Weight loss surgery leads to longer life
By Jamie Friedlander Tony Gambee, the CEO of a software company in Boulder, Colorado, used to be able to eat an entire slab of ribs in one sitting at his favorite barbecue joint. Now, it’s two ribs and he’s full. His secret is gastric bypass, a type of weight loss surgery that promises dramatic results, […]
Indiana HIV Outbreak Continues to Grow
By Jamie Friedlander Southeastern Indiana health officials confirmed today an HIV outbreak there continues unabated. As of March 6 there are 44 confirmed and 11 preliminary cases of HIV. The outbreak is connected to injection of the prescription drug Opana, an opioid painkiller that contains oxymorphone, a narcotic pain reliever. State officials first reported the outbreak Feb. […]
Cutting the wheat from the chaff: truths behind gluten free
By Jamie Friedlander After spending six weeks in Guanajuato, Mexico in 2006, I returned home incredibly sick. I had sallow skin, dark circles under my eyes, severe fatigue, abdominal pain and more than anything, I had to run to the bathroom every 10 minutes. My parents took one look at me when I got off […]
Reducing emergency room visits among elderly patients
By Jamie Friedlander Nearly 45 percent of ER visits from nursing home residents on Medicare or Medicaid could have been avoided, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These ER visits ended up “accounting for 314,000 potentially avoidable hospitalizations and $2.6 billion in Medicare expenditures in 2005,” CMS reported as part of an […]
Tragic disease passes legacy to kids
By Jamie Friedlander Anthony Martinez, 26, was in high school when he started noticing some changes in his mother’s personality. Kathleen Eannotti was always a neat freak and the house was always spotless. Now she was acting out of character, hoarding, becoming irrational and getting angry at inanimate objects.
Fear Factor: The High Hidden Cost of the Ebola Epidemic
By Jamie Friedlander The “cost” of an epidemic such as Ebola usually targets the dollar toll in hospital fees and economic downturns. But the loss of lives and the measure of suffering remains a lasting and growing cost. “In terms of the cost in Liberia, it’s not dollars and cents. It’s the death of a […]
