The study investigators found that red meats and processed meats have similar amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol but processed meats can have about four times the amount of salt and 50% more preservatives.

You can now enjoy eating your steak with a little more confidence.

It’s discouraging to know that Americans eat 31% more processed food than fresh food. We consume more processed food per person than almost any other countries on the planet.

Our diet and other individual behaviors can influence health outcomes as much as the quality and frequency of the care we receive from the healthcare system.

This is a great lift for companies like Navagenics and 23andMe, which sell genomic analysis services.

This is an important event that marks the approval of the first cancer vaccine. Unlike other vaccines, Provenge is not meant to prevent prostate cancer. It  boosts the immune system to fight the cancer more effectively.

The treatment is said to cost about $90,000. Not cheap considering today’s cost containment pressures but it is certainly good news for Dendreon, which has spent more than $700 million and 18 years to develop the product.

Medical errors have historically been dealt with through lawsuits and hostile litigious means, despite the fact that most errors are the result of system-wide deficits rather than the shortcomings of individual healthcare providers.  In a recent Newsweek interview, Quaid says that “he doesn’t blame individual doctors, he blames a health-care system that is ill equipped to prevent mistakes.”

Quaid and his wife considered filing a lawsuit against Cedar-Sinai but opted for the more sensible option of working with the hospital to improve its safety measures:

I really don’t know [what happened to the nurse that administered the overdose]. We didn’t meet with her afterwards. There were several nurses involved. I don’t blame any of the nurses. They’re overworked, underappreciated. The reason they get into health care to begin with is they’re there to ease human suffering and they really do care. They’re great people; they’re heroes in our lives. But human error occurs. If I make a mistake in my business, I get a take two. They don’t. And when a mistake occurs, they need help as much as the victims as well, because they’re traumatized by it.

Promoting a culture of safety and reducing medical errors requires selfless leadership, institution of safe-practices such as checklists, and proper use of well-designed technologies. There is currently a lot of room for improvement in all of these domains.

Today, the WSJ cites the results of a study by the California HealthCare Foundation on electronic medical records stating that 15% of the 1,849 adults surveyed reported concealing information from a physician if “the doctor had an electronic medical record system” that could share  information with other groups. Another 33% would “consider hiding information.”

Calling lying to doctors “practically an American tradition,” the WSJ highlights a recent survey of over 2,000 Americans by General Electric, the Cleveland Clinic and Ochsner Health System that outlined what patients mostly lie about as follows: Lack of exercise  (13%), compliance with medication instructions (9%), dietary habits (9%), drinking (7%), smoking (7%), use of illegal drugs (4%) and unprotected sex (4%).

Other interesting results of the General Electric study were the findings that:

• Most Americans give themselves ”A” or “B” grades, while doctors give Americans low grades on personal health
• Many Americans say they would rather live in pain than visit their doctor – and prioritize household chores over healthy living
• Most Americans see health of others on wrong track – but not their own
• Many Americans have an easier time answering non-health-related questions than facts about their own health

The study also revealed “opportunities for improvement in patient-doctor communication,” which is perhaps the best way to enhance patients’ trust in their physicians and their attitudes towards sharing information on- and offline.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick hailed Neel’s decision as a victory for small businesses and families that have been burdened by years of rising health care expenses saying that “unless insurers can give us a good reason why, when everything else is flat, they deserve 20 percent, 30 percent, and in some cases 40 percent increases, they’re going to be denied.”

The health insurers are gearing up to fight back to get their premium increases. Jay McQuaide, vice president at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts said the judge’s decision was limited to the issue of whether insurers could boost rates immediately and does not mean regulators will ultimately prevail. “We’re confident in the final outcome of the case. We’ll be playing the process out,” McQuaide said.

The health insurers filed a lawsuit against state Insurance Commissioner Joseph G. Murphy last week.

Via Boston Globe

The number of people diagnosed with and dying from cancer is increasing.

Actually, the number of new diagnoses of all cancers combined decreased steadily between 1999 and 2006, and the number of deaths from all cancers combined decreased steadily between 2001 and 2006, according to the most recent study by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer Society, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. More people with cancer are now living longer lives with a better quality of life due to early diagnosis, lifestyle changes, and better treatment options.

The medical establishment is hiding a cure for cancer.

The medical community is not withholding a miracle treatment. There is no one single cure for cancer. More than 100 types of cancer exist, and they respond differently to various methods of treatment. Those who work in the medical field have the same likelihood of developing cancer as the general population, and they are eager for new and better treatments to emerge.

If you are diagnosed with cancer, you will probably die.

Cancer is not a death sentence. There are many effective treatments. In fact, more than 60% of people with cancer survive five years or more after the initial diagnosis.

Hair dyes and antiperspirants can cause cancer.

To date, there is no conclusive scientific evidence that these items increase the risk of developing cancer. Some studies have suggested that hair dyes used before 1980 could be linked to an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but the unsafe chemicals have since been removed from hair dye products. There is limited and inconsistent evidence that hair dye can increase the risk of other cancers. Meanwhile, some research suggests skin may absorb aluminum-based compounds—the active ingredient in antiperspirants—and cause hormonal effects, which has led some to believe that antiperspirants could contribute to the development of breast cancer. However, there is no good evidence to support that claim.

A person develops cancer because they have a weakened immune system.

Although this is partially true among certain people—such as those with AIDS or those who take immune-suppressing drugs following an organ transplant—the “strength” of someone’s immune system does not affect the chance of developing cancer. Most common cancers do not occur in people with immune system problems. That also means that attempting to “strengthen the immune system,” which is actually not possible for most people, is not an effective treatment for cancer.

Positive thinking will cure cancer.

Although a positive attitude can improve your quality of life during cancer treatment, there is no scientific evidence that it can cure cancer. Placing such importance on attitude can lead to unnecessary guilt and disappointment if—for reasons beyond your control—your health does not improve.

Cancer treatment is usually worse than the disease.

Although cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation are known to have some side effects that can be unpleasant and sometimes dangerous, recent advances have resulted in many chemotherapy drugs and radiation treatments that are much better tolerated than past treatments. Symptoms like severe nausea and vomiting, hair loss, and tissue damage are much less common these days. For each patient, oncologists always try to balance the known risks and side effects of the treatment with the expected benefits.

1. have never smoked or quit more than a year ago
2. maintain a healthy body weight (a body mass index under 25). Click here to calculate your body mass index.
3. spend at least 150 minutes a week doing moderate physical activity or 75 minutes a week doing vigorous activity
4. eat a healthy diet
5. keep your total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL
6. keep your blood pressure under 120/80
7. keep your fasting blood sugar under 100 mg/dL

Striving to achieve the above targets will not only ensure a healthy heart but also reduce the chances of having a stroke or getting diabetes and certain types of cancers.

Via Harvard Health