Lung cancer is considered the most common form of cancer in the world. Studies also show that it is the leading cause of death because of cancer in the United States. In the year 2007 alone, there are more than 200,000 cases reported, and the numbers just keep on increasing each year.

Cancer usually occurs when normal tissue cells undergo a alteration that results in rapid growth. Most lung tumors are considered malignant. It can destroy all the other healthy tissues in the body if it remains undiagnosed and untreated. Some lung tumors are metastatic from cancers in the other parts of the body.

The following are the signs and symptoms that a person might be suffering from lung and pulmonary tumors:

Coughing

Wheezing

Constant shortness of breath

Coughing up blood

Weight loss for no apparent reason

Pain

Patients who are diagnosed to have stage I and II lung cancers that are still in good medical condition are often advised to undergo surgery. The possibility of recovery is high. However, for patients who already have relatively poor medical condition are treated with radio therapy.

Radiation therapy is being offered by the Colorado Cyberknife Cancer Facility in Lafayette. A newly installed advanced radio therapy alternative called the Cyberknife Treatment for lung and pulmonary tumors is fast gaining popularity.

For patients who only have small tumors but refuse to go into surgery, Cyberknife Treatment for lung and pulmonary tumors is often recommended. Data show that radiation has been used to treat lung cancer in 1960 which showed about 50% two-year survival. It is from these medical studies that the Cyberknife Treatment for lung and pulmonary tumors was derived. Modern doctors just made use of the advanced technology that is made available to them.

Cyberknife Treatment utilizes radiation. It is made up of a linear accelerator source that is mounted on a robotic arm. This state-of-the-art treatment has been proven to be an effective treatment for different tumors. With the recent installation of the Cyberknife VSI Treatment at the Colorado facility, the Cancer Center is able to give more and effective alternative treatments to tumors. This modern treatment can easily track the motion of the tumors; this is more useful in the treatment of lung cancer.

Cyberknife Treatment for lung and pulmonary tumors boasts of its non-invasive kind of treatment which significantly lowers the risk of developing complications. This state-of-the-art system can treat even the most hard to reach tumors, that some doctors have given up on since they are inoperable. The system’s ability to provide radiation in different angles greatly minimizes the risk of damaging the neighboring healthy tissues.

Doctors who perform Cyberknife Treatment do not use scalpels, hence the treatment is painless and there is no need to sedate the patient during treatment. Blood loss is also avoided. Patients who undergo this treatment can immediately go home right after since there is no need for the body to recover after the treatment. This treatment is considered outpatient.

The Cyberknife Treatment definitely offers a better alternative than open surgery.

It can be difficult dealing with any type of disease. Just discovering that you have developed a disease can be upsetting enough. You are trying to deal with the news while looking for options and alternatives for managing your condition.

This can be very true for someone recently diagnosed with diabetes. Where do you go to find out about diabetes treatment options? Hopefully your family doctor will have given you some information and this is a good starting point.

Your next step is to start looking online for information about diabetes treatment options. This can be the easiest place to get help. Plus of course you don’t have to worry about going out all over town to chase down information.

What you want to do is to collect all the information you can and place it into a folder on your desktop. This way it will be easy to refer back to. When you have a pile of info then take the time to sit down and read it. Have a notebook available and jot down any questions that come up.

Once you have done this you can look for the answers to your questions. Just try to do this by typing in the exact question that you have. You will then be given various sites which you can visit.

Your first choice about diabetes treatment options should be to try and find a natural solution if at all possible. Your diabetes could possibly be controlled by watching what you eat. Maybe all you need is to cut down on fats and add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

There are many natural supplements on the market that can help boost your nutritional requirements. Taking a good quality supplement to treat your diabetes could get you results in a short period of time.

Another diabetes treatment is to just get outside and get more exercise. Even a simple walk down the street or to your local park may be all that is required. Shedding a few pounds can have a profound effect on your diabetes.

Whatever you do about your diabetes treatment options always keep your doctor informed. This way they can help you monitor your condition and see what treatments are working the best for you.

For many people, hair loss is the reality of their life. But what many people tend to be not aware of is that it is not an inevitable condition and they don’t have to live with it for their entire lives.

Probable causes of hair loss

Some of the most common causes of abnormal hair thinning in most people can be poor nutrition, lack of sleep, increased stress level, exposure to pollutants and certain lifestyle habits. In some men, increased levels of hormones such as dihydrotestosterone can affect the ability of the hair follicles to hold and even growth new hairs. This hormone is formed by the conversion of testosterone by enzyme in the body. Basically, the hair follicles tend to shrinking in their sizes when react with dihydrotestosterone. This leads to premature shedding of the hair strands without the growth of the new ones to replace them.

