US scores dead last in global health survey

(NaturalNews) The Commonwealth Fund recently released a report that places the U.S. last among six other developed countries in terms of quality of health care. According to the report, U.S. health care costs are roughly twice as much as they are in other countries, but the care is not as good or as efficient. The report includes comparisons between the U.S. health care system and those of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the U.K. However the criteria used by the foundation to assess and score the countries is based more on differing health care philosophies among nations rather than actual quality of care. In fact, all the other nations included in the survey have “universal health insurance”, which is noted in the report as being one of the biggest differences. It does mention, however, that the “health reform legislation” recently passed in the U.S. will help to bump it up some in the foundation’s view. The report does highlight the fact that health spending in the U.S. is typically much higher per person than it is in other developed nations. According to the report, health spending per person in the U.S. averaged more than $7,000 in 2007, while spending ranged from between about $2,500 and $4,000 in the other countries assessed. Health safety seems to be another issue in the U.S. health care system. Improper dosages, prescription errors and miscommunication are all problematic, according to the assessment. The U.S. also typically has higher rates of obesity than the other countries assessed. But what the report did not mention is the fact that the U.S. health care system is already a hybridized form of government care. Heavy taxes pay for programs like Medicare that feed drug companies while keeping people sick. The procedures and philosophies embraced by most in the medical field are also the “FDA-approved” kind, which typically involve only a drugs and surgery approach. In other words, it is because the U.S. health care system is already so influenced by central control that the entire system is in the mess it is in. Corporate powers have essentially “bought” the government and they now largely control it for their own gain. Now they want full control as the supposed solution to the problem they created in the first place. A truly free market health philosophy, combined with personal responsibility, allows the free flow of truthful health information to prevail. The result is dramatically lower levels of illness, decreased overall costs, improved quality and technologies, and real health freedom. Anything else will eventually lead to health tyranny. Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65M0SU20100623?type=domesticNews&feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

Radiation Therapy Harms the Brain, Causing Memory and Attention Problems

(NaturalNews) Radiation therapy for the treatment of brain tumors may lead to cognitive decline later in life, according to a study conducted by researchers from VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and published in The Lancet Neurology . Scientists have known for some time that radiation therapy can damage healthy brain tissue, but prior research found no immediate negative effects from the treatment. In the new study, researchers conducted brain function tests on 65 patients who had undergone treatment for low-grade glioma 12 years previously. Low-grade glioma is one of the most common forms of brain tumor. It is non-carcinogenic, and can often be removed with surgery. However, many doctors use radiotherapy following surgery. The researchers found that a full 53 percent of patients who had been treated with radiation exhibited problems with mental function 12 years after their treatment, compared with only 27 percent of those who had not undergone radiation treatment. Radiotherapy patients were especially likely to have problems with memory and attention. Because the average patient survives a full decade after being diagnosed with low-grade glioma, the researchers noted that large numbers of patients will survive long enough to suffer the negative cognitive effects of radiotherapy. For this reason, they recommended that doctors avoid using radiation in the treatment of glioma unless absolutely necessary — such as in cases where the tumor returns after surgery, for example. “It always depends on the patient, but if it is possible to defer radiotherapy, maybe people should,” lead researcher Linda Douw said. Cancer research scientist Jeremy Rees of the United Kingdom’s National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery Honorary said that his hospital already avoids radiotherapy for low-grade glioma patients except when the tumor is already progressing or when the patient suffers from uncontrolled epilepsy. “Surgery is generally a preferred option with chemotherapy or radiotherapy coming into play at a later stage, if the glioma progresses,” he said. Sources for this story include: news.bbc.co.uk.

In a Time of Cutbacks, Organic Chocolate Maker Looks to Expand

Green & Black’s, the British organic chocolate maker, has expanded to North America, and is now aiming at Northern Europe, including Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Germany.

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