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Can Genetics Play a Role in Osteoporosis?

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Earlier this month, I reported about how to help prevent hip fractures as you get older. The post dealt mostly with the effects of osteoporosis, which affects millions of older women and men, but mostly women. Many women lose bone density during pregnancy leaving their bones less dense, thinner and more fragile, making them more susceptible to bone fractures.

Quite often, osteoporosis is attributed to diet and lack of activity. You can find a plethora of posts on the internet that tell women to take their calcium and to use resistant exercises such as weight lifting to help fight of this crippling and deadly condition.

Many women react negatively to the idea of weight lifting, saying they don’t want to develop ‘manly’ looking muscles which take away from their feminine appearance. However, that’s not necessary. There are a variety of weight lifting exercises that can be done on a regular basis with medium weights that won’t build the manly muscles. However, it’s important to do something like weight lifting or resistance exercises as they can increase the bone density in the bones, and this can literally save a woman from painful and debilitating bone fractures and even death.

The question has been raised who is most susceptible to developing osteoporosis?

According to one report:

“Many persons suffer from this gradual loss of bone density, but when we look for people who are most at risk of showing symptoms of osteoporosis, the groups identified are usually postmenopausal women, the elderly, people who consume low calcium in their diet, people with diseases of lungs or kidneys, and people frequently using medicines like antacids or steroids.”

The same report also identified four categories of people with a higher risk of developing the disease. They are:

  1. Age
  2. Heredity
  3. Unhealthy lifestyle and diet
  4. Medications and diseases

Many women may be surprised to learn that the risk of developing osteoporosis can be an inherited trait. This question just came up when my wife visited her sister. My wife is 66 and her sister is 89, but they hadn’t had the opportunity to see each other for over 25 years.

My wife’s mom developed osteoporosis and lost 6 inches in height in her later years. The loss of height was due to her vertebra compressing down and numerous broken ribs that would not heal. Her loss of height caused her esophagus to fold back and forth, making it impossible for her to swallow food or liquids. She spent the last two years of her life taking her nourishment through a feeding tube that had been surgically inserted through her side and into her stomach. At 89-years of age, she fell and fractured her hip. It was surgically repaired but while recuperating in the hospital, her heart gave out and she passed away.

While visiting her sister, my wife found out that her sister too had lost 6 inches in height due to osteoporosis and recently fell and broke a hip. My wife said that when she saw her sister, she saw her mom at the same age.

Several years ago, my wife was told that her one hip showed signs of early osteoporosis. She started taking calcium supplements and has tried to get more active.

So, can the tendency to develop osteoporosis really be hereditary or is it just diet, medications and lifestyle?

A number of sources say that there is a genetic link to osteoporosis. Here is one report:

“Many studies find that osteoporosis and symptoms that include bone fractures or constant falls is linked to the genes. As the disease is genetic, the possibility that osteoporosis can be hereditary is clear, and a person with a family history of bone fracture or loss of bone density issue has a greater risk of developing the condition. People with a family history of osteoporosis, especially those with a small and frail body structure, are at the greatest risk of suffering from decreased bone density even at an early age.” 

“There is constant research of heredity-related osteoporosis or the hereditary symptoms of reduced bone density. A recent study concluded that around 56 genetic variants are found to be linked to osteoporosis, which means causes of bone weakening, loss in bone density, symptoms of falls and bone fractures may clearly be linked to heredity.”

Knowing that there may be a genetic risk of developing osteoporosis, it’s even more important to take the necessary precautions. Take the right kind of calcium supplement, check any medications you are taking for risk factors and exercise regularly. It’s also important to get regular bone scans that will let you know if you have or are developing osteoporosis.

After learning of her sister’s osteoporosis and the possible genetic risk, this morning, my wife went to have another bone scan to see if there is any further sign of osteoporosis. Neither of us want to see her go through what her mother and sister have gone through.

Will Your Healthcare Insurance Cover Surgical Mistakes?

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Currently, everyone is wondering what’s going to happen to their healthcare coverage. If you have employer provided coverage, then you are in a great situation. If you don’t have employer provided healthcare coverage, then your healthcare coverage is truly up in the air, waiting to see what Republicans are going to end up with to push on the American people.

Will you be able to afford coverage under a new GOPcare plan? Will your policy cover the costs of any surgical mistakes made by doctors operating on you? Maybe you should also be asking if there is anything you can do to help prevent surgical mistakes from happening to you?

