TEXAS WORKERS COMPENSATION DOCTOR - DR. JOHN RAYMOND BAKER,DC

JOB OPENING IN LONGVIEW TEXAS

2007-09-25T04:46:00.000-07:00

BAKER CHIROPRACTIC, PA , one of the friendliest Doctor's offices in Longview, has a position available right now for the right applicant. For details, please click
http://positionavailable.blogspot.com
If you are interested in getting into health care in a ground level position, contact Baker Chiropractic about this job opening.

REPEAT OF TREATMENT PLANNING RULE FOR TEXAS WORK COMP

2007-06-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

<MedicalBenefits@tdi.state.tx.us> 6/13/2007 7:15 PM >>>The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation has announced that repeals of two workers' compensation rules will be submitted to the Texas Register. The rules are the Prospective Review of Medical Care Not Requiring Preauthorization (PRM) rule and the Treatment Planning rule.The PRM rule is no longer needed due to the adoption of treatment guidelines for the workers' compensation system. To view the news release concerning PRM, please click on the following link: http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/news/2007/news200776.html .The treatment planning rule was adopted last December as one of several disability management rules but the effective date was postponed due to concerns expressed by system participants. The repeal of the treatment planning rule will not affect the other disability management rules including those adopting treatment and return-to-work guidelines for Texas. To view the news release concerning treatment planning, please click on the following link:
http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/news/2007/news200779.html ."June 12, 2007
TDI Will Change Disability Management Requirements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 12, 2007News Release
FOR MORE INFORMATIONJohn Greeley @ (512) 804-4202
Austin, TX – The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) announced that a workers’ compensation rule to require treatment planning for injured employees (28 Texas Administrative Code §137.300) will be repealed. This rule was adopted along with other disability management rules in December, 2006. The effective date for treatment planning was postponed until September 1, 2007, however, as the agency attempted to address ongoing concerns from system participants.
A repeal of the treatment planning rule will be submitted to the Texas Register. Since the rule has not become effective, system participants will not be required to meet the rule’s requirements.
“System participants support the concept of treatment planning, but many also agree that implementation will require significant business and administrative process changes,” Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation Albert Betts said. “We were concerned that participants would not be able to initiate treatment planning without some lapses in care for injured employees.”
Dr. Howard Smith, Medical Advisor for TDI’s Division of Workers’ Compensation, said TDI plans to work with health care providers and insurance carriers on a treatment planning pilot program.
“This treatment planning pilot will allow us to identify opportunities for improved communication and efficient delivery of appropriate medical care,” Smith said.
Since publication of the adopted disability management rules, system participants expressed the need for additional time to establish processes to appropriately address required treatment planning. Participants also argued for additional time to communicate and develop treatment planning parameters that are mutually acceptable to health care providers and insurance carriers.
Disability management rules requiring the use of workers’ compensation treatment guidelines and return-to-work guidelines became effective May 1, 2007 and will remain in effect."

TEXAS TRUE CHOICE

2007-06-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Baker Chiropractic,PA is now on the list of providers for Texas True Choice Insurance, which is the health insurance covering city workers in Longview Texas. So, if you are on Texas True Choice and need Chiropractic, please call 903-753-5400 to make an appointment to come in for an examination. Thanks for visiting our site.

SOMBRA , BIOFREEZE, TENS UNITS

2007-05-16T04:31:00.000-07:00

Baker Chiropractic, PA not only is the place for excellent care in Longview Texas, but we also carry a line of products to ease your muscle spasm and pain.

We carry Sombra, a pepper based liniment which offers warm relief to pain.

We also carry soothing, cool biofreeze, the green gel that soothes those tense muscles.

We also carry Transcutaneous Electrical Muscle Stimulators for those patients treated at Baker Chiropractic who may need an alternative pain management method.

And last but certainly not least, we carry the fine therapeutic line of pillows from Mellow Out Spa , Inc.

Please come in at 1420 McCann St., Longview Texas, in the Brookwood Shopping Village, or call us at 903-753-5400.

Other Baker Chiropactic Information Portals

2007-04-07T04:50:00.000-07:00

http://johnraymondbaker.php1h.com/mambo/

http://johnraymondbaker.php1h.com/phpnuke/

http://bakerchiropractic.5gbfree.com

The Truth about Gardasil , Human Papilloma Virus, and Cervical Cancer

2007-04-07T04:46:00.000-07:00

The governor of Texas, Mr. Perry, received 5000 dollars (from Merck Pharmaceutical) closely in time to his signing of an executive order, which sought to mandate all young women , within a certain age range, to be subjected to the Gardasil medication, made by Merck.
Perry claimed it was a "coincidence". Others may draw a different conclusion.The Attorney General let him know that he could not legally force young girls to take the KoolAid...er....Gardasil. He could only suggest it.Gardasil was being marketed loosely as a "cervical cancer vaccine". It is most certainly NOT a "cancer vaccine". It does not prevent one developing cancer of the cervix.Can Gardasil even guarantee that those taking the medication will not contract any of the strains of HPV? No, they cannot.BACKGROUND AND STATISTICSCervical cancer is NOT the leading cause of death in women. So first off, money spent on it could be better spent on the Number One cause of death in women in the United States.According to the CDC, because of early detection, cervical cancer has been steadily DECLINING for the PAST 40 years. Declining NOT because of the use of Gardasil, but because of the use of PAP smears for early detection.A look at recent statistics shows not only is it declining, but when you think about the fact there may be 150 MILLION women in the United States, the numbers of diagnosis of cervical cancer are relatively small.From the CDC we read:"According to the U.S. Cancer Statistics: 2003 Incidence and Mortality report, 11,820 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2003, and 3,919 women died from the disease that same year. 2 It is estimated that more than $2 billion per year is spent in the United States on the treatment of cervical cancer. 3For more information, view 2002 Cancers grouped by geographic area, National Cancer Institute—State Cancer Profiles, or Screening and Risk Factors Report: Had a Pap Smear in Past 3 Years and No Hysterectomy, 2004, All Races, Female, Ages 18+.-->"So, in 2003, less than 12,000 women were diagnosed, and less than 4000 died with cervical cancer, out of almost 150 MILLION! That seems like a relatively RARE cause of death in women to me...almost 4000 out of 150,000,000.In fact, according to the CDC, concerning HPV infection and how serious the infection is (or is not)...their website says "Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own."On the CDC website, under "IS THERE A CURE FOR HPV?"they say this, reinforcing their previous statement."There is no "cure" for HPV infection, although in most women the infection goes away on its own."Even MORE importantly, under the questionWHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HPV AND CERVICAL CANCER?the CDC says this:"All types of HPV can cause mild Pap test abnormalities which do not have serious consequences. Approximately 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead, in rare cases, to development of cervical cancer. Research has shown that for most women (90 percent), cervical HPV infection becomes undetectable within two years".Now, read the above statement again...everyone..."Approximately 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead, in rare cases, to development of cervical cancer. " It says IN RARE CASES...rare cases...get it ?Can the CDC be any MORE clear than saying that in RARE cases it can lead to cervical cancer? I think it is stated very clearly.Now, we have established that it is RARE for HPV to lead to cervical cancer, and statistically, cervical cancer RARELY leads to death.Gardasil is supposed to protect against FOUR types (strains) of the HPV virus. There are 30 types of the HPV virus. Only TEN of the 30 can lead to, in RARE cases, cervical cancer. Gardasil does not even claim to protect against half of those ten. It only claims to protect against FOUR of the ten...although they claim that those four account for 70 percent of the small number of cervical cancers linked to HPV. So, Gardasil claims to help protect against FOUR of the THIRTY strains of HPV (types 6, 11, 16, and 18), and we know that in 90 percent of females, HPV infections become undetectable in two years, WITHOUT ANY INTERVENTION.Remember, this vaccine will not treat active genital warts or HPV-related cancers, and it will not cure HPV infection.Possible , common side effects to women using Gardasil include, but are not limited to:=====>pelvic pain;=====>severe stomach pain; or=====>pain, swelling, or stiffness in your joints.=====> fever=====> dizziness=====> nausea=====> bronchospasm and difficulty in breathingOther reported adverse effectsAdverse Experience (1 to 15 Days Postvaccination)GARDASIL (N = 5088) %Placebo (N = 3790) %Pyrexia (Fever)13.011.2Nausea6.76.6Nasopharyngitis6.46.4Dizziness4.03.7Diarrhea3.63.5Vomiting2.41.9Myalgia (muscle pain)2.02.0Cough2.01.5Toothache (yeah, TOOTHACHE)1.51.4Upper respiratory tract infection1.51.5Malaise1.41.2Arthralgia (joint pain)1.20.9Insomnia (difficulty sleeping)1.20.9Nasal congestion1.10SOUNDS LIKE FUN DOESN'T IT!So, now, you have the straight dope, from the CDC.You don't catch HPV from sitting next to someone folks. It is not like a cold. So, a lot of this hysteria is just that.There is an old saying "Follow the money". Wanna see who benefits from hysteria over inflated claims of the dangers of HPV infection? Follow the money. Gardasil is adminstered via THREE SHOTS.How much does it cost? From http://cancer.about.com/od/hpv/p/gardasil.htm we read"Gardasil Cost: It has been estimated that Gardasil will cost between $300-$500. Federal programs will fit the bill if recommended by the immunization committee."From http://uuhsc.utah.edu/pharmacy/bulletins/gardasil.htmlit has a chart that says the AWP (average wholesale price) per series is$450.00.Now, if every young girl in school HAD been able to be forced to have been given this medication by mandate of governor Perry, think of that 450 dollars multiplied by the number of girls in the age range.Seems like a good investment of only Five Thousand dollars, doesn't it?

