Medicare Proposes Coverage of Bariatric Surgery for Morbidly Obese Diabetics

Fight this one vigorously.

"Medicare is planning to cover bariatric surgery for morbidly obese patients with type 2 diabetes.

The agency's proposal, which is subject to a 30-day comment period, would apply to beneficiaries with diabetes who have a body mass index of 35 or higher."

Complain, complain, complain because you will end up paying for this in two ways: with your taxes and your insurance premiums.

"The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has determined that the evidence is adequate to conclude that open and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP), laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), and open and laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD/DS), are reasonable and necessary for Medicare beneficiaries who have a body-mass index (BMI) > 35, have at least one co-morbidity related to obesity, and have been previously unsuccessful with medical treatment for obesity."

Of course they were "unsuccessful with medical treatment for obesity."

Just about everyone is since the system is flawed at its very foundation ensuring the "need" for the malpractice known as bariatric surgery.

Here is who gloats about decisions like this one.

You should not be so happy.

In essence, the Feds and soon the private insurers will be taking money from your pocket to give unto those who chose to grow fat and give themselves Type 2 diabetes.

If someone who was quadriplegic bought a home with a large lawn, but could not mow it, would it be fair for the Feds to take your money to pay for landscaping?

You decide.

Then, fight.

Because the earth-shaking feeling you are experiencing is from fat people jumping for joy at your misfortune. (Well, those that can jump, that is.)

A New Strategy To Fight Obesity Developed By Scripps Research Scientists

Not exactly. More like a "A New Strategy To Make Money For Big Sick Care Developed By Scripps Research Scientists."

"The antibody works against the gastric hormone ghrelin (pronounced 'grell-in'), which has been linked to weight gain and fat storage through its metabolic actions. These findings point towards a potentially novel treatment for obesity that would interfere directly with the some of the biological mechanisms determining weight."

Not only will docs get paid to give you the stuff (if it ever is shown to be effective - a big if), but they will also get to try and fix you from the complications, direct and indirect, from messing with your hormones.

And get paid for that, too.

Prepare to suffer complications and/or die.

Or, simply lose the weight.

Consuming Flaxseed Oil In Pregnancy Increases Risk Of Premature Birth

Still think they know what a "healthy" supplement is?

"A study has found that the risks of a premature birth quadruple if flaxseed oil is consumed in the last two trimesters of pregnancy. The research was conducted by Professor Anick Bérard of the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Pharmacy and the Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center and Master's student Krystel Moussally.

In Canada, 50 percent of pregnant women take prescription medication. Yet many of them prefer to use natural health products during the pregnancy. 'We believe these products to be safe because they are natural. But in reality, they are chemical products and we don't know many of the risks and benefits of these products contrarily to medication,' says Bérard...

The most consumed natural health products by pregnant women are chamomile (19 percent), green tea (17 percent), peppered mint (12 percent), and flaxseed oil (12 percent). Bérard and Moussally correlated these products to premature births and only one product had a very strong correlation: flaxseed oil.

'In the general population, the average rate of premature births is 2 to 3 percent. But for women consuming flaxseed oil in their last two trimesters that number jumps up to 12 percent,' says Bérard. 'It's an enormous risk.'"

If you do, then, you are still an idiot.

Toys in Pediatric Offices Harbor Rhinoviruses

Another good reason to stop nutritionally abusing children so they can stay away from doctor's offices.

"The toys in pediatricians' waiting rooms could be exposing kids to cold viruses, researchers here reported

One in five of the toys tested in a pediatric waiting room were positive for rhinoviruses or influenza B, according to Diana Pappas, M.D., of the University of Virginia Children's Hospital.

Cleaning the toys provided only a modest germ-killing effect, Dr. Pappas told researchers at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, held jointly with the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America."

It makes sense that docs, especially pediatricians, would sicken kids as they are complicit in child abuse.

At least they are consistent.

Quickly Vetted, Treatment Is Offered to Patients

Better not to get sick in the first place.

"After a surgeon removed a cancerous lump from Karen Medlock’s breast in November, he recommended radiation, a routine next step meant to keep cancer from recurring.

But he did not send her for the kind of radiation most women have received for decades.

Instead, the surgeon referred her to a center in Oakland, Calif., specializing in a newer form of treatment where radioactive “seeds” are inserted in the tumor site. It could be completed in only five days instead of the six weeks typically required for conventional treatment, which irradiates the entire breast using external beams.

To Ms. Medlock, it seemed an obvious choice. The newer treatment — given through a system called MammoSite — has been performed on about 45,000 breast cancer patients in this country since the Food and Drug Administration cleared it for use in 2002.

