Kentucky and most other states continue to delay action on health-insurance exchanges, despite Jan. 1, 2013 deadline

Though states must be able to prove whether or not they're ready to run a state insurance exchange by Jan. 1, 2013, many, including Kentucky, have not made any moves toward setting one up.

Kentucky officials have said they are waiting for more guidance to come from the federal level before anything can be decided, but there were indications that the administration of Gov. Steve Beshear might have been delaying action until last month's gubernatorial election. If Kentucky were to set up its own exchange, a move would likely have to be made in the 2012 General Assembly.

Jason Millman of Politico Pro writes an easy-to-understand summary of the complex issue and what it will mean for the American public: "Set to open in January 2014, exchanges will offer a marketplace where individuals and small businesses in each state can shop for health coverage. The exchanges, which offer subsidized coverage to lower- and middle-income individuals, will absorb more than half of the law's projected expansion of health coverage to 32 million people."

Some Republican-dominated states are waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court will rule the federal health-care reform law or its individual mandate unconstitutional, but a ruling is not expected until June at the earliest. "If that's when they start to work on an exchange, they will certainly be challenged to have a state-based exchange in 2014," said Steve Larsen, who oversees exchange development for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Wisconsin state Sen. Frank Larsee, chairman of the insurance committee, plans to wait even longer — opting to wait until after the 2012 presidential election. "Exchanges really aren't required until 2014, so we have plenty of time after November 2012," he said, not addressing the Jan. 2013 deadline.

So far, just 13 states have passed legislation to form an exchange. (Read more)

The common 'fat gene' can be overcome with a little exercise

Even if they've inherited "the fat gene," people don't have to be overweight if they have a relatively small amount of physical activity, such as walking their dog, a study has found. (Getty Images photo)

The research, published this month in the journal of PLoS Medicine, reviewed dozens of studies about the fat mass and obesity-associated gene, which is very common. "By most estimates, about 65 percent of people of European and African descent and perhaps 44 percent of Asians carry some version of the FTO gene," reports Tara Parker-Pope of The New York Times.

But physical activity, even a small amount, may counter the effects of the gene, reducing reduced the effect of the FTO by 30 percent. "While that still leaves 70 percent of the potentially fat-encouraging effect of the gene intact, the consequences of physical activity on the workings of this single gene seem to be substantial enough to perhaps allow someone who otherwise would become seriously overweight to maintain a normal waistline," Parker-Pope reports.

Scientists are still stumped by how the FTO encourages weight gain, but know the gene is particularly active in the the regions of the brain "that regulate the balance of energy intake and expenditure," said Dr. Lu Qi, assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. "The loss of energy balance is the basis of development of obesity."

Physical activity, though, my counteract that. "Biologically, it is possible these two factors, genes and physical activity, may interact in affecting energy balance," Qi said. And exercise might affect how the FTO gene works, influencing "whether it expresses certain proteins or remains quiet," Parker-Pope reports.

Though researchers are being cautiously optimistic, they hope the implications of the findings will be encouraging. "Often people feel that obesity runs in the family or that obesity is in their genes, and therefore feel they have no control over their weight issues," said Dr. Ruth Loos, a program leader at the Institute of Metabolic Science in Cambridge, England. "Our study shows that physical activity plays a role in weight control, even in those who are genetically predisposed." (Read more)

Scientists now admit sunlight can prevent skin cancer

Since the 1980s, physicians and cancer groups have regularly warned the public against the potential health dangers of direct sunlight on skin. As a result, many people have stayed out of the sunlight completely, covered their limbs even in warm weather or slathered themselves with UV protection products, all in the interest of lowering their risk of melanomas.


However, more recent findings indicate that this kind of nearly vampiric avoidance of the sun may not benefit your cancer odds after all.

A 2009 study by a group of Leeds University researchers found that higher levels of Vitamin D were linked to improved skin cancer survival odds. Other studies have found that Vitamin D has a connection to a strong immune response in the body. In fact, Vitamin D may hasten the death of tumor cells.

Unfortunately, most people have low levels of Vitamin D, leaving them at higher risk for a host of diseases including breast cancer, prostate cancer, bowel cancer, cervical cancer, rickets and osteoporosis. (For more in-depth information on this, see this report: http://www.naturalnews.com/rr-sunli...)

