Health News Florida

AMA Officially Recognizes Obesity As A Disease

Allison Aubrey — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:44:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Obesity has long been recognized as a public health problem. But this week, the American Medical Association, the nation's largest professional organization of physicians, has taken the step of officially recognizing obesity as a disease.

NPR's Allison Aubrey joins us now to talk about what this means.

Infections From Contaminated Injections Can Lurk Undetected

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:36:00 +0000

People who think they didn't get sick from a nationwide meningitis outbreak caused by contaminated steroid injections used to treat back pain may want to think again.

Doctors at hospitals in Michigan did MRI scans of people who had been given tainted injections but didn't report symptoms of meningitis afterwards.

About 20 percent of the 172 people tested had suspicious-looking MRIs, and 17 ended up needing surgery to treat fungal infections in or around the spine.

The patients had gotten steroid injections about three months before the MRI, in mid to late 2012.

Even though some of the

Vaccine Against HPV Has Cut Infections in Teenage Girls

Richard Knox — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:10:00 +0000

A vaccine against human papillomavirus — the most common sexually transmitted infection and the cause of almost all cervical cancer — is dramatically reducing the prevalence of HPV in teenage girls.

The first vaccine against HPV, Merck's Gardasil, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006.

Inside The Mind Of A Sociopath

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:02:00 +0000

What exactly is a sociopath? Many people might think of killers, criminals, the cruel and heartless, Jack Nicholson's character in The Shining.

That's the common wisdom. But it's being challenged by a new memoir, Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight. It's written under the pen name of M.E. Thomas. The author says most sociopaths are not incarcerated — and the silent majority of them live freely and anonymously.

Challenges for States That Expand Medicaid

Health News Florida Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:15:14 +0000

At his blog, Our Health Policy Matters, Paul Gionfriddo offers some lessons gleaned by states as they expand Medicaid.

‘Uncertainty’ Drives Medical Group to Merger

Health News Florida Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:04:10 +0000

Clark & Daughtrey Medical Group, a large, well-known multi-specialty practice that has been independent for 65 years, credits uncertainty surrounding the future of health care for its decision to merge with Lakeland Regional Health System, the Lakeland Ledger reports.

AMA Says It's Time To Call Obesity A Disease

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:04:00 +0000

While the American Medical Association may not have the clout it once did, it's still the largest single group of doctors making waves about health and the practice of medicine.

So it's not nothing when the AMA's House of Delegates approves a measure to label obesity a disease.

Scam Diverted AIDS, Cancer Drugs, Police Say

Health News Florida Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:59:30 +0000

When the cops arrested Jorge Castillo at his Miami Lakes home on Monday, they found he lived well, with two Maseratis, a Range Rover and a boat. Small wonder, as the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. Prosecutors say Castillo, 43, bought pharmaceutical drugs for AIDS, cancer, psychosis and other conditions from criminals.

Toddler Dies, Another Child Zapped With Stun Gun

Health News Florida Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:49:45 +0000

A Cape Coral toddler is dead, two weeks after a child-services contractor returned him to his mother and her boyfriend, and the Department of Children & Families is investigating. As the Miami Herald reports, the case is the third in recent weeks in which a child has died after intervention by investigators. (Editor’s note: Readers may encounter a paywall to read this article.)

Bradenton Area Rejects Tax for Indigent Care

Health News Florida Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:36:37 +0000

Voters in Manatee County voted down a half-cent sales tax to provide health care to the poor, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports. The tax would have bolstered the Health Care Trust Fund, which has paid for care for years but is expected to run out in 2015 .

DOH Faulted for Inaction in Steroid Scandal

Health News Florida Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:30:06 +0000

The whistleblower in the case against Biogenesis anti-aging clinic in Miami, accused of supplying steroids to Major League Baseball players, has come forward to express his disappointment with both MLB and the state Department of Health, Miami News Times reports. Porter Fischer says he supplied reams of documents to DOH investigators, but the agency closed the case against clinic owner Tony Bosch with just a citation and fine.

4 Notes from the Students with Diabetes Conference

Mark Schreiner — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:54:16 +0000

For the third year, young people from around the country gathered in Tampa for the Students With Diabetes National Conference -- a chance for them to find out what they need to do to handle the challenges of growing up with a disease that can take up a good portion of their time and energy.

More than 120 people from 23 states and three countries attended the three-day event hosted by USF earlier this month at the Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore.

Formed in 2010 by USF Health's

FDA Backs Off On Regulation Of Fecal Transplants

Rob Stein — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:08:00 +0000

Federal regulators are dropping plans to tightly control a procedure that is becoming increasingly popular for treating people stricken by life-threatening infections of the digestive system.