Doctors and surgeons have a great deal of schooling and continuous training to hone their skills, but they are human and do make mistakes. Many joke and say that’s why they call it ‘practicing’ medicine instead of actually performing medicine.

In case you’ve never thought about it, a study conducted last year by Johns Hopkins found that medical errors account for 10% of all deaths in the US; as many as 250,000 deaths a year in the United States, making it the third leading cause of death in the US.

When a doctor prescribes a treatment for something such as an illness, do you just blindly take whatever medication is prescribed or do your take time to research what they are and what side effects they may have? Sometimes, taking the wrong medication can only lead to more and serious health issues.

Among the mistakes doctors and surgeons make is what’s called ‘wrong-site surgery’. This happens when a doctor operates on the wrong person or on the wrong part of the body. The consequences of ‘wrong-site surgery’ can be extremely harmful and even deadly.

One example was a man who had been having pain in one of his testicles. The doctor found it had atrophied after being injured years early and scheduled surgery to remove it. Turns out the surgeon removed his healthy testicle, leaving him permanently sterile and short of vital male hormones.

We’ve all heard stories of doctors removing or operating on wrong organs, the wrong leg, wrong arm, etc. So, what can you as he patient do to protect yourself?

1.) Ask lots of questions. Don’t go into any medical procedure or operation if you have any questions or concerns that haven’t been answered. You have the right to learn as much as you can before undergoing a scalpel or laser or anything else.

2.) Detail everything.  Not only should you make sure you know as much as possible and gather all of the information you need, but you also need to make sure the doctor or surgeon knows everything he or she needs to know. Tell them of every medical condition and reaction you’ve ever had. Also make sure they know about every medication and over the counter medicines, vitamins and supplements you take. You and your doctor may be unaware that something you are taking could impact the procedure and/or recovery.

3.) Know your surgeon or doctor before any procedure. Frequently, your doctor may arrange for you to have surgery with a surgeon you’ve never met. If the surgeon doesn’t know you, how will he or she know they are operating on the right person?

4.) Research the procedure. Learn as much as you can about whatever procedure you are about to have. Sometimes research can find a less invasive or cheaper procedure than the one you are about to have.

5.) Find a specialist. Don’t let a general surgeon cut you open. Find someone who specializes in the procedure you are having. The better experienced a specialist is, the less likely he or she may make any mistakes.

6.) Highlight the surgery site yourself. If allowed by the doctor or surgeon, mark or highlight the area or part of your body that is about to be operated on. If it’s the right leg, then mark the right leg and if necessary, write on your other leg – WRONG LEG.

7.) Have a friend or family member with you. Don’t go it alone. Not only should you bring a friend of family member, but make sure they know as much as you do about the procedure you are having.

8.) Ask your insurance provider if your policy covers medical mistakes and correcting them. Not every policy does.

Do everything you can to prepare yourself and whoever is going to accompany you, for whatever procedure you are having. The more you know, the better you can help prevent mistakes on the part of your doctor or surgeon. It may save you a lot of money and a lot of misery.

Healthy Kids: Avoiding Summer Weight Gain

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[Citizen-Times] — Naturally you would think that it would be easy for your child to stay healthy and not gain weight over summer break.

Over the summer there are more opportunities to get outdoors, have access to fresher and more cost effective fruits and vegetables, and there isn’t as much hustle to get to school or other activities. However, there is more research coming out that children are gaining at a faster rate over the summer than during the school year.

One study looked at 18,000 kids from kindergarten to second grade and tracked their body mass index (BMI). It found that obesity increased from 8.9 percent to 11.5 percent over that time period with all the accelerated gain being over the two summer months.

Some reasons could be more frequent snacking — increased calories, more screen time, less activity and poor sleep schedules. Kids get bored or stay up later than usual and want something to snack on. Calories from several snacks per day can add up quickly. Just 1 ounce of chips (one serving) is 140 calories, and not that many of us eat only 1 ounce. If you then drink something along with your snack, like juice or soda, that adds another 100-150 calories. So eating 200-300 calories twice or more per day over two months can really increase weight gain.

