Author: Isaac

Categories
medical

Adult stem cells or why I hate the FDA

One of the more promising treatments for MS (among a slew of other conditions) is the use of adult stem cells. Unfortunately, here in the US, the media and various groups are obsessed with embryonic stem cells. Those have a lot of promise as a therapeutic method, but they are really controversial. I’m really uncomfortable with them, and I think I would decline to be treated with them. In addition to the controversy, there is the little problem of how to use them. In theory, they have a lot of promise because they could become darn near any type of cell that is needed. The problem is that they tend to create tumors. It makes sense since those cells are all about growing…

So while everyone talks about embryonic stem cells, there really aren’t any treatments available using them. While the US was arguing abut those, the rest of the world went on to researching adult stem cells. These are cells that are taken from the patient’s own body. As such, there is no controversy in using them. The cells have a variety of different sources including fat cells, bone marrow, blood, skin, and even menstrual blood! The stuff is taken out of the patient, the stem cells are separated from the host tissues, they are made to grow into more and more cells, and then they are injected back into the patient wherever they need them.

This technique is successfully being used all over the world to treat the symptoms of many different afflictions like MS, cerebral palsy, congestive heart failure, broken bones, and many more. In most cases the stem cell treatments aren’t “cures” but they do alleviate many symptoms and help people regain function. In addition, since it is the patients’ own cells being used, there are no side effects to speak of.

So why is it that people can go to Israel, China, Costa Rica, The Philippines, Argentina, and many other places to get these treatments but we can’t get them here? Many Americans assume that all of those countries have inferior medical systems and are unable to do quality medicine. That just isn’t true. The way many people think, they assume that all of those people live in mud huts and have never read a book. They have hospitals and many of those countries have very successful medical tourism industries. The reason they are successful is because they are able to offer good treatment at much lower prices in a timely fashion. Their reputations depend on good service.

No, the reason we don’t have those treatments available isn’t because of the backwardness of those other countries, it is because of the weird incentives the government has set up for these treatments. You see, the FDA has declared that adult stem cells are “drugs” and therefore are subject to all of the regulations that go along with that title. Put another way, the FDA believes that they have jurisdiction over how you can use your own cells on your own body.

It costs fortunes to get a drug approved at the FDA. Here’s the kicker, the drug companies do not have any incentive to research how people can use their own cells, so they don’t do any. Clinics, hospitals, and doctors stand to gain tremendously if these procedures become normal here. The trouble is that any given clinic would be unable to recoup the money needed to jump through all of the hoops at the FDA because once it is approved, anyone would be able to do it.

Some people would say that the government should foot the bill for this research in order to solve the problem. It would be much easier, much less expensive, and much faster if the FDA would simply reclassify the use of adult stem cells as a procedure instead of a drug.

If you’d like to see what is going on with adult stem cells these days, check out RSCI. He has a lot of information about adult stem cell use and lots of links to different types of conditions that are currently being treated with them. Adult Stem Cell Therapy is also a good place to go to talk with people that have had the procedure done. Adult stem cells are the future, and in other countries, the future is now. I hope beyond hope that this will happen in this country soon, and that the prices will follow a Lasik-type trajectory.

Categories
medical

MS treatments

As you might imagine, I’ve been looking into what kind of treatments are available for MS. There are two different fronts when it comes to treating MS. There are things to treat the symptoms and then there are things that try to prevent relapses. Most of the effort and most of what is out there for MS patients is in the latter category.

I have problems with those types of things for several reasons. The shots that are used to prevent relapses are hideously expensive and have various side effects. Very frequently, they stop working or don’t work for a particular person. I’ve also wondered how you would know if they work at all. I mean, it’s easy to tell when they aren’t working, but it isn’t possible to know if they are. All of this is a bit moot since I don’t seem to have the relapsing type, those shots won’t work for me.

