Category Archives: Diseases

Diseases, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Hospitals, Medicare, Therapies

Local Respiratory Therapist Lobbies Washington D.C. for Better Health Care

Respiratory therapist Paul Sherman, MS, RRT, RPFT, RCP went to Washington, DC March 8 2009, representing California Respiratory Care Practitioners, to ask members of Congress to allow Medicare patients with lung disease to have greater access to the services of a respiratory therapist. 

Paul Sherman is a respiratory therapist at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and lives in Goleta, California.

Sherman met with Representatives Frank Wolf, James Moran, Senator Jim Webb, Carina Armenta of Senator Barbara Boxer’s office and Tim Gronniger, aid for Congressman Henry A. Waxman to ask their support for the Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative. Sherman plans to meet with Representative Lois Capps when she returns to her home district of Santa Barbara. Congressman Henry A. Waxman is the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce committee.

The Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative legislation will let patients more easily receive care in doctor’s offices from respiratory therapists, which is currently restricted under Medicare law. “Currently,” Sherman explains, “Medicare policy limits how patients can receive care from respiratory therapists, who are the expert caregivers for lung patients. We think that needs to change.”

Sherman is a member of the Political Advocacy Contact Team (PACT), a nationwide group organized by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) to spearhead grassroots level advocacy efforts. Sherman is also a long time member of the California Society for Respiratory Care (CSRC) and has served in the past on the Board of Directors of the CSRC.

The California Society for Respiratory Care (CSRC), as an affiliate of the American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC), is a non-profit professional organization, whose mission is to represent and support our members through public and legislative advocacy, educational opportunities, and to continuously strive for excellence in the cardiopulmonary profession. By these means, the CSRC is committed to health, healing and disease prevention in the California community.

Via EPR Network
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Biotech, Diseases, Drugs, Healthcare, Medicine, Pharmaceuticals

Jenken Biosciences Granted Key Patent for Compounds To Treat Chronic Liver and Kidney Diseases

Jenken Biosciences, Inc., an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent on Jenken’s compounds for the treatment of diseases associated with kidney diseases and chronic liver diseases, such as hepatitis and fatty liver disease.

Jenken’s patented compounds are developed by “repurposing” FDA-approved off-patent drugs for new, first-in-class therapeutic uses.

The patent, US 7501433, “Opioid and opioid-like compounds and uses thereof,” with an anticipated term through 2022, will provide broad protection for the Company’s repurposed drugs’ new indications targeted at treating organ damage associated with chronic liver or kidney diseases.

The Company’s leading drug candidate has been approved by the FDA for a Phase II clinical study targeted at treating liver damage in Hepatitis patients. The endpoint of the study will be to restore normal liver function by reducing inflammation in Hepatitis C patients who do not respond to current interferon/anti-viral therapies.

Jenken’s second clinical candidate has exhibited efficacy in preclinical trials as an anti-fibrotic for treating fatty liver disease.

“The validation by the USPTO of the potential utility of our compounds is a significant step in making totally new therapeutic options available to the millions of patients around the world who suffer from chronic liver diseases, such as hepatic fibrosis, steatohepatitis (NASH) or fatty liver disease,” said Barry Buzogany, Jenken’s President and CEO.

“In the U.S. alone, approximately 25 million people are afflicted with some form of chronic liver disorder,” Buzogany explained. “Of these, there are about four million people infected with the Hepatitis C virus and another 12 million with fatty liver disease. Currently there are no therapies available to treat liver damage associated with either hepatitis or with fatty liver disease.”

According to Dr. Edwin Wu, Jenken’s Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, “Jenken’s proprietary technology for cytokine modulation, a specific therapy for diseases associated with chronic inflammation, offers the potential to restore normal liver or kidney function regardless of the cause of the damage or disease.”

Via EPR Network
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Allergies, Alternative medicine, Clinics, Diagnostics, Diseases, Healthcare, Rehab

No Shots! No Medication! Long Beach, California Allergy Sufferers Relieved With New Laser Technology

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AllergiCare™ Relief Centers of Long Beach www.AllergiCare.com/clinics/longbeach opened last week and patients have already seen tremendous success with the clinic’s new state-of-the-art laser technology.

The new technique, called “immune conditioning”, that is offered by the clinics is unique in that there are no scratch tests, allergy shots or medication involved. Instead, computer technology and laser therapy are used to eliminate negative reactions to what would ordinarily be a harmless substance.