Posted by The Real Truth at 11:04 PM
Labels: cancer, cervcical cancer, cervical, cervical cancer, Gardasil, HPV, human papilloma virus, mandate, Merck, perry, rare, texas, vaccine

http://bakerchiro.sprinterweb.net

2007-03-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

http://bakerchiro.sprinterweb.net

Spring and Summer are Coming....Get ready today!

2007-03-09T04:59:00.000-08:00

Well, the hours in the day are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and it won't be long before you will be getting active in the outdoors. If that knee or back or neck is holding you back, isn't it about time you had it seen about and got the kind of treatment to get you back to shape?

Call 903-753-5400 today and make an appointment with Dr. John Raymond Baker,DC .

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2006-11-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

OUR OFFICE IS CLOSED IN HONOR OF THE HOLIDAYS THIS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, THE 23RD AND 24TH OF NOVEMBER, BUT WE SHALL RETURN ON MONDAY.

SECOND NEWS PORTAL LAUNCED ON 15 OCTOBER 2006

2006-10-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

http://johnraymondbaker.php1h.com is the second news portal for Baker Chiropractic added today!

Another information portal for BAKER CHIROPRACTIC launched

2006-10-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

The growing list of BAKER CHIROPRACTIC, PA informational portals has increased again.

We launched http://bakerchiropractic.orgfree.com
yesterday and it seems to be working fine.

Have a great day!

WordPress Blog Added

2006-10-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

A new information portal is born and launched. The address is
http://bakerchiropractic.wordpress.com and is going great. Wordpress is quality blogging software, and BAKER CHIROPRACTIC, PA is proud to be able to include this site in its information portal news network.

Injured Worker...Do You Feel All Alone?