When it comes to treating the effects of MS there is very little that modern medicine has to offer. There are some anti-spaticity drugs and pain killers and that’s about it. There are some things that anecdotally have some effects. Things like acupuncture, diet, and yoga have their adherents. Another option is marijuana. There are many people that swear that it helps with pain, spasticity, and some even claim that it prevents relapses. Along with those positives, there are very few side effects and it is cheap! It’s really easy to grow too. The one downside is that it is illegal in most places.

Sigh.

The good news is that there is a lot of promise with the new field of stem cell research. More on that in the next post.

Categories
medical

I have MS

I was diagnosed with MS this last friday. In one sense, it is a relief. I now at least have an idea of what to expect and can put a name to what has been causing me all of these troubles. Of course, it always sucks getting a diagnosis like this…

On the bright side, if I’m going to have MS, now is a pretty good time to have it. Research is finally making some serious progress (more about that in the next post) and it looks like treatments are available now overseas and will hopefully be here within a couple of years. In the meantime, I really am not in all that bad a shape. I can get around, I have no pain, and I have nothing that will prevent me from getting a new job. I’ll need to be sitting down with the new one, but still…

I was pretty much anticipating this, so it didn’t come as a big shock. I’m doing OK right now and I think that within a few years I’ll get some treatment. I don’t know if that is going to be in this country or not, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

Categories
medical

The latest test results… and a decision to be made.

Well, the results came back from my spinal tap and they showed the presence of proteins that are markers of MS. It doesn’t mean that I have MS, but it is consistent with MS. In addition, I still only have the one lesion as opposed to the 9 they usually look for in an MS diagnosis.

My doctor has recommended that I start treatments for MS. These treatments don’t do anything for my current symptoms, but they are supposed to help in slowing down the progression of the disease. They consist in getting shots either every day or every other day and have a variety of side effects.

I have several reservations about these treatments. First of all, it still isn’t clear that I do have MS or that I will get MS in the future. Right now, I have a single lesion on the spine. Usually, they want to see 9 before giving a diagnosis of MS. It isn’t clear that my symptoms will get worse without treatment.

Now if the treatment just involved taking a pill or two with minimal side effects, or offered some hope of getting better, I’d go for it right away. But daily shots with the possibility of “flu-like symptoms” don’t make me jump for joy. Oh, and I’ve been reading about people’s $1200 a month copay for them too, that also makes me happy.

I’m also not sure how we’d know if they are working. I mean sure, if there’s a flare up, we’d know they weren’t, but in the meantime, there’s no telling. I’m going in tomorrow for a meeting, I’ll discuss my reservations and wee what he has to say. I gotta be frank, I’m leaning towards not starting those treatments….

Categories
economics free market medical

Another rant on medical costs

I’m getting another blast of medical bill nuttiness. Where to start…

As you may know, my insurance company has been denying all claims. I’m not going to get into that here, the upshot is that I’m getting the bills. I have had some success with negotiating lower prices at some places, my neurologist’s included. A big part of this negotiation involves me whipping out a credit card and actually paying the bill. Getting paid right away is a big incentive, at least to some people…

I needed a spinal tap, so naturally I was worried about the price. I knew that I could work with the neurologist’s but they made it clear that they lab costs were out of their hands. OK, maybe if I contact the lab and work out something before the test, I can work a good price. Hoo boy. I called my neurologist’s office to find out what lab they are using. I then called the lab. They directed me to another number for billing questions and then they sent me back to the lab. At that time, I was only trying to get a price. It turns out that the person I needed to speak to had already left.

So I went and got my spinal tap the next day, and at the lab I told them that my insurance wasn’t going to cover it. I asked if they had a discount for prepayment. They said they used to, but they stopped doing that on April 1. They did say I could pay for a third and then fill out a form to see if Riverside medical would be willing to forgive the rest. Um, OK. Can’t you do something now, I would prefer to pay now. They would do that only if I paid the entire cost. They would not move an inch.

