as walking or running, and mindful eating.
“These findings fit with our hypothesis that yoga increases mindfulness in eating and leads to less weight gain over time, independent of the physical activity aspect of yoga practice,” said Kristal, who is also a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health. “Mindful eating is a skill that augments the usual approaches to weight loss, such as dieting, counting calories and limiting portion sizes. Adding yoga practice to a standard weight-loss program may make it more effective.”
Dr. Kristal, who has practiced yoga himself for 15 years, explained in the press statement that yoga leads to mindfulness in a variety of ways, such as being able to hold a challenging physical pose by observing the discomfort in a non-judgmental way while accepting these feelings with a calm mind and by focusing on breathing. “This ability to be calm and observant during physical discomfort teaches how to maintain calm in other challenging situations, such as not eating more even when the food tastes good and not eating when you’re not hungry,” he said.
Other yoga research is being actively pursued by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), too. According to the NCCAM’s web site, studies are underway to see how yoga might help a variety of medical conditions including high blood pressure, chronic low-back pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, HIV and multiple sclerosis.
Click here for the full report from Natural News
Juice It Up!
August 19, 2009
Natural News
By Dr. Julian Whitaker
Some mornings on my way to work, I drop by the local Jamba Juice store a block from my office and down 16 ounces of carrot juice and four ounces each of wheatgrass juice and a green tea energy drink. I drink this cocktail for overall health and vitality. The wheatgrass is full of vitamin K and amino acids, the carrot juice is packed with beta-carotene, and the green tea gives me a boost of caffeine and antioxidants to get my day started.
However, this is not a story about general health maintenance. It is about “targeted” juices that have predictable and rapid therapeutic effects on specific health conditions. Let’s start with a very common problem: high blood pressure.
Celery Juice Lowers Blood Pressure
When you think about lowering blood pressure, celery probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But this crunchy vegetable deserves some serious attention. Loaded with potassium and magnesium, celery contains something even more important: 3-n-butyl-phthalide, a compound that relaxes the smooth muscle cells in the arterial walls, allowing the arteries to dilate and effectively lowering blood pressure.
One of the physicians at Whitaker Wellness decided to put celery to the test. Every day for a month, she and her father juiced and drank one bunch of celery, mixed with a little orange juice for flavor (it’s somewhat bitter on its own). Her father’s systolic blood pressure went from 148 to 128 and hers went from 120 to 105. Imagine results this dramatic without dangerous prescription drugs!
Another great juice for people with hypertension is Low-Sodium V8 Juice. It works on two fronts to lower blood pressure. First, it contains a particularly high dose of potassium (840 mg per eight ounces) that helps keep blood pressure in check. Second, according to a study recently published in JAMA, it is an effective blood thinner, which further contributes to its antihypertensive effects. For Ted, one of my longtime patients, simply drinking 12 ounces of Low-Sodium V8 Juice daily was enough to keep his blood pressure in the normal range.
Cabbage Juice Heals the Stomach
Roman statesman Cato the Elder wrote more than 2,000 years ago that, as a digestive aid, “Cabbage surpasses all vegetables.” One reason is its high content of glutamine, an amino acid that serves as a primary fuel for the rapidly dividing cells of the GI mucosa. Multiple studies support cabbage’s reputation as a therapy for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, especially ulcers, heartburn, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In one of them, cabbage juice healed peptic and duodenal ulcers in an incredible 92 percent of cases studied!
One person who swears by cabbage juice is a patient we’ll call Betty, who was recently at the clinic. Betty was plagued with inflammation of the stomach lining and severe acid reflux. Her conventional doctor tried her on all the usual drugs, but nothing alleviated her pain or reduced the frequency of her episodes-until she came across an article on cabbage juice and decided to give it a shot.
Now whenever Betty has a flare-up, she drinks the juice from half a head of cabbage (yielding approximately four ounces of pleasant-tasting, slightly sweet juice) five times a day for about three days, in addition to copious amounts of water. This three day-regimen keeps her problem-free for eight or nine months-and I’ll bet if she drank it religiously, she wouldn’t have any problems at all.
Sauerkraut has also been touted for its ability to heal the stomach. In addition to the healthful compounds found in cabbage, this fermented food and its juice are also an excellent source of beneficial bacteria that nurture the GI tract. Eldon, a Health & Healing subscriber, eats it right from the jar to quell heartburn.
Cherry Juice Reduces Pain and Inflammation
Cherries make a mean pie, but a pain reliever? In recent years, cherries have been discovered to contain potent natural anti-inflammatory compounds called anthocyanins and other flavonoids that work on the same inflammation pathways as aspirin and NSAIDs to reduce pain. In fact, researchers from Michigan State University found that just 10 tart cherries pack the same pain-relieving punch as one or two aspirin-and offer a wallop of antioxidants to boot.
