Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health,americast.usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Tue, Oct 13 1992 Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 05:19:04 EDT Message-ID: 10-13 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update Oct. 13, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network IMPLANT REMOVAL HAS BENEFITS: Removal of silicone breast implants relieves localized pain and eases symptoms such as fatigue and joint and muscle aches, a doctor reported Monday. Since the Food and Drug Administration banned widespread cosmetic use of the implants last April, a growing number of women have been getting them surgically removed, says Dr. William Shaw of UCLA Medical School. FUTURE STUDIES TO COME: Future studies will evaluate concerns over silicone breast implant leakage and painful hardening of breast tissue. They'll also consider an alleged link to immune disorders producing fatigue and body aches. Findings on 150 women whose implants were removed show: 90% of local complaints like breast pain were relieved; 70% of systemic symptoms (fatigue and join pain) improved. MISSING MEDICINE COULD BE FATAL: Thousands of people die each year because they don't take their medicine. Experts quoted in Drug Topics magazine estimate more than 125,000 Americans each year could save their lives by managing medications properly. It's also thought that 20 million workdays are lost each year when people suffering from treatable diseases call in sick because they can't or won't take prescribed remedies. POSITIVE THINKING HELPS: In a study at the University of Louisiana in New Orleans, women tested for leg strength, then told to spend 20 minutes a day for three days imagining contracting their thigh muscles, increased leg strength by almost 13%. A control group that neither exercised nor thought about exercising showed no improvement, reports East West Natural Health magazine. MEDICAL FILM FESTIVAL KICKS OFF: The International Health and Medical Film Festival kicks off this week in San Francisco. More than 600 films were entered. They include "Absolutely Positive," about living with the AIDS virus, and "Steroids and Sports," describing how anabolic steroids affect the body. All will be available for free screening. Winners are chosen by medical professionals across the USA. GOOD SUPERVISORS CAN HELP: Organizations that want a happier, healthier, more productive workplace need to take a hard look at the performance of their supervisors. A nationwide study of 28,000 employees by St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co. identified poor supervision as one of the most potent causes of burnout and performance problems on the job. PROBLEMS AT HOME EXPAND: A study, called "American Workers Under Pressure," has found that poor supervision was the work-related problem most likely to cause problems in an employee's personal life. According to study coordinator Stacey Kohler, Ph.D., these difficulties at home have the potential to cause another round of problems on the job, leading to a downward spiral of mistakes and accidents. STATES PAY BILLIONS FOR TEENS: Southern states spent $5.7 billion last year to support families started by teenagers, but provided only $110 million to prevent teen pregnancies. A new report by the Southern Regional Infant Mortality Program and the Southern Governors Association also found that the cost of support increased 60% since 1987. The teen pregnancy rate rose an average of 16%. PROGRAM HELPS CHILDREN: Connecticut has begun a low-cost health insurance for children called Healthy Steps. The program is being offered by the state and Blue Cross:Blue Shield for children under 14 whose family income is less than $24,240 for a family with three children. Participants will pay $60 per child. DRUG HELPS HELPS HEART VICTIMS: An international study of the clot-dissolving drug TPA finds that even patients who don't go straight to the hospital after a heart attack could benefit from the drug. Normally, the use of thrombolytic drugs is limited to people who arrive at the hospital within the first six hours of experiencing symptoms. But TPA increases chances of survival for up to 12 hours. CANADIAN SYSTEM TOUTED: The USA could save by converting to a Canadian-style health-care system, according to a report from the General Accounting Office. The report shows that national health spending would be cut by $3 billion, or 0.4%. Administrative savings would amount to $67 billion. But additional costs of $64 billion would be incurred by now uninsured people using the system. Health Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. 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