Study Finds Alternative To Anti-cholesterol Drug

Read The Full Article- New York Times By Gina Kolata Nov. 17, 2014

For the first time since statins have been regularly used, a large study has found that another type of cholesterol-lowering drug can protect people from heart attacks and strokes.

The finding can help millions at high risk of heart attacks who cannot tolerate statins or do not respond to them sufficiently. And it helps clarify the role of LDL cholesterol, the dangerous form. Some had argued that statins reduced heart attack risk not just by lowering LDL levels but also by reducing inflammation. The new study indicates that the crucial factor is LDL, and the lower the levels, the better.

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Anticlotting Push Urged For Heart Patients With Stents

Read The Full Article – On The Wall Street Journal By Ron Winslow Nov. 16, 2014

CHICAGO—Millions of heart patients whose disease has been treated with tiny devices called stents may need to stay on an aggressive course of blood-thinning drugs longer than current practice to get the most protection against future heart attacks, a major study presented Sunday suggests.

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Nch Healthcare System And Healthways Introduce The Blue Zones Project To Southwest Florida

NAPLES, Fla. and NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 24, 2014) – NCH Healthcare System, Blue Zones, LLC, and Healthways (NASDAQ: HWAY) today announced the launch of the Blue Zones Project®, a major initiative to improve the well-being and longevity of residents of Collier and South Lee Counties in Southwest Florida. The Blue Zones Project brings together citizens, schools, employers, restaurants, grocery stores and community leaders to improve the living environment so healthy choices are natural and often unavoidable. NCH is bringing the Blue Zones Project to Southwest Florida in support of its 10-year vision to make the region an even healthier, happier and more vibrant place to live.

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Former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, Pioneering Pediatric Surgeon, Public Health Leader And Dartmouth Graduate, Dies At 96

Former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, Pioneering Pediatric Surgeon, Public Health Leader and Dartmouth Graduate, Dies at 96

February 25, 2013

HANOVER, N.H.—Former Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop, MD, a pioneer in the field of pediatric surgery, a leader in the fight to create a smoke-free nation, and founder of the C. Everett Koop Institute at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, died peacefully in his home in Hanover, N.H. on Monday, February 25, 2013. He was 96 years old.

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Getting The Kids Outside

When she isn’t treating children at Mount Ascutney Hospital, pediatrician Mary Bender gets to feel like a kid again.

A Norwich resident and mother of two Marion Cross Elementary School students, Bender often joins her sons, sixth-grader Billy and third-grader Danny, on outdoor adventures as part of the Upper Valley Trails Alliance’s Passport to Winter Fun program.

She didn’t have to go far for the family’s most recent outing, utilizing their backyard for sledding.

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Why Concierge Medicine Will Get Bigger

Why concierge medicine will get bigger. Practices could shield patients from health-care turmoil

By Elizabeth O’Brien

If you’ve joined a concierge medical practice, recent trends in the worlds of health care and insurance may have you feeling good about your decision. If you haven’t signed up with one of these practices—also called “boutique,” “personalized” or “private-physician” practices—some of those same trends may lead you to consider it down the road.

Certainly, plenty of baby boomers have done the math and deemed the investment worthy. In the typical concierge experience, a primary-care doctor accepts insurance for routine services but also charges a non-reimbursable fee that pays for amenities like 24/7 access to the doctor, same-day appointments, longer appointment times and a greater degree of personalized attention. The annual fee for such practices currently averages about $1,800.

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Taking A Drink: What Patients Should Know

From the January ACP Internist, copyright © 2013 by the American College of Physicians.
By Kathy Holliman

When it comes to patients’ alcohol consumption, the “who” and “how much” are important, but the “what” is probably not.

Research on alcohol’s health benefits and risks has shown that ethanol works the same whether it is consumed in a glass of red wine, a bottle of beer or a gin and tonic. The amount and frequency of consumption, along with the drinker’s gender, age, medical condition and history, family history, and medications, are all linked with the effect of ethanol over time.

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