Different levels of activity also change in the summer. A lot of kids are spending more time in front of the screen — computers, tablets, phones, video games or TV. Kids complain about how hot it is during the day, which can prevent a child from wanting to go outside. Summer camps are great, but are usually only for one or two weeks at a time. Sitting for 8-10 hours, then going out for 30 minutes to an hour doesn’t undo those many hours not being active

What can we do as parents?

Better snacks. Try to have healthy snack options and limit the number per day. Choose low-calorie snacks that are filling, like fruit, low-fat yogurt, half sandwiches and vegetables with light dressing or other healthy dip like salsa or hummus. Limit the higher-calorie junk foods and encourage drinking water throughout the day.

Screen breaks. Encourage your child to take frequent breaks from the screen — going for a quick walk, bike ride or play a sport for 20-30 minutes every few hours. Breaking up the activity is much easier than trying to do several hours at once. The recommended screen time limit is two hours per day. If it’s hot, find a cool water activity to do like water balloons, sprinklers, small pools or the local swimming pool.

Keep on schedule. Having the same sleep and meal routine is best. Waking and going to bed around the same time every night is shown to prevent increased appetite and keep the BMI low. Having family meals also promotes healthy eating habits.

Andrea Branton, RD, LDN, is a pediatric dietitian at Mission Children’s Hospital. To learn more about the services at Mission Children’s Hospital, visit missionchildrens.org.

How Scorpion Venom Could Help Save Lives and Millions of Dollars

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When I attended university, I used to volunteer in the venomous animal lab. Among the many things I got to do, I helped milk a variety of venomous snakes including several species of rattlesnakes and cobras. The venom was used for the production of anti-venom and for medical research, as there are many different properties found in venom, some which have been medically useful.

In addition to milking snakes for their venom, I spent a lot of time milking scorpions for their venom. I’ve had many people ask me how do you milk a scorpion and I jokingly respond with a very short stool. Actually, the proper way is to gently pick up the scorpion by the tail with a pair of forceps, but you have to make sure you don’t squeeze to tightly and injure the scorpion. Then you place a very small hollow glass tube called a pipette up to the tip of the scorpion’s stinger and then touch the venom sac, located just below the stinger, against a very low voltage current. The electricity causes the venom sac to contract, expelling the venom which is then collected in the pipette.

The amount of venom is small, since the scorpions are small. We concentrated on local scorpions, mostly the larger hairy scorpion and the smaller and more deadly bark scorpion. It takes many scorpions to produce a gram of venom, which is then used for anti-venom and medical research. During my time there, I estimate that I milked at least half a million scorpions and never got stung while doing it.

That’s why the latest news on the use of scorpion venom in targeting cancer cells was so interesting to me.

Researchers discovered a compound in the venom of the death stalker scorpion that when combined with a dye that glows and then injected into a patient with cancer, it adheres to just the cancer cells. This allows doctors to use very treatments, including surgery, against the cancer cells or tumor without injuring or harming normal healthy tissue.

Researchers involved in the discovery said:

“It really has the potential to very much change how we do care.”

Dr. Rowena Schwartz, a doctor at the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy commented on the new discovery:

“The excitement of it is that it’s a way to identify tumor tissue separate from healthy tissue.”

“I think it’s because a chemo toxin was identified was bound to the cancer tissue, and not to normal cells.”

“To take a venom from a scorpion and synthetically make it without the poison and then hook it to something that can be florescent under a laser light, means that then you can visualize it.” 

“As we learn more about cancer cells and the difference between non-cancer cells, it gives you potential targets for treatment and in this case targets for visualization. And I think that’s one of the most exciting things that’s going on in cancer.”

The new targeting technique is still being tested, but if the tests continue to show the results they have so far, it could make a huge impact in cancer treatment. What’s more, it could save hundreds of millions of dollars in medical bills and healthcare costs.

One of the major drawbacks in treating cancer these days is the harming or destruction of surrounding healthy tissue. Quite often, much of the healing of the damaged healthy tissue adds to the lengthy recovery process and worse. The loss of healthy normal tissue can result in other medical complications.

If doctors could clearly see just the cancer cells and be able to differentiate them from surrounding healthy tissue, it would make removing just the cancer much easier and less invasive.

As Republicans in Congress try to come up with a workable and affordable replacement for Obamacare, the use of scorpion venom in marking of cancer cells, could drastically reduce the overall cost of a nationalized healthcare program, which in the long run, could save taxpayers millions of dollars.

