New Blood Thinners in the Spotlight at Heart Meeting

The annual European Society of Cardiology meeting begins this weekend in Barcelona, and here are three key late-stage trials on different anti-clotting agents from big drug makers that are headlining the session:

1) RE-LY: This large study examined the safety and efficacy of Boehringer Ingelheim’s investigational anti-clotting therapy, Prodaxa, against the current gold standard, warfarin, for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that affects 2.2 million Americans. Some 18,000 patients with non-valvular AF and at least one other risk factor for stroke, such as a previous stroke, heart failure or high blood pressure were followed for at least one year in this long-term study.

2) PLATO: AstraZeneca will reveal the complete data from this head-to-head comparison between Brilinta, its experimental anti-platelet, anti-clotting drug, and Bristol-Myers’s multi-billion-dollar blockbuster Plavix. In May, AZ announced that Brilinta wasstatistically superior to Plavix in preventing cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome, so the safety profile may be more of the focus at the conference, writes Credit Suisse analyst Catherine Arnold in a research note. Good news for AZ could mean pressure on Eli Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo as well, since the FDA approved their anti-platelet medication, Effient, in July. One advantage of Brilinta is that its effects are quickly reversible.

3) OASIS-7: Bristol-Myers is investigating whether higher doses of Plavix early in a treatment regimen, along with a regimen of aspirin, will reduce cardiovascular outcomes and bleeding in patients with acute coronary syndrome who might undergo coronary angioplasty. Arnold thinks the higher dose of Plavix will prove more effective than a lower dose, but notes that the trial doesn’t address the issue of Plavix resistance, which affects 30% of the population.

Visualization For Weight Loss -Can It Help You To Lose Weight?

Have you tried visualization for weight loss? If you are not familiar with visualization, it may sound like a strange or mysterious technique, but it isn’t really.

Visualizing is something that has been proven effective for any goal or desire, including weight loss.

Visualization takes advantage of how our brains operate. The fact is, your brain does not know the difference between what is really happening and what you are imagining. This may be hard to believe, but it’s been proven. One way this has been shown is by experiments with athletes. Athletes such as basketball players were found to gain just as much advantage from visualizing success in performing a certain task as by physically practicing it.

You can use the same principle in your weight loss goals. It’s a little different from playing basketball, but your mind is still going to do the same basic thing -imagine what it is you want to create. In this case, you want to have a picture in your mind of how you want to look and feel. Practice this for short periods, between five and ten minutes, at least twice per day. Early in the morning and before bed are the best times, but it’s beneficial to practice visualizing anytime you can.

Don’t be concerned about having photograph-like pictures in your mind. If you have a visual mind and this comes naturally, great. However, if you are less visual, you can focus more on how you feel. Imagine how great it feels to look in the mirror and look the way you want; how others look at you with admiration; how you feel walking down the street, etc.

The key to success with visualization is practice and consistency. Anyone can spare a few minutes every day to visualize, but it’s easy to forget. So set aside time every day and really do it! The only preparation is to relax. Sit or lie down and take a few slow, deep breaths. Then close your eyes and visualize. That’s all there is to it!

Some people, when they learn about visualization, ask, “Does this mean I don’t have to exercise or watch what I eat anymore?” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Visualization is something that is meant to help you in changing your overall lifestyle and habits. When you make it a daily practice, you will find yourself naturally drawn to actions that will help you lose weight. You will, conversely, find yourself less drawn to unhealthy and fattening foods. So don’t think of visualization as something you do in place of other sensible and helpful practices. Think of it as a way to make your overall weight loss plan easier and less stressful.

Walking To Lose Weight -A Simple But Effective Method

Walking to lose weight is a simple but powerful method that can help with your long term weight loss goals. Walking is a natural, safe and enjoyable exercise that can be done in almost any environment. While it doesn’t burn up calories as quickly as strenuous activities such as running, jogging or riding a bicycle, it can be surprisingly effective.

Walking is perhaps the most natural physical exercise you can do. Long before there were automobiles or bicycles -and even before humans domesticated horses to ride on- walking was the way people got around. In recent years, the sad fact is that many people only walk when they absolutely have to. They may see walking as something you do to get from your car to the store, or from your driveway to the house. If this describes you, and your goal is to lose weight and get healthier, it may be a good idea to change the way you see walking.

The great thing about walking is that you can easily start at your own pace and gradually speed up. You can also practice walking almost anywhere. If you live in the city, you can walk on sidewalks or in a park. If you live closer to nature, you can walk on wooded or mountain trails. If you live in the suburbs, you can still find either sidewalks or a public track. You can, of course, get machines that allow you to walk in place indoors. This can be good for bad weather, or for people with physical limitations that make it hard to leave the house. Otherwise, it’s good to also walk outside when you can. The surroundings make it more interesting and it’s good to get fresh air as well (unless you live in a badly polluted city).