"It's common for the general public to have low levels of vitamin D in many countries," said Professor Julia Newton Bishop of the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine and author of the Leeds study. "Melanoma patients tend to avoid the sun as sunburn is known to increase the risk of melanoma. We use sunshine to make vitamin D in the skin, so melanoma patients' levels of vitamin D may be especially low."

Bishop also noted that people can get more Vitamin D through dietary sources such as fatty fish. She points out that balance is key, as extremely high levels of Vitamin D can have a negative effect on health.

The mainstream media continues to run stories every summer warning people against the sun even two years after the Leeds study. While hours of sunbathing may be risky behavior for your long-term health, receiving a moderate amount of sunlight while out gardening or walking is actually as good for you as eating a low-fat diet and engaging in regular exercise. In fact, laying off the sunscreen may help you not only absorb sunshine into your skin to help fight tumors, but also helps you avoid the chemicals in most commercial sun blocking products. Some studies have indicated that these chemicals can actually generate harmful free radicals in the body.

So relax, and enjoy the sunshine.

Source: NaturalNews

Get tested, get treatment, Bluegrass HIV Coalition encourages

Today is World AIDS Day and health advocates are asking Kentuckians to get tested and get treatment.

Hundreds of Kentuckians are diagnosed with AIDS each year, reports Mary Meehan of the Lexington Herald-Leader. Minority populations are hit particularly hard, with black men nearly 10 times more likely to die of AIDS than non-Hispanic white men. Black women are almost 23 more times more likely to die from the infections, compared to non-Hispanic white women.

Though people are still dying, AIDS is not a widely-discussed disease, in part because of its past association with homosexual activity. Mark Johnson, member of the Bluegrass HIV Coalition, said AIDS can be hard for people to talk about.

In addition, the infection is often seen as treatable, in part because of people like Magic Johnson, who has had the infection more than 20 years but is still in good health. What people don't see "is the often expensive regimen of drugs that is needed to keep the worst of the disease at bay, the side effects of those medicines or the ultimate end of what is still an incurable disease," Meehan reports. (Read more)

Stroke of Insight - Jill Taylor

http://www.ted.com

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment.

This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

The Amish Don’t Get Autism... And They Don’t Get Vaccinations

People outside the alternative health community are often confused by the lack of autism in the Amish people. The Amish do not experience autism, or any of the other learning disabilities that plague our technological society.

The Amish live in a society that consists of outdated technologies and ideals, by contemporary standards. Their diet consists of eating organic, fresh, locally-grown produce, and of course, they do not follow the established vaccination routines.

To the dismay of the mainstream media and the medical establishment, this has resulted in a healthier people, that are void of all of our chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are virtually non-existent in Amish villages. Equally non-existent are modern, chemically-engineered medicines, enhanced (chemically-engineered) foods, G.M.O. foods, and of course, vaccines. How is it that those who are without the "miracles" of modern orthodox medicine are healthier? The truth about health, medicine, and how they both relate to the Amish is becoming an embarrassment to some rather powerful people.

There have been 3 (yes three) verified cases of autism in the Amish, and at least two of those children were vaccinated. No information is available for the third. The strong correlation between vaccinations and autism is absolutely undeniable, unless you work for the medical establishment, the government, or Big Media. Proponents of the status-quo claim that the Amish obviously have a special super gene that makes them immune to autism. They pathetically try to rationalize that autism is some type of genetic failure (i.e. God's fault), which attacks a brain based on religious affiliation. We're tentatively expecting a space alien theory next, in a similar vein to the aliens theory used to attack those who believe in a Creator. This is truly is F.D.A. and A.M.A. science in all its shining glory. Vaccine proponents are willing to espouse any ridiculous explanation, so long as they do not have to accept that their entire industry of vaccinations is causing chronic disease, leaving autism for 1 in every 100 children now.

Beware When The G' Man Comes Knocking


The Amish are constantly harassed by health officials, who attempt to convince them to vaccinate their children. Whilst most Amish still refuse to vaccinate, a small minority are beginning to succumb to the scare tactics. This continues despite the fact that health officials actually have no legal right to visit peoples' homes and harass them into accepting these poisons. As more of the Amish vaccinate, the autism rates in their community will rise. Fortunately, the majority of the Amish still contend that vaccinations are against God's will, which interestingly enough, does indeed seem to be bringing about blessings on their children.

