New Program Aims to Cut Down on Preterm Births

Preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn death. Babies who survive an early birth face an increased risk of life-long health challenges, such as breathing problems, cerebral palsy, or learning disabilities. Texas’ preterm birth rate is 13.1 percent compared with the national rate of 12.2. The March of Dimes launched a new program in Houston today to addresses the issue — Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait. The program combines early prenatal care, community education and hospital-based quality improvement programs to eliminate unnecessary C-sections and inductions before a full 39 weeks of pregnancy. It was successfully piloted for three years in Kentucky as a partnership among the March of Dimes, Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, and the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

Redefining Autism

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) wants to change how autism is defined, reports The New York Times. APA’s new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders narrows the criteria for autism, bumping many people out from underneath the autism spectrum disorder umbrella.

Only an estimated 76 percent of those now diagnosed with classic autism would meet the new criteria to retain their diagnosis. The percentage is even less for individuals diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (24 percent) and P.D.D.-N.O.S. (pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified, 16 percent). Families worry the repercussions from these proposed changes will limit access to special education, support services, and medical coverage.

Read More:

• A Specialists’ Debate on Autism Has Many Worried Observers – The New York Times
• The Changing Definition of Autism: Critical Issues Ahead – Autism Speaks

Dangers of Drinking Raw Milk

Health authorities in Massachusetts are investigating if a man contacted brucellosis after drinking raw milk. The Massachusetts public health department issued a consumer alert about the possibly infected raw milk. In 2011, the Texas Legislature introduced a bill to expand the sale of unpasteurized raw milk and raw milk products in our state. The Texas Medical Association opposed the bill because the scientific evidence is clear: Raw milk provides no proven health benefits and poses serious health risks when compared with pasteurized milk.

Read More

• E. coli found in raw milk dairy's calf area - CBS News
• Mass. health officials suspect human case of brucellosis - The Boston Globe

Texas Flunks Tobacco Control in Lung Association Report

Every year in Texas, more than 24,500 people die from tobacco-related illnesses, and Texans lose more than $20 billion from medical expenses, premature death, and lost productivity. The state’s feeble efforts to halt tobacco’s human and economic toll caused the American Lung Association to give Texas failing grades when it comes to tobacco control.

The reasons behind the grades? The lung association cites Texas for failing to pass a public smoking ban during the 2011 session; spending just 4.6 percent (less than $12.4 million) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s state spending recommendation of $226.3 million; and investing very little per person, just 29 cents, to help smokers quit.

Palliative Care: What is it?

By Steve Jacob

More than three out of four people do not know what palliative care is. Once it is explained, nearly everyone believes they and their loved ones should have access to it.

The goal of palliative care is to relieve a patient's disease symptoms, or to minimize a treatment's side effects. People in hospice, who no longer receive treatment to cure their illness, always receive palliative care during their final months of life.

Palliative care is an interdisciplinary approach designed to minimize pain and enhance quality of life for patients and their families. Palliative caregivers provide spiritual and psychological – as well as medical – guidance, sometimes called "comfort care." Palliative clinicians often help families and patients make difficult decisions about whether to use highly aggressive therapies and sort through treatment options. Those decisions are becoming more complex as medical technology continues to increase the number of choices.

Steve Jacob writes about health for Texas newspapers and magazines. This is excerpted from his book Health Care in 2020: Where Uncertain Reform, Bad Habits, Too Few Doctors and Skyrocketing Costs are Taking Us.

Read More:
Why Doctors Can’t Predict How Long a Patient Will Live – The New York Times Blog

A Peek into Your Doctor’s Notes

A new trend is taking off that allows patients to look at their doctor’s typed notes and other medical records. The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston introduced online portals where patients can read health records that used to be a hassle to acquire, reports the Houston Chronicle. Up until now patients had to fill out forms, turn them in to the doctor’s office, and wait… sometimes as long as 60 days. Even then, not all records were available.

Athletes Are the First Line of Defense Against Concussions

Theodore Spinks, MD, knows concussions. As an Austin pediatric neurosurgeon, he’s seen many student athletes dazed and injured from mild but potentially serious – even fatal – head injuries. Dr. Spinks says that to prevent a concussion or to prevent an exponentially worse second or third concussion, athletes and parents must learn the signs, symptoms, and appropriate actions to take.

Check out this fun animated video that explains concussions.