In writing about the top 10 medical events of the decade, I first began writing about the latest high-tech breakthroughs in genomics, stem cell research, angiogenesis, and so on.
In addition, some of the biggest medical and health events of the past decade were studies documenting the limitations of high-tech interventions like angioplasties and stents and high-tech screening approaches such as those for detecting early prostate cancer and breast cancer as well as increasing evidence documenting the power of low-tech interventions such as comprehensive lifestyle changes.
The Institute of Medicine report described below shows how we can integrate the best of high-tech and low-tech medicine--what works, what doesn't, for whom, and under what circumstances.
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Synthetic Genomics Image courtesy flickr |
 
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In any list like this we must recognize the huge revolutionary power of the democratization and accessibility of medical information to anyone who has a computer through the internet.
Be Well,
Dr. Rick Lippin
Southampton,Pa
I live in the Northwest, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. There is a fair bit of wildlife around here, and they all eat 100% natural, RAW diets.
Last year a small bunny just a few months old was attacked by a predatory bird. The bunny survived, but lost one front limb from the "elbow" and his ear was badly torn.
As we watched this bunny over the next year, his front limb grew back. His ear healed, but did not return to normal.
This was a three legged bunny through the summer, and we were amazed to watch the little guy survive, and then when we realized that his foot was growing back, we were blown away. He still lives in our woods and he is now a normal and mature 4-legged bunny, with a torn ear.
does not help in reducing future cardiovascular events such as heart attack or death as long as the patients are on medical treatment. And yet, somehow, both physicians, the public and patients have this strong belief that dilating the blockages would help. The term " stable " usually mean patients who have no symptoms or symptoms that are readily controlled with medications. But, statistics are just that. Sooner or later, there will be a few patients who are stable and not operated on and yet, unfortunately develop a heart attack and die. Now, would the above studies be good enough to defend the physician in court then ? I doubt it under our present tort system .
Here is how the Senate bill works:
middle and wealthy $ ---> insurance premiums ---> health ins. co. $ ---> 3% overhead, 17% profit
medical reimbursement tax --> Gov ---> ins. prem. -->health ins. co. $ ---> 3% overhead, 17% profit
medical reimbursement to poor people medicare payroll tax ---> medicare $ ---> 3% overhead
medical reimbursement to all
To me the most amazing event was the l the pharmaceutical industry's pricing of new cancer drugs. Not satisfied with charging $10,000/month for new drugs they marketed Folotyn at $30,000/month. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/health/05drug.html?_r=1&hp
It brings new meaning to pay or die.
Health reform will only work if it reforms the extravagant profit expectations of the pharmaceutical industry. I favor patent reform as well as health care reform. My suggestion is that patent length be somehow linked to pricing. Drug companies need to become more efficient and productive. They are an anchor on health care.
Our Soldiers are being Poisoned by depleted uranium munitions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3rrXwHf3So
I guess it will create employment for scientists for years to come, as they struggle to undo whatever damage it does to the DNA of the world.
All these great new discoveries are meaningless when force to exist in the dark cave of no medical access.
Avastin is listed above as one of the medical breakthroughs, but it is a very expensive drug (and we are a non profit hospital and research faclity, so it's not like we're jacking up the price) and so it is regularly denied by insurances, even the most pricey insurances money can buy, and they claim it is "not medically necessary" and force our doctors to then use less effective drugs because they don't want to pay for the one that will actually work the best.
obviously innovations do still benefit many and aren't pointless. but it is unfortunate that even when we have medical innovations available to us, even when a patient has dutifully paid hundreds of dollars a month to get the best private insurance on the market, they are still denied that care as "not medically necessary" despite our doctors insisting that it is.