Only when Ms. Medlock, 49, sought a second opinion did she learn a startling truth: MammoSite is still highly experimental.

The MammoSite system is among the thousands of devices the F.D.A. lets onto the market each year after only cursory review and with no clear evidence that they help patients. Doctors are free to use those products as they see fit, without telling patients that the devices are not proved. And because the doctors are frequently paid more by Medicare as a way to compensate them for the extra time and expense of adopting new procedures, these unproven products can become widely adopted...

Critics say the F.D.A.’s process for reviewing medical technology, under which medical devices have become a $75 billion-a-year industry in this country, is often too lax. More devices, they say, should get the same scrutiny applied to new drugs. While that process is not perfect, a new drug is typically studied in hundreds or even thousands of patients before the F.D.A. will approve it as safe and effective.

But under the fast-track review for most devices, a product’s effectiveness is never directly established. Regulators simply determine if the device does what its maker says it does — in MammoSite’s case, that it delivers radiation — and whether it poses any undue safety risks.

'Nobody is looking to see whether they help patients,' said Diane C. Robertson, an executive with the ECRI Institute, a nonprofit group in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., that evaluates new devices for insurers and hospitals. 'We’re never going to wisely allocate resources in health care unless we start to focus on what’s best for patients.'"

And maybe some of these approaches will work.

But that is not the point.

It is better not to enter the sick care system until absolutely necessary because once you have to, you have lost.

"Fitness is the only REAL preventive medicine." (tm)

The sooner you get it, the better off you will be.

Chinese kids on melamine milk develop crystals: WHO

Great news! Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) meets the New Age.

"Some children who have fallen ill in China after being fed milk formula that had been contaminated with melamine have developed 'crystals' in their kidneys, a WHO food safety expert said on Tuesday.

'Our understanding is that these are not normal kidney stones because they are not being detected via all of the tools that one uses to detect kidney stones, so some are not showing up on x-rays," said Anthony Hazzard, regional advisor for food safety at the World Health Organization.

'We believe at this stage that it's really the complex of melamine and cyanuric acid forming what you call crystals ... they can form in the small tubules (in the kidneys) and they get bigger and can block the tubules,' he said in a telephone interview from Manila."

Welcome to the Age of Aquarius.

And harness the power of two.

The Truth About Sweeteners - Moms Express Nutrition Concerns, Yet Real Culprits Overlooked

An odd article - clearly suspect and clearly correct.

"A recent national survey revealed that moms are more concerned with individual ingredients rather than their children's overall caloric intake. Since total calories typically determine weight gain and even obesity, parents must understand the basic nutritional facts to keep their kids healthy.

'Many accusations today rely on speculation that tries to link single ingredients, including sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup, to obesity,' said Dr. James M. Rippe, cardiologist and biomedical sciences professor at the University of Central Florida. 'Americans are eating more of everything -- it's the excess calories and sedentary lifestyle that are having the greatest impact.'"

One of the docs associated with this article is beholden to the Corn Refiners Association.

Still, the message is correct - it is all about Calories In, Calories Out.

There are no healthy foods. There is only eating healthily.

That abusive and ignorant parents point their stupid fingers at others for the problems the parents cause their own children is nothing new.

Here is a link to an article with apparently less commercial taint that tells the story.

Motivation Is Key To Beat The Inactivity Crisis, Says 'Take To The Streets'

Good luck with that especially since people would rather die than "exercise."

"Despite the glorious success of Team GB at the Beijing Olympics last summer, the UK is still suffering from a growth in obesity levels which have doubled since the 1980's. 

Around one in four men and one in three women in the UK are obese, according to government statistics. People who are obese also have an increased risk of high blood pressure and/or cholesterol, type two diabetes, a heart attack or stroke and some forms of cancer.

Now, people are being asked to Take To The Streets, to participate in a national activity programme which aims to encourage more people to take part in challenges such as the Bupa Great North Run, to motivate them to change their lifestyles for the better."

Wanna bet on the outcome?

Ginkgo biloba not useful in preventing dementia

Still think they know what an effective supplement is?

"Although often billed as a memory and cognition enhancing product, the medicinal herb Ginkgo biloba does not stave off cognitive decline or help prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week."

Oh, and by the way, it may not be safe, either.

"Compared with placebo, Ginkgo use was associated with a slightly increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease."

Perhaps the true test of dementia is whether you take ginkgo.

If you do, maybe you got it.

Unilever U.S. Applauds New Uniform Food Labeling System For American Consumers

Do people really stick to packages?

