Senator Reid’s wife and daughter were involved in a four car accident in Virginia. After seeing his wife in a Northern Virginia hospital, he rushed back to Congress to continue his work on passing the healthcare reform bill.

“Mrs. Reid has a broken nose, broken back and broken neck,” Reid spokesman Jim Manley said in a statement. “Lana has a neck injury and facial lacerations.” Manley said Mrs. Reid could feel her extremities.

Virginia State Police said Mrs. Reid and her daughter were traveling northbound on I-95 in stop-and-go traffic when their Honda Odyssey was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer loaded with rolls of plastic. The impact forced the Reid family’s minivan to rear-end a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which in turn struck a Chevrolet Cobalt.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Alan W. Snader, 59, of Ohio, was charged with reckless driving, police said. He was not injured. All involved were wearing seat belts, police said.

Now that tells me that even with all that he doesn’t skip a beat. That means he is determined to pass the healthcare reform bill, even if he incurs any out-of-pocket medical bills from his wife’s and daughter’s car accident.

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Due to the decreasing number of vaginal birth after cesarean or VBAC, a number that in fifteen years has dropped to 10 percent from 30 percent, a panel of specialists convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), propose that obstetricians and gynecologists give women a chance to have vaginal birth after undergoing cesarean birth in the past. Dr. Nancy Frances Petit of the U.S. Uniformed Health Services, said: “We believe that many women should have an opportunity to give it a try.”

In 1999, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued guidelines saying VBAC should be attempted only in hospitals equipped for immediate emergency surgery, and in many cases small rural hospitals are not equipped for that, thereby diminishing VBAC. Another reason for the widespread use of “once a C-section, always a C-section” rule, something that the NIH panel clearly demonstrate that is not for medical reasons, is the fear of lawsuits.

For Californians, you can go to the website: http://www.calhospitalcompare.org, which lists VBAC availability for every hospital in California.

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The Los Angeles coroner’s office says “The Lost Boys” actor Corey Haim is dead at 38 of an apparent drug overdose, possibly accidental.

Coroner’s Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said Wednesday that Haim died at 2:15 a.m. at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. She said an autopsy will determine the cause of death and there are no other details.

Canadian-born Haim became a teen heartthrob with the 1986 film “Lucas” and 1987’s “The Lost Boys.”

His first role was in the 1984 hit “Firstborn,” in which he played a young child caught up in a family war. He then appeared in the 1985 television movie “A Time to Live.”

In recent years, he appeared in the A&E reality TV show “The Two Coreys” with his friend Corey Feldman. It was canceled in 2008 after two seasons.

He reportedly had a drug-induced stroke in 2001 and was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center. Haim reportedly was in and out of rehab 15 times, but cleaned up in 2004 after moving to Toronto. The National Center for Health Statistics report that in 2005 (the most recent year for which data was available) over 22,000 American lives were lost due to overdoses.

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Mo’Nique, the comedienne-turned-dramatic-powerhouse, fresh on the heels of Precious’ win for best adapted screenplay and her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her harrowing portrayal of an abusive mother in the film, shows that one can rise above the issues of childhood abuse and be a positive figure as an adult.

Mo’Nique has indicated that she was sexually abused by an older brother as a child, and while it seems that it is isolated, there are many unresolved issues of abuse in the African-American community and the larger community as well. In essence, “Precious” is a snapshot of a dark secret in our communities. Dr. Tanure Ojaide, a renowned African poet who has won many national and international poetry awards, and the Frank Porter Graham Professor of Africana Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, says “some of the issue related to abuse can be traced back to slavery and more recently poverty in the African-American community.” Here are some statistics on sexual abuse in the African American community:

• Statistics show that two-thirds of all victims of sexual assault reported to the police were under 18. In nearly 95 percent of the cases, the offender was a family member or acquaintance.
• African-American women are less likely than white women to involve police in cases of child sexual abuse. Fears about betraying the family by turning abusers into “the system” and distrust of institutions and authorities often lead blacks to remain silent about “family business.”
• Black women report being more severely abused with greater force. They also report “more upset, greater long-term effects and more negative life experiences” from sexual abuse than white women. Among the effects: post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, self-mutilation and more.
• Poverty, which contributes to violence in many communities, is not seen as a risk factor for child sexual abuse. Abuse is more likely to be reported among low-income families, but is virtually undetected in families whose money or status shield them from authorities.
• In surveys of adults, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men report that they were sexually abused as a child.