I got a similar run around with some of the other doctor’s offices I dealt with from Riverside Medical. When I call to the office, they say they do not handle the billing. When I call, they are not willing to lower the price at all even though they were willing to accept my insurance company’s much lower payment. It was common practice for my mother (an orthopedic surgeon) to charge a much lower rate, usually the medicare rate, when the patient didn’t have insurance. So what’s going on?

What my neurologist’s office and my mother’s previous office had in common is that they did their own billing. All of the other people I have dealt with have others do the billing. Why does that matter? It matters because when I deal with people at the other offices, they don’t care if I pay or not. It isn’t their job to collect, their job is to do the paperwork properly. As a matter of fact, they have been conditioned to not get involved in the money aspects of the business, it is uncomfortable and messy. They insulate themselves to the point that they have no idea what things cost.

The problem is that the prices that are charged are set with the idea that the insurance companies will pay a fraction of that. If you do not have insurance, you are stuck with a much larger bill than the insurance companies would get. This isn’t necessarily a problem, reasonable people can quickly come to an agreement based on what the insurance company or the government pays for any given procedure. The key is that the other side has to be interested in getting paid, they have to be willing to make a deal. The companies that do not handle their own billing and the billing companies that do it for them are not interested. They just want to do their job. If you pay, you go into one slot, if you don’t pay, you go into the other…

All of this has had the perverse effect of making it attractive for the medical claim to go into collections. You see, the collection agent is paid based on their ability to get money. They have every incentive to get money, so they have every incentive to wheel and deal on the price. They would be ecstatic to get half of the bill paid. They take their cut, and the rest goes to the medical company. It’s their own stupidity and the incentives set up by their structure that prevent them from getting that money in the first place.

Categories
politics

A political joke

What do you call a Republican that is pro-choice, supports Obama, and supports civil unions for homosexuals? ? A Democrat. Zing!

This is what strikes me the most about Arlen Spectre defecting to the democratic party. These days, the only thing that separates dems and republicans is a fondness for different policies. There are no longer any philosophical differences on the nature of government. It is assumed that the president “runs” the country, it is assumed that the “direction” of the country comes from DC.

I think this is worse news for the republicans than for the democrats. There is enough support for the policy direction of the democratic party that they can float along with no problem. The republican agenda has been uncool for some time, and is quickly falling by the wayside. With any luck, this is the beginning of the end of the republican party’s social conservatism as a political force. They have long since abandoned any claim on being the party of fiscal conservatism. For a long time, that was the main identity of republican politics, then they hitched their wagon on social conservatism. That was a long term tactical error that may well end the Republican party.

While my ideal political party would have a platform of fiscal conservatism and an emphasis on civil liberties (I actually think they are the same thing), I would be happy with some politicians that had no other platform than responsible fiscal policies. We need some resistance to the current republican/democratic fetish of spending money without thinking of the consequences. In short, we need a real alternative to business as usual in the political sphere.

Categories
medical

The worst things about my spinal tap…

… were getting up early, having to lie around for half an hour after the procedure, and of course the money. The procedure itself was really no big deal, no bigger than any other getting stuck with a needle procedure. Hopefully, I will have some results later this week.

Categories
science

More global warming "science"

Isn’t all that news about the ice shelf in Antarctica “collapsing” distressing? Isn’t it an obvious sign of global warming? Ummm, no and no. Anthony Watts has done an excellent job of showing that these alarmist reports are recycled year to year, they even use the same pictures! Read about it here.

In addition, this seemingly annual event is ice breaking off of the shelf, not melting. The breakage shows sharp lines and cliffs, the result of stresses of the water and winds. As a matter of fact, the amount of sea ice in Antarctica has been growing steadily for years and is now well above what we have observed recently.

