Summer Lee’s First House Bill Would Guarantee Hazard Pay for Frontline ‘Healthcare Heroes

“Every time disaster strikes, our healthcare workers show up for us – even when it means putting their own lives at risk. It’s time we show up for them with pay and protection, not just bells and whistles.”

Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) arrives at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. on May 18, 2023, Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.

In her first piece of House legislation, Democratic Pennyslvania Congresswoman Summer Lee on Thursday introduced a bill that would provide hazard pay, protective gear, and transportation for essential U.S. healthcare workers.

The Hazard Pay for Healthcare Heroes Act—co-sponsored by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), with a companion bill introduced in the upper chamber by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) – would empower the Department of Health and Human Services to authorize hazard pay of up to $13 per hour or $25,000 annually per worker. Continue reading

At 23, Cancer Never Crossed My Mind — Until My Diagnosis

In 2022, I was diagnosed with cancer at 23 years old. Here’s what I’ve learned since.

September of 2022, at 23 years old, I was experiencing difficulty breathing and feeling under the weather, which landed me in the emergency room. I had recently been on a bachelorette trip to Vegas which lead me to assume I may have caught an illness considering my flu-like symptoms.

Sure enough, I was diagnosed with acute pneumonia, but little did I know that was not the only diagnoses coming my way. I was experiencing night sweats and swollen lymph nodes, and a 5-cm mass pushing on my bronchial tubes was seen on a CT scan, which lead doctors to perform a biopsy on a lymph node in my neck as well as my bone marrow a few days later. Continue reading

Politics Are KILLING Medicine

(September 15, 2021) Recently I needed to visit the Urgent Care Center here in Front Royal, Virginia. I have gone there two or three times over the past four years, usually waiting around 15 minutes to see a doctor or a nurse. This time the woman at the front desk told me my wait would be between three and four hours. I left, but when I returned the next day – their system was down, and I couldn’t make an appointment – I was again given the same long wait.

Since then, I have looked at their jobs site and discovered they have dozens of positions open ranging from cooks to nurses. Was that shortage caused in part by the corporation’s demand that all their employees receive the vaccine? Continue reading

May 26, 2023: Your Health ~ YOUR Choice!

Warning signs of a heart attack a month before
A heart attack is a medical emergency in which the blood supply to the heart is suddenly blocked. Warning signs that occur a month beforehand could be chest discomfort, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

Every year, around 805,000 people in the United States have a heart attack, or myocardial infarction, roughly one heart attack every 40 seconds.

Heart attacks have distinct symptoms, meaning people can seek emergency treatment immediately upon noticing them. However, while heart attacks occur suddenly, there may be signs ahead of a major cardiac event, such as chest discomfort.

Being aware of these heart attack warning signs can help people seek treatment quickly, improving the chance of a swift and full recovery… (Continue to full article)

Individuals with a long-term high tea consumption trajectory may have lower risk for all-cause mortality
In a recent study published in the Nutrition Journal, researchers investigated whether the protective effects of consuming tea against hypertension and mortality interact with alcohol intake among Chinese individuals.

Tea is an extensively consumed beverage across the globe. Recently published studies have reported the beneficial effects of consuming tea against various medical conditions, including hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and mortality.

However, several factors, such as milk content, smoking habits, coffee intake, lifestyle, and gender, could lower the health benefits of consuming tea… (Continue to full article)

An apple a day really DOES keep the doctor away
Fruit linked with 20 per cent lower risk of becoming frail

Research suggests eating foods that contain certain dietary compounds – such as blackberries and apples – can lower your chances of becoming weak and delicate in older age.

Known as flavonols, these have been linked to a variety of health benefits, and are found in a range of fruit and vegetables… (Continue to full article)

Drug shortages reach ‘public health emergency levels’ across the US with cancer, heart disease and transplant patients all facing lottery for lifesaving meds

Drug shortages across the US have reached ’emergency’ levels, with cancer, heart disease and transplant patients facing a lottery to get hold of lifesaving meds.

Up to 300 drugs are currently in shortage nationwide, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, which is a five-year high.

They include everything from chemotherapy and antibiotics to a sterile fluid used to stop the heart in bypass operations and an antidote to lead poisoning… (Continue to full article)

Drug overdoses now killing the equivalent of a classroom of high schoolers EVERY WEEK – and nine out of 10 are fentanyl
Deadly fentanyl is killing the equivalent of an entire classroom of children every week, staggering figures show.

Fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid that’s 100 times stronger than morphine, is ravaging America’s youth.

