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Check It Out:
See if our Paparazzi cameras caught you or your friends at any recent events around town.
"Understanding Obamacare" is a series of occasional stories examining how the Affordable Care Act — widely called Obamacare first by critics and now also by some supporters — will change how you access and pay for health care. The series will look at the impact the new law has on individuals, businesses and health care providers in Southwest Virginia.
From the first installment:
- Virginia still undecided on Medicaid expansion
- McDonnell wants 'dramatic' cost-saving reforms to expand Medicaid in Virginia
- See how health care overhaul has already started changing coverage for many Americans and how it will change things even more in 2014.
Join the conversation:
Talk about the series and suggest future story ideas on Laurence Hammack's MedBeat blog.
Related:
Listen to reporter Laurence Hammack talk about the series with WVTF's Beverly Amsler.
YOU DOCS: Guys, try natural strategies to improve your ‘zoom’
Lightning ROD. Bullet Proof. Zoom-Zooma-Zoom. Since 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings for these and 24 additional sexual-enhancement supplements that are secretly laced with dangerous drugs. If you’re among the more than 33 million North American guys looking for an erectile-dysfunction fix, don’t believe the hype that these pills are “all natural” or safe. Under a microscope, some of these chemicals look similar to the active
AGE MATTERS: Severe allergic reaction to insect bites can be deadly
Dear Dr. Camardi: When I brought Dad to you after that bite he got in the garden, I thought nothing of it. He’s 76 and he’s been getting bit by something all his life, why should this be any different? Whatever you gave him worked, so we didn’t go to the allergist like you recommended . The good thing was I got the EpiPen. The bad thing was I didn’t
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: FDA confuses people about drugs and cancer
Cancer is one of our scariest diseases. That’s because it is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., killing nearly 600,000 people each year. It is not surprising that many Americans do everything in their power to avoid exposure to toxins that might increase their chances of getting cancer. Millions have quit smoking. Others buy organic food to reduce exposure to herbicides and pesticides. Despite such proactive steps, there
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Hyperbaric oxygen an effective treatment for radiation damage
Q: In 2008, I was treated for prostate cancer with radiation. A couple of months later, I started passing blood during bowel movements. I went to a gastro-enterologist, who found that my colon was “burned” by radiation. After several treatments I am still bleeding, though not as badly. I use Canasa suppositories every night. I also had cardiac stents placed in 2012. My cardiologist put me on clopidogrel (Plavix). Both
Virginia still undecided on Medicaid expansion
Lois Casto takes home $1,260 a month from her job serving students at a Virginia Tech dining hall, hardly enough to feed her family of six. Unable to afford health insurance, she gets most of her care from a free clinic. But in some times of sickness, she says, “I’ll just ride it out.” She does not qualify for Medicaid. * * * In the small white frame house where
McDonnell wants ‘dramatic’ cost-saving reforms to expand Medicaid in Virginia
If Medicaid is expanded in Virginia, it will only be after major changes are made to what some call a cumbersome and inefficient system. “The federal mandates, regulations, taxes and spending create an expensive, top-down, bureaucratic system,” Gov. Bob McDonnell wrote in a March 5 letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. McDonnell made it clear that he does not support an expansion, and that the state
YOU DOCS: Food allergy update: what you can do for kids
Food allergies are skyrocketing in North America and around the world. Rates in children and teens have gone up 50 percent in the past 15 years, to 1 in 20, one new report says. And today’s numbers could be even higher: A recent survey of 38,000 parents found that 1 in 13 kids have had mild to life-threatening reactions to everyday foods like milk, eggs, nuts, wheat and shellfish. And
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: Ketamine an old drug with new tricks against depression
When someone is severely depressed, immediate action is essential. That’s because without help or hope, a suicidal person may do himself irreversible harm. The trouble is that most antidepressant treatments do not act quickly. It can take up to six weeks for medication to kick in. That may not be soon enough for someone with overwhelming depression. In such situations, patients may be admitted to a psychiatric ward (voluntarily or
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Sleep apnea test doesn’t prove RLS
Q: My hus-band, 65, had a sleep apnea test done overnight a year ago, and it said he does not have it. Lately, when I wake during the night, I listen to him breathe. He snores only some nights, not all. It sounds like he breathes five or six times, then his feet or legs shake a little. Does he have restless leg syndrome? A: Restless leg syndrome, also called
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Fall likely not connected to abdominal pain
Q: Six months ago, I was walking on a downward-sloping trail and fell forward, slamming my total abdomen and left hip area on the ground. The only obvious injury was a fractured left rib. The rib did improve after about six weeks, but I was left with an aching abdomen area. This continued for three months with diarrhea until late December, when I was hospitalized with colitis. The CT of
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: Is blood pressure treatment out of control in the U.S.?
