Health

Malpractice Liability Damage Caps and Their Effects on Rural Doctors

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According to a paper by David A Matsa. who is an economics professor their is an effect on medical malpractice liability damage caps. In other words, the amount of money you can get if you sue a physician if something goes wrong is capped and you can only get X amount back as determined by a law in your state. (I have discussed this issue on my website about the legal standpoint of wisdom teeth removal.) Matsa finds that “Back-of-the-envelope calculation using estimates presented… implies that the enactments of damage caps are responsible for approximately 17 percent of the increase in frontier rural specialists in these states since 1970.” Even so, Matsa finds that there really is no significant effect on physician supply for most Americans (those who do not live in rural areas). If you are interested in the … Read more

People Often Tend to Find Like Minded Information

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A new analysis of data from numerous studies shows that while people tend to avoid information that contradicts what they already think or believe, certain factors can cause them to seek out, or at least consider, other points of view. A new analysis was lead by researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Florida and included data from nearly a 100 studies and 8,000 participants. The team also included researchers from Northwestern University and Ohio University. The studies they reviewed generally asked participants about their views on a given topic and then allowed them to choose whether they wanted to view or read information supporting their own or an opposing point of view. The researchers found that people are about twice as likely to select information that supports their own point of view, 67%, as to consider … Read more

Patients With Moderate To Severe Periodontitis Need to Be Evaluated For Cardiovascular Problems

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According to a paper by editors of The American Journal of Cardiology and Journal of Peridontology patients with moderate to severe periodontitis should receive evaluation and possible treatment to reduce their risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease which is the accumulation of lipid products within the arterial vascular wall.. For those not sure, periodontisis is a bacterially-induced, chronic inflammatory disease, that destroys connective tissue and bone that supports the teeth. In the United States it affects 30 to 50% of adults in the more mild and moderate forms and the severe form affects 5 to 15% of all adults in the USA. The explanation for the link between periodontitis and atherosclerotic CVD is not yet clear, but a leading candidate is inflammation caused by the immune system. In recent years the inflammation is now recognized as a significant active participant in … Read more

Orange Juice Bad For Teeth

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Researchers at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health wanted to see the negative effects on the tooth from using whitening products. Eastman Institute’s YanFang Ren, DDS, PhD, and his researchers looked at the effects of 6 percent hydrogen peroxide which the common ingredient in professional and over-the-counter whitening product. They also looked at acidic fruit juices and found that orange juice markedly decreased hardness and increased roughness of tooth enamel. The researchers found that the acid is so strong that the tooth is literally washed away. The orange juice decreased enamel hardness by 84 percent.” However, no significant change in hardness or surface enamel was found when they looked at teeth whitening products. Weakened and eroded enamel may speed up the wear of the tooth and increases the risk for tooth decay. Like soda and acidic fruit juices orange juice … Read more

Drinks In Plastic Bottles Contain Side Effects

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Bottled water and other drinks in plastic  bottles may not be as safe as you think. According to Martin Wagner and Jörg Oehlmann from the Department of Aquatic Ecotoxicology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, plastic water bottles contaminate drinking water with estrogenic chemicals. The researchers found evidence of estrogenic compounds which leach and come out of the plastic packaging into the water. These chemicals result in an increased development of embryos in the New Zealand mud snail.  The researchers analyzed 20 brands of mineral water available in Germany which included 9 bottled in glass, 9 bottled in plastic and 2 bottled in composite packaging. The researchers took water samples from the bottles and tested them for the presence of estrogenic chemicals. They then carried out a reproduction test with the New Zealand mud snail to determine the source … Read more