Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Thu, Feb 20 1992 Date: Thu, 20 Feb 92 06:16:57 EST Message-ID: DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update Feb. 20, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network MORE IMPLANT STUDIES TO BE DONE: Silicone gel breast implant makers said Tuesday more studies of the devices will be done, including more follow up on women with implants. Dow Corning Corp. officials are considering paying up to $1,000 to women needing removal of the company's implants. Experts, speaking on behalf of manufacturers, told a Food and Drug Administration panel most worries over the implants are unfounded. FDA RECOMMENDATION EXPECTED: A Food an Drug Administration panel is expected to make its recommendation Thursday on whether silicone gel breast implants should be returned to the market while more research is undertaken. All four manufacturers agree with critics that additional research is needed. ASTHMA TREATMENTS STUDIED: Asthmatics regularly using beta-2 agonist bronchodilators such as albuterol may be making airway muscles less responsive to the drugs, nearly doubling their risk of death, report researchers in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. The findings support National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute guidelines suggesting early use of anti-inflammatories with traditional drug therapy. HEALTH CARE IS SECOND IN N.H.: Health care and national health insurance were the second most important election considerations of New Hampshire voters participating in the presidential primary, according to a Kaiser:Harvard:KRC survey. Behind economic concerns, health care and insurance outranked taxes by two to one and education by four to one. It ranked second among both Democrats and Republicans. MANY MEDICAL DEATHS PREVENTABLE: About 155,000 Americans die in hospitals each year as a result of preventable medical accidents such as drug overdoses and infected wounds, a new study suggests. That's roughly three times the number of people killed in traffic accidents. A 1990 Harvard study found that one in 25 hospital patients in New York suffers an unintended injury caused by treatment. STUDY WARNS OF TESTS ABUSE: Past standardized testing has left "an indelible stain on the science of mental measurement," said the Office of Technology Assessment, commenting on President Bush's proposal to test schoolchildren. The OTA, which released a study Wednesday on standardized testing, says the tests could be misused against the underprivileged. INSURANCE DISCOUNTS UNCOMMON: Few companies are currently offering discounts for health-conscious employees. Of 135 large companies surveyed by TPF&C, a New York management consultant, only 16 offered insurance discounts or imposed surcharges according to employees' lifestyles. Eight of the companies planned to institute similar programs in the next two years, and 25 companies were considering such action. STUDY REFUTES ALAR DANGERS: Alar and its breakdown product, UDMH, are not carcinogens, Dr. Ricardo Cabral, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said Wednesday in his address to the Toxicology Forum in Washington, D.C.. Cabral and other researcher were unable to produce tumors in rats given Alar, also known as daminozide, amounting to 1% of the rodents' total diet. DRUG MAKER TO LOWER PRICES: The Burroughs Wellcome Co. says it will reduce prices for its prescription medicines, including AZT, to certain public health clinics financed by the federal government. The new prices will take effect March 1. The pharmaceutical industry has been under increased scrutiny from critics who say drug makers profit on expensive drugs that only the insured and the wealthy can afford. MAYOR ATTACKS PAPERS' SAFETY: Detroit's two daily newspaper have high levels of toxic chemicals, says Mayor Coleman Young, who ordered a study of a joint edition of The News and Detroit Free Press. Young became angered after the Detroit News reported soil contamination at a city housing development. The newspapers plan to obtain further information on the tests. CONSTRUCTIVE FIGHTS NEEDED: The way you fight is the key to marital bliss or woe. The more a couple can fight constructively, the more they can enjoy marital happiness, says a University of Wisconsin researcher. Constructive fighting includes discussing issues, listening and saying nice things. Also, the biggest marital danger is avoiding conflict. FLIGHT-EASING TIPS SUGGESTED: Air travelers can reduce lower back strain by putting a pillow behind them, says Louis Sportelli, ex-chairman of the American Chiropractic Association. Travelers can ease flights by placing their feet on a briefcase or luggage, flexing their ankles to stimulate circulation, changing positions every 30 minutes and doing isometric exercises once an hour. Health Editor: Christopher Goldthwaite. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. 08:0002200000D0220 INSU- R K Benefits-tied-to-fitness.............. A D0220 This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM