Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Pink Slime and Ammonia in your blood? Natural News Connection has ANSWERS!

Ammonium hydroxide, a bad and unhealthy option for all

According to Natural News, awareness associated with “pink slime” has caused a great stir all over the U.S.One of the biggest manufacturers of this stuff, BPI, has shut down all their factories, except one. Burgers and other food items laden with pink slime are still available all over the world and BPI vehemently refuses to disclose the end users. Companies try to pacify consumers saying that it’s only in processed meat but this is just not the truth and we all know that.

Exposure to ammonia gas is highly dangerous for the respiratory tract but may not be that harmful for the digestive system as it is only a gas. But when this gas comes in contact with water present within the meat, it produces ammonium hydroxide which is also known as ammonia water. This can wreak havoc on the human body and can lead to some disastrous side effects.

http://www.naturalnews.com/035517_pink_slime_ammonium_hydroxide_burgers.html

As reported by Natural News, ammonium hydroxide is mainly used as a floor cleaner, window cleaner and also as a source of food, mainly associated with slime and when this is consumed, it can have disastrous effects on the human body. According to Material Safety Data Sheet, ammonium hydroxide can be quite harmful if it comes in direct contact with the skin as it can damage the soft tissue.

According to the FDA, ammonium hydroxide is safe but the safety levels of such chemical products depend upon the amount used. the presence of excess ammonium hydroxide can not only damage the acid-base balance of our body but can also kill the good bacteria that are present in our digestive system. Since no study has been conducted to establish the harmful levels of ammonium hydroxide so that the levels can be mentioned in the packaging, as the end consumers we should be completely aware of what we are buying and from where.

SUPERFOOD SOLUTIONS RECOMMENDED BY THE HEALTH RANGER:

http://www.truthpublishing.com/naturalhealthsolutions_p/yprint-cat21391.htm

http://store.naturalnews.com/

http://store.naturalnews.com/Chlorella_c_51.html

Mike Adams says: "The only thing that stands between a person and their own perfect health is information. Empowered with the right information, anyone can improve their health, reduce their dependence on prescription drugs, enhance their quality of life and expand their mental awareness and creativity.”

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039178_free_antibiotics_pharmacy_superbugs.html#ixzz2LTD1CRlm

http://www.naturalnews.com/About.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039145_chlorella_heavy_metals_lab_tests.html#ixzz2LTAfO2r1

Ammonium hydroxide, a bad and unhealthy option for all

http://www.naturalnews.com/035517_pink_slime_ammonium_hydroxide_burgers.html

SUPERFOOD SOLUTIONS RECOMMENDED BY THE HEALTH RANGER:

http://www.truthpublishing.com/naturalhealthsolutions_p/yprint-cat21391.htm

http://store.naturalnews.com/

http://store.naturalnews.com/Chlorella_c_51.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/About.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039145_chlorella_heavy_metals_lab_tests.html#ixzz2LTAfO2r1

Bill for statewide smoking ban appears to have been extinguished

The bill to enact a statewide smoking ban in Kentucky appears to be dead for this session of the General Assembly.

The House sent House Bill 190 back to committee today, and "House Speaker Greg Stumbo said he doesn't expect the bill to make it back to the full House," Sam Dick reported for WKYT-TV.

Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville, an opponent of the bill, told Kentucky Health News on Feb. 21 that he did not think it had more than 41 votes in the 100-member House.

House panel approves bill easing rules of 2012's pill-mill bill

They could call it the pill they're taking to fix the pill-mill bill.

A state House committee approved a bill Tuesday that would tweak last year's legislation aimed at cracking down on prescription drug abuse through doctor shopping and "pill mills" where painkiller prescriptions are easily available for a fee.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo told the House Judiciary Committee that House Bill 217 would fix “unintended consequences” of 2012's House Bill 1 while still requiring that health-care providers use the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting system to track painkiller prescriptions.

The bill "would exempt hospitals and long-term care facilities from HB 1’s per-unit patient dosing restrictions and ensure that physicians decide when physicals are needed," the Kentucky Press News Service reported. "It would limit restricted access to narcotic pain medication for surgery patients, end-of-life patients, cancer patients and a few other categories of patients who may need increased pain management, Stumbo said." (Read more)

Bill to make Medicaid managed-care firms pay up, and more promptly, nears final form in House and will get attention in Senate

By Molly Burchett and Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

The complaints by many health-care providers about Medicare managed-care firms' delay or denial of payment claims appears to be generating a bipartisan solution in the General Assembly. A bill on the House floor that would transfer late-payment complaints to the state Department of Insurance, which enforces Kentucky's prompt-payment laws, appears to have support in the Senate.

House Bill 5 would apply the prompt-payment laws to managed-care organizations and would move Medicaid late-payment complaints to the insurance department; those are now handled by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which administers Medicaid.

Hospitals, doctors and other health care providers have complained that the cabinet is not resolving their payment disputes with managed-care firms. The bill cleared the House Health and Welfare Committee Feb. 21 and is awaiting a vote on the House floor. The bill is sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo.

Sen. Julie Denton, chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, told Kenny Colston of Kentucky Public Radio that she plans to give the bill a hearing and supports its intent to make managed care organizations pay providers. "I think anything we can do to have more oversight and more assistance in keeping them in compliance with their contracts is a welcome breath of fresh air," she said.

Senate President Robert Stivers said he has concerns about the bill affecting the MCOs contracts with the state. But he said his chamber will take a look at the bill, Colston reports. The cabinet has had the same concerns, and some other objections that are to be addressed by House floor amendments.