2006-09-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

You've been a good worker for some time. Always on time, working hard to do a full day's work. Suddenly, you get hurt, and now, you worry that you are being targeted for termination.

On top of this, you are hurting, and may have numbness in the arms or legs. You don't know how bad you are injured. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?

You NEED a treating doctor who has years of experience in treating injured workers.
You NEED a treating doctor who cares about your problems.
You NEED a treating doctor who does the right things to find out how bad you are hurt.

Dr. John Raymond Baker,DC is such a doctor.

You aren't alone when you have the resources of BAKER CHIROPRACTIC on your side.

Call 903-753-5400 today!

Our newest website just went live today.

2006-08-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4988/1631/1600/drjohnbaker2006aug28small.0.jpg">
Our newest website just went live today.

http://www.johnraymondbaker.com was launched and is a big success.

Check it out when you get a chance.

~Doc

The Emerging Healthcare Crisis

2006-07-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

More and more, people who have serious medical problems and who need hospitalization or surgery,
or conservative care, are finding themselves without any means of paying for it. As this niumber grows, we will find ourselves, as a nation, in a deeper crisis.

Given the large amounts of money currently being wasted in Iraq, and in other government projects, it is a simple and clear SHAME that we do not have a national health insurance plan.

This republic (and we ARE a republic by definition, not a democracy) has a legal duty, per the constitution, to provide for the general welfare.

The government is NOT living up to that responsibility.

We NEED a national healthcare plan NOW. Millions of people without access to necessary healthcare, is NOT the mark of a great nation, nor of a prosperous nation.

Migraine and Heart Disease Linked in Women

2006-07-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

http://news.worldfitness.ca/news/071906/MigraineAndHeartDiseaseInWomenLinked.phpBy Victor D'Angelo
Women of middle-age or older who have migraine headaches with aura symptoms are said to be at an increased risk for a heart attack, stroke, or deathWomen of middle-age or older who have migraine headaches with aura symptoms are said to be at an increased risk for a heart attack, stroke, or death.This is according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Migraines with auras are headaches that are visual that cause you to see spots and flashes. A new study from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that women who have these headaches have twice the risk at getting a severe heart attack when compared to a women without the headaches.Only 130 women out of nearly 28,000 studied died over 10 years of study.

Continuing Education Seminar in Galveston

2006-07-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

We are in Galveston this week at a continuing education seminar. The weather is beautiful, and the temperature is a big relief from the 105 degree heat in Longview.
The picture is a view from the hotel room.

We will be closed on 19, 20, and 21 July to attend seminar.

2006-07-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

We will be closed on Wednesday, 19, 20,21 of July as we are going out of town to a seminar.

For any patients who need to reschedule, please call 903-753-5400 on Monday or Tuesday to reschedule your visit.

Thank you.

UCLA Study Finds Same Genes Act Differently in Males and Females; Discovery May Explain Gender Gap in Disease Risk, Drug Response

2006-07-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=7177
Scientists may have revealed the origin of the battle of the sexes—in our genes.
UCLA researchers report in a new study that thousands of genes behave differently in the same organs of males and females—something never detected to this degree. The study, published in the August issue of the journal Genome Research, sheds light on why the same disease often strikes males and females differently, and why the genders may respond differently to the same drug.

"We previously had no good understanding of why the sexes vary in their relationship to different diseases," said Xia Yang, Ph.D., first author of the study and postdoctoral fellow in cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Our study discovered a genetic disparity that may explain why males and females diverge in terms of disease risk, rate and severity."

"This research holds important implications for understanding disorders such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, and identifies targets for the development of gender-specific therapies," said Jake Lusis, Ph.D., co-investigator and UCLA professor of human genetics.
The UCLA team examined brain, liver, fat and muscle tissue from mice, with the goal of finding genetic clues related to mental illnesses, diabetes, obesity and atherosclerosis. Humans and mice share 99 percent of their genes.