Natural Way to Fight Back Pain

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Are you like so many other women who find that as you grow older that you have more aches and pains than you used to? After years of lifting kids, groceries, carrying heavy laundry baskets, house cleaning, of standing on your feet or sitting in an uncomfortable chair all day at work, does your back ache more than it used it to?

Do you find it necessary to see a chiropractor or a massage therapist to help you cope with your aching back? Are you taking pain medication or muscle relaxers for your back pain? Treating back pain is a multi-million-dollar industry and growing.

Millions of people suffer from back pain, especially as they get older. There are many causes for back pain. It could be due to aging and damaged discs in your back. I know from experience.

From the base of your skull and down, your spine has 23 intervertebral discs. There are 6 cervical discs in the neck, 12 thoracic discs in the upper and middle back and 5 lumbar discs in the lower back They act as cushions and spacers between the vertebra and are important in allowing space for nerves and blood vessels to radiate out from the spine to the rest of the body.

Personally, 11 of my 23 discs are damaged and yes, I live with constant back pain. One of my lumbar discs has a slight herniation. Three of my cervical discs are herniated and 2 more are bulging. Then there are five thoracic discs right between my shoulder blades that have been compressed nearly flat. As a result, I not only suffer from back pain, but have regular pinched nerves in my neck and muscle spasms in my back and neck/shoulder. It has left me with limited range of motion of my right arm and sometimes tingling and numbness in several of the fingers on my right hand.

Trust me, I am very familiar with back pain. However, pain medications are no help to me as I have a genetic immunity to the majority of pain killers. I’ve visited a chiropractor and have to admit that he’s very good, but as soon as I get home and try to resume normal activities, most of what the chiropractor has fixed becomes unfixed. I’ve tried acupuncture and have to admit I was a huge skeptic at first. However, I found that acupuncture did relieve a lot of my back pain and for the first couple of nights after treatment, I actually came close to getting a good night’s sleep for the first time in years. But the acupuncture is like the chiropractor, once I resume my normal activities, it’s all undone and the back pains return.

Back specialists and surgeons have told me that surgery is not an option due to the fact that so many of my discs, and one of my vertebra, are damaged and that it would take too much surgery and probably reduce my flexibility a great deal.

Consequently, I have learned to live with the pain, although there are many days that it’s difficult to function, but I do the best I can. That’s why this latest study caught my attention and may be something I’ll have to look into.

So, what is the possible natural way to relieve some or all back pain? According to this study, the answer is yoga, tai chi and/or massage therapy:

“Who was in the study? Researchers recruited 320 racially diverse, predominantly low-income participants in the Boston area, all of whom had chronic low back pain. The study lasted one year.”

“What did participants in the study do? Participants were divided into three groups. One group was assigned to a weekly yoga class for 12 weeks. Another group was assigned 15 physical therapy (PT) visits. The third group received an educational book and newsletters. For the remainder of the year — roughly 40 weeks — participants in the yoga group were assigned to either drop-in classes or home practice. The PT group was assigned to either “PT booster sessions” or home practice.”

“The skinny: Researchers assessed changes in pain and function using a 23-point questionnaire. The participants in the yoga and physical therapy groups had about the same amount of improvement in pain and functioning over time.”

“When the study began, about 70 percent of the patients were taking some form of pain medication. At the end of three months, when the yoga classes were wrapping up, the percentage of yoga and PT participants still taking pain medication had dropped to about 50 percent. By comparison, the use of pain medication did not decline among participants in the education group.”

Rob Saper, Author of the study and Director of Integrative Medicine at Boston Medical Center said the reduction in the need for pain medication was significant, but may not be the panacea cure-all everyone hopes for. He recommended that If you do consider yoga classes, to concentrate on the ones that deal largely with poses and relaxation techniques. They are safer and help stretch the muscles in the back which helps reduce muscle inflammation and pain.

As for physical therapy compared to yoga, Saper stated:

“PT is the most common referral that physicians make for patients with back pain. It’s accepted, it’s reimbursed, and it’s offered in most hospitals.”

However, yoga may be longer lasting if practiced on a regular basis, whereas physical therapy can be short lived and sessions limited. Saper recommends that more healthcare insurance companies provide coverage for yoga classes as that they may not only save the insurance company money in the long run, but gives the person something they can use for the rest of their lives to help fight back pain. Yoga can be a win-win natural medical aid for those of you with back pain.