The HairMax LaserComb for hair loss

Indeed, the market is overflowing with a number of hair loss treatments, which aim to provide the restoration of the hair without causing ill effects. Most people, who are looking for instant results tend to fall for the invasive hair loss treatments such as surgical hair transplants. These procedures claim to provide good results, but in the majority of the cases, they pose high risks of infection and inflammation along with bleeding. The Low Level Laser Therapy is a technology that ensures an effective treatment of the hair loss within few months owing to its regular and proper use. This technology is used by a hand-held comb equipped with some addition features known as laser comb. It is used by placing the teeth of the comb over the affected scalp area for 4-5 seconds or as directed. In the same, it is glided over to the adjacent scalp area. In this way, this treatment is given all over the scalp using laser combs. This safe laser treatment nourishes hair follicles and cells to promote hair growth.

HairMax LaserComb Professional 12 is a trusted name available on the market of laser combs, which can treat hair loss problem in both men and women. It is approved by FDA as safe for the use by even cancer patients, who are going through hair loss due to chemotherapy. The non-invasive nature of HairMax is one of the reasons behind its popularity for healthy hair growth. Plus, it is a portable device that provides safe laser hair loss treatments at the convenience of your home. You don’t have to go at a hair salon repeatedly to receive laser therapy. HairMax Comb does not emit heat and has no side effects. It only promises increased growth, volume, and the quality of the hair. The effectiveness of this laser comb can be enhanced with the use of DHT blocking treatments along with it. But, it is advised to take a doctor’s opinion before any of the DHT blocking treatments in combination with the HairMax.

Government Mandates Make Health Savings More Elusive

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released some data that show that the digital revolution continues to evade health care.

Through mid-May, just 1,026 registered hospitals and physicians out of a possible 56,599 have demonstrated that they are using electronic medical records and other health information technology in accordance with federal standards. That’s a scant 2%.

The federal government has tried to promote the switch from paper medical records to electronic ones in hopes of improving efficiency and bringing down health costs. It’s even putting money behind the push — some $27 billion over 10 years, or from $44,000 to $63,750 per physician and up to $2 million per hospital.

But even that vast sum of taxpayer lucre cannot will the necessary innovations into being.

Worse, like so many roads paved with good intentions, this one may yield some unfortunate consequences — paramount among them a decline in the number of doctors who will take Medicare patients.

A Rand Corporation study in 2005 concluded that health IT could save our health care system about $77 billion a year. Other studies have put annual savings in the $80 billion to $100 billion range.

The Rand study is popular with cost-cutters, but read the fine print: “much of the gains can only be achieved if all, or nearly all, of the healthcare organizations participate.”

At this stage, the cost of implementing health IT is a high threshold for many providers to cross. The average initial cost of an electronic health records (EHR) system is $44,000 per physician, with ongoing maintenance estimated at $8,500 a year.

Most physician office visits still occur in practices with 10 or fewer doctors. These aren’t just medicine men; they’re also small businesses, with the same concerns about remaining profitable as others. These health IT mandates only add a new level of complexity.

According to the head of the Business Management Department at North Carolina State University’s College of Management, “the main barriers to the adoption of EHR by small healthcare firms are due to legal and economic uncertainty.”

For years, politicians in Washington have been seeking a way to harness the savings from health IT. Each time they have tried, they ended up putting success further off.

In 1996, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), predicting that portable health records would usher in a new golden age. Fifteen years later, we’re still waiting.

In 2004, President Bush signed Executive Order 13335 setting the goal of a nationwide health information network within ten years. Time is almost up, and government data show that only 1,026 registered hospitals and physicians — out of 56,599 — use technology that meets federal standards.

Washington politicians have spent years fiddling with carrots and sticks and regulations and mandates. In the process, they have gummed up the work that could have been done by the free market and private innovators.

If we want results, Washington needs to stop trying to legislate Star Trek-style medical tricorders into being. We’re better off leaving technology to the real-world innovators who have put communicators (er, rather, cell phones) into the hands of just about everyone.

Healthcare groups urge Congressional subcommittee to curb IPAB

Potential Medicare budget cuts made through a new board are likely to significantly reduce healthcare access for beneficiaries, according to testimony presented to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee.

The Healthcare Leadership Council, which includes the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and numerous other healthcare-related groups, recently testified that the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) structure is likely to lead to payment cuts to healthcare providers. “The combination of payment cuts, along with the projected shortage of physicians the nation will experience over the next several years … will create a healthcare access ‘perfect storm’ that will hit seniors the hardest,” said HLC President Mary Grealy.

