Ideal Health Doctor

News outlets report on some of the specific health policy positions being advanced by the GOP presidential primary field.

CQ HealthBeat: CBPP: Romney Budget Plan Entails Deep Medicare Cuts Proposals by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to limit federal spending to 20 percent of the gross domestic product, set defense spending at 4 percent of GDP, and cut taxes would require cutting Medicare and Social Security by 17 percent each in 2016 and 24 percent in 2021, the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said Monday (1/23).

The Associated Press: Santorum Says Obama Pushes Doctors From Medicare Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Monday warned Florida’s seniors that the Democrats’ health law would limit their access to doctors and dollars and criticized his main rivals for backing its requirement that younger Americans buy health insurance.

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Shingles are not one of life’s better experiences. The varicella-zoster virus, the same virus behind chickenpox, causes the painful skin rash. If you’ve had chickenpox, the virus can remain inactive in nerves around your brain and spinal cord and then be reactivated as shingles many decades later.

Shingles are most common in people over 50 and the risk increases with age. You’re also more vulnerable if you have a weakened immune system because of diseases such as HIV/AIDS or cancer. Taking certain medications, such as prolonged use of steroids, can also make you more vulnerable.

There is a way to prevent this painful experience.

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The health consequences of diabetes are well known for young people, but there may be more outcomes of the disease: a worse job outlook and lower wages. The findings come from a study published in the January issue of the journal Health Affairs. Researchers, focusing on the nonmedical effects diabetes has on teens and young adults, found that overall, people with diabetes have a high school dropout rate 6% higher than those who don’t have the disease. Data on about 15,000 people were examined from four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The first wave included students in grade seven through 12; they were interviewed again about a year, seven years and 14 years later. Read more…

Echinacea is one of the most popular herbs used by people in the Western world and many people swear by it. However, a tour around what is written about Echinacea on the web can leave you a bit confused. There is no agreement on how to use the herb and how long to use it for. Read more…