Coconut Oil Better ON Your Body Than IN Your Body

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For the past few years, coconut oil has been touted as one of the superfoods to be used in most of your cooking needs. It has become the oil of choice for many Paleo diets, making it fashionable among the health conscious trendy set.

After all, coconut oil is loaded with vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps removes free radicals and toxins from the body. It’s known to help with eye disorders such as cataracts, premenstrual syndrome, neurological diseases, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, to name just a few.

Coconut oil also contains:

Lauric acid which is supposed to help fight infections and is good for the skin.

Caprylic, a fatty acid that works as an anti-fungal agent.

Proteins which are considered good for the body.

What many like is that coconut oil is also somewhat affordable.

Coconut oil has a pleasant aroma that can fill a room with a wonderful fragrance.

Lastly, coconut oil is tropical and helps with the trendy image of being health conscious. So why wouldn’t anyone want to rush right out and buy some coconut oil and become a trendy, fashionable health conscious person?

I did! I was using extra-virgin olive oil, but after hearing a number of reports on the wonderful benefits of coconut oil, I went out and bought a couple jars of coconut oil, believing I was being healthier.

However, coconut oil is a saturated fat. Yes, it’s been touted as being a ‘good’ saturated fat and better for you than other saturated fats like butter and beef fat (lard), so, is it the superfood it’s supposed to be? In fact, coconut oil contains more saturated fat (82%) than butter (63%) and beef fat (50%) and pork lard (39%).

Not according to a new report that says that coconut oil is best put on your body but not in your body.

The American Heart Association has issued a warning about using coconut oil. In fact, they have recommended NOT using coconut oil for cooking or eating. They based their recommendation on seven studies using coconut oil. In all seven trials, using coconut oil actually raised the levels of LDL, also known as bad cholesterol. LDL is the stuff that clogs arteries and causes heart attacks and/or leads to heart by-pass surgeries.

Dr. Frank Sachs, the lead author of the AHA report on coconut oil, stated:

“We want to set the record straight on why well-conducted scientific research overwhelmingly supports limiting saturated fat in the diet to prevent diseases of the heart and blood vessels.”

Sachs and others recommend using olive or sunflower oils and spreads. Switching from coconut oil to olive or sunflower oil has been shown to lower LDL by nearly the same magnitude as some cholesterol-lowering medications.

However, Sachs did not say to stop using coconut oil or to throw out the coconut oil you have setting on your shelf. He did say:

“You can put it on your body, but don’t put it in your body.”

Middle-Age Fatigue Can Be Serious

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These days, by the time many women reach 40-years of age, they feel tired and fatigued and generally dismiss it as the result of raising a family, caring for a house and working. After spending 40 hours a week on the job, women come home to their husband and kids. They cook dinner and clean up afterwards. They do the laundry. They run the kids to soccer, band, cheerleader, choir, football and other extracurricular activities. She also has to do the shopping and keep the house clean and organized. By the time her head hits the pillow, she’s exhausted and goes to sleep thinking about doing it all over again the next day.

Yes, working moms are the busiest people in the world and far too often, they don’t get the credit they deserve nor do they get the time to rest and relax.

But is this exhaustion just a sign of a busy hectic life of working, raising a family and taking care of a house or could it be more serious than that?

Sadly, when many women go to see their doctor about their tiredness or fatigue, they don’t get much sympathy. Most doctors are also tired and fatigued and tend to dismiss their patients’ complaints as the result of a busy life. Sometimes, they will draw blood and test for things like anemia (low iron levels) and thyroid problems (especially if they are overweight). Low thyroid levels can result in feeling tired, but generally is associated with a low metabolism and weight gain. However, that’s not always the case as one woman I know was underweight when the blood work said she had low thyroid. The doctor was so surprised that he drew blood a second time and had it run again, and yes, this very slender and underweight woman was tired because of a low thyroid level. Once on medication, she wasn’t as tired all the time as she was before.

However, chronic fatigue can affect many women and if left unchecked and untreated, chronic fatigue can lead to a downward spiral of the woman’s health. It can weaken her immune system, lead to early aging and increase risk of diseases like heart disease.