Many of the viruses which children are vaccinated against are no longer circulating. However, fear tactics by the media have led frightened parents to vaccinate their children against these viruses anyway. One of those viruses is polio. Dr. Sherri Tenpenny reported that the most recent case seen in the Western Hemisphere was in Peru, in 1991. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) declared the Western hemisphere free of Polio in 1994. Such inconvenient figures are not cited by the mainstream media, doctors, or the American Medical Association.

On October 14, 2005, the media swung into action after the vaccine-strain of the polio virus was found in the stools of four Amish children. The media initially declined to mention that the polio virus was the chemically-inactivated version, which is only found inside the oral polio vaccine. Of course, this discovery was exploited to terrorize parents who avoid vaccines, and to recreate the disease hysteria that existed in the first half of the 20th century.

Big Business: Intentionally Creating a Paralyzing Pandemic


The horrors of polio were greatly exaggerated by the allopathic establishment's across-the-board removal of tonsils, which is the only organ that produces polio antibodies. Coincidentally, around the same time, the newly-created F.D.A. began suppressing the use of silver in medicines, which were the only substances known to kill viruses (like polio). Finally, 'the solution' that industry desired, namely a vaccine, was released at the time that the epidemic was naturally ending, so that the industry's vaccine could be given credit. All of this was orchestrated to manipulate the masses into buying into vaccines, radiation, and chemistry for health.

"During the polio epidemics, it was found that people who had their tonsils removed were 3 - 5 times more likely to develop paralysis… There were many at that time that suggested that polio was an iatrogenic disease [caused by the medical establishment] … we caused thousands of cases of paralysis. We did not cause the polio, but we converted people who would have recovered from a viral illness into people with a paralytic illness.”


― Dr. Mark Donohoe

With vaccinations, we convert people who may have had natural immune-strengthening infections like the flu, or chickenpox into people who have life-changing disorders like autism. None of the Amish children who had polio in their stools experienced paralysis, or any other horrific symptoms. That fortunate conclusion to their infections is likely the result of them lacking the 'miracles' of allopathic medicine.

We must wonder how four Amish children who live in an isolated community managed to become exposed to the unique chemically-inactivated vaccine strain of the polio virus. It is more than likely that such a thing was intentional, especially when the harassment by local health officials is considered. In addition, the vaccine strain that was discovered had not been used for five years, due to the possibility of it causing paralysis. After all, if some Amish children were to get sickened by the polio virus, the Amish may all rush to get their children vaccinated, and the science of vaccinations is proven with a wink and a nod.

The manner in which this was reported is very telling. For instance, if the vaccine strain of the polio virus was found in a normal child, would the media have made the story into front page news? Would it even have been reported? The Washington Post explained that both state and federal officials had informed them of the story. Misleading titles such as, "Polio Outbreak Occurs Among Amish Families In Minnesota" were then used to manipulate resistant parents with bio-terrorism.

When the Amish are simply left alone, to live free of chemical toxins found in our medicines and foods, they are not plagued with diseases, learning disabilities, or autism. They are categorically more intelligent, with the exception of advanced (college-level) writing skills, which is explainable by the fact that English is not their primary language. Could it be those same Amish 'super genes' at work again? Society could learn greatly from their example, if we would only stop poisoning ourselves, and our children on a routine basis.

Addendum and Comments about the Information War


Opposition websites often claim that vaccination is normal in the Amish community, and so is autism. These are lies. While there may be some small Amish groups which do vaccinate, and thus have autism; neither is normal. The United Press, in conjunction with Generation Rescue, published a story about the rates of autism in an Amish community in Pennsylvania. Reporter Dan Olmsted went searching for the autistic Amish. Statistically, there should have been around 130 Amish in the community he examined. Dan discovered 3 cases (that's three). The first was an adopted Chinese girl, who had suffered through all of her vaccinations on the same day. The second developed symptoms within 24 hours after getting vaccinated, and there was no information about the third case. The reporter even spoke with the local allopathic (orthodox) doctor, who the Amish sometimes visit whenever herbs and supplements do not suffice (for instance, broken bones). The doctor admitted that he had never seen autism in the community.

