PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Health & Medicine

1. Health: Benefits of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy
2. Health: Do Vaccines Cause That?
3. Health: Healthcare Technology Solutions
4. Health: RFID Chips Used in Hospitals May Interfere with Life-Saving
Equipment
5. Health: Skin Health and Stress
6. Health: Spinal Muscular Atrophy
7. Health: Tanners Anonymous?
8. Health: The 'Pill Mentality' and Our Healthcare Dilemma
9. Public Health: Issues Resulting from Flooding in the Midwest
10. Public Health: Olympics and Air Pollution

1. HEALTH: BENEFITS OF HYPNOSIS AND HYPNOTHERAPY. KAREN ERICKSON, BS,
CHICAGOHEALERS.COM practitioner, is available to speak on the benefits and
procedure behind hypnosis and hypnotherapy: "According to the Medical Hypnosis
Foundation, both children and adults have learned to successfully use self-
hypnosis for many issues, including migraines, chronic back pain, insomnia,
gastrointestinal disorders, and to manage the side effects of chemo and
radiation therapies. Using this procedure, one can reduce pain, lower blood
pressure, minimize side effects of medication, reduce the need for medication
and decrease anxiety. In a hypnotherapy session, a practitioner can help a
patient release and heal any personal issue(s) they are holding onto. A
hypnotherapist can use techniques that guide the client into their body or
into a tumor and find out what it needs to heal. Most clients have reported to
me that their illnesses and tumors started healing or disappeared after these
sessions." July 22 is National Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day. News
Contact: Erica Morisco, emorisco@paramountpr.com Phone: +1-312-643-2461
(7/10/08)
2. HEALTH: DO VACCINES CAUSE THAT? DR. MARTIN MYERS is co-author of "Do
Vaccines Cause That?! A Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety Concerns,"
professor in the department of pediatrics and the department of preventive
medicine and community health at the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH, and
associate director for public health policy and education at the University's
Sealy Center for Vaccine Development. He can help parents sort through the
conflicting information on vaccines and immunization and discuss the long-
running controversy linking vaccines with rising rates of autism and asthma,
among other diseases: "Clear, science-based information can help parents
balance the risks and benefits and do what's best for their children. Vaccines
have greatly reduced the risks from many serious infectious diseases,
rendering them unknown to the public. Fear about vaccine side effects has
replaced fear of the diseases. Meanwhile, vaccine safety concerns have
negatively affected immunization rates, opening a door for infectious diseases
to return and harm our children." News Contact: Olivia Goodman,
olivia.goodman@gabbe.com Phone: +1-212-220-4444 (7/10/08)
3. HEALTH: HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS. JIM TRAFICANT, vice president of
HARRIS CORPORATION's Healthcare Solutions and a two-time liver transplant
survivor is working to bring transformative new technologies to life: "With
the recent buzz of the electronic healthcare record system, it is clear that
groundbreaking technology is one of many ways to help shift our healthcare
system from a broken and obsolete model to one that offers efficient and
effective patient-centric care. The use of advanced information technology
plays a critical role in ensuring immediate access to vital patient
information, especially at the point of care. The acceleration of the digital
transformation of healthcare IT must be supported by the discussion and
delivering of policies that will promote more efficient and secure medical
information exchanges that will save lives and ultimately reduce costs."
Traficant is available to provide insight on these technologies, as well as
his experience as a patient and how this impacts his contributions to the
burgeoning field of medical technology. News Contact: Laura Zanzal,
lzanzal@peppercom.com Phone: +1-212-931-6124 (7/10/08)
4. HEALTH: RFID CHIPS USED IN HOSPITALS MAY BE INTERFERING WITH LIFE-SAVING
EQUIPMENT. PETER S. VOGEL of GARDERE WYNNE SEWELL LLP in Dallas: "Despite the
concern of civil libertarians, business has found the use of radio-frequency
identification chips to be an ideal high-tech tool for monitoring inventory.