The IPAB must be repealed by Congress and not simply be “fixed,” Grealy said. “Because the IPAB recommendations can take effect without an affirmative vote from Congress, it will become the de facto decision-maker for future Medicare policies. It is a mistake to invest such power in an unelected board that needs to be responsive to the public,” Grealy said.

Healthcare groups are also concerned about the rigidity of the IPAB mandate, which automatically triggers spending reductions when spending exceeds arbitrary levels. “It does not take into consideration public health demands which may necessitate greater, not reduced, Medicare spending. It also does not recognize that new innovations in medical practice and pharmaceutical development — which may involve high up-front cuts and thus be a prime IPAB target — can actually reduce healthcare costs in the long run,” Grealy said.

Grealy told Congressional representatives that there are “better, more patient-centered” ways to curb Medicare spending. Those include solutions from the private sector and from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which has implemented programs such as PACE (The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), value-based purchasing, and bundling of payments.

Southern Cross landlord in move to run homes

NHP, the owner of 249 care homes operated by Southern Cross, is to establish a new company to run them, creating one of the biggest operators in the sector.

It will set up a joint venture with the healthcare consultancy Court Cavendish by the end of October, when Southern Cross is expected to be wound up, NHP said on Monday. Staff at the homes would keep their jobs, and it would take over some of Southern Cross’s existing back office services.

“This new operating company, which will rent and operate out of the properties that NHP currently leases to Southern Cross, will be robust and not subject to the same financial uncertainty that has challenged Southern Cross,” NHP said.

Southern Cross, Britain’s biggest care homes operator with 752 homes and 31,000 residents, said last week that it would be wound up over the next few months. The decision followed months of tense negotiations with landlords, after fee cuts and falling occupancy rates left it unable to meet its rent payments.

The company’s management had hoped that NHP would be an “anchor” landlord for a slimmed-down Southern Cross, but they abandoned efforts to keep the company afloat after NHP rejected the plan.

Chai Patel, chairman of Court Cavendish and former chief executive of the Priory Group, promised that the homes would undergo a “seamless transition”. He added that he would take a senior executive role in the new company, whose name has not yet been chosen, and that NHP was talking to “one or two” other landlords about taking over their homes.

”As a pure elderly care home operator, this will be the largest in Britain,” Mr Patel said. The fact that NHP would have a stake in the operating company, as well as being a landlord, would “allow greater flexibility in the way the rents are structured”, he added.

NHP has been run by Capita, the outsourcing group, since it was overwhelmed last year by debts of £1.1bn. Capita has allowed NHP to retain about £14m ($22.5m) of loan interest payments to allow the funds to be used for the new company’s working capital needs. The company also plans to retain the next wave of interest payments in October. This will give it an initial capital base of £30m, said Paul Thompson, an NHP director.

The announcement brings greater clarity on the long-term future of Southern Cross’s homes. Jamie Buchan, Southern Cross’s chief executive, called it “very positive indeed” and pledged to ensure a “professional and seamless handover”.

However, the fate of most other homes remains less clear. Four Seasons and Bondcare, two rival operators that own 85 Southern Cross homes between them, want to take over the homes themselves, and have also been in talks to take over other landlords’ homes. But neither has yet formally laid out its plans.

William Laing, chief executive of the healthcare consultancy Laing & Buisson, said that the new company would “have a large thing to swallow”.

“For Bondcare and Four Seasons to take over their homes – it’s not very many, so that’s fine. But to take on 250 care homes is biting off an awful lot.”

However, the fact that the new company’s landlord would have a stake in it meant that it stood a good chance of avoiding a Southern Cross-style financial crisis, he added.

What causes wheezing in toddlers? Wheezing is a harsh, raspy sound normally associated with narrowing of the airway and heard on breathing out. Young children can develop the symptom of wheezing if they suffer from asthma, a respiratory infection causing blockage or narrowing of the airways or structural abnormalities in the airways.

If your child also suffers from eczema and allergies then the most likely cause of wheezing is asthma. This is a condition that causes the airways to react to certain triggers such as pollen, dust mites and even cold air. The constriction of the airways is caused both by inflammation and excessive mucus production.

Wheezing in toddlers can be very alarming for parents who have never heard or experienced it before. Often the wheezing starts off as a cough (usually at night for asthma sufferers) and then progresses to a wheeze. This can then set off a full-blown asthma attack in some children.

