Weight Stayed the Same Over Three Years, But New Diseases Developed at Rapid Pace

Playing Chicken Kaiser Health News A lot of people laughed when Sue Lowden, the Nevada Republican running for the U.S. Senate, suggested last month that people start paying for their medical care with chickens. I didn't (Jonathan Cohn, 5/3). Doctors Have Many Drug Choices - Too Many In Some Cases Los Angeles Times More than 30 drugs are regularly prescribed to control hypertension; more than 20 ...

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) today announced its support of recent policy changes by Aetna Inc. and United Healthcare. The national health insurance giants will now cover laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, a newer method of bariatric surgery that is becoming increasingly popular as a treatment for morbid obesity.

This roundup includes the following news briefs: Obama Officials to Participate in Webcast on New Health Care Reform Law; Company Recalls OTC Eye Drops, Nose Drops; Pfizer Posts Details of Interactions With U.S. Physicians; FDA Approves First Generic Drugs Used for Hypertension Treatment; New Report Highlights Synergy Between Value-Based Insurance Design and PCMH.

Obese women who have bariatric surgery before getting pregnant are at significantly lower risk for developing dangerous hypertensive disorders during pregnancy than those who don't, according to a study of medical insurance records.