"Unilever, a global consumer products company, today announced that it is a "likely implementer" of The Smart Choices Program, a voluntary front-of-pack food-labeling system comprised of a diverse coalition of scientists, academicians, health organizations, food and beverage manufacturers and retailers."

Don't know how they will get the "scientists, academicians, health organizations, food and beverage manufacturers and retailers" that compose the "front-of-pack food-labeling system" to stay on the package, but that is not my problem to solve.

In any event, I predict the system, if implemented, will cost consumers more and do little to nothing.

There are no "healthy" foods, there is only eating healthily and these gimmicks will likely be unable to achieve the latter.

Stay tuned.

Strength training eases knee arthritis, study

More MSM crap turns a good idea bad by misleading you.

"Resistance training appears to improve muscle strength and physical function, and decrease pain in people who suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee, according to a review of multiple studies...

The mostly overweight and obese men and women, aged from 55 to 74 years, participated in resistance programs of regular, repetitive exercise using free weights, resistance bands, or resistance machines for 1 to 6 months on average, or usual care (non-weight-bearing exercise, electrical stimulation, and health and nutritional education).

Results indicate that resistance training 'is quite an effective and safe form of exercise for people with osteoarthritis,' Lange told Reuters Health. Such programs can potentially counteract the functional limitations caused by osteoarthritis of the knee, she and colleagues report."

I am all for believing that resistance training can help.

And with fat people who are at greater risk of arthritis, weight loss will likely add benefit, so lose the weight.

The problem is, resistance training can hurt, too.

But you would not know it unless you read to the end of the article.

"Further research is needed to determine whether resistance training benefits those with severe knee osteoarthritis..."

It is possible that for those with severe joint destruction, continued use, under certain conditions can worsen the damage.

Beware of MSM headlines. Beware of their reportage in general.

You can end up worse than before.

Cultured Milk, Yogurt, And Dairy Intake In Relation To Bladder Cancer Risk In A Prospective Study Of Swedish Women And Men

You can bet that Big White and Group Danone will be all over this one.

"Intakes of various foods and nutrients could influence the risk of bladder cancer, because most metabolites are excreted through the urinary bladder. With regard to dietary factors, consumption of milk and other dairy foods could potentially reduce the risk of bladder cancer."

And with the same integrity as usual.

Despite...

"Total dairy intake was not significantly associated with risk of bladder cancer, however, a statistically significant inverse association was observed for the intake of cultured milk (sour milk and yogurt). The intake of milk or cheese was not associated with bladder cancer risk."

The fact is there was no relationship with milk or cheese and the only certainty to the "benefits" was uncertainty, i.e., "could potentially reduce" risks.

Intense exercise best for whittling down fat

Reinventing the wheel alert!

This article is both good and sad news rolled into one.

First the (mostly) good:

"While any type of exercise can do a body good, people who want to reshape their figures may need to boost the intensity of their workouts, a small study suggests.

The study, which followed 27 middle-aged obese women, found that those who exercised at a high intensity for four months successfully shed fat from their midsections. Women who exercised at a low intensity, however, showed no such changes in body fat.

The findings suggest that for people who want to change their body composition, the intensity of the exercise is matters, researchers report in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise."

I qualified the first part with "mostly" since not "any type of exercise" WILL do a body good, which is different from "can."

Now the bad:

This is silly, stupid, ignorant research.

Anybody who knows square one about fitness knows that only physical activity at training intensity will result in improved fitness, i.e., increased capacity of one or both of the energy producing pathways of the body (aerobic and anaerobic) and the concomitant changes in body composition, i.e., less fat and more muscle.

These are the natural outcomes of a proper training program.

That these morons are now "discovering" this truth is embarrassing and serves to show why sick care, physicians, etc., are the exact wrong "leaders" to follow.

As a rule of thumb, do not follow stupid leaders.

Get smarter on fitness and do it on your own without waiting for the fools to catch up - assuming they ever will.

Diabetes drug costs soaring, top $12B last year

Kudos, fatsos.

"Americans with diabetes nearly doubled their spending on drugs for the disease in just six years, with the bill last year climbing to an eye-popping $12.5 billion.

Newer, more costly drugs are driving the increase, said researchers, despite a lack of strong evidence for the new drugs' greater benefits and safety. And there are more people being treated for diabetes.

The new study follows updated treatment advice for Type 2 diabetes, issued last week. In those recommendations, an expert panel told doctors to use older, cheaper drugs first."

Type 2 diabetes is fat person diabetes.

"Nearly 24 million Americans, 8 percent of the population, have Type 2 diabetes, which can lead to kidney failure, blindness and heart disease."

Lose the weight.