A recent study found that fentanyl was responsible for the death of 1,557 children in 2021 — the equivalent of 30 children every week… (Continue to full article)

Does ADHD even EXIST?
It has a huge and powerful lobby which turns with fury on its critics so I know this question will get me into loads of trouble but…

In online consultations, staff had diagnosed a BBC reporter with ADHD — attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — despite an in-person, and far longer, assessment by an NHS psychiatrist concluding that he didn’t have the condition.

The clinics, while charging rather plump fees, seemed to have an extremely relaxed attitude towards diagnosing this increasingly common complaint.

It is a huge issue. ADHD was once mainly confined to children but is now spreading rapidly into the adult populations of the Western world.

The clinics, one of them working on behalf of the overloaded NHS, were also willing to prescribe powerful stimulant drugs on the basis of this… (Continue to full article)

BIG Pharma

Big Pharma Uses Fuzzy Math to Discredit Discount Drug Program
When it comes to 340B, a program granting cheaper medicines to nonprofit healthcare patients, drug industry innumeracy is only rivaled by its greed.

The recent wave of articles on the 340B Drug Pricing Program’s supposedly “out-of-control” growth relies on faulty comparisons and fuzzy math. News reports and opinion columns often cite misleading statistics from 340B opponents.

Drug makers have the entire commercial insurance and federal entitlement drug markets to reap massive profits. Yet the drug industry remains unsatisfied with less-than-outrageous profits for a small slice of prescription drug sales… (Continue to full article)

WHO Advises Not to Use Non-Sugar Sweeteners for Weight Control

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new guideline on non-sugar sweeteners (NSS), which recommends against the use of NSS to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

The recommendation is based on the findings of a systematic review of the available evidence which suggests that use of NSS does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children. Results of the review also suggest that there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use of NSS, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults. Continue reading

Walking at Least 45 Minutes a Day Can Help Prevent Cancer

A study on “inactivity, exercise and malignancies” found that over 46,000 cancer cases in America could have been prevented yearly if more people walked for at least 45 minutes a day.

The study was conducted by researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and Emory University in Atlanta and published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

For the study, the researchers examined cancer incidence and the physical activity habits of almost 600,000 American men and women in every state and the District of Columbia. Findings revealed that at least three percent of common cancers in the country are associated with inactivity. Continue reading

Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer don’t need to rush to surgery or radiation treatments

Out of 1,610 study participants who were followed up on years later, 45 had died from prostate cancer regardless of treatment approach

Men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer who want to avoid immediate surgery or radiation can safely choose to actively monitor the disease as a treatment method, according to a study released Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers in the study determined most men shouldn’t panic or rush to treatment decisions following a diagnosis as the mortality rate from the cancer 15 years later was relatively low regardless of treatment approach. Continue reading

Top 7 types of CANCER cases are SKYROCKETING since humans began getting injected with Covid spike protein jabs

What could possibly cause almost every type of cancer to exacerbate within just months? What toxin are so many humans “consuming” over the past couple years that so many cancer cases are increasing, exponentially? Invasive breast cancer for 2022 was newly diagnosed in over a quarter million women, as incidence rates continue to increase. Also, in 2022, newly diagnosed lung cancer cases exceeded 230,000, as those also continue to increase. Plus, after decades of decline, now prostate cancer cases are on the rise

What in the world is happening? Continue reading

Our Bodies Respond Differently to Food…

A new study aims to find out how…

Genetics, gut microbes and other lifestyle and environmental factors can impact how people’s bodies react to food. An NIH study aims to find out how. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

There’s plenty of one-size-fits-all nutrition advice. But there’s mounting evidence that people respond differently to food, given differences in biology, lifestyle and gut microbiomes.

The National Institutes of Health wants to learn more about these individual responses through a Nutrition for Precision Health study, and this week researchers began enrolling participants to take part in the study at 14 sites across the U.S.

It’s part of the All of Us research initiative that aims to use data from a million participants to understand how differences in our biology, lifestyle and environment can affect our health. Continue reading

Big Medicine pushing women to start getting risky mammograms at age 40, subjecting them to MORE cancer-causing radiation

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released new draft recommendations urging all women to undergo x-ray mammography breast screenings every other year starting at age 40 now, rather than the previous starting age of 50.

Ever since Breast Cancer Awareness Month was first launched in 1985, so-called “cause marketing” campaigns promoting mammography have only increased. It started with older women and has been progressively decreasing to also include younger women. Continue reading

Trebor: Reflection on Life 10 Years After Stem Cell Transplant

Stem Cell Fillings

A decade ago, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and underwent aggressive chemotherapy and an allogenic stem cell transplant. Though I still have complications related to my cancer, I’m thankful for what I still have.

