Patients suffering from heart disease or recovering from a stroke are becoming increasingly worried about the obstacle they face in obtaining affordable and proper care for their conditions.

According to a new survey from the American Heart Association, nearly two-thirds of heart disease and stroke patients said they did not feel adequately covered by the healthcare system and noted its lack of affordability was their biggest concern.

Additionally, the survey found that almost half of all heart disease patients who reported troubles paying their healthcare bills had put off filling a needed prescription, while 42 percent said they had put off a checkup and 31 percent had pushed back screening test to detect any new developments in their illness.

"The survey should serve as a vivid reminder that too many Americans, including the insured and especially the underinsured, are simply overwhelmed by soaring medical expenses and inadequate coverage," said Nancy Brown, the AHA’’s CEO. "Many of these issues and concerns would be addressed through meaningful and comprehensive healthcare reform – and that’’s why it is so critically important that Congress act this year."

For those who are struggling to afford their medical expenses and putting off care or prescription pick-ups that could help to prevent a recurrence of any conditions due to financial restraints, taking out a short term loanmay be able to provide a stopgap measure and allow for proper care until healthcare cost issues can be cleared up.

The supermarket chain Trader Joe’’s has announced it is voluntarily recalling some of its granola bars from all of its stores after learning that they may be contaminated and could cause a serious illness.

According to a recent posting on the grocer’’s website, the affected product in the recall is the Trader Joe’’s Chocolate Chip Chewy Coated Granola Bars with "use by" dates of July 16 and July 17, 2010.

The statement said that the products were taken off the shelves after suppliers notified the store that the bars could potentially cause a "serious food-borne illness." While not specified in the Trader Joe’’s statement, the Associated Press reported that the bars potentially contained salmonella.

A salmonella infection can result in salmonellosis, which can cause severe stomach cramps and fever for four to seven days and be deadly to those with weakened immune systems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

"As a precaution, all of the product has been removed from sale and has been destroyed, read the Trader Joe’’s announcement."To date, we have received no reports of illness related to this product."

For consumers who have recently purchased the granola bars and eaten them and are feeling symptoms that could be consistent with salmonella poisoning, urgent medical care may be needed to prevent more serious complications from occurring as well. If health insurance is lacking, taking out a payday loan could help fund a doctor visit to deal with any salmonella-related illnesses.

While sudden cardiac arrest is often associated with older age groups, there is a rising incidence of undiagnosed teenagers being affected by the fatal disease as well.

According to Dr. Abraham Jacob, a cardiologist at The Heart Hospital Baylor in Plano, Texas, even though the teen death rate from sudden cardiac arrest is only 1 per 100,000, the actual rates are likely higher because many teens may have undiagnosed problems that could be prevented if proper testing took place.

"I think if we can prevent one death, that’’s great," Jacob said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "Even if we screen 1,000 kids and find one child out of that, I think we”ve done an incredible service to that family, the community and everyone involved."

According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest is usually caused when the heart’’s electrical system malfunctions and causes an abnormal rhythm. Scarring from a prior heart attack, a thickened heart muscle, or various heart medications are some of the precursors to sudden cardiac arrest.

While testing is the easiest avenue to learn of any heart issues that need to be fixed to prevent a cardiac episode, the cost for families to get the tests can be too expensive for many to afford. According to the Morning News, health insurance rarely covers the cost of electrocardiograms and echocardiograms, which can $300 and $1,000 each respectively.

For families who feel their teenager’’s life may be at risk and could receive life-saving care by getting their heart tested, but do not have the money to afford the expensive tests, taking out a payday loan may be an easy way to cover a portion of the medical costs.

A new survey has found that, despite their financial situations, animal owners are dedicated to and grateful for their pets and will not change how they care for them during tough financial times.

According to a recent survey released by Catalyst Direct, pet owners overwhelmingly stated that they would go above and beyond for their pets as they provided their own form of emotional support during tough times.

While 73 percent of respondents said they were currently worried about their finances and 64 percent stated they were more anxious than usual, 89 percent of respondents said their pets helped them "deal with the stresses of life."

Similarly, while the study found that 59 percent of respondents reported a lack of confidence and 32 percent said their stresses had impacted their sense of identity, 83 percent of respondents said they valued the steady presence a pet played in their lives, while 86 took solace in their pets” appreciation regardless of one’’s monetary and job status.

Even when low on funds, 49 percent of respondents said they would reduce spending on personal items before cutting costs for their pets, while 41 percent said they would cut internet/cable or gas costs.

For families with little funding who are desperate to hang on to their pets and want to avoid giving them away to a shelter in lieu of not caring for them properly, a payday loan could afford a pet’’s food and supplies to keep them cared for and part of the family.

Amid discussion of requiring prescriptions for cold and allergy medications to combat crystal meth production in Mississippi, Consumer Healthcare Products Association President Linda A. Suydem is coming out in opposition of the proposal.

Last week the Mississippi House of Representatives discussed passing the law, which would require a doctor’’s prescription in order to obtain any cold and allergy medicines that contained psuedoephedine, an ingredient used in making crystal meth.

However, referencing a CHPA-sponsored study, Suydam argued that 61 percent of state voters opposed the creation of a law requiring prescriptions for allergy medications, while 74 percent agreed that requiring a prescription would create "an unnecessary burden" on those who attempted to follow the law.

"As states continually find themselves in dire financial situations, policy makers must balance efforts to regulate ingredients used to create meth with the public health and economic consequences of restricting access to important cold and allergy medications," said Suydam, before suggesting electronic tracking that has been used to combat crystal med production in eight other states already as a potential solution.

While getting a prescription from a physician in order to get allergy medications may be nothing more than busywork for some, it could prove to be a significant hurdle towards getting needed medication for families without health insurance or access to a doctor without paying exorbitant prices.