Over time, the symptoms of fatigue can build and get worse over time. Knowing what to watch for can prompt you to get help if you find yourself with some of these symptoms of fatigue:

  • Feelings of exhaustion (mental and physical)
  • Being tired in the morning, even after a full night’s sleep
  • Feeling rundown or overwhelmed
  • Inability to bounce back or recover from illness or stress
  • Headaches
  • Joint pain
  • Uncharacteristic muscle soreness after physical exertion
  • Depressed mood, loss of energy, or “blah-ness”
  • Poor short-term memory, confusion, irritability
  • Lightheadedness or a “spacey” feeling
  • Strong food cravings (particularly for sweets or other carbs)
  • Dependence on caffeine, sugar or alcohol, especially in the afternoon and early evening
  • “Second winds” after 6:00 pm

Causes of Chronic fatigue can include lack of sleep, poor nutrition, dehydration, stress and inactivity. If you feel like you may have chronic fatigue, take a good look at everything you do and eat and then try making some changes. Make sure you get enough sleep. Find some way to help relieve the stresses of the job, busy life and relationships – sometimes exercising and meditation can be a big help. Stress can also lead to a deficiency in dietary nutrients, so make sure you take the right supplements to give your body what you need. Drink enough water to prevent dehydration and take time to exercise. Exercising helps relieve stress, helps overall body health, especially the heart and bones and helps to prevent weight gain, lowers risk of diabetes and other diseases. In cases of severe chronic fatigue, sometimes a change of job is necessary.

If these don’t work, see your doctor and make sure he or she just doesn’t blow you off. One way or another, there is a cause or causes for your chronic fatigue and you need to find someone who can detect what that cause or causes are. Don’t just accept that working women are tired, because that attitude can lead to an early grave.

What are the Obamacare Taxes GOP Considering Keeping?

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There has been a lot of talk over the past week about the possibility of the Senate Republicans keeping many or all of the taxes that were hidden in Obamacare. But what are those taxes and why were they in Obamacare to begin with?

When Barack Obama ran for the White House, he promised that he would not raise taxes on middle and lower-class Americans. Then he turned around and tried to hide 20 different tax increases in the Affordable Care Act, most of which directly and indirectly impact the middle and lower-class people. Publicly, it appeared that Obama was keeping his promise not to raise taxes on most of us, while secretly, he was raising taxes, enough to generate close $1 trillion a year.

And now, reports are indicating that the GOP Senators working on their healthcare plan to replace Obamacare, will likely keep most, if not all, of those hidden tax increases.

Obamacare contains at least 20 different provisions which either raise existing taxes or creates new ones and many of these affect Americans making less than $250,000 per year which is his definition of middle class. Worse yet is that five of these taxes will impact the elderly the most; who in most cases can least afford it.

First is an increase tax on dividends which began on January 2013. The prior tax rate for dividend income was 15%, but that increased to 39.6% for anyone receiving dividend income. Previously, taxpayers 55 years and older received nearly 70% of paid dividends according to an analysis of IRS data. Anyone making more than $250,000 per year now have to pay an additional 3.8% surtax on dividends which makes their dividend tax a whopping 43.4%.

The second tax also took effect in 2013 and that is the medical device excise tax. All medical device manufactures now pay an excise tax on all of the medial devices they produce such as wheelchairs, pacemakers, walkers, knee braces, back braces, insulin pumps, home hospital beds, etc. Seniors are the largest purchasers of these devices and will assuredly see the prices for them increase to offset the taxes paid by the manufacturers.

The third tax issue that is being felt by all Americans is the reduction in the allowable medical itemized deductions on your federal income taxes. Previously, taxpayers had to subtract 7.5% of their adjustable gross income from their itemized medical deductions. As of 2013, everyone has to subtract 10% of the adjustable gross income instead of 7.5%, thus reducing the amount of medical deductions one can claim on their federal income taxes. If a couples adjusted gross income was $50,000 a year, they have to subtract $5,000 from the medical expenses instead of the $3,750, a difference of $1,250, which is a lot for many families and seniors. Again, according to IRS figures, about 60% of those claiming itemized medical deductions are 55-years-old and older.

The fourth tax to impact the elderly the most was the excise tax penalty for those who were not in compliance with the individual mandate part of Obamacare. As of 2014 those individuals who do not have qualified health insurance will pay a penalty in the form of an excise tax when filing their federal income taxes. In 2016, that penalty was increase to 2.5% of your adjusted gross income or $1,390 for anyone making less than $55,600 per year. A number of younger retirees are not old enough for Medicare and no longer are covered by their former employer’s coverage. This group is going to get hit the hardest. Additionally, many elderly are trying to survive on very tight budgets and cannot afford any kind of health insurance. This excise tax will also hit them hard.

