Archive for 2009

In Canada, MRI scans cut…maybe there’s a bright side?

September 17th, 2009. By AbiK

The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) has confirmed via Canwest News Service that it will cut MRI scans by 20%. That’s a staggering figure-think of it, one in five individuals who previously would have been sent for an MRI, won’t be. To anyone south of the Canadian border, it seems unconscionable. Of course, to anyone south of the border who has an HMO, well, they’re used to being told “no can do” or you need to pay through the roof-so not sure which scenario’s better. 

But, regardless of any healthcare debates, you have to wonder whether the reduction in MRI scans will have any measurable impact on the amount of patients who innocently go for their MRI, only to be injected with a gadolinium contrast agent, only to learn later that they’ve got some serious kidney problems. 

Gadolinium contrast has been linked to Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NFD)-MRI health risks that are real and very serious.  Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Gadolinium, MRI Health Risks
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 3 Comments »

Frozen HELOC Trifecta: Top 3 HELOC lawsuits…and they’re off!

September 16th, 2009. By AbiK

HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) accounts hit critical mass this week—or so it would seem if you’ve been following the legal news. Here’s the low-down on the HELOC trifecta:

1. SunTrust HELOC accounts.

Issue: Disappearing HELOC accounts with no real warning and, more importantly, no apparent reason. Lawsuit’s been filed. Part of issue—the pull on the heartstrings part–is that many of those affected by the allegedly freezing of accounts are elderly.

2. Wells Fargo HELOC accounts.

Issue: Reduced HELOC account balance due to improper use of a faulty computer model. Plaintiff Michael Hickman also claims Wells Fargo failed to properly notify him of the HELOC reduction. Hickman’s suit is seeking class action status.

3. JP Morgan Chase HELOC accounts.

Issue: Frozen HELOC accounts based on falsified home appraisals that showed decreasing home values to justify the freeze. Class action lawsuit plaintiff Pascal Majon alleges his account was frozen while the value of his home did not decline. The lawsuit also alleges that Chase did not provide customers with legally required notice of the impending freeze.





 

Tags: HELOC, SunTrust
Posted in Financial | No Comments »

IVF: The Ultimate Blind Faith…Shattered

September 16th, 2009. By AbiK

Usually religion and the belief in a higher power is what comes to mind when you think about blind faith (or maybe some classic rock, thank you E.C.). But if you’ve been through IVF, you know what blind faith is. And Katharine Aschero surely knows it, too. According to the National Law Journal, she and her husband recently filed a lawsuit for a botched in vitro fertilization procedure.

How botched? Well, imagine learning that an “error” had occured in which your eggs, after extraction, had been fertilized with the wrong man’s sperm. Now imagine that before you knew that, you found out that “your” embryos had been destroyed without your consent. It’s one of the most heart-wrenching things any parents-to-be can endure.

I don’t think you can understand the insanity of it all unless you understand what it takes to go through certain IVF procedures. My own situation may differ from many out there, but let me just say the checks and balances that were put in place to allow me to go through IVF were astounding… Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: IVF
Posted in Emerging Issues | No Comments »

Zicam, Hydroxycut, Ephedra: Separated at Birth, now need Babysitter

September 16th, 2009. By Kristine B

What do Zicam, Ephedra and Hydroxycut have in common?—and no, you can’t look at side-by-side pictures for this one. If you’ve been following the news, turns out they have a lot more in common than you’d think. All three…

• were marketed as “natural” products that people turned to in a time of need
• weren’t required to test their safety before being marketed
• caused nationwide recalls when reports of serious side effects started rolling in

and…

• were assumed to be safe because they were marketed as “natural”

And while each of these has been yanked from the market, those of their ilk that are still on the market now need some babysitting (i.e., tighter regulation and increased safety testing).

The bottom line is that people think “natural” equals “safe.” Unfortunately, that’s just not always true. Something can be natural and still harmful—Poison Ivy, anyone? And the food industry is renowned for giving new meaning to “natural”. Check out the Jelly Belly site and you’ll see the superfruit mix is: Naturally Sweetened, High in Antioxidant Vitamin C, Made with Real Fruit Juices and Purees, and have Colors from Natural Sources. Great—but I won’t be getting my USRDA of vitamin C from ’em. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Ephedra, Hydroxycut, Zicam
Posted in Defective Products, Drugs/Medical | 1 Comment »

Adderall Addiction

September 15th, 2009. By janem

The website collegeTips.com advertises Adderall for sale without a prescription, and Online-Pharmacy sells “Adderall No Prescription Needed Buy Cheap”, just to name a few online sites. Turns out that Adderall, a stimulant medication used in the treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD) in both children and adults, is also wildly popular among college students.

One dose of Adderall is “good to go” for a  child with ADD; one pill can last for about six hours per dose, so it can cover the entire school day. And that’s a great selling point for the drug company.

The drug company has also observed some side effects, such as  loss of appetite—but it also says not to worry, just “feed a protein shake twice a day to help keep weight up”. It also notes “some irritability or anger (as when you have had too much caffeine) and possible short term growth inhibition (though long-term this may not be a problem).” Note the “may not be a problem” part. Why on earth would you give your kid this drug and maybe stunt his growth, protein shake aside? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Adderall
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | No Comments »