Do Mandatory Vaccinations Achieve Higher Rates of Immunization?

Tami Wahl, ANH-USA’s legislative director, attended the 4th International Public Conference on Vaccination, held in Reston, Va., October 2-4, 2009. The conference was hosted by the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1982. The oldest and largest consumer organization advocating for the institution of vaccine safety and the protection of informed… Continue reading Do Mandatory Vaccinations Achieve Higher Rates of Immunization?

Plaintiffs Win Suit to Keep Their Social Security Benefits Even if They Reject Medicare

Constitutional attorney Kent Masterson Brown has won an important legal victory on behalf of three plaintiffs — former Congressman Dick Armey, Brian Hall and John Kraus — who sued to keep their Social Security benefits after they withdrew from Medicare Part A, preferring to keep their private healthcare coverage. The Department of Health and Human… Continue reading Plaintiffs Win Suit to Keep Their Social Security Benefits Even if They Reject Medicare

Health Insurance Lobby Claims Legislation From Senate Democrats Would Raise Premiums

As the battle for healthcare reform heats up inside the beltway, the insurance industry has launched a blistering attack on legislation drafted by Senate Democrats. According to the New York Times, the health insurance lobby, America’s Health Insurance Plans, claims that the new Senate bill drafted by Democrats would significantly raise the cost of coverage.… Continue reading Health Insurance Lobby Claims Legislation From Senate Democrats Would Raise Premiums

Weigh in on Transparency at the FDA

Seize the opportunity to share your suggestions on how the FDA can improve its currently opaque “transparency policy.“ A second public meeting will be held November 3, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the National Transportation Safety Board Conference Center at 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC (https://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=431). The three discussion groups are:

Citing Steroids in Supplements, Congress Considers Tweaking Dietary Regulations

According to the New York Times, federal agents have recently raided several companies suspected of making bodybuilding products that illegally contain steroids and selling them as over-the-counter dietary supplements. On September 29, 2009, Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., chair of the Senate sub-committee on Judiciary, Crime and Drugs, convened a hearing on the topic. The forum… Continue reading Citing Steroids in Supplements, Congress Considers Tweaking Dietary Regulations

New Studies Find That Most Men Aren’t Told About the Benefits and Risks of PSA Screening

Two new studies published in the Sept. 25, 2009, online edition of BMJ —one by Benny Holmstrom, a urologist with Gavle Hospital in Gavle, Sweden; the other by Jennifer Stark, a research fellow at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston — highlight once again the lack of patient education regarding the risks associated with… Continue reading New Studies Find That Most Men Aren’t Told About the Benefits and Risks of PSA Screening

EPA Unveils Plan to Analyze and Regulate Six High-Profile Chemicals

A number of recent studies point to the increased incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, in the United States. And the October issue of the journal Pediatrics publishes a new government study suggesting that autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder, is more prevalent than previously thought, affecting 1 in every 91 U.S. children.

It’s Time to Put “Health” back into Healthcare! Tell Your Senators to Support True Healthcare Reform!

How can we, as a country, reduce exploding healthcare costs?  By changing the way we do medicine.  Too often we rely on treating symptoms and addressing health problems after they have reached the crisis state. Under the old way of thinking, this usually means hospital stays, vastly expensive surgery, expensive drugs with undesirable side effects,… Continue reading It’s Time to Put “Health” back into Healthcare! Tell Your Senators to Support True Healthcare Reform!