The fifth tax is commonly referred to as the Cadillac Plan excise tax which is scheduled to take effect in 2018. Believe it or not, this plan will impose a 40% excise tax on high –cost insurance plans. For senior couples, this means if you are paying more than $29,450 for a family plan, you will be imposed a 40% excise tax for your exorbitant health insurance. A single senior paying more than $11,500 a year will also be slapped with the 40% excise tax. Seniors with extra insurance to cover such things as cancer and chronic illnesses or disabilities will be the ones most likely to be gouged with the Cadillac Plan excise tax. In other words, if you are paying for extra coverage to cover life threatening illnesses and disabilities, you either need to lower your coverage so it will cost you more out of pocket or Obamacare will tax you more which will cost you more out of pocket.

Mind you that these five taxes are all on top of the other fifteen taxes that will affect everyone including seniors. It’s just that these five will hit seniors harder than they will the rest of Americans.

President Trump is promising a new healthcare plan that will be great for everyone, but if that’s the case, then why keep the hidden taxes which hurts seniors and many middle and lower-class Americans? It doesn’t make sense, but when you realize that any form of nationalized healthcare is a socialist plan, then you quickly realize that no replacement will be good for the people or the economy.

MRI Dye Can Kill, and Nearly Did [VIDEO]

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Many years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting actor Chuck Norris several times. He was always very pleasant, polite and friendly. Those are memories, like many of us who meet and speak with a famous celebrity, that we will always cherish.

That’s why when I saw a news story about how having several MRIs almost killed Norris’s wife, Gena, I listened intently to the report from investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson.

After having some routine medical tests, Gena didn’t feel right. In the interview with Attkisson, she stated:

“I just heard that still small voice deep inside of me that said, Gena your body is dying. And I walked out of the bathroom and he just took one look at me and he knew; I’m about to lose my wife.”

Chuck Norris added:

“Well I saw death in her eyes. I saw her dying and I said, you know, I’ve got to do something.”

Gena Norris suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Doctors had ordered three different MRIs to determine the degree of her arthritis. No problem, millions of Americans get MRIs all the time. And many of those MRIs, like the ones that Gena had, used gadolinium dye. It’s used as a contrast dye to help doctors sew what’s going on inside. In fact, contrast dyes like gadolinium are used in about a third of the 60 million MRIs performed every year.

Supposedly, gadolinium dye is harmless and is quickly (within hours) passed out of the body in one’s urine. However, in Gena’s case, the dye was not passed out of her body, but accumulated at dangerous levels and after three MRIs with dye, she felt like she had been poisoned and in fact, she had. She told Attkisson:

“I was in the emergency room for like 5 or 6 nights in a row and the symptoms had continued to get worse and worse. And by the fourth, fifth, sixth night, the burning just kept traveling and I would go in and they’d say, well what’s wrong with you? And I’m like I, I don’t know. I don’t feel good. And I’m just, I’m burning. I, that’s all I can tell you is I’m burning all over. I feel like I have acid everywhere in my tissues, I’m just, I’m on fire.”

At the hospital, they tested her for everything under the sun, including cancer, Parkinson’s, ALS and multiple sclerosis, but all the tests came back negative. In desperation, Gena began her own investigation into what possible could be wrong and found literature citings of being poisoned by a toxic metal during MRIs. The toxic metal is gadolinium, the common dye given to her and millions of others.

Again, Gena described what happened next:

“When we got to the hospital in Houston this last time, and I’m so bad and I said, listen, I am sober enough in my thinking right now, because I had such brain issues going on, I said I’m only going to be able to tell you this one time and I need you to listen to me very closely. I have been poisoned with gadolinium or by gadolinium and we don’t have much time to figure out how to get this out of my body or I am going to die.”

It took intensive treatment at a Reno hospital and then some alternative medicine in China to bring Gena back to life and restore some of her health.

Chuck and Gena explained that most healthcare insurance policies do cover MRIs and the use of the dye, but few cover the treatment someone like Gena needs to overcome the poisoning caused by the gadolinium dye.