The Food and Drug Administration says the agency will exercise enforcement discretion and no longer require doctors to get the agency's approval before using "fecal microbiota for transplantation."

The procedure is being used to treat people suffering from infection with the bacterium Clostridium difficile, or C. diff.

How To Make Museums More Inviting For Kids With Autism

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Last January, Noelle Murphy and her family were on their way to the Please Touch Museum for children in Philadelphia. Right before they arrived, 3-year-old Dylan had an accident.

"He wet himself," Murphy said, "And we were thinking, 'Oh no, how are we going to deal with this?' "

Dylan has autism, and his mom, Noelle, tends to choose at-home activities over unpredictable outings like a day at the museum. If Dylan becomes overwhelmed by his surroundings, he might yell loudly, or drop to the floor and refuse to get up.

Some States Will Make It Easier To Get Insurance Answers

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:33:00 +0000

Who are you going to call for help when it comes to figuring out your health insurance?

Next year, when insurance marketplaces open under the federal health law and many job-based and individual plans have to meet new standards for coverage and costs, chances are that lots of people are going to need a hand navigating the system.

Depending on where they live, some will probably have an easier time of it than others.

What states will do to help people vary wid

FDA Looking into Zyprexa Shots

Health News Florida Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:19:13 +0000

The Food and Drug Administration is looking into the deaths of two patients who received injections of the long-acting antipsychotic drug olanzapine pamoate (Zyprexa Relprevv) and died a few days later, MedPage Today reports.

Big Drops: Infant Mortality, Adult Smoking

Health News Florida Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:15:52 +0000

Florida’s infant mortality rate has dropped to 6 per 1,000 live births, the Associated Press reports. In a separate story, the smoking rate for U.S. adults has dropped to 18 percent, after hovering around 20 percent for years, the AP reports.

Patients’ Data Stolen for New Practice?

Lottie Watts — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:12:09 +0000

Owners of an optometry practice are suing two former employees, saying they copied the confidential information of 9,000 patients in hopes of luring them to their new practice, the Pensacola News Journal reports.

Toddler’s Death Puts Spotlight on Pool Safety

Health News Florida Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:08:39 +0000

The parents of a 2-year-old who died after falling into the swimming pool admit they didn’t have a security fence around it, and they hope the little girl’s death will be a wakeup call for other parents, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The toddler slipped through the dog door while her father was on the phone, her parents say.

Doctor-Defendants Protest Coaching

Health News Florida Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:59:09 +0000

State Ends 3-Year 'Lifestyle Lift' Probe

Carol Gentry — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:55:24 +0000

Florida has ended its three-year investigation of "Lifestyle Lifts" with a settlement that could bring refunds to a few and an agreement by the company to cover the state's costs.

Amazon Jobs May Have Down Side

Health News Florida Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:18:49 +0000

Gov. Rick Scott is touting a deal with Amazon to move 3,000 jobs to Florida, but some concerns are being raised about the quality of the jobs, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Other Amazon warehouses have been the subject of newspaper reports that the buildings lacked air-conditioning, that workers fainted from the heat, and that injuries went unreported.

How Men's Choice Of Mates May Have Led To Menopause

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:44:00 +0000

A dapper older gentleman spurns his mate of a certain age to take a fresh-faced young lover. You've seen that movie before, right?

Well, this choice of youth may turn out to be more than a Hollywood trope.

3-D Printer Brings Dexterity To Children With No Fingers

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:14:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB53-D_N8Uc

Hot Dogs, Bacon, Red Meat Tied to Increased Diabetes Risk

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:06:00 +0000

You've likely heard about the link between sugar consumption and Type 2 diabetes. But fresh research ties another dietary pattern to increased risk of the disease, too: eating too much red meat.

It's not that we are trying to pick on meat (I'm a meat-eater, in moderation), but the recent studies linking carnivorous habits to health problems seem to be piling up.

Toddler Takes 1st Steps on New Legs

Health News Florida Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:50:57 +0000

Toddlers usually are wary of prostheses, and the 2-year-old Pinellas child had been waiting for five hours. So when Ireland Nugent got the chance to try out her prosthetic legs, she forged ahead like a trouper, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

The Human Voice May Not Spark Pleasure In Children With Autism

Jon Hamilton — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:03:00 +0000

The human voice appears to trigger pleasure circuits in the brains of typical kids, but not children with autism, a Stanford University team reports. The finding could explain why many children with autism seem indifferent to spoken words.

The Stanford team used functional MRI to compare the brains of 20 children who had autism spectrum disorders and 19 typical kids.

After Long Search, Komen Foundation Replaces Brinker As CEO

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:40:00 +0000

The Komen Foundation for the Cure has a new chief executive.

Dr.