So expanding the use of RFID to the medical field, where tracking equipment is
paramount, seemed logical. However, according to a new study published in the
Netherlands, the RFID chips used in hospitals may actually be interfering with
life-saving equipment. What an irony it is turning into that something that is
designed to help may actually be adversely affecting patients. This revelation
may lead to new personal injury litigation heretofore not identified. It is
likely that courts will have trouble sorting the health benefits of RFID with
the newfound risk to patients." News Contact: Rhonda Reddick,
rhonda@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (7/9/08)
5. HEALTH: SKIN HEALTH AND STRESS. DR. JOSHUA FOX, founder of ADVANCED
DERMATOLOGY and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology: "We
know that stress can have a dramatic effect on the immune system. And quite
often, that can create immune-related responses in the skin. Studies have
shown that psychological stress can create problems such as acne, hair loss,
eczema, psoriasis and rosacea. Other studies show that stress leaves skin open
to infection. Stress seems to disrupt the skin's antimicrobial barrier and
reduce the production of chemicals necessary for the synthesis of fats. That
means stressed-out skin loses its ability to defend and rebuild itself." News
Contact: Melissa Chefec, mchefec@optonline.net Phone: +1-203-968-6625
(7/10/08)
6. HEALTH: SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY. JIM CLAUSSEN, DC, CHICAGOHEALERS.COM
practitioner, is available to speak about how he helps heal Spinal Muscular
Atrophy (SMA), as August is National Spinal Muscular Atrophy Month: "According
to the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation, over 25,000 Americans are believed
to suffer from SMA. SMA is a deadly and relatively common genetic disease and
is the leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers. The body is
self-healing and self-regulating. When the body is communicating 100 percent
to every cell, tissue and organ, healing happens 100 percent of the time. I
assist in that healing through energetics, chiropractic, nutrition, exercise
and seminars." News Contact: Erica Morisco, emorisco@paramountpr.com Phone:
+1-312-643-2461 (7/10/08)
7. HEALTH: TANNERS ANONYMOUS? DR. RICHARD F. WAGNER JR., professor of
dermatology, deputy chair and director of the Dermatologic Surgery and
Residency Program at the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH, can discuss a
surprising but serious issue: tanning addiction: "Once the summer sun is
behind us, tanning salons will be a frequent stop for sunbathers who just
can't let their glow fade away. We see patients with skin cancer who are
always tan. We tell them not to tan on purpose, and some say, 'But doc, I like
it too much. It makes me feel relaxed. I can't stop.' Tanning addiction is a
phenomenon similar to a runner's high." News Contact: Olivia Goodman,
olivia.goodman@gabbe.com Phone: +1-212-220-4444 (7/10/08)
8. HEALTH: THE 'PILL MENTALITY' AND OUR HEALTHCARE DILEMMA. DR. THERESE
PASQUALONI is a public health specialist and behavioral therapist with over 14
years of research in the prevention and management of major chronic diseases:
"What are we doing? Prevention is the most cost-saving means to any healthcare
issue. Why would we subject parents to making the decision to place their
child on cholesterol-lowering drugs, when we have no idea what adverse health
problems may occur in the future? And what about high blood pressure and
diabetes that's associated with obesity -- will there be additional
suggestions for more drugs, or do we take the 'preventive' approach by
empowering parents to help their children improve their health today and for
decades to come?" Pasqualoni is available to speak about the prevention and
management of chronic diseases; long-term behavioral solutions versus quick-
fix, short-term ideas; and the politics that suppress the distribution of
founded health programs to the public. (7/10/08)
9. PUBLIC HEALTH: ISSUES RESULTING FROM FLOODING IN THE MIDWEST. TED HOGAN,
disaster management faculty at BENEDICTINE UNIVERSITY: "Just like in New
Orleans, the receding flood waters in the Midwest mark only the beginning of
the recovery process. The water left behind after natural disasters presents
hazards that can affect the health and safety of nearby residents. These may
include: chemicals, including pesticides; infectious diseases; tetanus;
unstable structures; mold and other hazards associated with damp buildings.
The most widespread hazard is the one that can only be seen on the faces of
the survivors, the psychological stress of losing connections with home, jobs,
schools and the other things we all take for granted as a part of daily
living." Hogan is available to comment on public health issues resulting from
recent/current flooding in the Midwest, the value of public health education
in light of these events, and the rise in interest in public health
information/courses following natural disasters. He holds a master's in public
health. News Contact: Susan Schreiber, susan@zapwater.com Phone: +1-312-943-
0333 (7/9/08)
10. PUBLIC HEALTH: OLYMPICS AND AIR POLLUTION. QINGHUA SUN, M.D., Ph.D., a
College of Public Health researcher at THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: "Because air
pollution can affect the health and performance of athletes, the Chinese
government has initiated efforts to reduce air pollution in Beijing during the
2008 Olympic Games. The Chinese government has already closed some streets and
relocated large manufacturing plants away from central Beijing. The government
will impose additional short-term limits on traffic and remaining
manufacturing facilities during the Olympics and Paralympics." Sun will lead a
study to determine if targeted reduction in air pollution benefits
cardiovascular health. His study will extend several months after the Games to
determine if cardiovascular health worsens after the short-term improvements
end. News Contact: Amy Murray, osumedia@osu.edu Phone: +1-614-292-8385
(7/9/08)
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