Month: March 2017

Elements of Nature Announces Launch of Natural Insect Repellent…

Claudia Anderson, CEO of Elements of Nature Corp., announced the launch of the company’s Tri-Bite-Me natural insect repellent that provides effective protection even against mosquitoes infected with the Zika virus. “People are very concerned with diseases linked to insects and toxic chemicals in products,” said Anderson.

South Africa’s taxis block roads to main airport in Uber protest

South African taxi drivers on Friday blocked roads to Johannesburg’s airport, holding up thousands of travellers in the latest protest against ride-hailing app Uber. Uber Technologies Inc’s service has triggered protests by taxi drivers from London to Hungary and New Delhi as it upends traditional business models that require professional drivers to pay steep licensing fees to drive cabs.

Spanish stocks – Factors to watch on Friday

The following Spanish stocks may be affected by newspaper reports and other factors on Friday. Reuters has not verified the newspaper reports, and cannot vouch for their accuracy: REPSOL Repsol on Thursday said it made the biggest onshore oil discovery in the United States in 30 years with resources identified in Nanushuk, Alaska, amounting to about 1.2 barrels of recoverable light oil.

Purple day for epilepsy

The Epilepsy Support Group of Newcastle will be at Waratah Village Shopping Centre on March 26 raises funds and awareness and offering information on epilepsy in the community.

Why asthmatics are less able to fight off flu

London, March 10 – People with asthma are likely to have worse symptoms when they get the flu and are more likely to end up in hospitals because of immune system differences, researchers said. The study showed that when exposed to the flu virus, people with asthma have weaker immune systems, whereas healthy people show a strong immune system-triggering reaction.

A Sober Look at Obamacare Repeal and Replacement

… than purchase care. Any reduction in statutory regulatory power is helpful to reduce costs. Further, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Tom Price, has stated that he intends to reduce this burden on his own. Any move in this direction …

The Dark Cloud over the Trump Presidency

… that the Democrats have won the battle and there will be, sooner rather than later, a single payer government run health care system in the United States. Beyond the spending and other provisions in the bill, this legislation is essentially an …

Benefit dinner for Jeff James set for Saturday In Potsdam

As an official in soccer, hockey and lacrosse, and a fan of all high school and college athletes, Jeff James has been a highly respected and valued member of the Section 10 athletics family for many years. That family has rendered great support to Jeff, his wife, Jane, and their daughter, Jessica, in the trying days since he was diagnosed with brain cancer and began treatment at the world-renowned Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

WA 2017: the election that forgot health?

The Australian Medical Association of WA is “bitterly disappointed” at the 2017 election campaign’s lack of attention to the state’s biggest budget sector and one of its biggest employers.The Department of Health has an operating budget of $8.6 billion, which has almost doubled during the Liberals’ time in power. The public health system employs nearly 40,000 people and that’s just full-timers.

‘Gift of Hope’ applications open for free IVF

One in eight Americans struggle with infertility and with the majority of insurance plans leaving out coverage for infertility treatment, the dream of having a baby is oftentimes out of reach. That is what led to the creation of a grant program called the “Gift of Hope” 11 years ago through Fertility Answers in Lafayette.

Rep. King weighs in on new healthcare bill

… which approved it early Thursday morning. The bill would eliminate the current mandate, which requires people to buy health insurance or pay a fine. But it would keep popular “Obamacare” components that protects people who have pre-existing …

GOP health plan would cut mandated drug treatment, mental health coverage

The Republican proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act would strip away what advocates say is essential coverage for drug addiction treatment as the number of people dying from opiate overdoses is skyrocketing nationwide . Beginning in 2020, the plan would eliminate an Affordable Care Act requirement that Medicaid cover basic mental-health and addiction services in states that expanded it, allowing them to decide whether to include those benefits in Medicaid plans.

Smoking paradise Japan tries to kick the habit

… in most bars, restaurants and cafes — as Tokyo gets set to host millions of visitors for the 2020 Olympics. The health ministry is to submit a proposed law to parliament by June that would ban smoking in many restaurants, as well as public …

C-T brings home NCPA awards Updated at

The Courier-Tribune brought home numerous advertising and editorial awards from the N.C. Press Association’s annual banquet held Thursday at the Sheraton in Raleigh. * Brenda Willard, Brenda Poole and Shinette Everett, second place for Best Community Service Signature Page or Best Shared Page for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Why are People with Disabilities Being Denied Organ Transplants?