And for those of you who are tired of paying for these calorically irresponsible people, go here.

Fight back.

Otherwise, it will only get worse.

Prostate cancer not warded off by supplements: study

How can this be?

"Selenium and vitamin E supplements do not prevent prostate cancer and may in fact be a little bit dangerous, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

The study of 35,000 men showed the supplements did not work together or alone to prevent prostate cancer, the most common type of cancer in men in the United States...

The National Cancer Institute, which helped organize the study, said men taking part are being told to stop taking the supplements they had been given but will continue to have their health monitored for about three more years.

'The data also showed two concerning, but not statistically significant, trends: there were slightly more cases of prostate cancer in men taking only vitamin E and slightly more cases of diabetes in men taking only selenium,' the NCI, one of he (sic) National Institutes of Health, said in a statement."

Still think they have any idea of what a "safe," let alone effective, supplement is?

The best cancer-fighting foods

More MSM crap.

The subtitle of this piece is "A doctor with a malignant tumor changes his diet to stave off his disease" and this guy has a book to sell that came out about two months ago.

"I was diagnosed with brain cancer about 16 years ago. I received chemotherapy and went into remission, but the cancer came back and I endured two surgeries and 13 months of chemotherapy. I asked my oncologist if I ought to change my diet to avoid another recurrence. His answer was perfectly stereotypical: 'Eat what you like. It won't make much difference.'

He was wrong."

Maybe, maybe not.

But this brain tumor guy not only offers no proof, he actually supports an opposite conclusion.

"I've kept cancer at bay for 8 years now, and I attribute my survival largely to the changes I've made in my diet and lifestyle. I exercise and meditate more and eat wholesome anticancer foods on a daily basis. Still, the medical establishment is slow to embrace this approach."

So let's do the math.

He was diagnosed "about 16 years ago." His cancer, it is claimed, recurred. He was surgerized and had chemo and has now been "cancer-free" for "8 years."

This means that the first surgery, apparently without nutritional voodoo, worked for as long as his current approach has.

Also, this guy gives no credit to the effects of the subsequent surgeries and chemo, instead choosing to credit his "survival largely to the changes I've made in my diet and lifestyle."

This is unknowable.

Those of you who are familiar with Fitness Watch know that the last thing I am is a cheerleader for Big Sick Care.

I am also not a cheerleader for voodoo.

The MSM pollutes the airwaves and cyberspace with spew designed to capture our attention.

Sensational, works. Truth, does not.

The very fact that this drivel is entitled, "The best cancer-fighting foods" is a testament to this.

The takeaway lesson is to eschew the MSM because your well-being isn't even an afterthought.

It is ignored completely.

Japan's Banana Diet Strips Store Shelves

It is a "what works" world.

"The banana has long been a fruit of choice for many Japanese. In 2007, the Japanese consumed 970,000 tons of bananas. But a new diet has swept across the nation and become the culprit for the sudden spike in banana consumption, and a shortage at grocery stores.

'My husband has lost about six pounds since he started the morning banana diet a few months ago,' Satake said. 'I am not sure how much the fruit did for me, but my husband has been following this diet and he needs his bananas.'"

Because she did not eat fewer Calories than she burned, she did not see the results her husband did.

Also, notice the rate of weight loss - "six pounds" in "a few months" and compare that to the diet claims/programs of the IMHO nutritional homicide set, i.e., Oprah, Oz, Katz, Cruise and Cruise, Greene, etc.

Assuming "a few months" is three months, that is 2 pounds monthly or under one-half pound per week.

Even if "a few months" is less, compare this to the recommendations of the experts.

The differences between these IMHO killers and the "banana diet" should be striking to you.

The experts claim that their diets will result in up to greater than two times as many pounds shed in a mere two weeks. (e.g., see here and here)

Here is another example:

"'One man has kept writing in for more than 700 days so far," Watanabe said. "He had lost about 19 kg (41 pounds) so far.'"

41 pounds in 700 days is 0.41 pounds per week, well below the recommended weight loss rate of 1-2 pounds per week the experts use to kill people in this and other countries.

This diet approach demonstrates that no matter what you do, as long as you consume fewer Calories than you burn, pounds will be shed.

Too bad that the "inventor" has no knowledge of this and instead spouts voodoo:

"'People tend to focus just on bananas and forget other things I mention, such as finishing dinner before eight or going to bed before midnight,' Watanabe said. 'These help your body and mind to rest, which is also important for weight management. You will need to create an environment where body and mind can be released from stress.'"

Opportunity lost.

Anything will work as long as fewer Calories are consumed than burned.

None of the other stuff is "important" unless it helps you reduce your Calories in relative to your Calories out.