If such a motion is passed in Mississippi, families who are unable to afford a doctor’s appointment or the other steps required to get the prescriptions needed to obtain needed medicine, taking out a payday loan may be able to fund the one-time expense.

A new study has found that a treatment method for clubfoot requiring minimal surgery may be a more effective form of treating the birth disorder.

According to a study conducted by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons that will be published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 55 patients with 86 clubfeet were treated with one of two methods: surgical correction and the less invasive, manipulation-based Ponseti method.

Among the two procedures, only one foot using the Ponseti method required revision surgery, while 14 feet using the surgical method required revision surgery. While both methods had similar relapse rates, the Ponseti-treated patients needed less significant revision treatments than those who had surgery.

"Any infant born with clubfoot should be taken to an orthopedic surgeon specializing in pediatrics, preferably within the first few months of life," said Dr. Matthew Halanski, the study’’s author. "While primary surgical treatment may still be required in select cases, we strongly advise any parent who receives a recommendation for surgery as primary treatment to seek a second opinion."

Because many people who are starting a family must be careful with their finances in order to have enough money to take care of their newborn child, the development of any problems following the birth may require medical costs that some cannot afford.

For families with a newborn suffering from clubfoot and in need of the Ponseti method of treatment who are lacking funding for the medical care, payday loans may be able to provide some financial assistance.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of a new drug cocktail to treat hormone positive and HER2-positive breast cancer that affects more than 192,000 women every year.

The new cocktail, which consists of Tykerb (lapatinlb) and Femara (Letrozole), was approved after promising early examples of its effectiveness. Women with HER2-positive breast cancer went 35 weeks without seeing any progression of the disease. Patients using other treatments had only gone 13 weeks without progression

"This drug combination of Tykerb plus Femara provides women being treated for advanced breast cancer with an important treatment option. This entirely oral treatment regimen works by targeting both HER2 and the hormone receptors, thereby slowing the cancer cells” ability to grow or spread," said Dr. Richard Pazdur, the director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products for the FDA’’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.


Because the breast cancer treatment is only now being approved for expanded use, there is a chance that some health insurance plans may still not cover the costs for its use by breast cancer patients with their coverage.

For those who feel this may be the best method to treat their cancer but will not have all of their costs covered by their insurer, a short-term loan may be able to cover any cost differences when receiving treatment.

The Food and Drug Administration has requested that U.S. Marshals seize 77 ozone generators that were advertised to treat cancer, AIDS, hepatitis, and herpes after its makers failed to respond to a voluntary recall notice.

The FDA and the Food and Drug branch of California’’s Department of Public Health conducted the seizure of the generators jointly in an attempt to get them away from consumers after they were found to be harmful.

The FDA initiated the recall and seizure after concern was raised over how appropriate Ozone therapy was as a treatment for the aforementioned conditions, while a risk of infection through contamination caused by the application of a catheter was also evident.

An FDA inspection of the devices, which are made by Applied Ozone Systems, also found that proper FDA approvals had not been obtained for marketing of the generators

"The seized devices are potentially harmful to public health," said Michael Chappell, the FDA’’s acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The agency will take action to protect the public from FDA-regulated products that are in violation of the law."

For anyone who may have been treated for any serious illnesses using Ozone therapy, the uncertainty now revolving around treatment may warrant further testing to ensure that one has not been harmed by it. If there are any financial restraints preventing follow-up medical care, one may want to consider a short-term loan to pay the doctor bills.

A budget-cutting situation in Idaho may be reversing legislation that could keep health insurance away from 19-34-year-old state residents

According to a statement released by Jim Wordelman, the state director for AARP Idaho, the Health Freedom Act that was recently passed by the House State Affairs Committee could raise questions and concerns for students regarding their health insurance plans.

The discrepancy leading to the confusion involves requirements for students to register for a health care plan. The act, which Wordelman said would fight health care reform as a means for Governor Butch Otter to cut the budget, would directly contradict earlier legislation that required students to carry a health care plan.

"In Idaho, as Governor Otter and our state lawmakers prepare to make sweeping cuts to our state budget – including cuts to Medicaid and programs and services that provide health care in communities to hundreds of thousands of people – they also stand to make the health care crisis worse for people across the state," Wordelman wrote.

He added that national healthcare reform could stand to benefit Idaho’s citizens by curtailing the budget cuts that were leading to the confusing legislation while also helping to keep health care premiums form rising.

If the AARP’s worries turn out to be a reality, a large segment of the younger population may have trouble with their health insurance which could get in the way of paying for the essential care they may need in the event of an emergency. For those who lack appropriate health insurance coverage for a medical expense, payday loans may be a good way to afford such expenses.

A newly released analysis by Moinlycke Health Care has found that high school and college wrestlers stand a 16 percent higher chance of developing the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus infection.

The increased risk was calculated through the infection’’s colonization rate (25 percent), the number of matches each wrestler competes in during a tournament (three) and the number of wresters that come into contact with those who participated in the tournament following the match (six).

"We understand the importance of keeping our coaches and their wrestlers educated and aware of skin infections, especially during this important championship season," said Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. "Last week, we provided our members with simple, practical tips to help decrease their wrestlers” chances of MRSA infection."

According to the Mayo Clinic, MRSA staph infections start as small bumps that resemble pimples or spider bites, but can become deeper abscesses that can become deadly if bacteria enters the body.

For high school and college wrestlers preparing for new season that will soon be getting underway, any signs of a potential MRSA infection should be dealt with quickly and swiftly to preserve the safety of themselves and those around them.

If there are any monetary issues preventing them from getting the treatment they need, taking out a payday loan may be an easy way to afford the needed medical expenses.