Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.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 Fri, Nov 6 1992 Date: Fri, 6 Nov 92 05:29:35 EST Message-ID: 11-06 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update Nov. 6-8, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network REGULATORS SQUABBLE OVER LABELS: Consumers should be better able to judge a food by its package with new food labeling regulations due out Monday. But government officials are still bickering over the details at the eleventh hour. The biggest bone of contention: A new label panel that will appear on almost every box, can and package of food on the grocery store shelves beginning next spring. (For more, see special Labels package below.) CLINTON'S PLAN HAS GOOD CHANCE: With a Democratic majority in Congress, President-elect Bill Clinton stands a good chance to have his health-care reform legislation passed, says Melanie Jenkins, editor of Healthcare System Reform Alert, a New Jersey-based newsletter. Clinton has pledged to introduce within the first 100 days guaranteed universal access to health care, financed by requiring costs controls. PLAN WILL MERGE PROPOSALS: President-elect Bill Clinton is expected to issue details of his health-care reform plan once he is in office. It will likely blend "pay or play" with managed competition, says Melanie Jenkins, editor of Healthcare System Reform Alert, a health care-reform newsletter. It will require employers to provide coverage for all employees. Other people would be in a public plan, Jenkins says. BOTTLES WON'T HURT NURSING: If a mom's committed to nursing, giving her baby one supplemental bottle a day, starting at age two weeks, probably won't lead to breast-feeding problems or early weaning, says a study in Pediatrics. Some past researchers have linked early bottles to difficulties with nursing. SQUAT IS SMART BIRTHING MOVE: Squatting while in labor makes for an easier delivery, says Dr. Todd Gastaldo, of Santa Cruz, Calif. Gastaldo says it enhances blood flow to the uterus, resulting in stronger contractions and short labor. It helps align the baby with the birth canal and causes it to widen. And it gives leverage for pushing. BED HABIT CAN CAUSE CLOT: Blood clots deep in the arm veins are rare, but Dutch doctors have seen an unusual case in a 23-year-old woman. According to their letter in the Oct. 24 Lancet, the young woman woke up at 4 a.m. with a painful and swollen right arm. The doctors found a blood clot deep in her arm. Turned out that her boyfriend liked to fall asleep with his head on her shoulder. SUBSTITUTE FOR BONE MARROW: Researchers may have found a substitute for bone marrow in bone marrow transplants. The T-cells from human umbilical cord blood don't recognize the differences between cells, according to University of Arizona researchers, meaning that they won't cause a serious complication common in people who receive bone marrow from donors who aren't relatives. CONNORS SAYS EXERCISE IS KEY: In a sport often dominated by teen talents, Jimmy Connors, now 40, is a stalwart statesman for tennis. But constant questions about when he'll retire bother him. His new exercise book, "Don't Count Yourself Out" (Hyperion, $19.95) is a retort of sorts. "Basically, I'm tired of answering that," he says. ABORTION BILL BEFORE GOVERNOR: The Michigan Senate voted Thursday to restore the rights of Michigan parents and overwhelmingly approved a revised parental consent for abortion bill. The new bill, approved last month by the House, contains a corrected definition of a medical emergency which was cited as unconstitutional by a circuit court judge that enjoined the law earlier this year. LASER PROBED BY FDA: Surgical Laser Technologies Inc., based in Oaks, Pa., said Thursday it will temporarily halt promotion of a laser used to treat blocked urinary track flow caused by an enlarged prostate. The move came after a recent statement from the Food and Drug Administration saying that "no laser device is cleared" for the procedure. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON LABELS: FDA WANTS DETAILED GUIDE: The Food and Drug Administration, in charge of processed food, supports a panel with a detailed nutrient guide on food labels. It would include total calories, calories from fat, fat in grams, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, protein and several vitamins and minerals. It's also likely to tell consumers how much of each key nutrient they should have. USDA WANTS SIMPLE LABELS: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates meat and poultry, wants simpler labels. The food industry wants the labeling changed as little as possible. Jeff Nedelman of the Grocery Manufacturers of America says the FDA's labels will be confusing and that consumers "won't be able to understand them." FDA RECEIVES 30,000 COMMENTS: The stalemate over the label panel is holding up final OK on other key points, including what health claims products can make and definition of terms such as low-fat, light and low-sodium. The FDA has received more than 30,000 comments from the public since it proposed its rules a year ago. (End of package.) 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