Cherries have also been shown to reduce gout. Gout is caused by a buildup of uric acid, which crystallizes in the joints and causes pain, stiffness, and inflammation. In a study conducted at the University of California Davis, eating eight ounces of cherries significantly reduced levels of plasma urate, a marker of uric acid. Cherries also produced small but notable decreases in markers of inflammation.
Francis, a friend of mine, squelches the gout pain in his big toe by eating cherries. And J. Otto Garry, a subscriber from Tamarac, Florida, has had great success treating his arthritis with cherry juice. He drinks three ounces in the morning and another three ounces in the evening to reduce and prevent inflammation. He also includes cod liver oil in his juice and takes alfalfa tablets along with it, which add to its anti-inflammatory value.
Cranberry Juice for UTIs
Everybody knows that cranberry juice can prevent and treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), but have you ever wondered why? Cranberries contain a combination of anthocyanins (the phytonutrient that gives both cranberries and cherries their rich color) and a unique sugar called mannose. Together, these compounds are responsible for thwarting UTIs by making it impossible for bacteria to cling to the walls of the bladder and urinary tract.
Ann, a subscriber I met at a Subscriber Seminar a while back, told me she used to have frequent UTIs until she started keeping a bottle of unsweetened cranberry juice in her fridge. Now when she feels a flare-up coming on, she drinks a glass or two daily for a few days, and she never gets infections anymore.
Judicious Juicing
As a general rule of thumb, I don’t recommend drinking a lot of fruit juice as it is loaded with sugar and calories. However, the juices listed above boast too many healing properties to ignore. Judicious juicing offers an easy way to drink to your health and naturally knock out many pressing health concerns. Bottoms up!
Click here to continue reading the full article from Natural News
Ten Things That Are Missing from Obama’s Health Care Reform Debate
August 21, 2009 by Andrew
Filed under Government
August 21, 2009
Natural News
By Mike Adams
You can’t fix one broken system by replacing it with another broken system. Sure, the current health care system of “that’s a pre-existing condition” insurance companies, employer-funded health insurance and miserable Medicaid is a public health disaster, but if we’re going to fix the system, we have to come up with something that actually addresses the root cause of disease in America.
The current health care reform debate in Washington is really just a distraction — a ploy to keep everyone focused on all the wrong topics while quietly refusing to talk about the big issues that threaten the health of an entire nation.
Here are the top 10 things missing from Obama’s health care reform plan (and often absent from the debate):
#1) Ending the FDA’s suppression of natural cures and safe, effective nutritional supplements.
#2) Initiating a real investment in public education to teach people about how to prevent disease with nutrition.
#3) Ending Big Pharma’s monopoly on drug prices and drug patents (not to mention patents on human genes and animals).
#4) Restoring the ability for local doctors to practice local medicine without being controlled from bureaucrats in Washington.
#5) Cracking down on junk food advertising, soda advertising and pharmaceutical ads that convince people to purchase products that will only harm them.
#6) Banning dangerous chemical ingredients that cause diseases in the first place (aspartame, MSG, sodium nitrite, etc.)
#7) A real effort to improve school lunches and serve food that’s nutritious instead of food that’s cheap and convenient.
#8) Ending bizarre food subsidies on crops like corn that end up making high-fructose corn syrup the cheapest sweetener for manufacturers to use.
#9) Affirming health freedom for parents who wish to opt out of the current system of forced vaccinations and gunpoint-enforced chemotherapy.
#10) Requiring honest food labeling where irradiated and GMO foods are clearly labeled as such.
The Health Revolution Petition is more relevant now than ever…
In fact, the current health care reform debate is missing a long list of items that are essential to a genuine improvement in the health outcome of the American people.
With the help of several health freedom pioneers (and attorneys), I put together the Health Revolution Petition which offers an affordable, freedom-oriented approach to real health care reform.
Here’s the full text of the petition:
We, the People of these United States of America, hereby call for revolutionary changes in our health care system that encourage health and prosperity instead of disease and corporate profit.
Specifically, we call for:
1. Federal government encouragement and reward for the People taking personal responsibility for their own health
- A full federal income tax deduction, with no minimum, for the purchase of any product, service, or device that is intended for use in the improvement of health. This includes, but is not limited to, dietary and herbal supplements, gym memberships, health coaching services, exercise equipment, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies or any other health-enhancing products and services.
- The immediate creation of an investigatory panel, comprised of leaders from both conventional and naturopathic backgrounds, that would investigate the “Citizens In Charge” debit card health care system described at www.HealthRevolutionPetition.org/Ci…
* The “Citizens In Charge” health care system is a “socialized-free-market” system of health care that eliminates all health insurance and puts health care decisions back into the hands of the People, allowing them to spend their government-provided health care funds on any health-related products or services they choose (conventional, alternative, licensed or unlicensed).
