Cybersecurity, Cancer Update, Arsenic, & Politics
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
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Healthcare & Cybersecurity
The Health and Human Services Department’s “current approach to health care cybersecurity — self-regulation and voluntary best practices — is woefully inadequate and has left the health care system vulnerable to criminals and foreign government hackers,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote in a recent letter to the agency.
In December, HHS put out a cybersecurity strategy meant to support the sector. Several proposals focused on hospitals, including a carrot-and-stick program to reward providers that adopted certain “essential” security practices and penalize those that didn’t.
I used to be a cyber security person advising the federal government and one of the issues is that commercial healthcare software does not have to prove it is cyber resilient prior to release the way federal software must be verified. That is, you can release medical software and if there is a leak, you can sue the company That is reactive and too late. The US government is far more proactive when it comes to cyber resilience as opposed to reactive.
It would be easy for a 3rd party to verify a commercial firms’ software security prior to release. Of course, if you’re selling software having a third party attest to the security could be an important sales feature. If you’re interested in who can do this kind of verification let me know in the comment field or send an email to healthcareadvocacy1@gmail.com. PS no it isn’t me. I’m retired.
Arsenic and Diabetes Risk
Exposure to arsenic and other toxic metals may accelerate the progression toward diabetes, according to a new study by University of Illinois Chicago researchers.
In a longitudinal study of over 500 Mexican Americans living in southern Texas, researchers found that high levels of toxic metals in urine predicted faster increases in blood sugar over subsequent years.
Based on these results, individuals with the highest levels of arsenic in their urine were projected to qualify as prediabetic 23 months earlier and diabetic 65 months earlier than those with the lowest exposure to the toxic metal.
The study, published in Diabetes Care, highlights an underappreciated risk factor for diabetes, a disease of immense public health significance that is associated with significant health disparities in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, kidney failure and blindness. It also emphasizes that this risk factor can be addressed by reducing exposure to contaminated food, water and other products.
The study examined residents of Starr County, Texas, a region along the U.S.-Mexico border with one of the highest rates of diabetes and diabetes-related mortality in the country. Arsenic and other toxic metals have been detected in local groundwater, and these elements may also be ingested through foods and medicines. (U of Ill - Chicago)
Not mentioned in the research article were how to remove arsenic from your water supply. Carbon filters, like Brita, won’t work. Here is a one reference with suggestions from Dartmouth University. Anion, reverse osmosis and alumina filters can help. Rinsing and boiling rice is also a good idea. Here is a reference for that, Boiling removes lots more arsenic (60%). Rinsing only takes out 10%.
Prostate Cancer and Immunotherapy
New research has shown that immunotherapy can be effective in treating prostate cancer in men who are selected based on the genetic characteristics of their tumors. In a recent study conducted at Radboud university medical center, it was found that for some men with a particular genetic type of prostate cancer, the progression of the disease was slowed down by 33 months. The study's findings were published in the Annals of Oncology.
While immunotherapy has not been widely successful for all men with prostate cancer, a closer examination of existing studies suggests that it can be highly effective for certain patients. The researchers discovered that men who responded well to immunotherapy had specific DNA errors in their tumors. These genetic abnormalities cause protein changes that activate the immune system, making immunotherapy more effective.
The study targeted four different DNA subtypes—MMRd, hTMB, BRCAm, and CDK12i—found in about fifteen percent of all prostate cancer cases. A total of 69 men received a combination of two types of immunotherapy, ipilimumab and nivolumab, as part of the study.
The study found that dual immunotherapy slowed the progression of prostate cancer in selected patients by four months. The most notable response was observed in patients with the MMRd mutation, where the cancer was slowed by 33 months. In some cases, this ranged from stabilizing the disease to reducing it to such an extent that it was no longer detectable in the blood or visible on scans. At the time of publication, the cancer remained under control in twenty patients.
Republicans Want to CANCEL Drug Price Negotiations
The Trump campaign's populist rhetoric on drug pricing is colliding with more traditional GOP concerns in Congress about heavy-handed government squelching pharmaceutical innovation.Which is BS since all FDA approved drugs in the last 10 years were funded by the US government. The tension surfaced this week when multiple high-ranking Republicans told Axios they want to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act's Medicare drug price negotiations next year if they prevail in the elections. (Axios)
I recommend reading the Axios article. You'll see it is the same garbage except they don’t have a concept for a plan.
First VOTE ACCORDINGLY THIS FALL UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT
Then note that this is part of a concerted plan by Republicans. Their strategy is to overspend the the federal government (like paying too much for Medicare Drugs) and reduce taxes so the input to the Treasury is insufficient, then start cancelling safety net programs since they believe that the poor don’t have the initiative not to be poor.
In Europe people pay taxes and have safety net programs that work and do not have the poverty and homelessness we have. If our safety net programs were sufficiently robust we would not have the 11%-13% poverty we have. We would not have 80 million people on Medicaid because everyone would have insurance that works from a public trust at lower cost. But the greed and cruel tropes that this bunch has been promulgating for 50 years keeps us mired where we are.
ACTION
Let’s let our elected reps know that it is time to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, the Women’s Health Protection Act, and put universal healthcare in place.
You can contact your Member of Congress and Senators, https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.
Or use RESISTBOT via [Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER] or by texting SIGN PTUYPI to 50409 on your cell phone to send this message.
“I am your constituent and I want you to know that we have significant issues I want you to address. I want you to take action to extend the deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment. If I don’t see action from you or a public statement, then I know where you stand and I will vote accordingly.
I want you to take a public stand NOW for the Women’s Health Protection Act to restore a woman’s bodily autonomy. Again, If I don’t see something or hear anything from you, then I will vote accordingly.
Lastly I want you to move forward with Universal Healthcare so all Americans can get to the doctor when they need to. About 30 million of us have no health insurance and the country can save 400 billion a year with a public insurance trust (per your CBO). Thank you.”
RESOURCES
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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