Dr. Max Wiznitzer of University Hospitals in Cleveland is an expert witness for the government, and he fights against families who file for compensation in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. He made a mistake when he admitted that autism rates in the Amish community are somewhere around 1 in 10,000. The rate for the rest of us is now about 1 in 95, and growing rapidly. That means that our children are over 100 times more likely to get autism, and this does not take into account that the numbers are skewed against the Amish, since a tiny portion of their children are actually vaccinated now.

We will be waiting for real outbreaks of autism in the unvaccinated Amish. If you're still unsure about the cause of autism, and are looking for studies; read How To Cure Autism and The Time Bomb of Mercury Poisoning. Studies which attempt to disprove the link between autism and vaccination have all been funded by the pharmaceutical complex. Truly independent studies have repeatedly shown the clear relationship. In fact, no vaccine has ever undergone any independent, controlled, double-blind studies to determine safety and effectiveness. Seriously. Read the studies yourself, research extensively, and do the right thing. Opt out of vaccinations with a religious or philosophical exemption to defend your child. The public schools cannot legally turn you away if you do that, so learn your rights, and use them! Do it, or someday your own children will curse you for not doing the right thing.

Since we wrote this article [on www.healthwyze.org], we have made a lot of enemies. People do not want to believe that the guilt for the epidemic lies with them, especially in the case of parents and doctors. Doctors have been the quietest group of readers, and this could be related to the fact that about half of them refuse routine vaccines themselves, due to "safety and efficacy reasons", according to the C.D.C.. It is just too rich. Although, we have heard from plenty of non-doctor "experts", and as expressed in the article, they are cunning manipulators, who have come to view us as a threat. I believe that evil is the appropriate word to describe them. The marketing astroturfers have certainly made their rounds in vain efforts to manipulate us. They never give their true information, so we do not know which percentage of them are with Big Medica, Big Pharma, or the U.S. Government. They always use throw-away e-mail addresses from places like Yahoo! and Google. We've learned to spot them a mile away. We have also discovered that people valuing truth do not hide from investigation, as if they were cockroaches running from the light.

The hateful e-mails we received are intended to persuade us into removing this article. Our opponents generally give links to blogs which make gratuitous statements, whilst offering no sources, or merely additional links to new websites which run anonymously. (We ain't as stupid as they be thinking.) We have yet to be disputed by any evidence that was not paid for by a pharmaceutical company, or that had the backing of 3rd party, independent, credible, and verifiable sources. All of their "evidence" has been fully lacking in credibility. Science and medicine are not remade by the comments on JoAnna's blogspot blog. Call us crazy if you like.

We know the difference between credible research and studies, and we are getting stuff that is just being pulled straight out of their rears and presented as gold nuggets; like some feat of alchemy. No matter how well we do our jobs uncovering and exposing the corruption, they remain too arrogant to do anything other than underestimate our intelligence. It is actually comical at times. You will notice that like other credible sources, we sign our names to our work and take responsibility for it. We also reveal our useful and verifiable independent sources of information whenever it is prudent to do so.

Written by Thomas Corriher

source: healthwyze.org

County data paint specific pictures of health; Ashland paper is one of first to pick up on it and do a story

More progress is needed to make sure children from low-income families are going to the dentist is just one of the findings of the 2011 Kentucky Kids Count County Data, released by Kentucky Youth Advocates.

The data paint a detailed portrait of each county's health for Kentucky's children, showing results of prenatal care, the percentage of mothers smoking during pregnancy, rates of preterm birth and low birthweight, breastfeeding, the number of children enrolled in Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid, early-childhood obesity rates, asthma hospitalizations, and access to recreational facilities.

Statewide, the numbers show nearly one of every four children lived in poverty between 2005 and 2009, a 10 percent increase from 2000. The rates of preterm births and low-birthweight babies also increased. Overall, however, the numbers show improvement, particularly when it comes to children being covered by state or federal insurance. The number of children enrolled in KCHIP increased by 45 percent and in Medicaid more than 50 percent.

That data is supported by a reported released Tuesday by Georgetown University, which found the number of children without health insurance has dropped by 1 million nationwide in the past three years, Kelli Kennedy of The Associated Press reports. (Read more)

For an example of how to localize the data, click here. Mike James of The Independent in Ashland used it to assess the health status of children in Greenup, Carter and Boyd counties. He also spoke to a local school district and found officials will use the findings to bolster "requests for competitive grants that fund ... programs and ... identify gaps in services," he reports.