Health News Today

Escaping Health Industry 'Consumer Status'

2011-11-22T09:52:00.001-08:00

Planned obsolescence. That’s what it’s called when an industry creates products that are designed to fail in a given period of time; usually just after the warranty expires. Lightbulbs, automobiles, computers and a host of other goods go bad at a pre-determined point.

It’s frustrating, but understandable. Companies need to keep selling product. But the practice is wasteful, significantly shortening the lifespan of land-fills everywhere. More personal and perhaps even horrifying, however, is when doctors and hospitals employ planned obsolescence with their patients.

For those who treat disease, it is more profitable to continually treat symptoms than to offer a cure. But some health practitioners are more scrupulous than that. Operating under biblical ethics, one such establishment is called Home for Health.

Rather than an impersonal clinical atmosphere, Home for Health is a cozy nature retreat in Boone National Forest, Kentucky. But these aren’t some hillbillies concocting folk remedies. Home for Health is a handsome facility with competent staff and a proven track record.

The short residential program helps people make lifestyle adjustments with lasting results. Enjoyable exercise is encouraged and an appetizing plant-based diet is served, along with deep daily instruction in biological mechanisms. The scientific findings of Dr. Carry Reams are employed, to maximize nutrition and speed the healing process. For legal reasons, Home for Health doesn’t promise cures ...but they see them all the time.

Take Esther, for example. Her glucometer regularly reported a blood sugar in the 500 range, even with the various oral medications which she used for years, not to mention the insulin that her doctor said she'd have to continue injecting. But Esther hated the idea of getting jabbed with a needle multiple times each day for the rest of her life. That prompted her to go to the retreat, where her blood sugar stayed around 100, with no needles or meds.

Then there was Debbie, who took 60 units of insulin twice a day and still her blood sugar was in the upper 300 range. Debbie admitted that she like to eat all the foods that she knew she shouldn’t. Her journey involved what she refers to as some “cleansing reactions.” Notwithstanding, her blood sugars came to near perfect range.

At Home for Health, a great many clients have gotten off their diabetes medication for both type I and II. They also have success treating addiction, cancer, depression, gall stones, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, ulcers, and other ailments as well. Contact them at: www.homeforhealth.net (606) 663-6671.

'Cold Body' Not A Corpse--Nashville Puts Victims on Ice

2011-03-14T12:28:00.001-07:00

When a person's blood runs cold, we normally don't think of it as a good thing. Therapeutic hypothermia, however---a treatment gaining popularity in Nashville--should change our idea of what constitutes a healthy body temperature. In the case of heart attack, it turns out the best thing may be to lower a patient's thermometer reading.

If the victim is comatose, ice can be used to bring the blood to about 33 degrees celsius (90-92 fahrenheit). This creates a sort of hibernation effect--requiring less oxygen from a cardiovascular system that is already having difficulty supplying it. Brain damage (which normally occurs during unconsciousness after a heart attack) is reduced by this chilling of the blood.

Inducing hypothermia may seem counter-intuitive. When we find someone laying immobile--unable to generate body heat--our instinct is to cover them with a blanket. But to informed emergency medical respondents, keeping their cool may mean keeping the victim cool as well.

Still, it’s creepy. “Patients feel pretty cold to the touch when you’re used to a baseline temperature of 98,” says Dr. Chace T. Carpenter of Baptist Hospital. “I think the shivering," says cardiologist P. Robert Myers of Centennial Heart, "is harder on the people looking at the patients than the patients themselves."

Since 2008, Nashville hospitals have been getting more comfortable with giving their customers the cold treatment, after the New England Journal of Medicine published a report in February of 2002. Implementation of this technique began Tennessee at about the same time as other states, while some are yet to get with the program.

Though the procedure is modern, it merely discovered the ancient sensibility of our Smoky Mountain bears in winter. “This is not rocket science at all,” says Sheldon Dreaddy, Vanderbilt LifeFlight flight nurse. Carpenter adds, “It’s not very high-tech, and it’s therefore not really an expensive therapy." In today's economy, that's pretty cool.

(written for Nashville Examiner by A. M. Hendron)

St. Patrick's Day, a Healthier Way

2011-03-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day is traditionally a time of feasting, (green beer; corned beef and cabbage), which can be a challenge for the health-conscious. Of course, it's only one day, so some might consider this an acceptable indulgence. For those who don't wish to compromise, however, there are some healthy alternatives that can allow to keep your scruples without foiling the holiday mood.

A simple search will turn up some great websites like eatingwell.com--with moderate holiday variations--or some recipes from the Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine--with even some vegan options (no animal products). And why let all that food energy go to waste? Sign-up for the green run nearest you. If all else fails, go pick a four-leaf clover and arrange it above your ear or breast-pocket. Depending on how long it takes you to find one, there could be some serious calories burned (and the fresh air will do you good).

With President Obama's healthcare plan still struggling, the best thing Americans can do now is make healthy lifestyle choices. If your Irish-American, or simply in the holiday spirit, you're in luck--there are more healthy ways than ever to make March 14th a memorable day.