Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Tue, Jun 16 1992 Date: Tue, 16 Jun 92 05:20:20 EDT Message-ID: 06-16 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update June 16, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network HEALING METHODS TO BE STUDIED: The National Institutes of Health begins a new era Wednesday. For the first time, it will systematically explore unconventional medical practices, decide which are effective and begin putting some of them into mainstream medicine. Stephen Groft, who heads the new effort, said a panel of experts will study many methods long scoffed at by traditional doctors. (For more, see special Healing package below.) SHOW LOOKS AT INSEMINATION: An estimated 1 million people in the USA are here thanks to artificial insemination. But on Tuesday's "Dateline NBC," (10 EDT:PDT) correspondent Deborah Roberts looks at the procedure's darker side. "The donor gets paid. The parents get a child they can cherish, but the child gets a life basically clouded in secrecy" because sperm donors' names are withheld, she says. SURROGATE PAY BILL CONSIDERED: A New York Assembly panel Tuesday will consider a bill backed by Gov. Mario Cuomo to ban surrogate parenting for profit, two months after a state report concluded New York has become "a national center" for the practice. But the nation's most active surrogate-parenting broker, Noel Keane, says he'll just move to another state and predicts a high demand for his services will continue. ROTARIANS LAUNCH AIDS CAMPAIGN: About 18,000 Rotarians gather in Orlando, Fla., this week to help steer the nation's oldest service club where few conservative business groups have gone before: Into the battle against AIDS. Rotary's AIDS education campaign is designed to help convince conservative politicians the AIDS fight is not solely the province of gay activists and laboratory researchers. STATES WANT RESTRICTIONS WAIVED: State officials Monday urged a Senate panel to allow them to set up their own health-care reforms. The officials are impatient because the Bush Administration and Congress have been slow to pass health-care legislation. Monday, they asked the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health for Families and the Uninsured to waive restrictions on spending federal money. HEALTH CARE MEETING TO BEGIN: A three-day national meeting on health care issues affecting the African-American community begins Wednesday in Philadelphia. The gathering, called "A National Agenda: Summit on Health Care," runs through Friday at the Penn Tower Hotel. The Department of Public Health of the city of Philadelphia and Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity are co-conveners. HMO TO OFFER WEIGHT-LOSS PLAN: Chicago HMO Ltd. has contracted with Nutri:System for a discount on weight-loss services for its 240,000 members. Under an exclusive contract with Nutri:System that runs through Jan. 1, 1993, employees who work at about 1,000 Chicago companies will pay half price for services including nutrition counseling, behavior education and a year of supervised weight maintenance. WALLETS WILL BE THINNER: Americans will be spending more to lose weight in the future, according to projections from Marketdata Enterprises. In 1990, $2 billion was spent on commercial weight-loss items. The projection for 1996 is $3.2 billion. In 1990, $2 billion was spent on diet foods. In 1996, $3.2 billion will be spent. In 1990, $1.5 billion went for appetite suppressants; in 1996, $2.8 billion is projected. NEW BREAST CANCER TEST FOUND: A new way to detect genetic changes associated with more lethal forms of breast cancer has been reported by UC San Francisco scientists, raising hope that clinicians may be able to use tests to tailor treatment decisions for cancer patients according to the genetic patterns exhibited by their tumors. The UCSF team was able to see and count extra copies of a gene that promotes tumor growth. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON HEALING: ACUPUNCTURE TO BE STUDIED: A National Institutes of Health study will look at unconventional medical practices such as acupuncture, naturopathy, homeopathy, Ayurvedic medicine, reflexology, massage therapy and Chinese herbal remedies. "Many scientists are actually excited to see that alternative methods are being scientifically evaluated," said Stephen Groft, who heads the effort. PANEL TO HEAR FROM PUBLIC: Members of Groft's panel will hear from practitioners and the public at open hearings Wednesday and Thursday in Bethesda, Md. Panel members include mind-body pioneers Dr. Bernie Siegel, Dr. Depak Chopra and Dr. Dean Ornish. Ornish said: "The task is to assess the scientific evidence already available, determine whether more research is worthwhile and give priority to funding." CONTEXT IS IMPORTANT: Ornish proved two years ago that heart blockages could be reversed by a 10% fat diet, exercise and meditation to relieve stress. But he was refused funding by NIH when he first proposed the idea. "Initially we were told that it was impossible," said Ornish. "Whether you are considered on the fringe or on the leading edge is sometimes a matter of perspective and context." SOME THINGS ARE WRONG: Naturopathic Dr. Carlo Calibrese, who will testify before the panel, said he is eager to have naturopathy scrutinized. The 100-year-old medical practice is based on natural remedies, counseling, vitamin megadoses and other holistic practices. "In the alternative medicine field there is real value and there is stuff that's simply wrong," said Calibrese. (End of package.) Health Editor: Ed Kelleher. (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