In the 21st century, doctors pride themselves on practicing evidence-based medicine. Recent studies of treatment for hypertension suggest, though, that practice is sometimes influenced by belief and habit as much as by evidence. Prescribing drugs for patients whose blood pressure is 160/100 or higher is well-supported by research that shows such treatment saves lives. What is less clear, however, is whether patients with milder hypertension actually benefit from drug treatment.
YOU DOCS: To lose weight, jump head-first into a healthier lifestyle
Ready to lose weight and get healthy? From day one, choosing the right strategy can boost the odds you’ll lose weight and keep it off, and see improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar numbers a year later. A new, headline-grabbing report says tackling diet and exercise together is the key. But another report, ignored by most of the media, suggests there’s more to this story. Researchers from Stanford
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: Going to war over salt
People have fought over salt for thousands of years. In both the Old World and the New, these were sometimes pitched battles that took human lives. Venice and Genoa went to war over the control of salt in the 14th century. Access to salt played a critical role in both the Revolutionary and Civil wars. Today, the clash over salt is a war of words. For decades, public health experts
YOU DOCS: Six cholesterol fixes, straight from your kitchen
If you’re among the one in three North Americans walking around with higher-than-healthy levels of lousy LDL cholesterol (more than 100 mg/dL or 2.6 mmol/L), here’s a great way to tamp down that heart, brain, impotence and memory-killing menace today: Stock your kitchen with foods that change your blood fats and help your arteries repel plaque. This plan is right for you even if you’re among the one in four
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Some germs can live for up to 2 years
Q: I am a kindergarten teacher and wonder how long germs can stay alive on toys. Can a germ lie dormant on a toy for long periods of time, or will a germ die shortly after contact with an object? We have had quite a bit of flu going around, and want to take every precaution we can. We wonder if the spread of germs can be largely attributed to
AGE MATTERS: Carbon monoxide not easy to detect
Dear Dr. Camardi: When we brought Dad to your clinic for dementia, we never had any idea that after you went over his case from top to bottom that you would say what you did about carbon monoxide poisoning. And I’m very deeply sorry for saying to your staff that we wasted our time in seeing you because you saved us from tragedy. I said that because, when we told
YOU DOCS: How to remodel your food choices
If you’re a cookie fiend, can’t resist meat, cheese or creamy salad dressings, haven’t munched broccoli since 1986 and are not sufferin’ succotash, you may be a super-taster. A new Stanford University study found that at least 30 percent of us are supertasters. We dislike bitter flavors and love sweets. And half of STs came into the world that way. The rest? Well, repeat exposure to added sugars, red meat
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: The pros and cons of statins
Comparing drug benefits to risks is a delicate balancing act. Nowhere is this more apparent than with statin-type cholesterol-lowering medications such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) and simvastatin (Zocor). These drugs can save lives, particularly for people who have had heart attacks or needed cardiac interventions. But others find the quality of their lives compromised by drugs meant to prevent trouble. One reader, R.R., wrote to protest an article we wrote about
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Life quality should balance medicine use
Q: Several years ago my husband received a stent for a 99 percent blockage. What had kept him alive was a network of collateral arteries, thanks to a lifelong high level of exercise. His cardiologist put him on Crestor, and he became an old man before his time — muscle cramps, muscle weakness to the point that he was unable to exercise and our sex life became nonexistent. Also, his
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: How doctors can improve patient health without scolding
Doctors often admonish their patients to make lifestyle changes that will help their health: stop smoking, eat better, exercise more and lose weight. If patients don’t make progress on these challenging goals, doctors may get frustrated and scold patients. Then they prescribe pills to lower cholesterol, control blood sugar or reduce blood pressure. Patients also feel frustrated. Making big changes can be extremely difficult. People get defensive when they are
1. COMMENTARY: A letter to the ones left behind
2. Meteorologist Jamey Singleton fined $200 for February wreck
3. Smith Mountain Lake man's steam boat is a step back in time
4. Christiansburg man pleads guilty to assault on 2 deputies
5. 2 suspects arrested, 2 at large after Sunday burglary in Salem
6. Two more suspects arrested in Salem burglary
7. 5 things to know about The Avett Brothers
8. WOYM: Who pays for coaches’ personal police protection?
9. Police investigate Monday armed robbery at SW Roanoke convenience store
10. Dublin town attorney Baker found guilty of reckless driving, not DUI
THE ROANOKE TIMES
