Federal prosecutors say some local doctors and lawyers conspired to rip off their clients and patients for tens of millions of dollars. On Tuesday, the first of what may be dozens of prosecutions began. George Knapp is following this case and has been since the beginning. What do you think of this? Conspiracy?
Did you know it’s National Cholesterol Education Month? It’s also 5-a-day Month, and Sickle Cell Month, and Ovarian Cancer Awareness month! And don’t forget Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month.. and Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month, as well as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.
It’s not hard for me to keep up. Not because I have a memory like a steel trap, but because I will get a whole lot of reminders. The idea of dedicating a month to the awareness of a disease is the Greatest Gift Ever Given to the world of public relations. Please don’t get me wrong! I am all in favor of awareness, of course: that’s what my health reports are all about. But I’d like Congress to cut back on the designations. The number has gotten out of hand. I could literally begin every health segment by saying, "This is National You Name It" day or month or week. So I’m asking YOU, unless it’s a cause you are personally aligned with, does it mean something to you? Would it be better to just skip the mention and do a meaningful story? That’s what I like to try to do.
SUBMITTED BY PAULA FRANCIS
Some people are having a good laugh over a proposal to give the Gardasil vaccine to boys, but they can stop laughing, especially if they have young children they’d like to see live cancer-free.
The Gardasil vaccine is meant to prevent girls from contracting the human papilloma virus, which has been proven to cause cervical cancer. People are laughing, because only a girl can have a cervix, so why vaccinate boys? For one thing, a vaccinated boy might be less likely to contract and then pass on the HPV to his girlfriend, raising her risk for cervical cancer.
And for another reason, here’s what the Federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says:
"What about vaccinating boys?
We do not yet know if the vaccine is effective in boys or men. It is
possible that vaccinating males will have health benefits for them by preventing
genital warts and rare cancers, such as penile and anal cancer. It is also
possible that vaccinating boys/men will have indirect health benefits for
girls/women. Studies are now being done to find out if the vaccine works
to prevent HPV infection and disease in males. When more information is
available, this vaccine may be licensed and recommended for boys/men as
well."
Sometimes the truth is counter-intuitive. SUBMITTED BY PAULA FRANCIS
Every woman had the same reaction I did to today’s news about ovarian cancer symptoms: " I have these symptoms every month! Are they kidding?" And we all got a good laugh, but this is actually serious stuff. Cancer experts are getting the word out that ovarian cancer does have symptoms, after all. The experts have hesitated to make a big announcement in the past, and there will be plenty of debate. The symptoms are very similar to the kind of thing that many women put up with all the time: bloating, abdominal pain, feeling full quickly after eating, and frequent or urgent need to urinate. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it, ladies? But the headline today is vital to your survival, so let’s have our laugh and then get down to business. The difference between these symptoms and the other problems they can imitate are these: The symptoms are NOT usual for you, they start rather quickly, and continue for three weeks or more. The cancer experts don’t want women to be running to their doctor for unnecessary tests, but here’s where your own judgment comes in. Know your body! It’s the same for breast lumps. You need to get knowledgable about your own breasts, so you can spot a problem early. Breast cancer survival rates are in the high 80’s, compared to just 11% for ovarian cancer (five years is the benchmark), mainly because of ealy detection. If ovarian cancer cases can be found early, women’s lives will be saved in increasing numbers! So get to know your own internal workings. And trust your instincts. POSTED BY PAULA FRANCIS
Thousands of us will gather for the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday, May 5th. This is the 12th year the race has been run in Our Fair City (actually, it was in Henderson for a while, but let’s just say the Greater Southern Nevada area!).
Twelve years ago, Susan Strang and Linda Aaronson took me out to lunch and told me about this great breast cancer fundraising effort they’d heard about in other cities, and wanted to bring here. Channel 8 already had the Buddy Check Program, which promotes awareness and breast self-exams, so they wanted us to work together.
The result has been remarkable. Most Southern Nevadans don’t remember when we didn’t have a Race for the Cure. But I do. I also remember a time not so long ago when TV producers and viewers got very squeamish just talking about cancer on TV. Especially breast cancer! When we first started the Buddy Check reports on Channel 8, we received a letter from a viewer who thought the program was promoting a Lesbian grope session. The viewer thought we were suggesting that women check their friend’s breasts, not their own. No, I am not kidding.
Every year at The Race, I meet so many people who say the event really helps them deal with breast cancer, whether it’s their own case, or that of a loved one. And I always mist up when the survivors are honored in a special ceremony.
If you’ve never gone to The Race for The Cure, consider checking it out this year. Even if you don’t run or walk, come and check out the happy crowd and the informational tables under the Fremont Street Canopy.
If you are a regular Race goer, please leave me a comment about your personal reason for attending. Thanks and I hope to see you Saturday!! (Be kind– I’ll be half-asleep)
Some 1000 nurses at local hospitals may go on strike this Monday. Both sides.. management and nurses.. have legitimate arguments in their favor. We can all hope the disagreement can be settled before these vital caregivers feel they must walk off the job. The specifics of that issue aside, I wonder what YOU think of the financial tug-of-war that dominates our healthcare system? We all complain about the cost of healthcare, but no one seems to have the stomach for reform. Capitalism is at the very heart of our economy, yet most Americans would expect hospital profits to be thrown out the door when a poverty-stricken woman arrives at the ER in labor. We hate paying taxes, but taxes pay for the poor woman’s delivery. We hate paying premiums for insurance, but we realize we’re gambling.. and most of us win the bet. But the system is on a collision course with disaster. Insurers are cutting back so severly on payments to doctors, that the doctors must increase their patient load, or go with the new trend, "concierge medicine," seeing fewer patients, who have to be rich enough to afford the upfront cost. Any ideas to fix the system? Two suggestions from analysts: 1. Structure payments to doctors & hospitals on success rates, not on fee-for-service, in other words, how many patients get well?.. and 2. Mandate that everyone have insurance, according to their ability to pay. Surprisingly, that could drive insurance costs down, because it would bring into the system the people who need it the least: healthy young men, who are now the least likely to be insured. What do YOU think we should do, before none of us can afford healthcare any more?