The scientists focused on gene expression—the process by which a gene's DNA sequence is converted into cellular proteins. With the help of genomic-research company Rosetta Inpharmatics, the team scrutinized more than 23,000 genes to measure their expression level in male and female tissue.

What they found surprised them. While the function of each gene was the same in both sexes, the scientists found a direct correlation between gender and the amount of gene expressed.
"We saw striking and measurable differences in more than half of the genes' expression patterns between males and females," said Dr. Thomas Drake, co-investigator and UCLA professor of pathology. "We didn't expect that. No one has previously demonstrated this genetic gender gap at such high levels."

UCLA is the first to uncover a gender difference in gene expression in fat and muscle tissue. Earlier studies have identified roughly 1,000 sex-biased genes in the liver, and other research has found a combined total of 60 gender-influenced genes in the brain—about one-tenth of what the UCLA team discovered in these organs.

Even within the same organ, researchers identified scores of genes that varied in expression levels between the sexes. Gender consistently influenced the expression levels of thousands of genes in the liver, fat and muscle tissue. This effect was slightly more limited in the brain, where hundreds—not thousands—of genes showed different expression patterns.

"Males and females share the same genetic code, but our findings imply that gender regulates how quickly the body can convert DNA to proteins," Yang said. "This suggests that gender influences how disease develops."

The gender differences in gene expression also varied by tissue. Affected genes were typically those most involved in the organ's function, suggesting that gender influences the more important genes with specialized roles, not the rank-and-file.

In the liver, for example, the expression of genes involved in drug metabolism differed among men and women. The findings imply that male and female livers function the same but work at different rates.

"Our findings in the liver may explain why men and women respond differently to the same drug," Lusis said. "Studies show that aspirin is more effective at preventing heart attack in men than women. One gender may metabolize the drug faster, leaving too little of the medication in the system to produce an effect."

"At the genetic level, the only difference between the genders is the sex chromosomes," Drake said. "Out of the more than 30,000 genes that make up the human genome, the X and Y chromosomes account for less than 2 percent of the body's genes. But when we looked at the gene expression in these four tissues, more than half of the genes differed significantly between the sexes. The differences were not related to reproductive systems—they were visible across the board and related to primary functions of a wide variety of organs."

The UCLA findings support the importance of gender-specific clinical trials. Most medication dosages for women have been based on clinical trials primarily conducted on men.

"This research represents a significant step forward in deepening our understanding of gender-based differences in medicine," said Dr. Janet Pregler, director of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women's Health Center. The center's executive advisory board, a group of businesswomen interested in advancing women's health, helped fund the study.

"Many of the genes we identified relate to processes that influence common diseases," Yang said. "This is crucial, because once we understand the gender gap in these disease mechanisms, we can create new strategies for designing and testing new sex-specific drugs."

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; and the UCLA National Center for Excellence in Women's Health also supported the study. Co-authors included Susanna Wang, Leslie Ingram-Drake and Arthur Arnold, all from UCLA, and Eric Schadt of Rosetta Inpharmatics, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.

Tips on Paperwork, Forms, and Insurance

2006-07-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Tips on Paperwork, Forms, and Insurance
by Tammy Baker, General Manager, BAKER CHIROPRACTIC,PA
1420 McCann Road, Longview Texas 75601

Paperwork is a necessary part of healthcare these days. It may be a pain to fill out, but believe it or not, each page is necessary, and helps us help you.

If you are a new patient, please bring in all documentation and paperwork that you have at home that relates to your condition or problem.

This is especially true for workers compensation (work comp) cases. If you have the outcomes of benefit review conferences, contested claims hearings, designated doctor visits, required medical exams, MRI exams, EMG reports, etc., we really need this information during the consultation or initial examination, so please bring all these papers with you.

Before you visit, try to make a written list of all the symtoms you are having, and the questions you wanted to ask.