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Watching the 2010 Oscars last night, and seeing Sandra Bullock, who won the best actress in her role in the movie The Blind Side, I noticed that she doesn’t seem to age much. In fact she looks pretty much the same as she did over 10 years ago. It is quite possible that she has had injectable fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm and Botox, with Botox more likely.

According to Paul S. Nassif, a Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and Rhinoplasty Specialist in Beverly Hills, California, “It is possible Sandra Bullock has had Botox. Her forehead and frown lines are smooth; her medial eyebrow is low and this is possibly due to forehead Botox.”

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African trypanosomiasis is also known as sleeping sickness. There are two types of African trypanosomiasis, East and West, named for the region of Africa in which they were historically found. People can get the disease if they are bitten by an infected tsetse fly, which is only found in Africa. Treatment is available for African trypanosomiasis, but it is fatal if left untreated.

Watch this video on African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness:

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According to the mayo Clinic, ulcerative colitis or commonly called colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. It is often characterized by abdominal pain and diarrhea. Like Crohn’s disease, another common inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis can be debilitating and sometimes can lead to life-threatening complications.

Ulcerative colitis usually affects only the innermost lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum. It occurs only through continuous stretches of your colon, unlike Crohn’s disease, which occurs in patches anywhere in the digestive tract and often spreads deep into the layers of affected tissues.

There’s no known cure for ulcerative colitis, but therapies are available that may dramatically reduce the signs and symptoms of ulcerative colitis and even bring about a long-term remission. Watch this video about a patient who has ulcerative colitis

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What will President Obama say today to get healthcare reform back on track? I think that trying to appease the left and right is costing him his base. I say if he plans on using reconciliation to pass the healthcare reform bill, I think it will be wise to inject some of the ideas of the liberal wing of his party like the public option. If you are going all the way, you might as well get what your base want and damn the consequences.

Easter is around the corner and healthcare reform would have to move fast for him to get it on his desk for signing by Easter. So look for the bill to be passed by March 26 - the start of the Easter recess in the House of Representatives.

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Atul Gawande is a Harvard educated surgeon, writer, staff member of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the New Yorker magazine. Dr. Gawande has worked hard to get checklists implemented in the medical profession to help save lives. He’s written a book about these checklists called The Checklist Manifesto. Here is a funny clip with him on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart talking about his book The Checklist Manifesto.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Atul Gawande
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

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The Iowa Appliance rebate program starts today March 1, 2010. The federal stimulus is funding the program that offers anywhere from $100 to $500 rebates on select appliances. Minnesota appliance rebate program also started today.

To apply for the rebates varying from $100 to $500, individuals may visit www.iowaappliancerebate.com or call toll free 877-267-7495. Rebates will be sent in the form of a credit card that Iowans can use for appliance purchases within the state. Be aware that it may be difficult to access the systems due to increased call volume or website may be inaccessible.

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« Previous Entries |

Recently Written

• Healthcare Reform - Senator Reid Confronts His Own Health Crisis
• Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) Comes Back to Light
• Corey Haim Dead from Drug Overdose
• Mo’Nique Best Supporting Actress for Precious and the Issues of Abuse in the African American Community
• Sandra Bullock Plastic Surgery and Best Actress Winner 2010
• African Trypanosomiasis or Sleeping Sickness Video
• Ulcerative Colitis Video
• Is Easter the New Obama Deadline for Healthcare Reform?
• Atul Gawande Checklist Manifesto Daily Show Video
• Iowa Appliance Rebate Program

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