* The investigatory panel shall report on the economic viability (and potential savings) of the program, as well as the likely improvements in health care outcomes. This report shall be made publicly available on the internet for all citizens to read and discuss.
2. Restore Health Freedom to All Americans and Legalize Healing
- Allow all practitioners of the healing arts, licensed or otherwise, the freedom to practice healing arts with the consent of patients. End all government persecution of alternative and complementary care practitioners and clinics.
- End FDA oppression of free speech about health products and therapies.
- Protect access to dietary supplements, colloidal silver, medicinal herbs and anti-cancer products.
- End FTC and FDA assaults on the Free Speech rights of natural health companies who accurately describe the health benefits of their products.
- Affirm the rights of American moms and dads to choose to avoid mandatory vaccinations of their children.
- End federal assaults (DEA) on the possession or sale of medicinal plants that have been medically recognized and legalized by States such as California.
- Legalize Healing: End state monopoly medical licensing laws that grant conventional medical authorities absolute power to decide who can or cannot practice medicine.
Click here to see the rest of the list from Natural News
Acupuncture Proves Successful in Helping People Quit Smoking
August 21, 2009
Natural News
By Sheryl Walters
Anyone who has tried to quit smoking knows how hard it can be. The withdrawal symptoms can be too much for many people to cope with for long, and as the stress and edginess builds the first thing they reach for is their trusty old smokes. There are many products and therapies such hypnosis, chewing gum, patches and yoga that all claim to take the edge off and help ease you through the difficult process of quitting smoking. But there is one therapy that many people would never consider, and one that is recommended by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), acupuncture.
The first thing that many people try on the road to becoming a non-smoker is patches. These patches work by putting the addictive nicotine back in to the body therefore reducing your craving to smoke. The problem is that your body is still used to receiving nicotine, and as soon as you stop wearing the patches you will instantly reach for the smokes to satisfy this craving.
Another popular treatment for people who wish to stop smoking is hypnosis. Hypnosis is meant to work by strengthening your will power. It does this by repeating over and over again that you don’t want to and don’t need to smoke. This is all done while the patient is in a relaxed hypnotic state making the subconscious more open to outside suggestion. Hypnosis practitioners claim that taking part in these sessions will increase your chances of stopping smoking by 1000%. This jump goes from just 6%, with will power alone, to 60% with hypnosis sessions. The main problem with this form of treatment is that you have to believe 100% in hypnosis itself and as there is no real scientific evidence to back it up that can be very difficult for many people.
Acupuncture works by placing long thin needles at specific points all over the body. This will stimulate blood flow, therefore increasing the amount of oxygen that is delivered around your body and the number of toxins that are flushed out. These points are known as acupoints and have been used for thousands of years to help cure all sorts of ailments. But when it comes to smoking acupuncture is so effective because it deals with the main reason that most people smoke in the first place, stress. Experts claim that acupuncture has a success rate of around 85 and 90%, which would make it one of the most successful procedures for helping people quit smoking. The procedure helps relax the mind and releases endorphins in the body. These endorphins will give you an enhanced feeling of wellbeing and will block out any of the negative feelings associated with withdrawal symptoms.
It is thought that the majority of people who quit smoking will relapse at some point or another no matter what treatment they use. This makes your own will power the ultimate tool in the battle to quit the smokes. So in the end it comes down to one simple question, how much longer do you want to live?
Click here for the full report from Natural News
Drinking Cola Causes Muscle Weakness, Bone Loss
August 21, 2009
Natural News
By David Gutierrez
People who drink more than two quarts of cola per day may induce severe and possibly fatal potassium deficiency, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Ioannina, Greece, and published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
“We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before, and a number of health issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone demineralization and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes,” researcher Moses Elisaf said. “Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions.”
Researchers reviewed the cases of several patients who had consumed between two and 10 quarts of cola per day, including two pregnant women. One of these, a 21-year-old who drank as much as three quarts per day, was admitted to the hospital for persistent vomiting, fatigue and appetite loss. The other was admitted after drinking seven quarts per day for 10 months and suffering from progressive weakening of her muscles.
Both women recovered after they stopped drinking cola and were treated with intravenous or oral potassium.
Potassium plays a critical role in the functioning of the body’s nerves, muscles and heart. Critical deficiency like that experienced by the patients in the University of Ioannina study can lead to cramping, paralysis, irregular heartbeat and even death. In one of the cases studied, a man suffered lung paralysis after drinking 10 quarts per day.
The researchers believe that both caffeine and sugar contributed to the observed potassium deficiency.
