LiveLongAgeWell

MEDICAL TOURISM NOW COVERED BY SOME HEALTH INSURERS People are traveling abroad for more and more care—typically surgeries—at much lower cost than here in the U.S., and some insurance plans are starting to pick up the tab. From living part-time in Brazil, I know that health care in foreign countries can be excellent…in Brazil, for example, the expertise in reconstructive and plastic surgery is often more advanced than in the U.S.

ANIMAL STUDIES SUGGEST VITAMIN C USE DURING CHEMOTHERAPY MIGHT BE HARMFUL Since chemotherapy works by disrupting cell growth (in some cases by producing cancer-cell-killing “free radicals”), and vitamin C  protects cells from free radical damage, then taking vitamin C during some chemotherapy treatments could blunt the cancer-killing effect of the drugs. This is an animal study, not a human study, so the results have to be viewed with caution, and other studies have shown vitamin C can be helpful for some cancer patients. Bottom line: if you or a loved one is undergoing chemotherapy, make sure the doctors know of ALL medications you are taking, including all vitamins, herbals, and supplements, any of which might affect chemotherapy treatment.

WHO IS FUNDING THAT DRUG STUDY? In many cases the news reports we read or hear about on the Internet don’t reveal that the study was funded by the very drug company which stands to profit from a positive report. One report showed that drug company sponsored studies are five times more likely to come out favorable for the drug they are studying. So especially when you read a favorable report about a new drug, look to see if the news report mentions who sponsored the study.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE “PERSONALIZED” MEDICINE OF THE FUTURE Microchips embedded under our skin containing out entire health history and which can be read anywhere in the world, chips we swallow that give feedback on our body’s functioning, and personalized medical testing and treatment based on own genetic sequences…it all might be part of our medical future.