It is very important to identify the triggers that cause wheezing in your child and remove them. For example, if your child tends to start wheezing at night whilst asleep in bed, there may be an allergy to dust mites. Regular vacuuming will help reduce wheezing and allergic reactions. Also, look out for any soft toys that may be harbouring dust mites and collecting dust. These should be removed from the room your child is sleeping in.

Current treatment of wheezing in toddlers involves the use of bronchodilators to open up the airways and steroids to reduce inflammation. However, these methods do not always work very effectively. One of the main causes of wheezing is associated with tightness of the breathing muscles namely the diaphragm and the muscles surrounding the chest. Drugs and medication do very little to relax these muscles and they gradually become more and more tense.

No matter what the cause of wheezing in toddlers, it is very important to address the issue of muscle tightness. Tense respiratory muscles very quickly go into spasm. An asthma attack is an example of the diaphragm going into spasm and preventing any air from being inhaled or exhaled.

Even if your young child does not have asthma but a respiratory infection which is causing wheezing, the diaphragm and breathing muscles will be very tense due to the added effort of breathing. By relaxing these muscles you not only aid the breathing process but also treat the wheezing itself.

Quebec medical residents quit teaching as labour dispute looms

Quebec’s medical residents abruptly stopped teaching in hospitals this week, warning their boycott will escalate into a full-fledge strike unless they reach a salary agreement with the provincial government.

“There will be more pressure tactics if the situation doesn’t get better. We are contemplating a strike if we don’t progress in the coming weeks,” said Dr. Charles Dussault, president of the Federation medecins residents du Quebec, which is expressing frustration with the pace of contract negotiations that have been going on for the past 14 months.

On Monday, residents suspended, indefinitely, all teaching activities, including clinical supervision of medical students in hospitals.

“There’s no more observation or teaching or presentation. We’re cutting every contact with medical students,” Dussault said.
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Residents spend about 10 to 12 hours a week training students, on top of 70-hour work weeks; now, that time will be diverted to patient care, he added.

“Instead of teaching, we will have more time for patients,” he said.

The association is calling on the government to recognize the essential role residents provide in medical training, he said.

“It’s not just the money; it’s the principle,” he said.

The move left hospitals scrambling to pick up the slack where the residents’ suspension of activities have left a gap.

An integral part of medical training is provided by residents, said Pierre Cossette, the Universite de Sherbrooke’s dean of medicine.

“Teaching is intimately linked to the daily work of residents, and it’s difficult to separate teaching and clinical work,” Cossette said.

Quebec’s faculties of medicine respect the residents’ right to negotiate better working conditions but there’s concern over what is happening, Cossette said.

“We’re hoping that it lasts as (briefly) as possible and we’re taking measures to minimize the impact,” he said. “We are mobilizing professors already in the hospitals.”

Residents are negotiating 16-hour work shifts after an arbitrator’s ruling last month said that scheduling residents to work 24 hours consecutively violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

But the issue of salary — pegged at 37 per cent below the Canadian average, or about $15,000 — is at the heart of the stalled negotiations.

Ten years ago Quebec residents’ wages were on par with earnings of the average Canadian resident, Dussault said.

“That’s a huge gap,” he said. “We won’t be attracting medical students here.”

Suspended teaching as pressure tactics will not affect patient services, said Marie-Eve Bedard, spokeswoman for Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc.

The provincial Health Department is hoping to reach an agreement that satisfies both sides as quickly as possible, Bedard said.

“We recommend they make their views known at the negotiating table,” Bedard said.

The Legitimate Uses Of Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana contains THC and other cannabinoids that have an analgesic effect. They are also known to have anti-tremor, anti-spasmodic, anti-convulsion, and anti-psychotic properties. In addition, it is also used for its anti-inflammatory, anti-emetic, and appetite-stimulating properties.

Medical marijuana is used to help stimulate the appetite of AIDs patients suffering from AIDs wasting syndrome and for those with eating disorders like anorexia. Medical marijuana is also used as an anti-inflammatory to help arthritis sufferers.

Medical marijuana is being researched for the use and relief with victims of brain injury, stroke, and multiple sclerosis patients. Medical marijuana is also used to treat general pain. It is also used to provide relief from nausea for chemotherapy patients.

In addition, medical marijuana has been used for treatment of schizophrenia to relieve symptoms of psychosis, glaucoma, and for treatment to relieve migraines and asthma. The healing properties of this medicinal plant are numerous and cover a wide range of ailments.