The supporters of manmade global warming would do themselves a lot of favors if they didn’t make stuff up, they end up looking really stupid…

Categories
economics freedom

Tea parties and taxes

Alright, I’ve had about as much as I can take. The reaction to the “tea parties” has been ridiculous for the most part. I am not going to defend the political opportunism that a lot of the people in those protests showed. I’m positive that there were a significant number of people there that just don’t like Obama and would take any opportunity to vent. I’m not going to deal with them because I never take that sort of thing seriously. I’m going to talk about what those protests were nominally about, taxes.

There are two parts to tax protests, the amount of the tax and the use of the tax. I’ll deal with the latter first because it’s easy. I think that the repulsion of what our tax money has been used for stretches across all partisan lines. People of all stripes were appalled by the uses of our money. Bailouts of fabulously wealthy people (and campaign contributors), wars, propping up of failed companies (detroit, I’m looking at you), etc. I was amused when I read about some signs at a counter demonstration that read, “End corporate welfare!” They should have been part of the demonstration, not against it! Going into debt is not necessarily a bad thing, it depends on what you are buying. The recent misuse of our tax dollars is shocking, it should piss everyone off, no matter what their political leanings.

Ok, the other thing I hear in reaction to the tea party protests is that the people are stupid because Obama has actually lowered taxes on the people protesting. Let’s get this straight, OBAMA HAS RAISED TAXES DRAMATICALLY! What? Obama has done exactly what he has (rightfully) accused dubya of doing, piling on debt and leaving it for the next administration. What Bush did was terrible, but Obama has taken it to the next level. Why is no one calling him on this? Debt is simply taxes deferred. All of the debt that is being wracked up needs to be paid. There are two ways for us to pay it off, more taxes, or inflation. Either way, we will be getting the shaft. Why more people are not protesting the tax rate on their children I’ll never understand. Debt is taxes deferred. It’s the perfect political ploy, deliver stuff and don’t be around when the bill comes due. When we are languishing with rampant inflation and/or higher taxes, Obama wil be long gone.

People need to look past political affiliations and concentrate on basic accounting. That’s the main idea with the protests. The press and people that are prone to political partisanship are painting this as a “Which side are you on” issue instead of “We need to pay attention to what’s going on with our money.” Why is this so difficult for people to understand?

Categories
free market

Chinks in the shaving cartel’s armor

How often do you wince when you go buy shaving supplies? How often have you noticed the quality of the older, perfectly adequate, blades go down after the introduction of the newest multi-bladed contraption?

I got on a kick the other night trying to figure out why the ultimate shaving system hadn’t been invented yet. Turns out that it has been, and quite a while ago. The straight razor is capable of giving you the best shave that you can get. On top of that, you only ever have to buy it once! The folks over at straight razor place have all of the info you’ll ever need on the subject. It turns out that for a little over a 100 bucks, you could be set for the rest of your life when it comes to your razor.

Too scary? Too much work with all of the stropping and honing and whatnot?Well, there’s always the so called safety razor. These are the once ubiquitous razors that take double sided razor blades. By all accounts, they shave as well as, if not better than the newer many bladed razors of today. The best part? You can get the blades for about 18 cents a piece if you’re willing to buy a bunch of them at once. Here’s a little trick that my dad told me; once you think the blade is too dull, just flip it over! I think that skin acts like an excellent stropping material, making the other side a great shaving surface.

Don’t forget the shaving cream! Use shaving soap instead of the stuff in cans. Just doing this will get you a much nicer shave. The soap is incredibly cheap, wal mart sells a shaving set that has the soap, brush, and a cup for the soap for $7.50. Soap refills are around $2.50. It’s like shaving with skin lotion! Not only am I getting a closer shave, but my face feels great afterwards as well.

And this isn’t just for the guys, you ladies can benefit from this old technology too! So far I’ve only tried the soap. Once I run out of blades, I’m ordering a safety razor. One day, I might try a straight razor, but luckily for me I don’t have a very tough beard, so I doubt that it’ll be necessary. Stop spending so much money for inferior products! Go back to basics, you’ll thank me!!!