Health & Science - Philadelphia Inquirer

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi , with Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (left) and Rep. George Miller, after the House´s vote.

As the battle moves to the Senate, both sides dig in as efforts to restrict coverage stir a backlash.

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press

Posted 11/10/2009

WASHINGTON - A political storm gathered yesterday over efforts to restrict coverage for abortion in the health-care overhaul, threatening to swamp Democrats' efforts to pass President Obama's signature legislative initiative by year's end.

Nicholas A. DiNubile, knee surgeon , like Maris is tired of fighting the insurance companies. Unlike Maris, he opposes a public option for health-care legislative changes.

Politics aside, doctors universally fed up with insurers

By Marie McCullough, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted 11/10/2009

U.S. physicians are torn over what the government should do to make health care more available and affordable, but they're surprisingly like-minded about one perceived scourge - the insurance industry.

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AIDS is leading killer of the world's females - 11/10/2009: By Bradley S. Klapper, Associated Press

GENEVA, Switzerland - In its first study of women's health around the globe, the World Health Organization said yesterday that the AIDS virus was the leading cause of death and disease among females between the ages of 15 and 44.
FINALLY, A LADY - 11/09/2009: A small but growing number of people are identifying themselves as transgender. Richard/Renee Ramsey is likely the oldest to make the surgical switch.

By Gloria Hochman, For The Inquirer

On June 15, Richard Ramsey checked into Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township for major surgery. When he left three days later, Ramsey was no longer Richard, but Renee. Her first words to her doctor when she awakened after the operation were, "Now I'm the lady I always knew I was."
Charlenni's tragic journey - 11/08/2009: By James Osborne, Troy Graham, and Mark Fazlollah, Inquirer Staff Writers

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Seven-year-old Charlenni Ferreira was like many of the children in Buen Consejo, a worn hillside barrio of boxy concrete homes by the city's edge.
Monica Yant Kinney: Staring death in the face - 11/08/2009: By Monica Yant Kinney, Inquirer Columnist

Frank Bender lives for the dead. For 30 years, the forensic sculptor has peered into skulls and seen souls. With no scientific training and no college education, he became an internationally heralded "recomposer of the decomposed," an artist who solves crimes while providing comfort to strangers.
For a climate of security - 11/07/2009: By Sandy Bauers, Inquirer Staff Writer

Al Gore made 'em laugh yesterday when he brought his climate-change road show to Philadelphia. Criticized by some observers for being too serious, too eggheaded, during his 2000 campaign for the presidency, Gore introduced himself during his Foreign Affairs Council keynote address with "I'm Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States."
In Burlco, hundreds arrive early to get H1N1 flu vaccine - 11/07/2009: By Edward Colimore and Matthew Spolar, Inquirer Staff Writers

They started lining up at 8:30 a.m. for free H1N1 vaccinations at a Westampton clinic that wasn't supposed to open until 2 p.m.
Health-bill vote is a close call - 11/06/2009: With a House vote expected tomorrow, Pelosi can't afford many defections from her party.

By Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery, Washington Post

WASHINGTON - House Democratic leaders struggled yesterday to contain uprisings on the hot-button issues of abortion and illegal immigration that have left them little margin for error as they try to push through a health-care overhaul bill this weekend.

In Burlco, hundreds arrive early to get H1N1 flu vaccine - 11/07/2009: By Edward Colimore and Matthew Spolar, Inquirer Staff Writers
Health-bill vote is a close call - 11/06/2009: By Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery, Washington Post
Ground breaking to begin on Penn Project - 11/06/2009: By Susan Snyder, Inquirer Staff Writer
Sisters rally genetic researchers to tackle fatal brain disease - 11/06/2009: By Tom Avril, Inquirer Staff Writer
Big N.Y. employers get swine flu vaccine - 11/06/2009: By Karen Matthews, Associated Press
Signs that swine flu may be easing in Phila. region - 11/05/2009: By Don Sapatkin, Inquirer Staff Writer

