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pharma
hybrid dangers
Hidden Hybrid Automobile Dangers, What You Should Know About EMFs
Of course, you've heard of hybrid automobiles but most people haven't heard of their possible health risk compared to traditional vehicles. According to the New York Times, strong electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emanating from high voltage power cables located near the driver might be hazardous to your health, yet the government doesn't even test for EMF's in vehicles. Details, inside... More »
health
1 Year Later: Feet Scarred From "Chemical Flip Flops," Walmart Still Not Talking
It's been about a year since Kelly Stiles' feet were (somehow) injured by a $3 pair of Walmart flip flops. In that time, Kelly says her feet haven't fully healed and she still can't wear sandals or flip flops. She says she still has pain where she was injured. More »
health
Big Insurance Companies Settle In Broker Kickback Case
MetLife, Prudential and Unum Insurance have settled with the San Diego DA's office over their alleged payments in the hundreds of thousands to an insurance broker to send business their way. Universal Life Resources (ULR) was contracted to get the best insurance value for life, disability, and health insurance by large businesses for their employees. Instead, the suit claims, ULR got payments to funnel business to the insurers. The settlement calls for the insurers to pay a total of $1.1 million, which will fund more public enforcement of fair competition cases. More »
eyesight
Botched LASIK Eye Surgery Leads To Corneal Transplant
The vast majority of the time, LASIK eye surgery works out just fine. Then there are stories like Patrick's. He was a "perfect" candidate for LASIK eye surgery according to both the doctor who performed the procedure and other experts who reviewed his records later. After the procedure, however, he began to lose vision in his left eye, and eventually had to have a corneal transplant. Patrick's detailed account of how LASIK Plus reacted—stringing him along with multiple visits and the wrong diagnoses, misplacing his records, and denying any responsibility—has left him feeling he should share his story with the rest of the world. More »
listeria
Recall: 286,000 lbs of Meat Used In Sandwich Wraps Contaminated With Listeria
Gourmet Boutique, of Queens, NY is recalling 286,000 lbs of possibly contaminated meat used in sandwich wraps and other ready-to-eat products, says the USDA. This is the second recall of this type for the company. In March they recalled 7,000 lbs of meat for possible listeria contamination. More »
health
Top 9 Medical Myths
Dr. Keith Hopcroft of The Times has put together his list top 9 medical myths. Can having sex cause a heart attack? Are headaches a sign of brain tumors? Is breast self-exam actually useless? Can the flu shot give you the flu? Put your medical knowledge to the test. Check out the myths, inside... More »
health
Walmart's "$4 Prescription Plan" Adds OTC Drugs, 90-day Supplies For $10
Walmart's $4 prescription plan is getting even cheaper, says Reuters. The big blue box will add 1,000 over-the-counter items for $4 or less and make some drugs available in a 90-day supply for only $10 — thus kicking K-mart's 90-day supply program squarely in the teeth. More »
side effects
Why Is The New Centrum Advanced Formula Causing Stomach Pains?
Kevin writes, "I have been experiencing stomach pains after buying the new formula of Centrum Multivitamins. A co-worker had the same pain." It turns out, Kevin and his co-worker aren't alone—the Amazon product page for the reformulated ("now with lycopene!") vitamins are overwhelmingly negative, with nearly everyone reporting stomach pains. However, there are only eleven reviews for the product, so we're wondering how many people have actually tried the new Centrum and suffered for it. Anyone here? More »
inspections
FDA Report Cites 49 Safety Issues At Merck Vaccine Plant
Between November of last year and this past January, the FDA "cited 49 areas of concern, including a failure to follow good manufacturing practices" at Merck & Co. Inc's vaccine plant in Pennsylvania. A Merck spokesman says that most of the incidents were found and reported by Merck's own employees, and that they occurred in the manufacturing process, not the vaccines themselves: "He stressed that no contamination was found in finished vaccines and that Merck was addressing all the problems." More »
lasik
Patients Of Botched LASIK Surgery Urge FDA To Step In
Our beloved fatherteacher Ben Popken seems just fine with his newly lasered eyes, but not everyone sees such great results, says Reuters: "Blurred vision, dry eyes, glare and double-vision have led to depression and in some cases suicide, several patients told a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel." These patients want the FDA to take a more active role in regulating the LASIK industry (currently the FDA regulates the equipment but not the people who use it). More »
medicine
Glaxo Buys Aging Retardation Drug Company
GlaxoSmithKline is buying a U.S. biotechnology company that is researching resveratrol, the chemical compound found in red wine that may retard the aging process. The CEO of the company says that "drugs that mimic resveratrol, by activating enzymes called sirtuins, could 'treat in a safe, natural new way, many of the major killers of western society.'" We can't wait to see the commercials that GSK puts out for this one. More »
health
Recalled Heparin Contaminant Confirmed, And Congress Grills FDA On Inspections
Researchers have identified the chemical in the contaminated blood thinner Heparin that killed 81 people in the U.S. and made patients here and in Europe sick:The researchers freeze-dried the heparin and used a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze its structure. In addition to a known impurity of heparin called dermatan sulfate, they found that contaminated lots contain a molecule that looks similar to heparin and showed it was almost certainly oversulfated chondroitin sulfate.
More »
health
Should Companies Replace BPA Baby Products In The U.S.?
There's nothing official about BPA in the U.S. (yet), and there's no legal reason (again, yet) for a company to refund or replace any products that have BPA in them. But with Canada's newly awarded "toxic" status on the chemical last week, and the subsequent announcements by Nalgene and Playtex that they would stop using BPA in their products, what do you think other companies should do? At least one reader who's now stuck with some BPA baby bottles thinks they should offer a refund.More »
Brita wants you to keep paying $6-$10 for their disposable water filters, but here's a way to refill your own for $.50. [Instructables]
readers
UnitedHealth Unapproves Surgery From 2 Years Ago, Wants $7700 Back
United Health Care, not content with merely denying life saving cancer procedures or refusing to pay for basic (covered!) checkups, took things to a new level by retroactively un-approving procedures they paid for in 2005. They sent reader Suzanne a letter and a bill for $7700, claiming the pay-out was an "administrative error", and she needed to pay up. Check out the details, inside. More »
rectal exams
Jury Says 'Up Yours' To Rectal Exam Lawsuit
Remember Brian Persaud, the Brooklyn construction worker who tried to sue a New York hospital for performing a by-the-books rectal exam on him in 2003? On Monday, a Manhattan jury tossed his lawsuit, claiming he failed to show he suffered assault and battery. This means we'll never get to hear both sides splitting hairs about what constitutes a full "rectal examination"—Persaud says the doctor did it, and the doctor says she didn't.More »
class action
You Can Still Join A Fen-Phen Class Action Lawsuit
This lady started taking Fen-Phen and lost 30 lbs, but now she's got high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and swollen legs, possibly indicative of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), the negative side effect American Home Products (now known as Wyeth) were successfully sued for upwards of $14 billion. When she called Wyeth, they told her that she had "waited too long" to file a lawsuit. However, the 2006 Fen-Phen settlement actually has a clause that says there's no statute of limitations on filing a claim. Therefore, you can still join a class action lawsuit against them. Also goes to show you that calling up the customer service department probably isn't the best route to take if you're looking for objective information about suing that company...
PPH Class Action: Not Too Late [LawyersAndSettlements]
(Photo: freerangestock.com)