I’m still alive. This was not a given 10 years ago, when I was diagnosed with an aggressive case of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Continue reading

Letter to the Editor: Cancer Treatment Should Be Better Prioritized

What follows below was published on May 10, 2023 in our local-weekly, community newspaper, the West Valley View. As regular readers to Dr. Kelley’s site, and to our Wednesday evening broadcast – many of you will agree with what the author has to say – but there are certain aspects that we will disagree with – one of which deals with her guidance and expectation for CON-gress to commit to what she is suggesting – and hoping for. BIG Pharma buys these elected officials off – hence – her wishes shall not come to pass. It is among our greatest concerns. ~ Ed.

Editor:
As an oncology nurse, I see patients every day who are dealing with various forms of cancer.

We should be doing everything we can to support medical research and drug development so that no family has to face heartbreaking decisions.

Recently, more price-setting policies have been included in President Biden’s health care priorities package. I worry that these additional measures could deprive patients of access to future cancer medicines and hope for a healthier, more comfortable future. Instead, I hope Congress focuses their efforts on one of the biggest headaches for many patients dealing with health issues – pharmacy benefit managers (PBM’s). Prescription drugs play a large role in oncology because many forms of cancer are treated with a combination of medications and care. Continue reading

Medical Schools Look for Activists ~ Not Healers

What qualities should medical schools look for in future doctors? Probably academic excellence, experience in the medical sector, loyalty to medical ethics, and good interpersonal skills.

These are all characteristics that future doctors should have, but they’re not what medical schools now emphasize. Medical schools are looking for social justice zealots to advance the diversity, equity, and inclusion dogma.

Look no further than medical school applications… Continue reading

Sanders Grills Big Pharma CEOs Over Years of Deadly Price Gouging

“We want to know why there are Americans who are dying, or are becoming much sicker than they should, because they can’t afford the medicine they need.”

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday paid his respects to the victims of insulin price gouging in front of the Big Pharma CEOs who are responsible and reiterated the need to make all lifesaving prescription drugs affordable.

Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), opened the panel’s hearing by acknowledging “the many Americans who have needlessly lost their lives because of the unaffordability of insulin” and “the thousands who wound up in emergency rooms and hospitals suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis – a very serious medical condition as a result of rationing their insulin.”

“This is a problem that is unique to the United States.”
Continue reading

Your Health ~ YOUR Choice! ~ May 8, 2023

US experts call for crackdown on ‘gender-bending’ chemicals found in food
These are the other everyday items that are loaded with the toxins

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used in the production of plastics and aluminum cans that is present in a wide range of consumer products, from canned soups to sunglasses.

But experts have known for decades that BPA is an ‘endocrine disruptor’ – meaning it can imitate the body’s hormones and interfere with the production of and response to natural hormones like estrogen…. (Continue to full article)

Sackler family pumped $19 MILLION into agency tasked with opioid regulation
…despite THEIR drug OxyContin fueling the crisis that killed hundreds of thousands.

A renowned advisory group tasked with shaping federal response to the opioid crisis has accepted roughly $19 million in donations from the Sackler family, it has been revealed.

According to the New York Times, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, a nongovernmental institution, accepted donations of millions beginning in 2000.

The Sackler family are the owners of Purdue Pharma, the maker of the addictive opioid Oxycontin… (Continue to full article)

VA pays out $1 billion to ‘burn pit’ veterans after deluge of half a million claims over cancer, hypertension, and other woes in biggest military compensation shakeup in decades
The VA has paid out $1 billion to veterans since it upgraded a compensation scheme last year for those sickened by toxic chemicals in Iraq, Afghanistan and other campaigns.

Veterans have filed more than 500,000 claims for benefits under the PACT Act, which let many more veterans exposed to burn pits and other battlefield pollutants claim disability benefits.

The scale of the payouts, which the VA announced, marks the US government’s growing acknowledgement of the invisible threats endured by combatants that were for decades largely ignored… (Continue to full article)

From eating dairy and spicy food to doing squats simple steps to speed up metabolism
People often tell me that, despite eating healthily, they continue to put on weight — and they wonder if this could be because their metabolism has slowed down.

Though I’ve long been sceptical about this, a remarkable new study published in the journal Nature suggests there really is something in that claim.

In fact, according to the researchers’ calculations, men are burning about 220 calories less a day and women 122 calories less, compared with what people the same size and shape would have done in the 1980sTEE Energy
… (Continue to full article)

‘Dangerous levels’ of toxic metals are lurking in your favorite store-bought juices, plant-based milks, teas and sodas, study warns
Sodas, fruit juices and plant-based milk at your local grocery store may be packed with toxic metals, a study suggests.

Researchers at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, found toxic metals such as arsenic and cadmium in all 60 store-bought drinks they tested.

Five had ‘dangerous levels’ of the chemicals, with the worst offenders being juices, plant-based milks, teas and sodas… (Continue to full article)