Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of
HealthDay:
Some VA Hospitals to Get OK for Medical Marijuana
Pending new federal guidelines will permit the use of medical
marijuana for patients at Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics in
the 14 states where medical marijuana is legal, according to news
reports.
The Veterans Affairs Department will issue a directive shortly
that's intended to clarify the existing policy that says veterans
can be denied pain medication if they use illegal drugs. Veterans
groups have long complained this could prevent veterans from VA
benefits if they were caught using medical marijuana, the
Associated Press reported.
The new directive won't alllow VA doctors to prescribe medical
marijuana, which is considered an illegal drug under federal law.
But it will make it clear that in the 14 states where state and
federal laws are in conflict, VA clinics will permit the use of
medical marijuana for veterans already taking it under other
clinicians, the
AP said.
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Funding Cuts Could Harm AIDS Fight: Experts
Global progress against AIDS may be threatened if rich nations
don't increase their funding for programs to combat the disease,
experts warned at an international AIDS conference in Vienna,
Austria.
There are concerns about a possible shortfall in funding for the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is a
major supporter of AIDS programs worldwide, the
Associated Press reported.
At the end of 2009, the Global Fund was financing programs
providing lifesaving antiretroviral treatment to 2.5 million
people.
"This is not the time to withdraw resources for AIDS," said Nicci Stein, director of the Canadian-based Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development, the AP reported. "We risk losing the investments made to date and
we will be betraying those communities who for the first time have
real hope for the future."
The great deal of progress that has been made could be lost if
rich nations reduce their financial support, agreed Global Fund
executive director Michel Kazatchkine.
"I know there is an economic crisis but then I'm saying this is a political decision and politics is about choices and where you put your priorities," he told the AP.
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Meat Linked to Weight Gain: Study
Reducing the amount of meat you eat may help you control your
weight, according to U.K. researchers.
They studied nearly 400,000 European adults and found that
eating meat was associated with weight gain, even when people
consumed the same amount of calories,
BBC News reported.
Processed meats such as ham and sausages had the strongest link
with weight gain, said the Imperial College London researchers.
They said their findings suggest that high-protein diets may not
help people lose or control weight in the long term, and reinforce
public health messages urging people to reduce their meat
consumption,
BBC News reported.
The study appears in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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Many States Cutting Programs for Elderly and Disabled
Budget deficits have led many states to slash home-care services
for the elderly and the disabled, such as housekeeping, meal
deliveries and assistance for family caregivers.
The cuts threaten to reverse the long-term trend of helping
extend the number of years people can stay in their homes,
The New York Times reported.
Since the recession began, at least 25 states and the District
of Columbia have curbed home-care services for the elderly and
disabled, according to a research group called the Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities.
Among the reductions in service:
- Alabama cut housekeeping services for more than 1,000 elderly
people.
- Meals on Wheels in Illinois stopped accepting new clients
because the group wasn't being reimbursed by the state.
- Last year, Florida put 69,000 people on waiting lists for home
or community services and 5,700 of them ended up in Medicaid
nursing homes.
- Arizona reduced independent living supports and respite
programs for family caregivers.
- In the next year, Kansas will cut independent living services
for 2,800 people with disabilities.
"The situation is grim, and its safe to say that present trends are expected to continue," said JoAnn Lamphere, the director of state government relations for health and long-term care for AARP, told The Times. "Nearly every state has proposed cuts of some sort to Medicaid. Some might seem small, but it's death by a thousand slashes."