A story in the Washington Post last weekend about a 27-year-old with autism who was denied a heart transplant caught my attention. The story says that according to the denial letter sent to his mother, Paul Corby was rejected because of his “psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the processa and the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior.”

Scientists pinpoint key biological mechanism that can prevent…

If you become resistant to insulin, a condition that is a precursor to type 2 diabetes, your body tries to compensate by producing more of the “beta” cells in the pancreas that produce the critical hormone. Researchers have long sought to understand why these cells often fail to proliferate in people who go on to develop the disease.

Study identifies therapeutic target for diabetic retinopathy

Specific cells in the retina trigger inflammation and vision impairment associated with diabetes, according to new research out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The findings unexpectedly implicate Mu Sller cells – which provide structural support in the retina – as key drivers of the process.

Implantable cardiac monitors reveal abnormalities in healthy mountaineers at high altitudes

Climbing above 4,000m can provoke abnormal heart rhythms in otherwise healthy mountaineers, with the abnormalities increasing with altitude, new research has shown. The study, by sports scientists at Leeds Beckett University and cardiologists at Poole Hospital, found that in a team of 16 healthy mountaineers, without a previous history of heart disease, more than half experienced rhythm disturbances at altitudes of 4,100 metres or above.

RCES fetes Rotary anniversaries at gala dinner

The Rotary Club of the Eastern Seaboard celebrated two of its parent organization’s key anniversaries with a gala dinner at the Siam Bayshore hotel. Rotary International Director Saowalak Rattanavich, District Governor Eknarong Kongpan, District Governor-elect Onanong Siripornmanat, and past governors Pratheep Malhotra and Premprecha Dibbayawan were welcomed to the Feb. 25 soiree by club President Rodney Charman.

Overweight and obese people are burdened by cardiovascular disease at younger ages

People who are overweight or obese may live as long as or less than those of healthy weight, but they experience cardiovascular disease at an earlier age and live longer burdened by the disease, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention / Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2017 Scientific Sessions. Prior studies have suggested an “obesity paradox” in which overweight and obese people – defined as having a body-mass index greater than 25 – may live longer compared to people with normal BMI.

Scientists make big progress towards building complex artificial life

In a package of seven papers published Thursday in the U.S. journal Science, researchers from the Synthetic Yeast Genome Project announced that they have successfully synthesized five new yeast chromosomes, meaning that 30 percent of a key organism’s genetic material has now been swapped out for engineered replacements. By the end of this year, this international consortium, led by geneticist Jef Boeke of the New York University, hoped to have designed and built synthetic versions of all 16 chromosomes, the structures that contain DNA, for the one-celled microorganism, Baker’s yeast.

Bird flu cases revive fear of repeat of major 2015 outbreak

The detection of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu at a Tennessee chicken farm has Midwest poultry farmers tightening procedures in an attempt to prevent an outbreak like the one in 2015 that required the destruction of millions of birds and cost at least $3 billion. Milder forms of bird flu have also been found in Wisconsin and at another farm in Tennessee, though no further cases have been reported in the U.S. so far.

Walorski Votes to Advance Obamacare Repeal Legislation

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski Wednesday released the following statement after voting in the House Ways and Means Committee to advance portions of the American Health Care Act : “We are one step closer to ensuring Americans have access to quality, affordable health care. The American Health Care Act will repeal Obamacare and replace it with a patient-centered system that puts individuals and families back in control of their health care decisions.

Coming up in Cowichan: Seedy Saturday and Walk of Alzheimer’s

This March, bestselling author and Salt Spring Seeds owner Dan Jason will be visiting Cobble Hill to promote a new edition of his book, Some Useful Wild Plants: A Foraging Guide to Food and Medicine from Nature. Jason will attend Cobble Hill’s Seedy Saturday at the Cobble Hill Community Hall on Saturday, March 11, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Featuring over 100 common useful wild plants in Canada, Some Useful Wild Plants serves as a guide for foragers, herbalists, gardeners, and anyone interested in learning more about the many ways plants can be used to our advantage.

Transgender families press education secretary on rights

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos watched a transgender girl eat apple sauce and draw and listened to another student’s emotional story of feeling marginalized at school, as activists pressed DeVos to make good on her promise to protect all students. Parents and activists who met with DeVos on Wednesday said they thought she was moved by their stories, but they still left with little hope that she would be a strong advocate for transgender children.