Listen Up

Thursday, December 19, 2024

QVIN ? A laboratory test using menstrual blood

๐‡๐จ๐ฐ ๐Œ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ˆ๐ฌ ๐“๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ฌ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐‡๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐œ๐š๐ซ๐ž


QVIN is a company that aims to provide persons with a menstrual cycle with an easy way of collecting menstrual blood for health screening.


"๐‡๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐-๐๐š๐ ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐›๐ฎ๐ญ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐š๐› ๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ž๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ ๐›๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐š ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ?







๐ท๐‘Ÿ. ๐‘†๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐ถ๐ธ๐‘‚ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘œ-๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘„๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘›, ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘โ„Ž๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘”๐‘ฆ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘–๐‘Ÿ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘–๐‘Ÿ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘”๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘›-๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘ฆ. ๐‘„๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘›'๐‘  ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘’๐‘š๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘”๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘–๐‘Ÿ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”.

๐‘„๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘™๐‘ฆ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘™๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘‘ ๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘š๐‘๐‘™๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘™๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐‘๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘‘ ๐‘‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘ค๐‘ . ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐น๐ท๐ด ๐‘๐‘™๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘› ๐ด๐‘š๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ž ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘๐‘’๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐ด๐Ÿฃ๐‘, ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘„-๐‘ƒ๐‘Ž๐‘‘. ๐‘€๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘™๐‘ฆ, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘  ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐Ÿช๐Ÿข ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ˆ.๐‘† ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐Ÿฃ.๐Ÿช ๐‘๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘”๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘ฆ.(...)

๐‘„๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž ๐‘›๐‘ข๐‘š๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ . ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘„-๐‘ƒ๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘“๐‘ฆ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘  ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐ป๐‘ƒ๐‘‰ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘“๐‘–๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ, ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘๐‘™๐‘ข๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’/๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘ , ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘’๐‘š๐‘–๐‘Ž, ๐‘“๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ, ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘’, ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘ , ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘ฆ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘–๐‘‘ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘กโ„Ž."

While this test is presently limited to diabetes management, it opens a new avenue to obtain blood samples for many other tests. The procedures will need to be evaluated and verified as accurate, by controlling samples of systemic venous blood. But what about males?

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

The Challenge of Primary Care in America

Mission Impossible for Primary Care

I am not your grandfather's doctor


The Replacement Doctors:

Electronic Health Record with Patient Portal, Appointment scheduling, messaging, online laboratory results,
Telehealth
Remote monitoring, and wearables
Artificial Intelligence for symptom diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis
At-home research with search engines
Social Media health sites, Community and Forums


Access to Care:
Many patients struggle to find primary care providers, especially in rural or underserved areas. Long wait times for appointments can further complicate access.

Workforce Shortages: There is a growing shortage of primary care physicians, which can lead to increased workloads and burnout among existing providers.

Health Disparities: Socioeconomic factors, cultural differences, and systemic inequalities can affect patient access to care and health outcomes.

Chronic Disease Management: The rising prevalence of chronic diseases requires ongoing management, putting additional pressure on primary care resources.

Integration of Technology: While telehealth and electronic health records (EHRs) can improve efficiency, they also present challenges related to implementation, training, and data security.

Reimbursement Models: Many primary care providers face financial pressures due to outdated reimbursement models that do not adequately compensate for the quality of care delivered.

Patient Engagement: Encouraging patients to take an active role in their health can be difficult, especially when dealing with diverse populations.

Mental Health Integration: There is a growing need to integrate mental health services into primary care, which can be challenging due to stigma and a lack of resources.

Regulatory Burdens: Navigating complex regulations and compliance requirements can be time-consuming and detract from patient care.

Continuity of Care: Ensuring that patients receive consistent and coordinated care, particularly when transitioning between different healthcare settings, can be a challenge.


Facebook Reel 

 

The Decline of the Doctor: From Healers to Providers โ€“ Let Doctors be Doctors

โ€œWhenever a physician or a nurse was called aโ€ providerโ€ and whenever a patient was called aโ€ consumerโ€ one more angel died. When all the angels were dead, we would be left with a totally dehumanized health care system.โ€ Rashi Fein, PhD. NEJM Vol 306, # 14,863-864

Not too long ago, doctors were considered some of the most revered and trusted figures in societyโ€”figures to whom people entrusted their health and even their lives. In many cultures, physicians were viewed as almost godlike, given their immense responsibility and the critical role they played in shaping life and death. But today, many doctors are referred to as โ€œproviders,โ€ a term that strips away the respect and reverence once given to them. Instead of healers, they have become cogs in the massive machine of healthcare.

So, what happened? How did the medical profession go from being a deeply respected calling to being treated like any other service industry job? What does this shift mean for doctors and patients, and how can we restore the respect that doctors once enjoyed?

The Golden Age of Medicine: Doctors as Healers
Historically, doctors have held an esteemed role in society. The word doctor comes from the Latin docere, meaning โ€œto teach,โ€ and throughout history, physicians were viewed as educators of both body and mind. They didnโ€™t just cure disease; they provided guidance on living a healthy life, preventing illness, and promoting mental well-being. In the past, doctors were seen as moral figuresโ€”people who were deeply committed to their patients, and often considered part of the family.

