Uninsured RX

There is moderate evidence that acupuncture can relieve chronic neck pain. Between 26 - 71 percent of the adult population claims to have had at least one episode of neck pain or stiffness during their life. In many cases, this can last for months and has a large impact on life style, work and health care expenditure.Acupuncture is one of the complementary medicines that is frequently used. [click link for full article]

Snapple, makers of The BestStuff on Earth, today launches Snapple Green Teas, a collection ofauthentic green teas that contain the natural antioxidant EGCG and helpsboost metabolism. Snapple's new Green Tea has the most EGCG, with 55mg per bottle, compared to leading ready-to-drink green teas, and is the second ina line of new products that support a "good for you" platform from whichthe brand will inform and inspire consumers about the health benefits oftea. [click link for full article]

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) have been made aware of a number of case reports of hepatotoxicity (liver injuries) in patients using Cimicifugae racemosae rhizoma (Black Cohosh, root). Following review of all available data, the HMPC considered that there is a potential connection between herbal medicinal products containing Cimicifugae racemosae rhizoma (Black Cohosh, root) and hepatotoxicity. [click link for full article]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to purchase or consume Zimaxx, Libidus, Neophase, Nasutra, Vigor-25, Actra-Rx, or 4EVERON. These products are promoted and sold on web sites as "dietary supplements" for treating erectile dysfunction (ED) and enhancing sexual performance, but they are in fact illegal drugs that contain potentially harmful undeclared ingredients. [click link for full article]

People over 65 who are depressed or anxious turn to complementary or alternative medicine to treat their symptoms more often than older people who are not anxious or depressed - but not to treat their mental symptoms.Joseph. G. Grzywacz, Ph.D., and colleagues from Wake Forest University School of Medicine reported in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that 34. [click link for full article]

The outlines of a growing workplace issue are emerging in the numbers: Life expectancy in the United States reached a record 76.9 years in 2000 and, because of continuing medical advances, will keep rising. By 2030, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 20 percent of Americans, or about 70 million people, will be 65 or older. In fact, people 85 or older make up the fastest-growing segment of the older population. Older people not only are living generally healthier lives but also are more independent than they may appear. About 60 percent of people 65 or older live on their own; only 5 percent are in nursing homes.

Those who did purchase critical insurance did so for much the same reason as their cousins overseas. Worried about both their own health and the health care system, aging boomers seem to like the idea of having access to capital that allows them to buy treatment in a private clinic south of the border rather than wait indefinitely here in Canada. Acknowledging that most patients wouldn't know where to begin when looking for treatment in the U.S. health care system, one insurance company even offers a medical referral service as part of their plan.

The cost of doing business is constantly rising: more expensive materials and products, higher hills for services, growing employee salaries, and, always, rising benefits costs. Human resource professionals are at the heart of the struggle to keep benefits costs down while rolling together a package that is attractive to employees and reasonable for employers. They've got their work cut out for them. Benefits costs rose to 423 percent of payroll costs in 2002, up from 39 percent in 2001, according to a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce study.

Working for nonprofit organizations can bring employees the pleasure of following an interest or a conviction, but nonprofits are not depending on that alone to sustain their work forces. Some nonprofits try to be competitive on salaries, but for many, the key can be providing other incentives to retain employees.