The key to getting the most benefit from walking is to do it consistently. Walking, unlike many other forms of exercise, can be done daily with no ill effects. You may want to find a partner or group to make it more interesting and sociable. If you walk alone, you can carry an iPod or other device that allows you to listen to music. Just make sure you are alert to your surroundings at all times.

Walking is also something you can do as it was originally intended -as a way to get from Point A to Point B. You can get into the habit of walking to the store instead of driving. If you go to a large mall or a downtown area, you can park your car once and walk to all of your destinations rather than driving to each one. Even if you work in an office you can take more walks around the building during breaks or lunch.

Losing weight is an equation with two main variables -calorie intake and calorie burning. Walking can help with burning calories, but you also have to pay attention to your intake. You don’t have to go on an extreme starvation diet, but if you are taking in more calories than you need, you can gradually cut back. If you do this while also increasing your metabolism by walking regularly, you should start to see some results fairly quickly

How Hospitals Could Profit from Health Reform

Hospitals have pledged accept more than $150 billion in pay cuts over the next decade.

But a big hospital trade group says hospitals could receive an additional $171 billion over the next decade in reimbursements for the newly insured, more than making up for those reductions, Bloomberg reports.

The American Hospital Association says the figure was estimated for members of Congress and state hospital associations several months ago. One analyst told Bloomberg that the assessment is “consistent with reality.”

On July 8, the AHA put out a statement, along with the Catholic Health Association of the United States and the Federation of American Hospitals, stating that hospitals will “do our part to get virtually every American covered.” But, the statement warned, “the reductions of $155 billion over 10 years in the framework are substantial, are linked in part to increased coverage and cannot go any deeper without damaging hospitals’ ability to care for their communities.”

In addition to reimbursements from newly insured people, hospitals could gain from the elimination of bad debt from treating the uninsured, a guru at the political and economic advisory firm Washington Analysis told Bloomberg.

But hospitals aren’t likely to see the benefits right away. “The savings that are going to be taken from the hospital industry are likely to begin as soon as this is enacted and the enrollment of the new people under insurance reform is not going to happen until 2013, so there’s going to be a lag until they see the benefits,” Loss said.

Health Insurance Reform Pollings

About eight out of ten Americans favor a public option health insurance plan on the table in Congress right now. This is according to the new poll underwritten by AARP and completed by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates released Tuesday night at an AARP event in Denver.

While most people seem to favor this public option, only four out of ten can accurately define what a public option health insurance plan means. This is not good news for President Obama who may be facing possible defeat on his health care reform platform.

The poll surveyed 1,000 Republicans, Democrats and independents across the nation earlier in August. The survey does suggest that Americans agree on health care reform of some sort, but there is much less agreement on whether or not it’s worth higher taxes or higher health insurance rates.

Most are still very concerned about having affordable health insurance. 65% oppose tax increases and 73% oppose higher health insurance premiums. This information was found through the Wichita Business Journal in the article “AARP polling shows uncertainties about ‘public option’ insurance in health reform” by Neil Westergaard.

BadgerCare Up For Bid

The state of Wisconsin is planning to require a open bidding process for private health insurance companies which seek to manage the BadgerCare Plus Health Insurance Program

BadgerCare Plus provides health insurance coverage for low-income families with children under 19, but now also offers a health insurance plan with more limited coverage to low-income adults who do not have young children.

In other BadgerCare news, applications for BadgerCare Plus Core (the plan for low-income families without children) have come in more quickly than expected and the state is currently working through the application backlog that has developed in the first two months since its launch. In the first 7 weeks more than 37,000 applications were received and only 5,000 were processed.

State Farm Health Insurance Has a Challenge for America

State Farm Health Insurance is giving America a highly needed challenge. They are challenging Americans to collectively lose 50 million pounds across the nation, according to the article “Insurance agency challenges Americans to lose weight” on wqow.com.

Bob Johnson, an agent at State Farm Insurance, says that the healthier you are the less frequently you visit the doctor which will help lower your health insurance rates over time. There is also the benefit of living a longer, higher quality life the healthier you live. A healthy lifestyle will help you lose weight, have more energy and just feel better overall.

Online registration is available and participants can track their progress throughout the challenge. There is also information on how to lead a healthier lifestyle. State Farm Health Insurance is offering a kit which includes a pedometer and an information booklet. Hopefully America is up for the challenge because obesity continues to be on the rise.

Health Insurance Companies Lack Competition

One of the most popular arguments against a government run health care plan is the lack of competition that would arise among health insurance providers, but according to the article “Competition Lacking Among Private Health Insurance Companies” by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar on the huffingtonpost.com, private insurance companies already lack sufficient competition.

Studies show that in a number of areas across the country one or two health insurance companies dominate the marketplace. When this happens prices can be driven up since those needing health insurance do not have many options. The Democrats believe that a public health insurance plan would fix this problem since it would directly compete with the private insurers. The Republicans are concerned over the government having that much power.

As Congress tries to figure out the best way to provide health care in this country, it’s important that consumers take matters into their own hands for now. If you are in the market for health insurance get numerous health insurance quotes to ensure you know what’s available out there.