“What makes our method of diagnosis and treatment different from other available treatments for allergy symptoms, such as allergy shots and medication,” says Long Beach clinic director Chris Turner, DC, “is that this technique enables us to better identify the specific allergen or sensitivity from our database of over 10,000 different substances. Through this identification, which is enabled by our unique computer system, we can relieve the patient’s sensitivities much more precisely, which in turn provides us with greater results”.

AllergiCare™ Relief Centers’ system assists the practitioner in the diagnosis and relief of allergy symptoms in a non-invasive, drug-free environment. This system has been shown effective with all types of allergies, including seasonal symptoms related to hay fever, pollen, grasses and trees; environmental substances such as pollutants, chemicals, dust and dust mites; food allergens such as fruit, dairy, and nuts; and pet allergens among others. AllergiCare™ Relief Centers addresses the problem at its source rather than just treating the symptoms.

“An allergy is simply an inappropriate response developed by your body as a result of some negative interaction with a certain substance” Dr. Turner explains. “This programmed response triggers a reaction within your body. These reactions may include sneezing, runny nose, itching, watery eyes, headaches and difficulty breathing. Other symptomatic diagnoses such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, asthma, autoimmune conditions, chronic fatigue syndrome, psoriasis, acid reflux, fibromyalgia, and autism have also been very closely linked to underlying allergic reactions to various substances. Once a sensitivity to a particular substance is identified, our system works to neutralize that negative response so that future exposure to that substance no longer triggers these irritating reactions.”

Many patients notice significant results after receiving just a single treatment. As each treatment addresses only one substance category, allergies to multiple substances may require multiple treatments. The cost per treatment is very affordable when compared to other methods.


AllergiCareâ„¢ Relief Centers of Long Beach www.AllergiCare.com/clinics/longbeach is located in Long Beach, California at 3530 Atlantic Ave., Suite 101. For more information, to make an appointment, or for a list of other AllergiCareâ„¢ Relief Centers locations, call 562-595-5949 or visit www.allergicare.com/clinics/longbeach

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Disclaimer
Due to the unpredictable nature of allergies, sensitivities and the immune system, AllergiCareâ„¢ Relief Centers cannot guarantee any results, as is the case with all forms of healthcare. AllergiCareâ„¢ Relief Centers also cannot guarantee that new allergies or sensitivities will not develop in the future. While AllergiCareâ„¢ Relief Centers can treat most forms of allergies and sensitivities, some case do not respond to the treatment. AllergiCareâ„¢ Relief Centers does not treat cases of anaphylaxis.

Via EPR Network
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Diagnostics, Diseases, Doctors, Eye Care, Healthcare, Medicine, Ophthalmology, Society

Barack Obama Signs Proclamation Save Your Vision Week 2009 – BiCOM with Glaucoma Eye Test Diaton is Preparing to Help

Barack Obama, President of the United States of America proclaims March 1 through March 7, 2009, as Save Your Vision Week. BiCOM Inc home of Glaucoma Eye Test Diaton – non-contact Glaucoma Eye Test through the Eyelid is prepared to assist with vision screenings. Roman Iospa, CEO of BiCOM comments on Presidents support of glaucoma screenings. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are critical to minimize vision loss from eye diseases.

Proclamation by the president of the United Stated of America addresses the important issue of Blindness and visual impairment that affects millions of Americans. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are critical to minimize vision loss from eye diseases. During Save Your Vision Week – Barack Obama encourages all Americans to take action to prevent their vision loss.

BiCOM Inc. home of Glaucoma Eye Test Diaton Tonometer (IOP through the Eyelid), has been a long supporter of preventive glaucoma screenings. At a recent free glaucoma screening event where BiCOM in conjunction with SAVE Program (Sight for a Vision Exchange) and The Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation conducted at New York City Children’s Services in honor of African American Heritage Celebration has revealed many with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) a major risk factor for glaucoma. Patients were referred to an ophthalmologist Dr. Lynnette P. Williams-Young a glaucoma specialist for further evaluation.

Unfortunately, most people have limited knowledge of blinding eye disorders. Based on National Eye Institute 2005 study, only eight percent of respondents knew that glaucoma, a condition that can damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss and blindness, strikes without early warning. Similarly, glaucoma also begins as a silent vision threat; as per Prevent Blindness America, it is estimated that of those Americans that have glaucoma, only half know they have it. It is estimated that 60 million Americans are at risk for developing glaucoma.