In 2007, the FDA placed a warning on gadolinium dye, saying it was not to be used for people with weak or compromised kidney function. However, during their research, Chuck and Gena discovered that many people have gotten ill, some seriously, from the dye, just like Gena, and most did not have weakened or compromised kidney function.

The use of the gadolinium contrast dye demonstrates a major concern with many healthcare policies. The policies cover the use of the dyes, but not the treatment from being poisoned by the dyes. Why? It’s our bureaucratic system and the greed of the insurance companies.  Will this be fixed with the new GOP healthcare plan to replace Obamacare? Doubtful it will. Perhaps a reason to contact your Senator now and bring this issue to their attention.

WARNING: Harmful Effects of Legalizing Marijuana

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If you listen to the mainstream media, you would think that legalizing marijuana is a win-win situation for everyone. They claim that marijuana has many beneficial medicinal purposes by legalizing it, and those who need it for medical purposes should have greater access. It also brings in needed tax revenue to cities, counties and states. Legalizing marijuana prevents many people from facing jail time and criminal records for possession and use of marijuana. The media and marijuana advocates say that there are no negatives or harmful effects of legalizing marijuana.

Don’t forget that this is the same mainstream media that ignored the many crimes committed by Barack Obama and many within his administration, including Hillary Clinton. This is the same media that praised Bill Clinton for his adulterous affair in the Oval Office and crucified former Vice President Dan Quayle for misspelling a word.

Colorado legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational use three and half years ago, so let’s take a quick look at the impact that has had.

On January 1, 2014, Colorado legalized the medical and recreational use of Marijuana. They claimed that it would add millions of dollars to the state’s revenue via state taxes which includes a 2.9% sales tax, 10% special sales tax and 15% excise tax, meaning the state would collect $27.90 for every $100 of recreational marijuana sold in the Rocky Mountain state.

In April 2014, 19-year-old foreign exchange student Levy Thamba plunged off a hotel balcony and died after eating legally purchased marijuana laced cookies. After eating just one cookie, Thamba became agitated and ran out onto the balcony and over the edge, falling to his death. The pot-laced cookies were legally purchased by a 21-year-old present at the gathering.

In September 2015, 47-year-old Richard Kirk purchased a Pre 98 Bubba Kush Pre-Roll joint and Karma Kandy Orange Ginger, a marijuana laced candy. Shortly after eating the pot laced candy, Kristine Kirk, 44, called 9-1-1 to report that her husband was hallucinating and frightening her and their three children. During her call, she told the police dispatcher that her husband had asked her to get the gun from their safe and shoot him. When she refused, she told the dispatcher that he was retrieving the gun. Twelve minutes into the emergency call, the dispatcher heard a gunshot over the phone and then the line went dead.

When police finally arrived at the house, Kristine was dead from a gunshot to the head and Richard was ranting and rambling to himself. In his ramblings, he admitted to killing his wife. Police said it appeared to them that Richard was definitely suffering the effects of some controlled substance and/or prescription drugs.

By October 2015, the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area  released their annual report which reveals the impact of legal marijuana use. Among the alarming report, marijuana related traffic deaths have increased by 32%. Not all of those that lost their lives were the users of marijuana. They were the innocent victims of someone else who was driving while under the influence of marijuana.

They also reported significant increases in emergency room and hospital visits linked to marijuana use. Additionally, they reported that school expulsions have increased by 40% with the majority of them being related to marijuana.

These are only a few of the instances of the negative health-related impacts of legalizing marijuana. There is another negative impact that not’s directly health related, but has presented a danger to the safety and health of many.

Have you ever been to Durango, Colorado? I went years ago, and remember that it was a picturesque city in a beautiful part of the state. Today, many parts of Durango have been transformed in ugliness and it’s all due to the legalization of marijuana.

Durango has become a haven for homeless, panhandlers, drug users, transients and vagrants, most between the ages of 20 and 30. They have filled the sidewalks and loiter in front of stores, blocking access of customers. One store owner, Caleb Preston says he has to constantly kick vagrants away from the door of store. He told the media:

“Just this year there has been a major influx of people between 20 to 30 who are just hanging out on the streets. The problem is while many are pretty mellow, there are many more who are violent.”

Legalizing marijuana is NOT a win-win situation. It kills people in homes and on the roads. It transforms entire communities and leads many younger people to become homeless, panhandling vagrants. Yes, it can bring millions of tax dollars to government coffers, but at what cost?

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