Also, make notes about things like your date of accident or injury, or how the problem started and how long you have had it. This will help speed up filling out the paperwork, and will help job your memory when Dr. Baker takes your history.

A little preparation for your visit not only speeds things along, but helps us have access to the kind of information and documentation we need.

If you have had examinations or MRIs done or other tests, try to go by and pick up a copy of these to bring with you.

These may be time consuming, but in the end, it will help your visit go smoother, be quicker, and help Dr. Baker to help you more.

~Tammy Baker, General Manager

Location of BAKER CHIROPRACTIC,PA

2006-07-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

As we are enjoying greater number of new patients coming to our office, I wanted to include some graphics of our location.

We are located on McCann Road, a major road in Longview, at 1420 McCann Road, in the middle of the Brookwood Shopping Village. The Shopping Village has a sign out front that looks like this (left).

Our office looks like this in front :

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

2006-07-04T04:27:00.000-07:00

BAKER CHIROPRACTIC,PA celebrates nine months in practice in Longview . Baker Chiropractic, PA , on July 3rd, 2006, celebrated nine months in practice in Longview Texas.

We opened our doors on October 3rd , 2005 and have had a wonderful time ever since then. Dr. John Raymond Baker, general manager Tammy Bennett-Baker, Manager Amy Tidwell, Therapy assistant Erin Threadgill, and Insurance Manager, Nikki Henderson, want to extend our thanks to Longview, and the many, many patients that have welcomed us, and shown their confidence in us as healthcare providers.

We will be closed on the 4th of July to celebrate the holidays with our families, but will be open again on the 5th of July.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July and thank you to all our patients.~Dr. John Raymond Baker, Tammy Baker, Amy Tidwell, Erin Threadgill, and Nikki Henderson