In the early 20th century and before, doctors were often highly respected individuals. They were not just viewed as professionalsโ€”they were regarded as trustworthy advisors who could guide individuals through the most vulnerable and critical moments of their lives. Healthcare was much less accessible back then, and patients depended on their physicians not only for medical expertise but also for compassion and wisdom. People didnโ€™t just visit doctorsโ€”they trusted them with their well-being.

The Shift: Healthcare Becomes a Business
However, after World War II, the healthcare landscape began to change dramatically, particularly in the United States. The introduction of private health insurance, the rise of large healthcare conglomerates, and the growth of pharmaceutical companies began to transform medicine into an increasingly industrialized business.

This shift was underscored by an explosion of healthcare costs. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. healthcare expenditures reached $4.3 trillion in 2021, a staggering 18.3% of the nationโ€™s GDP. With these rising costs came the financialization of healthcare, where the focus began to shift from patient care to profit. As a result, healthcare started being viewed as an industry, with doctors no longer seen as healers but as part of the corporate machine.

The term โ€œproviderโ€ began to replace โ€œdoctor,โ€ signaling a shift in how healthcare professionals were viewed. Providers, as the term implies, were merely deliverers of a service, rather than esteemed practitioners of a noble art. Insurance companies, private equity firms, and large hospital networks gained more control over healthcare, leading to a more impersonal and transactional system.

This shift from personalized, patient-centered care to a corporate model significantly diminished the role of doctors as autonomous professionals, and, in many cases, reduced their autonomy. Doctors, now working for large health systems, found themselves less able to practice medicine in the way they saw fit, often pressured to meet the financial goals set by their employers.

The Burden of Bureaucracy: Technology, Paperwork, and Admin Overload
One of the major challenges that contributed to the devaluation of the doctorโ€™s role is the growing administrative burden. With the rise of electronic health records (EHRs) and insurance bureaucracy, doctors spend an increasing amount of time on paperwork rather than on patient care. In fact, a 2019 survey by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that U.S. doctors spend an average of 16 hours a week on administrative tasks like EHR documentation, insurance claims, and compliance with government regulations.

This administrative burden has significant repercussions for the doctor-patient relationship. In the past, doctors were able to spend long, uninterrupted hours with patients, listening to their concerns and diagnosing their ailments with care and attention. But with the proliferation of bureaucratic tasks, doctors now face mounting pressure to see more patients, leaving little time for meaningful interactions.

The Mayo Clinic has noted that 50% of physicians report experiencing burnout, with high levels of administrative work being one of the key contributing factors. The growing use of technology, while beneficial in many ways, has inadvertently turned medicine into a data-management job for many doctors, rather than allowing them to focus on the healing process. As a result, doctors feel increasingly disconnected from the very art of medicine that once inspired them to enter the field.

Conclusion: Letโ€™s Not Devalue the Profession Any Further
Doctors still hold an essential role in society. Healthcare has changed, but the art of healing has not disappeared. In fact, doctors are still fighting for their patients every day, often in the face of immense personal and professional challenges. They risk their lives, as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, working tirelessly to protect public health.

Itโ€™s time to stop devaluing the medical profession. We must recognize that doctors are not just โ€œprovidersโ€โ€”they are healers, educators, and advocates. The next time you see your doctor, remember that behind the white coat, they are doing their best to help you, despite the pressures they face.

If we want to restore the respect and dignity of the medical profession, we must work toward a healthcare system that values quality over efficiency, empathy over bureaucracy, and healing over profit. Let doctors be doctors again, and in doing so, we can ensure a healthier, more compassionate future for all.







The Decline of the Doctor: From Healers to Providers โ€“ Let Doctors be Doctors

Monday, December 16, 2024

Semaglutide Rocketing Past Statins as Millions Eligible

Statins are one of the 'go-to's' for reducing morbidity from hyper-lipid disorders causing arteriosclerosis heart disease, stroke, or other vascular thrombotic disorders.



About 40% of American adults โ€” some 137 million โ€” are eligible to take the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide, said the authors of a new study. The authors report that 35 million adults are eligible for semaglutide for diabetes, 129 million for weight management, and 8.9 million for secondary cardiovascular disease prevention.

Semaglutide for secondary prevention is likely to be an area of increased growth, as there is more insurance coverage for that indication, the authors wrote.
Currently, statins are the most commonly prescribed medication for American adults, with some 192 million prescriptions written in 2022, according to one estimate. The authors of a research letter published online in JAMA Cardiology estimate that at least 82 million American adults are eligible for statins.

Semaglutide will quickly overtake statins as the most prescribed pharmaceutical for American adults, said the authors. It was the top-selling drug in the United States in 2023, with sales of almost $14 billion, which made it worth taking a closer look at who might be eligible, said lead author Dhruv S. Kazi, MD, MS, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston.
The use of these medications. is cost-effective. 