Dehaier Medical Systems Names Dr. Xiaoqing Wang New Chief Technology Officer

Dehaier Medical Systems Ltd. DHRM
-9.27% (“Dehaier” or
the “Company”), an emerging leader in the development, assembly, marketing and sale of medical devices and homecare medical products in China, today announced that Xiaoqing Wang, Ph.D., has been appointed Chief Technology Officer, effective July 8, 2011. Dr. Wang, who will report to Chief Executive Officer Mr. Chen Ping, replaces Mr. Yong Wang, who has resigned from the Company due to personal reasons.

“We are honored to have Dr. Wang join the Company. He brings Dehaier more than 20 years of biomedical engineering experience, which we believe will contribute tremendously to our R&D capabilities as well as our product development as we work to introduce innovative products for the homecare and professional medical device markets. We believe that Dr. Wang’s contributions will be invaluable as we work to expand our share of the homecare market, both domestically and internationally,” said Dehaier’s CEO Mr. Ping Chen.

“On behalf of Dehaier’s Board of Directors and management team, I would like to thank Mr. Wang for his eight years of service to our Company and the contributions he made toward the development and commercialization of our homecare medical products during that time. We wish him every success in his future endeavors,” Mr. Chen concluded.

Prior to joining Dehaier, Dr. Wang spent six years as the institute director of the Beijing Taijie Magneto-electrical Institute. From 1998 to 2005, Dr. Wang served as a chief engineer for Beijing Wandong Medical Equipment Co., Ltd. Dr. Wang has also held senior development and engineering roles at companies including Beijing Sekisui Trank Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Hangwei General Electric Appliance Medical System Co., Ltd. Beijing Xiekun Medical Instrument Co., Ltd. Dr. Wang holds an MBA from the University of International Business and Economics, a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the Institution of Biomedical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Machine Science, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Peking University.

About Dehaier Medical Systems Ltd.

Dehaier is an emerging leader in the development, assembly, marketing and sale of medical products in China, including respiratory and oxygen homecare medical products. The company develops and assembles its own branded medical devices and homecare medical products from third-party components. The company also distributes products designed and manufactured by other companies, including medical devices from IMD (Italy), Welch Allyn (USA), HEYER (Germany), Timesco (UK), eVent Medical (US) and JMS (Japan). Dehaier’s technology is based on five patents and five software copyrights; additionally we have three pending patents and six pending software copyrights, and proprietary technology. More information may be found at http://www.chinadhr.com .

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, product and service demand and acceptance, changes in technology, economic conditions, the impact of competition and pricing, government regulation, and other risks contained in reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, and whether made by or on behalf of the company, are expressly qualified by the cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. In addition, the company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Conventional medications for arthritis do help relieve pain but there are more and more arthritis sufferers who have found natural treatments that have shown great results after taking some to manage their condition.

Should you decide to start treating yourself naturally, these are the natural cures that you might find beneficial:

Devil’s Claw: The name of this treatment might sound weird but it has been found to be effective for arthritis. This herbal plant, which has a fruit that looks like the claw of the devil, has been helpful to the natives of Kalahari Desert in South Africa in alleviating the pains that is associated with arthritis and inflammations. People often make a tea out of Devil’s Claw by brewing the roots in water. It might be better if you will use the whole plant because the other parts of this plant have flavonoids and these provide better relief from arthritis. This claim is backed by research done by French and German researchers that said that this plant works like cortisone because it holds a glycoside called harpogoside that can help lessen the inflammation. You can get this in tablet forms from health food companies and stores.

Water Therapy: This might probably be the easiest way to get relief from arthritis and this can also be one of the most effective therapies that you can get. You just have to drink warm water and your body, especially the affected parts, will be lubricated for an hour. It is important that the joints have adequate fluids so when bones rub against each other, it will be smooth. Another method that you can use in this kind of treatment is by putting the water in a container known as sensory deprivation tank that can keep the water’s temperature the same with the temperature that a normal body should have.

Molasses: Molasses, when dissolved in water, will make a syrup that tastes like you have put a tablespoon of sugar in it. The British who have been using this to answer their craving for sweets found the soothing relief that it gave to the aches that they feel. Molasses is composed of many different minerals such as potassium, iron and magnesium.

Copper Accessories: The most popular accessory that is made out of copper that is considered a good way to treat arthritis is the copper bracelet. Whether this is effective or not is still a subject of debate between many people. An Australian study discovered that using bracelets that are made of copper can be an effective remedy for arthritis and pains that come with it but only when one is also taking aspirin to relieve the pain. There are substances in copper that can be absorbed by the skin, so it can also be effective. If you think it’s worth a try, you can buy these bracelets at numerous online shops.