New Drug for Treatment of Macular Degeneration- Lucentis

2006-07-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/14947715.htm
Drug stopped vision loss in clinical trials
FDA approves Lucentis treatment
By Jennifer L. Boen
jboen@news-sentinel.com
The first drug showing promise of reducing vision loss caused by macular degeneration, which affects 1.7 million Americans 50 or older, was approved Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Lucentis, made by Genentech, was found in clinical trials to stabilize vision in 95 percent of patients. What is most promising, said Fort Wayne retinal surgeon Dr. Gohar Salam, is that 25 percent of patients treated regularly with Lucentis improved their vision by three additional lines on the standard eye exam chart.
“It’s still not a cure, but it’s a significant step forward,” Salam said.
Macular degeneration’s symptoms hit Anneliese Remington, 80, of Fort Wayne quickly. “In March, my great-grandson was ice skating at McMillen Park. When he was done, I tried to get down the bleachers and I could hardly see,” she recalled.
At home she looked at a printed grid on the refrigerator, given to her by her ophthalmologist. The normally straight lines appeared wavy, a key sign of macular degeneration.
“It was so scary,” she said. Her ophthalmologist referred her to Salam, who diagnosed an advanced form of the disease called wet macular degeneration.
Remington’s first treatment, photodynamic therapy, was ineffective, so Salam suggested an experimental treatment, an earlier form of the just-approved drug. “In three to four weeks, I noticed marked improvement,” Remington said. “My right eye is still not as good as the left, but I can see much better and I feel safer behind the wheel.”
Macular degeneration, the most common cause of legal blindness in people over 60, according to the National Institutes of Health, is a progressive disease of the center part, or macula, of the retina of the eye. A person 65 or older today has a one-in-four chance of developing the disease. During the 2000 Census, 25,615 people 65 and older lived in Fort Wayne. As America grays, the disease portends a health and social crisis in the making – by 2020, 6 million Americans could be blind from some form of eye disease.
Macular degeneration causes loss of central vision, making facial recognition, reading and watching movies and television difficult or impossible. Salam describes the retina as the “wallpaper” on the inside of the back of the eye. The light-sensitive retina converts light and images into nerve impulses that travel up the optic nerve to the brain. The brain’s interpretation of the images is how we see.
People with age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, may not notice the subtle hallmark vision changes: vertical objects or lines may be a little off kilter, appearing bent; areas of gray appear in the center when focusing on an object. Peripheral vision remains, so someone with advanced disease may be considered legally blind yet retain a small ring of vision.
Lucentis is a first-line cousin to a cancer drug called Avastin, also made by Genentech.
“Researchers knew Avastin kills new blood vessels in cancer,” Salam said. Abnormal growth of blood vessels is a complication of advanced macular degeneration. Genentech changed the molecule size of Avastin so it could better penetrate the retina when injected into the eye.
Salam, who participated in clinical trials for Avastin while waiting for Lucentis to be approved by the FDA, offered it to patients such as Remington in whom other treatments failed.
Although no treatment exists as yet for advanced, or wet, AMD, drugs such as Lucentis, and its forerunner Macugen, can delay progression of vision loss by AMD. Made by Pfizer, Macugen was FDA-approved in December 2004, and has shown improvement in stabilizing the disease in 70 percent of cases; Lucentis’ rate is 95 percent.
Remington may need additional treatments with Lucentis. For best results, injections every four weeks are prescribed. But Remington, whose condition stabilized after just one injection, may be given Macugen, which is injected every six weeks, or put on a regimen combining both treatments, Salam said.
“It is the scariest thing to lose one’s eyesight,” Remington said, adding that she is glad she agreed to use the drug at a time when it was still in the experimental stage. Possible side effects from Lucentis include eye redness and irritation, with less common side effects of cataracts, infection, retinal tears and detachment. In clinical trials, 4.2 percent to 4.6 percent of patients given Lucentis for two years suffered a stroke or heart attack, compared to 3 percent patients in the control group.
Nevertheless, “These are good breakthroughs,” Salam said. But early detection is still the cornerstone of keeping AMD from robbing vision.
For people who have had routine vision exams during adulthood, beginning at age 55 they should undergo annual exams involving dilation of the eyes by an optometrist or ophthalmologist: “The earlier people come, the better the outcome,” Salam said.
Disease symptoms
The most common form of age-related macular degeneration of the eye is dry AMD (see graphic). One reason the disease may go unnoticed is that it may develop in only one eye, although that is less common. In 10 percent of people with dry AMD, a form called wet AMD develops. Normally straight lines becoming wavy is a symptom of this most severe and advanced form of AMD. Damage to the macula occurs rapidly, and vision loss is greater than in dry AMD. While there is no definite cause, the most significant risk factors for AMD are age and smoking, said Fort Wayne retinal surgeon Dr. Gohar Salam. Other factors include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and family history of the disease. Women are at greater risk than men, and obesity may also increase risk.

WHAT IS "DOUBLE DIPPING" ?

2006-06-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

I tend to be a stickler on definitions, because, if we don't have a clear understanding of what is meant when people are using a term, confusion will result.

Thus, when I heard that a work comp carrier representative had used the term "double dipping", I had to find out what the heck it meant.

Initially, one would think this retarded and ambiguous term would mean that you were going to get TWO SCOOPS of ice cream on your cone instead of one. Maybe it means you get rocky road with your chocolate.

Of course, it could be a term unique to those who chew tobacco, and double dipping could mean getting a double load of "chaw" (i.e. chew).

But, double dipping COULD mean you use your Frito scoopable chip to get two loads of cheese on one scoop.

But, how would these apply to Work Comp? Clearly, insurance carriers are not giving out ice cream, not dispensing cheese dip, nor even chewing tobacco.

So, we have to "dip" deeper into the matter.

One possible clue as to what SOME carrier reps might mean when they throw this term around, is found in an article on Texas Mutual website

From http://www.texasmutual.com/news/stories2006Q2.shtm (selected portion used pursuant to FAIR USE doctrine)

"May 23, 2006 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company reports that, in unrelated cases, the Travis County grand jury indicted Carlos Torres and Shantel Babineaux on workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. Both workers were allegedly double-dipping, a term investigators use for claimants who collect workers’ comp income benefits by saying they are unable to work while they are actively employed."