In an accompanying editorial, Clifford D. Packer at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center in Cleveland warned, “There is very little doubt that tens of millions of people in industrialized countries drink at least 2-3 [quarts] of cola per day. The soft drink industry needs to promote safe and moderate use of its products for all age groups, reduce serving sizes, and pay heed to the rising call for healthier drinks.”
Click here for the full report from Natural News
Canadians Visit U.S. to Get Health Care
August 20, 2009
Freep.com
Hospitals in border cities, including Detroit, are forging lucrative arrangements with Canadian health agencies to provide care not widely available across the border.
Agreements between Detroit hospitals and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for heart, imaging tests, bariatric and other services provide access to some services not immediately available in the province, said ministry spokesman David Jensen.
The agreements show how a country with a national care system — a proposal not part of the health care changes under discussion in Congress — copes with demand for care with U.S. partnerships, rather than building new facilities.
Michael Vujovich, 61, of Windsor was taken to Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital for an angioplasty procedure after he went to a Windsor hospital in April. Vujovich said the U.S. backup doesn’t show a gap in Canada’s system, but shows how it works.
“I go to the hospital in Windsor and two hours later, I’m done having angioplasty in Detroit,” he said. His $38,000 bill was covered by the Ontario health ministry.
Canada eyed in the health care debate
Dany Mercado, a leukemia patient from Kitchener, Ontario, is cancer-free after getting a bone marrow transplant at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.
Told by Canadian doctors in 2007 he couldn’t have the procedure there, Mercado’s family and doctor appealed to Ontario health officials, who agreed to let him have the transplant in Detroit in January 2008.
The Karmanos Institute is one of several Detroit health facilities that care for Canadians needing services not widely available in Canada.
Canada, for example, has waiting times for bariatric procedures to combat obesity that can stretch to more than five years, according to a June report in the Canadian Journal of Surgery.
As a result, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in April designated 13 U.S. hospitals, including five in Michigan and one more with a tentative designation, to perform bariatric surgery for Canadians.
The agreements provide “more immediate services for patients whose health is at risk,” Jensen said.
Three Windsor-area hospitals have arrangements with Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, to provide backup, after-hours angioplasty. Authorities will clear Detroit-Windsor Tunnel traffic for ambulances, if necessary. The Detroit Medical Center also provides Canadians complex trauma, cancer, neonatal and other care.
“In the last few years, we’ve seen more and more Canadian patients,” said Dr. J. Edson Pontes, senior vice president of international medicine at the DMC. They include Canadians such as Mercado, whose care is reimbursed by Canada’s health system, as well as people who pay out of pocket to avoid waiting in Canada.
Pontes declined to give revenue figures for the DMC’s international business, but said the program “always has been a profitable entity.” About 300 of the DMC’s 400 international patients last year came from Canada, he said.
Tony Armada, chief executive officer of Henry Ford Hospital, said the hospital received $1 million for cardiac care alone.
Critics of a health care system like Canada’s — a publicly funded system that pays for medically necessary care determined by provinces — often cite gaps in Canada’s care to argue that the United States should not allow its current debate over health care to move it to a socialized system.
No plan currently under discussion in Congress calls for a universal plan like Canada’s, but opponents fear socialized medicine, anyway.
Canada’s U.S. backup care “speaks volumes to why we don’t need government to take over health care,” Scott Hagerstrom, the state director in Michigan for Americans for Prosperity, said of the Canadian arrangements with Michigan hospitals. “Their system doesn’t work if they have to send us their patients.”
But Dr. Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton University health economist who has studied the U.S. and Canadian health systems, said arrangements with cities like Detroit “are a terrific way to manage capacity” given Canada’s smaller health care budget.
“This is efficient,” he said. “At least in Canada, you don’t worry about going broke to pay for health care. You do here.”
Pat Somers, vice president of operations at Windsor’s Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital, one of the hospitals that sends patients to Henry Ford, said the issue of finding ways to pay for and prioritize care requests is not in only Windsor.
“The ministries are quite aware of” waits for care in Sarnia and Hamilton, she said. “That’s why we are investing in a wait list strategy” to best determine how to prioritize cases for people who need hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery and treatment for cancer, for example.
Mercado, 26, faced a longer wait because he could not find a matching blood donor, even though his family conducted a broad search.
He said doctors told him money was limited for transplants, particularly ones using unmatched donors, which are riskier.
After his family’s doctor wrote the Ontario ministry, the agency agreed to pay $200,000 for the operation.
The family, their church and Mercado’s school, Conestoga College in Kitchener, raised another $51,000 to cover expenses going back and forth to Detroit.
“I think of this every day as a gift from God,” Mercado said.
Click here for the full report from Freep.com
