Read That Benefits Package Carefully

Posted by RonKerr on November 9th, 2008

It’s the time of the year when you can make changes in your employee benefits. It’s open enrollment season. Health care and other costs are going up, and there are a lot of changes in the benefits insurers are offering.
» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us read more »

Ronald Davis: Public Face Of AMA Apology

Posted by RonKerr on November 8th, 2008

Dr. Ronald Davis, past president of the American Medical Association, died Thursday of cancer. Davis pushed the AMA to apologize this summer for years of policies that excluded black doctors.
» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us read more »

Why Do Animals’ Eyes Glow In The Dark?

Posted by RonKerr on November 3rd, 2008

Eyes gleaming out of the pitch-dark night make for many a scary tale. But what’s behind that pair of glowing eyes, and why don’t humans’ shine?
» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us read more »

Supreme Court Hears Case Involving Drug Labels

Posted by RonKerr on November 3rd, 2008

The Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in a case involving drug labels and the Food and Drug Administration. The result could limit liability claims against drug makers, if one of their medicines causes harm. The case pits Wyeth Pharmaceuticals against a musician who lost part of an arm after she was improperly injected with an [...] read more »

When Workers Comp Gets Complicated

Posted by RonKerr on October 30th, 2008

The Texas Supreme Court may take the unusual step of reconsidering one of its decisions. It involves a workers’ compensation case. The resolution of the case has enraged the plaintiff’s lawyers, defense lawyers, Republicans and Democrats.
» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us read more »

Study: Vitamin E Doesn’t Prevent Prostate Cancer

Posted by RonKerr on October 29th, 2008

More than 35,000 men taking part in a study to see if vitamin E or selenium can help prevent prostate cancer are being advised to stop taking the supplements. Researchers say they’ve ended that part of the study because a preliminary analysis shows the supplements don’t help, and might even pose some risk.
» E-Mail This     [...] read more »

Studies Question Shelf Life Of Donor Blood

Posted by RonKerr on October 28th, 2008

Blood banks store freshly donated blood for up to six weeks before it is considered outdated and discarded. But patients who receive transfusions of blood older than two or three weeks may suffer adverse effects, studies suggest.
» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us read more »

Op-Ed: Why Liberals Should Vote For McCain

Posted by RonKerr on October 27th, 2008

Writer Jonathan Rauch argues that if Democrats hope for historic breakthroughs on issues such as health care and climate change, then they should vote for John McCain. In his article “What’s a Perverse Voter To Do?” he says one-party rule is ineffective and inefficient.
» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us read more »

Survey: U.S. Doctors Regularly Prescribe Placebos

Posted by RonKerr on October 24th, 2008

The American Medical Association says doctors shouldn’t prescribe placebos because the practice undermines trust. But in a new study, about half of the physicians surveyed say they regularly prescribe placebos — and that patients are mostly unaware.
» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us read more »

Personal Genome Project Posts DNA Info Online

Posted by RonKerr on October 24th, 2008

The Personal Genome Project is attempting to find 100,000 volunteers to publish their entire genetic makeup — including their physical traits — online. So far, ten individuals have chosen to share their DNA sequences, medical records, and other personal information with the research community and the general public.
» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us read more »