Period.

End.

Scientists develop purple, cancer fighting tomato

A Frankenfood update.

"A purple tomato genetically engineered to contain nutrients more commonly seen in dark berries helped prevent cancer in mice, British researchers said on Sunday...

The researchers cautioned that trials in humans are a long way off and the next step is to investigate how the antioxidants actually affect the tumors to promote better health...

'But it's too early to say whether anthocyanins obtained through diet could help to reduce the risk of cancer.'"

It is also too early to know if there are any unintended harms from these Love Apples.

Stay tuned.

Overweight Women May Find Accessing Healthcare Difficult And Stressful

Poor fat babies.

"Women who are overweight and obese can find accessing healthcare difficult and stressful, according to research in the latest UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Researchers from Texas, USA, carried out in-depth interviews with women aged between 20 and 61, after recruiting them through local advertisements placed in community agencies and a regional newspaper.

'The participants in our study described the experience of seeking healthcare as a constant battle and struggle and were upset by the reactions of healthcare staff' (sic) says lead author Professor Emily Merrill from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center."

Lose the weight.

"'They told us that they felt even more uncomfortable with specialists than with their own family doctors and nurse practitioners.'

Four themes emerged: struggling to fit in, feeling not quite human, being dismissed and refusing to give up."

Lose the weight.

"Women talked about feeling shame and embarrassment because they did not fit into the normal healthcare environment because of their size and needed larger gowns, blood pressure cuffs, scales and chairs.

Elena told researchers that she had to wait half an hour to have her blood pressure taken, because the right equipment wasn't available. She related how embarrassed she was while the nurse was running round the office saying: 'We need the bigger cuff. She can't fit the other.'

And Tammy's bad experiences have made her plan ahead when she goes to a healthcare appointment. 'I am to the point now where I will pretty much demand a larger fitting gown before the nurse even walks out of the room' she says."

Lose the weight.

"Women also reported feeling less than human because of their size."

Lose the weight.

"The women who took part in the study had all dieted and felt defeated by their weight and their failed attempts to control it.

Stella said that being overweight was the 'worst thing in my life' and she longed to be a normal size. 'It's not something I think about one or two times a day. It's something that is always, always there, from getting out of bed…' she told researchers."

Ah, a valid point - finally.

Learn how to lose the weight, why you have failed and what you can do. Learn who your enemies are and have been all along. (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, for a few examples)

Then lose the weight.

"The women also talked about being dismissed by healthcare professionals.

Lynette was refused treatment for her arthritis by a chiropractor because of her weight. She told the researchers he 'took one look at me and said 'All you need to do is lose weight and that would solve all your problems'… He didn't bother with X-rays or an examination or anything, so it was amazing to me that he could know that from just reading over the questionnaire and looking at me.'

And Kay's doctor was unsympathetic about her high blood pressure and weight problem and told her to simply stop eating. She felt that he had treated her 'so pathetically like I was nothing' that she changed doctors and found one who treated her with respect. 'He respected me, so I think I was more inclined to listen to him and to do what he asked me to do' she said. "

Lose the weight. (There is no reason to intentionally disrespect a patient. Although we do not know if it really happened or this patient misperceived. Only one side of the story is being presented. Still, there is no reason to intentionally disrespect a patient.)

"'The eight women we spoke to were stigmatized because they did not fit into the healthcare environment or the cultural expectation of being slim' says Professor Merrill, who carried out the research with Professor Jane Grassley from Texas Women's University.

'It is vital that healthcare providers tackle the issues raised by overweight women as latest figures show that a third of women in the USA are obese. Research also shows that women may delay or avoid healthcare if providers have reacted negatively to them because of their weight.

'The women who took part in our study were determined to control their weight and improve their health despite many failed attempts. And they were keen to receive support and resources from healthcare professionals.'"

Interestingly, these researchers claim that the women were "stigmatized because they did not fit into the healthcare environment or the cultural expectation of being slim."

They did not question whether said stigmatization was self-induced or mendaciously expressed for secondary gain - the "poor, poor, pitiful me" validation.

And these researchers only spoke with 8 women in carrying out their "in-depth interviews with women aged between 20 and 61."

Some study, eh?

Hey, researchers!

Lose the stupid.

Chubby Babies Born To Overweight Mums

More early child abuse.

"University of New South Wales (UNSW) research has highlighted a link between childhood obesity and a mother's diet before and during pregnancy. The work in animals proves that overweight expectant mothers are more likely to have babies with more body fat, who are at greater risk of diabetes and lipid metabolic disorders later in life."

Clearly, fat people should be discouraged from having babies.