FINALLY, A LADY - 11/09/2009: By Gloria Hochman, For The Inquirer

On June 15, Richard Ramsey checked into Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township for major surgery. When he left three days later, Ramsey was no longer Richard, but Renee. Her first words to her doctor when she awakened after the operation were, "Now I'm the lady I always knew I was."
Measurements that matter. - 11/09/2009: What allows elite sprinters to turn on the jets, rapidly going from a standstill to top speed? Training, fast-twitch muscles, and coordination can all play a role.
Scrubbing In: Importance of spelling out last wishes - 11/09/2009: By Rachel K. Sobel, For The Inquirer

My 87-year-old patient fell at her nursing home in West Chester and was quite black and blue when she arrived at the Wills Eye Emergency Room. Her eye had borne the brunt of it. Stitches around an old corneal transplant had ripped open as well as those from an old cataract wound. If that didn't get repaired in 24 hours, she risked getting a serious infection.
Personal Health: News and Notes - 11/09/2009
Ask Dr. H: She's had digestive distress since gall bladder removal - 11/09/2009: By Mitchell Hecht, For The Inquirer

Question: I'm a 66-year-old female who had gallbladder removal 31/2 years ago. Ever since then, I've had more abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, pressure, belching, and flatulence than ever before! I've had all the tests done - colonoscopy, upper endoscopy, small-intestine study, and stool samples - all normal. Can you offer advice on how to deal with life without a gallbladder?
Scrubbing In: - 11/09/2009: By Rachel K. Sobel, For The Inquirer

Rachel K. Sobel, a third-year resident of the Wills Eye Residency Program at Thomas Jefferson University, writes about her experiences every other week.

Stroke victims slow to act - 11/09/2009: By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times
Slices of life - 11/02/2009: By Robert Strauss, For The Inquirer
GreenSpace: Combat global warming by having fewer babies? - 11/02/2009: By Sandy Bauers, Inquirer GreenSpace Columnist
Hope for the sleep-deprived. - 11/02/2009
Ask Dan: Dying man can't control 'wondering mind' - 11/02/2009: By Dan Gottlieb
Personal Health: News and Notes - 11/02/2009
Ask Dr. H: If you think a copper bracelet can help arthritis, go for it - 11/02/2009: By Mitchell Hecht, For The Inquirer

Health & Science Columns and Blogs

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GreenSpace

Inquirer environmental reporter Sandy Bauers writes on how to live a more ecologically sensitive life.

Column

Scrubbing In: Importance of spelling out last wishes

My 87-year-old patient fell at her nursing home in West Chester and was quite black and blue when she arrived at the Wills Eye Emergency Room. Her eye had borne the brunt of it. Stitches around an old corneal transplant had ripped open as well as those from an old cataract wound. If that didn't get repaired in 24 hours, she risked getting a serious infection.

Ask Dr. H: She's had digestive distress since gall bladder removal

By Mitchell Hecht, For The Inquirer

Special Report

An Eroding Mission at EPA: WASHINGTON - On Dec. 5, 2007, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson prepared to send the White House an extraordinary document. It declared that climate change imperiled the public welfare - a decision that would trigger the nation's first mandatory global-warming regulations.
EPA's court follies sow doubt, delay: In a dozen cases since 2001, federal judges in Washington have used increasingly caustic language to throw out EPA regulations, chastising the Bush administration for illegally changing U.S. environmental rules.
Green Club an EPA charade: CHARLESTON, Tenn. - In January 2005, residents near the chlorine plant here discovered that it was the biggest mercury emitter in the state. Environmentalists warned them against eating fish from their beloved Hiwassee River.
Politics choke clean-air efforts: Leading environmental scientists have denounced EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson for substituting politics for science on key pollution issues - from not regulating greenhouse gases blamed for global warming to delaying the assessment of toxic chemicals. But it was in a succession of decisions on air quality that Johnson's uneven application of science had perhaps the most severe impacts on human health.

Interactive

Smoke and Mirrors. The Subversion of the EPA - See videos including an exclusive interview with EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, interactive graphics, photos, and more. (click on the image to enter)

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