Blogs Comment On Planned Parenthood Ad Campaign, Sex-Selective Abortion, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "A Radical Notion: Women"s Health Care as Mainstream," Cecile Richards, Huffington Post blogs: "To hammer ... home" the message that "Planned Parenthood and other essential community providers are the affordable, local access to basic preventive care that saves lives," the Planned Parenthood Action Center has introduced advertisements "educating the policy folks involved in fixing our health care system" about "why women"s health care needs to be taken care of in this mega-reform effort," Richards writes. She writes, "From cancer screenings to contraception to immunizations, the majority of women who go to women"s health care centers consider them their primary health care provider," adding, "In fact, more than 90% of what Planned Parenthood health centers do is preventive and primary care." According to Richards, "Essential community providers, including those who provide women"s health care, need to be part of any newly established health care system." She adds that "the three million patients who came to Planned Parenthood health centers last year can testify to it." Richards writes that "[f]amily planning and reproductive health care are unfortunately still not fully part of mainstream health care, even though 98% of women use contraception at some point in their lives -- there"s nothing more universal!" The "fact that women reproduce and, therefore, have different types of health care needs makes some folks on Capitol Hill go pale and start to sweat," Richards writes. She concludes, "Maybe one day we won"t need a special campaign to support women"s health," but "until then, Planned Parenthood is here to make sure women aren"t worse off after health care reform than before" (Richards, Huffington Post blogs, 6/18).~ "The Role of Medical Education in Preserving Abortion Access," Our Bodies, Our Blog: In response to a recent Salon opinion piece that examined whether there will be a next generation of abortion providers, the blog post discusses a few organizations that are "working to increase access to (accurate) abortion-related training." The blog includes links to Medical Students for Choice -- a group that "does student organizing and advocacy to influence medical school curricula, workshops ... and lectures on abortion techniques" -- and The Ryan Program -- which offers "funding, technical expertise, curriculum, workshops and other res to support training opportunities in abortion and contraception for ob-gyn residents." The blog entry also highlights the work of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, which partners with members of the American Medical Student Association "to provide "project in a box" materials for medical students wanting to access and influence their schools" curricula on sexual and reproductive health" (Our Bodies, Our Blog, 6/18). ~ "Regulating Abortion May Be OK But Not To Avoid Sex-Selection," Marianne Mollmann, Huffington Post blogs: "Sex-selective abortion raises a multitude of overlapping ethical concerns regarding eugenics, population control and provider privilege or knowledge," according to Mollmann, advocacy director for the Human Rights Watch"s Women"s Rights Division. Mollmann writes that recent media reports indicating that sex-selective abortion occurs among some ethnic communities in the U.S. "has generated new discussion about what to do -- indeed what to think -- about the practice here." She continues that the "effect of abortion regulations depends on the context and motivation," adding that "[f]rom a human rights perspective, the regulation of medical procedures and interventions is legitimate and indeed often necessary so long as they are based on full respect for the full range of human rights." It is "perhaps tempting to hope that banning sex-selective abortions would safeguard the gender balance of future generations," but the "criminalization of abortion for whatever reason has in the past led only to underground and unsafe prac
Cardiovascular
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What Is Alzheimer's Disease? What Causes Alzheimer's Disease?
- resulting in an increase in both the neurotransmitter"s level and duration of action. Cholinesterase inhibitors are prescribed to treat problems related to memory, thinking, language, judgment and other thought processes. Clinical trials showed that about half of all patients did not get any benefit from this type of drug. Experts believe cholinesterase inhibitors may delay or slow worsening symptoms by about six to twelve months. However, some patients experience longer periods of delay. Examples of cholinesterase inhibitors include: *donepezil (Aricept) - approved in the USA to treat all stages. *galantamine (Razadyne) - approved in the USA to treat mild to moderate stages. *rivastigmine (Exelon) - approved in the USA to treat mild to moderate stages. Cholinesterase inhibitors are generally well tolerated (side effects minimal). Side effects may include: *Diarrhea *Nausea *Vomiting *Loss of appetite *Memantine This medication protects brain cells from damage caused by glutamate, a chemical messenger. It is used to treat moderate to severe stages of Alzheimer"s. Some doctors prescribe memantine along with a cholinesterase inhibitor. Examples include Axura, Akatinol, Namenda, Ebixa and Abixa, and Memox. Memantine is prescribed to improve memory, language, reason, attention, and the ability to carry out simple tasks. A clinical trial showed that patients taking memantine showed a small, but statistically significant improvement in mental function and their ability to carry out daily activities. Memantine is generally well tolerated (minimal side effects) Side effects include: *Dizziness *Drowsiness *Headache *Insomnia *Constipation *Agitation and delusional behavior in some patients. *ACE Inhibitors - researchers from the Wake Forest School of Medicine found that ACE inhibitors that affect the brain by crossing the blood-brain barrier, may reduce inflammation that could contribute to the development of Alzheimer"s disease. *Stem cells - scientists at UC Irvine showed that neural stem cells can rescue memory in mice with advanced Alzheimer"s disease, raising hopes of a potential treatment for humans. *Insulin - Insulin could protect against damage to brain cells key to memory, according to researchers from Northwestern University in the US and the University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. They claim that treating Alzheimer"s disease with insulin, or with drugs to boost its effect, may help people with the condition. What are the complications of Alzheimer"s disease? People with Alzheimer"s disease progressively lose the ability to care for themselves. This makes them more susceptible to accidents and health problems: *Pneumonia - this becomes a significant risk when patients start losing their ability to swallow properly. Food and drink often go down the wrong way - down the air passages into the lungs, rather than into the digestive system. If food or drink gets into the lung there is a risk of pneumonia. *Urinary tract infection - when the patient becomes incontinent it may be necessary to place a urinary catheter. This increases the risk of urinary tract infections. Urinary tract infections can become very serious and life threatening. *Injuries - disorientation and wandering are common symptoms of Alzheimer"s. Patients are much more likely to fall and fracture a bone or sustain a head injury. The risk is greater if they have sleeping problems and get up in the night and wander about while others are asleep. The caregiver (UK/Ireland/Australia: carer) If the caregiver is a close relative, which is usually the case, he/she will go through the sense of grief and loss about the diagnosis. Then they will witness the gradual deterioration of the person they love. They will watch the person they love slowly lose their personality and abilities. A lone caregiver has to undergo a radical change of lifestyle to look after somebody with Alzheimer"s. Caring for a person with Alzheimer"s at home is a challenging task. It is often overwhelming, tiring, and frustrating. A study led by Johns Hopkins and Utah State University researchers suggests that a particularly close relationship with caregivers may give people with Alzheimer"s disease a marked edge over those without one in retaining mind and brain function over time. The researchers reported that the benefit for the patient in slowing cognitive decline was on a par with some medications used to treat the disease. It is crucial that the caregiver receive support, not just for the patient, but also for himself/herself. Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News TodayPages: 1 2 [3]