BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

By Dr. Mark E. Meaney Patient rights are under siege, as evidenced in a recent survey conducted by the National Institute for Patient Rights (NIPR). NIPR staff compiled the results based on responses from 100 randomly selected, former hospital patients who took part in the study. The results of the survey show that, despite billions spent on advances in medical technology, patients daily experience an erosion of their rights “at the hospital bedside.” Ironically, it may be a consequence of the success of science in medicine. Among those responding to essay questions, the following was a typical scenario. A hospital admits a loved one with “complications” (a medical euphemism for “we really don’t know all that’s going on here, but there are several organs involved”). While the loved one rests in bed, a line of doctors and nurses seems to form at the door. One after another, doctors enter the room, make a few comments, then turn around and exit. Primary care physicians refer patien...

by Kent Holtorf, MD -- ImmuneSupport.com I found this out 15 years ago when trying to get a diagnosis other than " its all in your head " for the reason I was: paralyzed at the time on the left side, unable to eat, in excruciating pain that defied words, unable to walk more than 2 feet without falling over, and running a fever that would not go away. When a doctor who knew what she was talking about looked at the already done CAT scan and blood work? My diagnosis jumped out at her. She was appalled that it was missed but not surprised. Other doctors? Dismissed it as nothing simply because they didn't understand it or were uninformed. Because they were uninformed? stupid? unwilling to deal with a chronically ill patient? pressured by the insurance companies to get rid of chronically ill patients? or all of the prior?   A question that is often raised by patients is “Why doesn’t my doctor know all of this?” The reason is that the overwhelming majority (all b...

I was greatly pleased and not surprised to see this in JPost in Sept. 2007. Israel has been a shining light in healthcare advances for many years. I believe that Israel may cure a number of autoimmune diseases within 4 years, including diabetes and M.S. Having been disabled 14 years I barely remember that other person I was. The person who could walk without pain, worked 18 hour days with no trouble and had a life outside her home. My limbic system was damaged 12 years ago and my emotions & decision making was affected by it as well as my whole body functioning. I can't always think straight and the last few weeks - walking has been excruciating. This past couple months I have had such intense pain and it doesn't seem to be letting up. I am frustrated, angry and often deeply depressed. This is a wonderful article and I still pray, every day, that Hashem blesses the medical minds to find relief and even affordable cures for people like me... whose bodies have turned ...

The Associated Press article by Matthew Perrone (February 8, 2009, “Drugmakers’ push boosts ‘murky’ aliment) has drawn several comments. Click here to read the article. See below to read the NFA’s response to the Associated Press as well as comments and letters by others. Focus on the Facts The recent Associated Press story on fibromyalgia hardly qualifies as news; it merely regurgitates the same arguments that have been published in the past and offers the opinions of the same two men who have built careers out of drawing attention away from the hundreds of scientists who continue to make amazing scientific strides toward understanding the underlying cause(s) and pathophysiology of what fibromyalgia patients experience. By perpetuating this message, the article implies that it is more acceptable to debate names or labels for this “set of symptoms” and to point fingers at the usual “villains” (i.e.: pharma and the nonprofits who accept money from them), than to focus on the millions of...

Using Music to Lift Depression’s Veil by Alan Zale Many people find that music lifts their spirits. Now new research shows that music therapy — either listening to or creating music with a specially trained therapist — can be a useful treatment for depression. The finding that music therapy offers a real clinical benefit to depression sufferers comes from a review by the Cochrane Collaboration, a not-for-profit group that reviews health care issues. Although there aren’t many credible studies of music therapy for depression, the reviewers found five randomized trials that studied the effects of music therapy. Some studies looked at the effects of providing music therapy to patients who were receiving drug treatment for depression. Others compared music therapy to traditional talk therapy. In four out of five of the trials, music therapy worked better at easing depression symptoms than therapies that did not employ music, the researchers found. “The current studies indicate that music t...

WORLD AIDS DAY According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During 2007 some 2.5 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35. Around 95% of people with HIV/AIDS live in developing nations. But HIV today is a threat to men, women and children on all continents around the world . Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.