So, THAT'S WHAT THEY MEAN when they use that retarded term!

So, let's investiage this idea a bit further.

Let's say a worker is actually employed in TWO jobs that he does daily.
It is not against the law to work two jobs.

Let's say one job is very physically challenging and one could get hurt easily, and involves heavy lifting, twisting, bending etc.
The other job is extremely light in nature. It only involves filing paperwork, no heavy lifting, no bending...in fact, a very , very light work description, job rating.

Scenario...this worker gets hurt on the job on the very physical job.
His injury is such he presents to a treating doctor. A history and exam are taken, radiographic examination done, even an MRI is done. The results indicate that, at this time, it is contraidicated that the patient continue working on the heavy duty job. THERE IS NO LIGHT DUTY ON THE HEAVY DUTY JOB.

The treating doctor fills out a 73 work status report taking the patient off work with regard to the job he was injured on, since there is no light duty or restricted duty available. In other words, the patient has to be 100 percent able to do heavy duty work.

But, he is physically able to do his second job, and if the duties of the second job were available on the heavy job, he could be returned to work.

But, the 73 work status, ONLY APPLIES to whether the worker can return to the JOB ON WHICH HE WAS INJURED...it does NOT apply to a second job in which he was not injured.

Therefore, there is no reason he cannot continue working at the second job, since he is fit and able to perform those extremely light and non-physically challenging duties.

Thus, he is properly and legally off work with regard to the job on which he was injured, but continues to be gainfully employed and working on job number two.

If one re-reads the "double dipping" definition, this employee / injured worker, would be "double dipping" because it does not stipulate he is working at the same job, just that he is getting work comp benefits, and remains actively employed.

Thoughts?

Myth of Chiropractic-Caused Strokes Debunked by Medical Researchers

2006-05-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060527/nysa011.html?.v=43Myth of Chiropractic-Caused Strokes Debunked by Medical Researchers
Saturday May 27, 2:51 pm ET

CHANDLER, Ariz., May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent billboard advertisement, carried on the side of a bus in Bridgeport, Conn., is the latest in a series of attacks on chiropractic that use scare tactics and misinformation to undermine the growth of the profession, according to the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA).

The advertisement, which asks "Injured by a chiropractor?" directs readers to a website run by an organization calling itself the "Chiropractic Stroke Victims Awareness Group." No information is available in the ad or at the website as to who finances the group.

WCA President Terry A. Rondberg, DC, noted that he wasn't surprised by the aggressive attack. "In recent years, chiropractic has made tremendous inroads into the American health care system. The increased popularity of a wellness approach that doesn't rely on drugs and surgery is very threatening to some elements of our society. They have a huge financial interest in eliminating chiropractic."

In 1990, the American Medical Association was found guilty in federal court of conspiring with other medical organizations in a "lengthy, systematic, successful and unlawful boycott" designed to eliminate chiropractic as a competitor. Many health care officials say that, although barred from many of the illegal practices formerly used, the drug and medical industry still engage in anti-chiropractic campaigns. The consensus is that many of the operations are being conducted using anonymous "front" organizations."

Contrary to the billboard's message, medical research has shown that chiropractic is extremely safe, particularly when compared to medical treatment. The incidence of stroke following chiropractic adjustments has been estimated at fewer than 1 to 3 incidents per million adjustments.

Medical researchers have admitted that chiropractic care carries far less of a stroke risk than medical treatment. "Indeed, most interventions by allopathic physicians have a higher complication rate than chiropractic interventions," said Philip Lee, MD, a co-investigator of a research survey presented at the American Heart Association's 19th International Joint Conference on Stroke and Cerebral Circulation.