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"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.
LATEST INSTALLMENT
Uninsured face tough choice, Aug. 25, 2013
PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS
PART 1
Virginia still undecided on Medicaid expansion, June 16, 2013
PART 2
Details still murky about health insurance exchanges under 'Obamacare', July 14, 2013
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: Powerful heartburn drugs have unexpected hazards
Drugs like Nexium and Protonix have become extremely popular. These proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) include dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec) and rabeprazole (AcipHex). Such drugs are the most powerful acid suppressors in the pharmacy, originally reserved for severe heartburn and reflux. Now, however, they are frequently used to treat a wide range of gastrointestinal symptoms. They generally are thought to be extremely safe. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration
YOU DOCS: Tips from the new science of staying sharp
Worried about Alzheimer’s disease? You’re in the majority. A national survey says it’s North America’s most feared disease. While nothing, so far, can guarantee you’ll prevent or reverse the plaques, tangles and nerve-cell death that characterize Alzheimer’s, it turns out keeping the blood vessels in your brain healthy may cut your risk of brain dysfunction by a lot. There’s more and more evidence from academic and scientific brain centers around
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: With newer antihistamines, risk of seizure is small
Q: My son suffered seizures as a child and was diagnosed with benign rolandic epilepsy. At the time, we were told that he should avoid antihistamines, since they could trigger seizures. He was on medication from ages 8 to 18 (Dilantin), but has been both medication- and seizure-free for more than 10 years. He suffers from allergies, especially so because he’s avoided any medication with antihistamines. Is it safe for
YOU DOCS: Tips from the new science of staying sharp
Worried about Alzheimer’s disease? You’re in the majority. A national survey says it’s North America’s most feared disease. While nothing, so far, can guarantee you’ll prevent or reverse the plaques, tangles and nerve-cell death that characterize Alzheimer’s, it turns out keeping the blood vessels in your brain healthy may cut your risk of brain dysfunction by a lot. There’s more and more evidence from academic and scientific brain centers around
UVa eliminates health insurance for working spouses of employees
CHARLOTTESVILLE — The University of Virginia will no longer provide insurance coverage to the working spouses of its employees, a move university officials hope will save “millions of dollars.” Starting Jan. 1, employee spouses who have health insurance coverage under their employers cannot get coverage under UVa’s plan. If the spouse is covered under a plan defined by the Affordable Care Act as “minimum value” and “affordable,” he or she
AGE MATTERS: A shadowy health danger lurks in the sun
Dear Dr. Camardi: It is with a very heavy heart that I write to you to tell you that Mary Jo passed away in Florida at the age of 33 last month from melanoma. She was a free spirit who loved people and loved life but I think she thought that the rules didn't apply to her. She stopped coming to you years back after you sent her to
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Common muscle side effect to statin should go away
Q: I recently was diagnosed with what my doctor thought was polymyalgia rheumatica. Although my blood work came back normal, I was put on prednisone anyway, which is doing nothing. I had been taking simvastatin for many years, and now it is thought that I am having a muscle reaction to the statin. I am off the statin now. How long will it take for the muscle pain to go
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: Fed up with TV drug ads? We are, too
Are you sick and tired of prescription-drug commercials? You know, the ads on TV for drugs to treat arthritis, erectile dysfunction or overactive bladder. People think these commercials are aimed at patients. In fact, they’re called direct-to-consumer advertising, abbreviated DTC by those in the know. But here’s a dirty little secret: These ads also affect physicians. There was a time when the pharmaceutical industry fielded an army of sales representatives
YOU DOCS: Even busy people can benefit from ‘green prescription’
Getting up close and personal with Mother Nature yields big mind-body benefits. A walk in the park is a great lunchtime activity, but new reports reveal that even desk jockeys and folks with little time (or no great love for the great outdoors) can reap the rewards of a green environment with only a few plants around their workplace and in their home. But you can’t pack all your green-time
Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
Nine hospitals in a region that stretches from Bedford to Tazewell will see their Medicare reimbursements cut this year for having too many patient readmissions. The penalties, part of the new federal health care law, are aimed at prodding hospitals nationwide to do a better job of making sure that patients admitted with heart problems and pneumonia don’t wind up back in the hospital too quickly. Starting in October, hospitals
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Sun protection found in special clothing
Q: Some summer clothing includes sunscreen. I’m concerned about the effects of sunscreen on our bodies all day and into the night, as we wear the same clothes that long. A: First off, sunburns are very bad for you and predispose you to developing skin cancer, so I am in favor of reducing sun exposure and sunburn. Second, the chemicals in sun-protective clothing are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, both
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: Most of your drug labels lack critical information
Open your cupboard and you will find lot numbers on canned goods, crackers, macaroons, mayonnaise, soup and many other items. There is a lot number on your Advil, aspirin, Metamucil and other OTC medicines. But unless the pharmacy dispenses your pills in the original packaging from the manufacturer, you won’t find a lot number on your prescription bottle. Because more than 80 percent of prescriptions are now generic, it is
YOU DOCS: Make these 2 diet ‘fat swaps' to stop cancer
A new, headline-grabbing report reveals the amazing power of two crucial “fat swaps” to protect guys against fatal prostate cancer. We think this way of eating could slash breast cancer risk, too. Just make two changes: 1. Choose vegetable-based fats — extra virgin olive and canola oil, nuts and seeds, avocado — over animal fats. 2. Replace some of the carbs on your plate with vegetable fats, too. That’s right.