Kentucky providers report being burdened by a lack of or delayed payments from the new managed-care system. Kentuckians have called for immediate action by state government to help fix these issues on behalf of providers and patients, which has prompted this bipartisan legislative response.

Kentucky Health News is an independent news service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.

Survey suggests Great Recession has harmed the health of Kentuckians

A recent poll shows continuation of a trend threatening Kentucky's overall health: as the number of Kentuckians living in poverty goes up, the percentage of adults who report their health as excellent or very good goes down.

Just over four in 10 Kentucky adults in the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll described their health as excellent or good. In 2008, almost half used those descriptions.

People with higher incomes have consistently reported better health since the poll began tracking the health status of Kentucky adults 2008. Since research has shown a strong link between higher income and better health, the Great Recession and the resulting increases in unemployment, underemployment and poverty appear to be harming the overall health of Kentucky’s population.

In the accompanying graph, showing responses by income categories, FPL stands for federal poverty level, which in 2011 was a yearly household income of $22,350. Among the categories, 58 percent in the highest category said their health is excellent or good, but only 25 percent of those living in poverty used those descriptions.

Although the health status for each income category has remained fairly constant, the poll reflects federal data that show more people living in poverty. More than 33 percent in the latest poll were earning less than the federal poverty level; in 2008, that was only 19 percent. The polls, which used self-reporting of income and survey methods that differ from federal methods, showed much higher poverty rates than federal data.

“We know there is a direct relationship between income and good health, and these data reflect that,” said Dr. Susan Zepeda, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, a sponsor of the poll. “While changes in our health-care delivery system may provide more health-care opportunities for low-income Kentuckians, these results show how vital a strong economy, and jobs that pay well, are to our population’s health.”

The poll, co-sponsored by the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, was taken Sept. 20 through Oct. 14 by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of 1,680 adults throughout Kentucky was interviewed by landline and cell telephones. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Essential-benefits rule expands mental-health and substance-abuse coverage; Ky. needs more facilities to treat newly eligible

The Department of Health and Human Services has defined the 10 "essential health benefits" insurance plans must provide, and it included benefits for mental health and treatment of substance-abuse disorders..

Nearly 20 percent of Americans don't have access to mental-health services and over 30 percent have no coverage for substance-abuse treatment. This rule will expand mental health and substance-abuse treatment benefits to 62 million Americans, according to HHS.

Expanded coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment programs in Kentucky could bring about a dramatic shift in the delivery of these services. There is already a shortage of treatment options and centers for Kentuckians, and those suffering from addiction have not had coverage for such treatment; the proposed rule will change that.

Recovery Kentucky, a public-private partnership with residential facilities, was created to help Kentuckians recover from substance abuse. It has 10 centers, in Campbellsville, Erlanger, Florence, Harlan, Henderson, Hopkinsville, Morehead, Owensboro, Paducah, and Richmond, according to the 2012 Justice & Public Safety Cabinet report, which included the map below.

Health-insurance plans must cover the 10 essential benefits beginning in 2014, so the state must prepare for the newly insured in addition to newly covered services. The rule defines what must be covered in insurance plans and bans discrimination based on age or pre-existing conditions. Among the core package of items and services, known as “essential health benefits" are items and services in the following categories:

Ambulatory patient services
Emergency services
Hospitalization
Maternity and newborn care
Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment
Prescription drugs
Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
Laboratory services
Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
Pediatric services, including oral and vision care

States are given flexibility in implementing the federal health-care reform law with a benchmark approach. The Kentucky Department of Insurance has recommended that the Anthem Preferred Provider Organization plan serve as the “benchmark” plan for the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange. HHS will review the recommendation and accept public comments prior to making a final decision. (Read more)

Ambulatory patient services
Emergency services
Hospitalization
Maternity and newborn care
Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment
Prescription drugs
Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
Laboratory services
Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
Pediatric services, including oral and vision care

Medicaid expansion brings primary care access to the forefront

The federal health reform law will usher at least seven million more Americans into Medicaid, and as states like Kentucky debate Medicaid expansion, policymakers are struggling with the question of whether there will even be enough primary care doctors to provide care, reports Michael Ollove of Stateline.

The country is already short of primary-care doctors. Although many primary-care physicians would take on new Medicare or privately-insured patients, only two out of three primary-care physicians surveyed in 2011 were willing to accept new Medicaid patients.

Why? Poor compensation is one reason; on average, Medicaid pays physicians 59 percent of the amount Medicare pays for primary care services, reports Ollove. Many Kentucky primary-care providers are also deterred by existing Medciaid problems. Providers report being burdened by a lack of or delayed payments from the new managed-care system.

Congress hopes to lure practitioners to primary care with a provision that raises primary-care providers' Medicaid fees to Medicare levels. This is only a temporary fix, which went into effect at the beginning of the year and will remain in effect for two years, reports Ollove.

The impact in Kentucky remains uncertain. Lawrence Kissner, Kentucky's commissioner for health and family services, says the state’s Medicaid pay raise in 2005 resulted in a 36 percent increase in the number of primary care doctors accepting Medicaid patients, reports Ollove. This is precisely what the health-law authors hope will happen now.

Kentucky is addressing the health coverage issue in other ways. The General Assembly is considering a bill that would repeal a burdensome supervision requirement and encourage more independent physician assistants to remain in Kentucky to serve medically underserved areas.

Although Kentucky already allows nurse practitioners to practice independently, the Medicaid rate increase applies only to physicians who provide primary care services. It does not apply to nurse practitioners, who have been touted as a potential solution to the primary care problem and often provide care in underserved areas of the state. (Read more)

Health News

Pages