Everyone should be screened, especially with availability of new non-invasive (over the eyelid) glaucoma screening technology aka “Glaucoma Eye Test” Diaton tonometer available to optometrists, ophthalmologists and general physicians, enabling doctors to quickly and painlessly screen individuals at risk.

Several demographic groups are at higher risk for visual impairment, including teenagers, diabetics, Hispanics, African Americans, and the economically disadvantaged. Older Americans are more susceptible to eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Children need regular vision screenings because vision disorders left untreated during childhood can lead to permanent visual impairment during adulthood.

President Obama stated, “Eye disease knows no bounds, and every American should take steps to protect his or her eyesight.”

To remind Americans about the importance of safeguarding their eyesight, the Congress, by joint resolution approved December 30, 1963, as amended (77 Stat. 629; 36 U.S.C. 138), has authorized and requested the President to proclaim the first week in March of each year as “Save Your Vision Week.”

“I’m pleased to see that President Barack Obama, with only weeks in the office is addressing an important issue of blindness, its early detection and timely treatment. My whole team at BiCOM Inc., and our partners are ready to continue our efforts and act on a larger scale by reaching out to many more people through awareness, training, glaucoma screening events and making “Glaucoma Eye Test” Diaton tonometer available to all that are willing to participate,“ said Roman Iospa, CEO of BiCOM Inc.

From the website of the White House:http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Save-Your-Vision-Week-2009/

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 1 through March 7, 2009, as Save Your Vision Week. During this time, I invite eye care professionals, teachers, members of the media, and all organizations dedicated to preserving eyesight to join in activities that will raise awareness of vision diseases and disorders.”

About BiCOM Inc:
BiCOM, with its 15 years of tradition and global clientele, has proven to be the enterprise of the highest level of professionalism, integrity and financial solvency. A unique team of engineers, medical, legal and business experts makes BiCOM Inc. the right place for global talent to find support and guidance. BiCOM Inc. sees its mission in bringing to market innovative products developed and manufactured worldwide. More about Diaton tonometer: TonometerDiaton.com

BiCOM represents and supports Glaucoma Eye Test aka Diaton tonometers in over 50 countries and growing. BiCOM conducts Free Glaucoma Screening Events throughout the Globe.
BiCOM-Ophthalmic.com

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Diagnostics, Diseases, Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Society

Who Is Pee Dee?

The recent Frontline special “My Father, My Brother, and Me” explored the effect that Parkinson’s disease (PD) has on the children of PD patients, a topic also explored in a recently published book by Parkinson’s in the Park founder Kay Mixson Jenkins.

Ms. Jenkins was diagnosed with PD at the age of thirty-four and has been an advocate for research and patient support since. Her book, Who Is Pee Dee? Explaining Parkinson’s Disease to a Child, addresses the impact the disease has on the relatives of those with PD—especially their children.

Talking with a child about a disease that manifests itself through physical symptoms can be difficult because of the mental toll it also takes on a family. It’s a conversation that more and more people are having with their kids. More than six million people worldwide have been diagnosed with PD, and one in ten patients diagnosed are under the age of fifty.

In Who Is Pee Dee?, Ms. Jenkins uses a stuffed Panda bear named Pee Dee and a boy named Colt to answer many of the most common questions that kids have about the chronic illness:

• What is Parkinson’s disease?
• Why is Mommy or Daddy upset?
• What can I do to help?
• Why is Mommy moving slowly?

“As I’ve gotten older,” says Ms. Jenkins, “the disease has progressed. There will come a day when I’ll have to use a cane or a wheelchair, but I am determined to make my grandchildren proud of their ‘Muffin.’ I’m not going down without a fight.”

Ms. Jenkins says that it is crucial for people living with Parkinson’s to have resources to help them adjust to their new lives. Who is Pee Dee? includes pages of resources for adults, including websites, support groups and more.

Kay Mixson Jenkins is the Georgia state co-coordinator for the Parkinson’s Action Network, leads the Effingham County Parkinson’s support group and was selected as a Parkinson’s patient advocate for UCB, Inc.

For more information, contact the author directly via kmj@parkinsonsinthepark.org.

(Who Is Pee Dee? Explaining Parkinson’s Disease to a Child by Kay Mixson Jenkins; illustrated by Richard Morgan; ISBN: 978-0-9819129-0-5; $12.95; 33 pages; 8” x 8”; hardcover; UCB, Inc.)

Via EPR Network
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