Health Advisers Include New Options For Life-Saving Cervical Cancer Screening
Because most cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says women ages 30-65 now have the choice to get an HPV test every five years, a Pap test every three years or a combination of both tests every five years. In other public health news: "food as medicine" and Herbalife lawsuits.
CNN:
New Cervical Cancer Screening Recommendations Include More Options
In the past, the recommendations for women in that age group had suggested a Pap every three years and co-testing every five years. However, for women between 21 and 30, the previous recommendation of only a Pap smear every three years remains in place. That has been a guideline since the introduction of the Pap, also called exfoliative cytology, 75 years ago. (LaMotte, 8/21)
The New York Times:
If Food Is Medicine, These Are The Labs
The growth of these organizations is largely dependent on volunteer efforts and donations, but they are hoping that will change in coming years. A national coalition of “food as medicine” advocates is seeking to get medically tailored meals included in health care coverage, said Jean Terranova, the director of food and health policy at Community Servings. The coalition has pushed for more research into whether medically tailored diets can make patients feel better and reduce health care costs. State-funded research in California is evaluating the effect of these meals on the health care costs of 1,000 chronically ill people on Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. (Prevost, 8/21)
The Associated Press:
Herbalife Distributors Claim In $1B Suit Events Were A Sham
Patricia and Jeff Rodgers figured they did everything right to get rich beyond their wildest dreams selling Herbalife health and personal care products. They attended all of the “Circle of Success” events, brought in new recruits, met their quotas on buying Herbalife goods to sell and even set up a storefront shop. But they didn’t get rich. Instead, Patricia Rodgers estimates the couple lost over $100,000, including about $20,000 spent on attending Herbalife events. Now, the couple and others are suing the multi-level marketing company that sells its products through a network of distributors who recruit more distributors. The potential class-action case could involve more than 100,000 plaintiffs and might mean as much as $1 billion in damages. (Anderson, 8/21)