YOU DOCS: How to mend faster, better after surgery
Scheduled for surgery? You’re no doubt thinking hard about what to do before and after to support optimal healing. Just in time, a series of good-news reports reveal that simple steps at home — and with your doctor’s help — can slash infection risk, bolster immunity, reduce pain and help you recover better. Case in point: Post-surgery infections hit up to 10 percent of patients, leading to longer hospital stays,
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: Can your heartburn drugs be bad for your heart?
How would you know if your medicine was putting you at risk for heart disease? This might seem as simple as looking on the official labeling, but you might be surprised to learn that the Food and Drug Administration has a very hard time detecting drug-induced heart disease. Vioxx was a classic case. This arthritis drug was promoted as less likely to cause serious digestive-tract complications compared with other pain
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Take care adjusting thyroid meds
Q: I’ve taken Armour Thyroid for 57 years. My T4 and TFTI levels are normal, but my TSH level is low. Why? A: Armour Thyroid is a mixture of two hormones: T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine). A low TSH means the body is sensing too high a level of T3 or T4 in the body. Because your T4 is normal, it is possible that your T3 is too high. A
YOU DOCS: Taking an antibiotic? Don’t forget the good bugs
Here’s a gut check. Up to 39 percent of people who take an infection-fighting antibiotic wind up with diarrhea, a side effect that can be annoying or even downright life-threatening. Why? Because along with killing off infection-producing culprits, antibiotics slay good gut-dwelling bacteria that protect you from gastrointestinal distress. And those good guys do many other beneficial things for you, too, including building and maintaining your immune strength. Side effects
THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: Dry-eye epidemic reminds us of the need to blink
Blinking is like breathing. You do both without thinking thousands of times each day. As long as everything is going well, you won’t even notice when you blink. You also won’t be aware if you forget to blink. When you watch a video on your smartphone or get caught up in correspondence on your computer, you may be so focused that you fail to blink frequently enough. That may not
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Readers’ keloids might return with ear re-piercing
Q: I had my ears pierced when I was about 10, developed pea-size keloids, which I had removed from behind both lobes, and stopped wearing earrings. I’m 60 and am thinking about ear-piercing again. Might it have been the piercing, the 10-karat-gold earrings or a combination of both that caused the keloids? Should I leave well enough alone? A: Keloids are benign growths that occur at a site of injury
YOU DOCS: Avoiding big problems from common infections
For all the overuse of antibiotic soaps and kitchen cleaners — North Americans spend billions of dollars annually on products that don’t clean up any more effectively than plain old soap — you may be uninformed about the big problems that can come from common infections and how easy it is to avoid them. So here’s our rundown on trouble-causing infections, such as gum disease (yes, that’s a bacterial infection!)
1. Britney Spears spotted at Lynchburg restaurant
2. Roanoke resource officer's quick action saved young girl
3. One person injured in Friday night shooting in Roanoke
4. East Carolina poses new challenge for Virginia Tech football
5. Captive in Roanoke County describes harrowing time with angry friend
6. Lowe's tapes may hold clues to Roanoke woman's death
7. Roanoke County electrical short quiets 5 Wheeler radio stations
8. William Byrd stuns Salem in football win
9. History says this one will matter for Virginia Tech
10. Concert review: Timeless Willie Nelson plays to appreciative crowd
THE ROANOKE TIMES