He and his colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, and the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern, Chicago, used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2015 to 2020 to determine how many American adults might be eligible for semaglutide. They focused on diabetes, weight management, and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, using inclusion and exclusion criteria from major randomized clinical trials of semaglutide in those indications.  According to recent studies, approximately 137 million American adults are considered eligible for semaglutide treatment, which represents more than half of the US adult population; this eligibility is based on factors like weight management, diabetes management, or cardiovascular disease prevention. 

References and studies that discuss the cost-effectiveness of statins in preventing heart disorders in the general population:

Mason et al. (2015) - This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of statin therapy for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in various populations. It found that statins are generally cost-effective, especially in individuals with elevated cardiovascular risk.
Sculpher et al. (2004) - This research presented a model assessing the cost-effectiveness of statins for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The study concluded that statins are cost-effective for primary prevention in high-risk groups.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - NICE guidelines provide a comprehensive analysis of the cost-effectiveness of statins in preventing cardiovascular diseases. Their recommendations suggest that statins are cost-effective for individuals with a 10% or greater risk of cardiovascular events over 10 years.

Hernandez et al. (2012) - This study analyzed the economic implications of statin therapy in the general population, demonstrating that widespread implementation in individuals aged 40-75 years with varying risk levels is cost-effective.

Graham et al. (2011) - This research evaluated the cost-effectiveness of statins in older adults, showing significant health benefits that justify the costs associated with long-term statin use for preventing heart disorders.







Semaglutide Rocketing Past Statins as Millions Eligible

UnitedHealth Limits Access to Key Treatment for Kids With Autism โ€”

United Health Care just cannot get it right. No matter, they don't care.


The diagnosis of autism (a neurodivergent diagnosis) has been made more often during the last decade. Many physicians and research programs are investigating the epidemiology of the diagnosis.

Secret Playbook: Leaked documents show that UnitedHealth is aggressively targeting the treatment of thousands of children with autism across the country to cut costs.   In internal reports, the company acknowledges that the therapy called applied behavior analysis, is the โ€œevidence-based gold standard treatment for those with medically necessary needs.โ€ But the companyโ€™s costs have climbed as the number of children diagnosed with autism has ballooned; experts say greater awareness and improved screening have contributed to a fourfold increase in the past two decades โ€” from 1 in 150 to 1 in 36.
Critical Therapy: Applied behavior analysis has been shown to help kids with autism; many are covered by Medicaid, federal insurance for poor and vulnerable patients.

United administers Medicaid plans or benefits in about two dozen states and for more than 6 million people, including nearly 10,000 children with autism spectrum disorder. Optum expects to spend about $290 million for ABA therapy within its Medicaid plans this year, and it anticipates the need to increase, documents show. The number of Medicaid patients accessing specialized therapy has increased by about 20% over the past year, with expenses rising by about $75 million year-on-year.

UHC proactively analyzed the increased requests for advanced behavioral therapy calculating it would deny authorizations for treatment based solely upon the diagnosis. This diagnosis would exclude treatment for this disorder even if the benefits included behavioral therapy.


UnitedHealth Limits Access to Key Treatment for Kids With Autism โ€” ProPublica

The SARCOPOD and MAID

 I learned about a new acronym in medical terminology that I was not aware of before โ€”MAID.

An interesting article about MAID, which stands for Medical Assistance in Dying, came out, specifically about a pod thatโ€™s been built in Switzerland, called the โ€œSarco Pod,โ€ where ending oneโ€™s misery, so to speak, is made more comfortable, for lack of a better word.

The company is SARCO 

The Sarco was inspired by UK man Tony Nicklinson who had locked-in syndrome. The lawyers of Tony approached Exit to ask if Philip Nitschke could invent a device that could be activated by the blink of an eye (this was the only movement Tony had). This got Philip thinking. Using his background in experimental physics, Philip set to work to create the Sarco. Sadly, Tony died before the project could be finished for him.
In the future, the blueprints for this Sarco Pod will be posted online, and you will apparently be able to 3-D print the machine wherever you are in the world and postulated that AI could assess whether you met the criteria to end your own life, versus having to go to a human doctor.

Apparently, Switzerland is consistently thought of as the most libertarian of societies on Earth, according to the article by Vox. It is ranked as the #1 country in the Human Freedom Index report, put out by a libertarian think-tank Cato Report.


Apparently, demand is increasing for this practice, and only a few countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium, allow it legally.

What are your thoughts on assisted suicide?

The Peaceful Pill is available for those who want more information on euthanasia.
An online edition can be found here along with frequent updates

We have an online live pain management conference coming up called New And Integrative Ways To Manage Pain, which will welcome a few palliative medicine docs. It will be interesting to visit this issue there and ask for everyoneโ€™s thoughts.

Faculty at our event will include Delia Chiaramonte, MD, MS (whose SoMeDocs podcast episode was among the favorites in 2024),

Health Train Express offers this only for information, and should not be used for any purposes regarding euthanasia.