Monthly Archive for March, 2011

Negative outlook appears to interfere with pain relief

Published on March 30, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

New research seems to indicate that being pessimistic can dampen the effectiveness of even the strongest treatments.

Many have heard about the placebo effect, which is the healing power of positive belief. Well, being negative can cause the opposite, called the “nocebo” effect.

Even though negative thinking hasn’t been studied as much as the positive side, scientists believe it is overdue for doctors to begin looking more carefully at their patients outlook.

So, can a somber attitude really have negative effects? To find out, British and German researchers executed the most advanced study so far.

To perform the study, they attached a heat-beaming device to the legs of 22 healthy volunteers. Then they zapped it until the participants rated their pain at around 70 on a scale of 1 to 100.

Afterwards, the researchers gave them an IV of a strong morphine-like painkiller called remifentanil. It is usually used on patients undergoing surgery and it works quickly. It is also metabolized quickly. The researchers were able to switch it on and off as they alternated between administering the drug or plain fluid.

The brains of the volunteers were scanned while they described how much pain or pain relief they felt at various times.

While the researchers triggered the burn and secretly turned on the drug, the participants related that their pain improved quite a bit. Without expectations, the painkiller was working.

The real key was when the researchers told the volunteers that they were about to induce the painkiller even when they had never cut it off. These pain ratings decreased even more. So what does this mean? Expectations of feeling relief were actually doubled the drug’s painkilling effect.

Lastly, the volunteers were lied to again and told that the drug was going to stop and their pain would most likely increase.

As predicted, the volunteers’ pain levels surged up again to almost their pre-treated level as dreadful anticipation canceled out the painkiller’s effect.

Tamiflu not as effective against N.C. flu strain

Published on March 30, 2011 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Even though the flu season is coming to a close, federal and state health officials are analyzing a group of influenza B viruses in North Carolina that seem to not react to the antiviral drug Tamiflu as regular flu viruses have in the past.

Physicians have been informed by state health officials about the fact that the viruses apparently  have experienced a genetic change that has not been observed in virus samples from other states.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control have performed lab tests revealing that the modified viruses are less responsive to Tamiflu in the laboratory, but they are not totally resistant.

A state health department spokeswoman, Julie Henry, said that this most likely would not affect the average person, but that it is serious enough to inform physicians about this genetic change so that they can make the best treatment decisions.

Antiviral drugs remain the best treatment for those hospitalized with the flu, but doctors need to be alerted to the fact that since there has been a change in specific influenza B viruses, Tamiflu may not work as well in certain patients as it usually does.

From November to February, about 31 viruses were collected from 92 samples from North Carolina that showed the genetic change. Most of these patients had the usual flu symptoms and got better after a few days. This said, one patient did die soon after they were diagnosed with the flu, but they had extreme underlying immune conditions.

The CDC is currently testing more flue viruses from North Carolina as well as some surrounding states. The agency has also begun a telephone survey of residents in N.C. who have tested positive for influenza B.

Even though influenza B infections have been more prevalent this season, some physicians say that there is not a greater risk with them  than there is with other flu strains. They want to remind people that the very best way to keep the flu from spreading is to wash your hands, cover coughs and sneezes, stay home if you are sick, and avoid those that are sick at your home.

Locate an authorized agent in your area

Published on March 17, 2011 in BCBSNC. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina offers affordable health insurance for individuals and families in North Carolina. Their health plans include Blue Options HSA, Blue Advantage PPO, and Medicare.

Whether you just have some questions or are ready to purchase a plan, click on www.bcbsnc.com/apps/AgentGuidedSelling/ to locate an authorized agent in your area.

BCBSNC to change their prior requirements for specific prescriptions

Published on March 14, 2011 in BCBSNC. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

BCBSNC has made changes to their prior review/certification requirements for certain prescription drugs. The change will take effect on April 1, 2011.

Members who have filled prescriptions for oxymetholone (Anadrol-50), oxandrolone (Oxandrin) or doxepin (Silenor) within the past three months will be receiving letters from BCBSNC this week beginning March 14, 2011.

In the future a simple blood test could reveal Down syndrome

Published on March 9, 2011 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Recently, European scientists found that they could accurately diagnose Down syndrome through a blood test given to pregnant women. This new procedure gives hope that in the future pregnant women could evade the more invasive procedure that is currently used to test for Down syndrome.

The journal Nature Medicine published the online preliminary report on March 6. It is the most recent of many current studies that indicate that scientists can now pinpoint Down syndrome through fetal DNA found in the mother’s bloodstream.

Having an extra specific chromosome constitutes Down syndrome. Presently, pregnant women have a blood test and an ultrasound to see if the fetus is at risk for Down syndrome. To make absolutely sure of an accurate diagnosis, doctors extract a sample of amniotic fluid or the placenta. This procedure, called an amniocentesis, can cause some uncomfortable pressure, pain and even a risk of miscarriage.

Type 2 diabetes may mean shorter life

Published on March 7, 2011 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

A middle-aged person with Type 2 diabetes will lose about six years of their life due to the disease. According to researchers, this is just one year less than a smoker would lose of the same age. Additionally, he or she has more than double the chance of dying from cardiovascular disease as someone who does not have diabetes and the report also says that they are 25 percent more prone to die of cancer. The report was based on an international study of more than 820,000 people that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

There is more bad news for people with Type 2 diabetes. The study indicates that they are also more likely to die from kidney disease, pneumonia, liver disease, infectious diseases and even intentional self-harm.

This study was run by the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration at the University of Cambridge in England. The data collected is particularly upsetting because of the speedy incidence of diabetes cases in the United States, most likely from the increase in obesity. There is currently an estimated 25.8 million Americans with diabetes, which is 10 million more than just 20 years ago.

Dr. David Kendall of the American Diabetes Association said that researchers already knew that diabetes could cut short one’s lifespan but this recent study shows just how many years of life could be lost and to what causes.

Also shown in the report was the fact that people with pre-diabetes, having blood glucose levels higher than normal but not yet diabetic, are at risk from many of the same causes of death. There is an estimated 79 million Americans who have pre-diabetes.

Kendall said that even though diabetes is frequently seen as just a condition instead of an illness, as something one can just live with. He said, “well, in fact, this shows that it is associated with a significant risk of both morbidity and mortality.”

The report from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration found that diabetics were 2.32 times as likely as non-diabetics to die from cardiovascular disease and 25 percent more likely to die from cancer. Also diabetes was somewhat related to death from cancers of the pancreas, ovary, colon, liver, rectum, lung, bladder and breast.

The study did not have enough proof on whether Type 1 diabetes, when the pancreas stops producing insulin, is associated with a risk for cancer.