All Things Long Term Care

Health care costs such as prescription drugs, doctor visits, and surgeries are expected to grow 6.5% next year, which is predicted to cause a slowdown in health care services according to a new report recently released. Many Americans are limiting their doctor visits, choosing cheaper options and delaying procedures in order to save money. The principal with PwC’s human resource services practice, Michael Thompson said, “health care cost increases continue to exceed overall growth in wages, but the gap appears to be shrinking.” More here Read more »

An extremely hot pepper called the Carolina Reaper may bring hope to individuals suffering from cancer. The pepper took more than ten years to be developed by Smokin’ Ed Currie and is said to be 300 times hotter than the jalapeno pepper. The pepper’s active ingredient is called capsaicin, which may kill cancer cells. Currie donated half of his California Reaper harvest to cancer research labs last year. More here

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According to new studies, the regular use of sunscreen will not only keep you from getting sunburn and lower your risk of skin cancer, it will also protect against photoaging such as spotting, wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity caused by sun exposure. The study consisted of 900 participants, some of which were instructed to apply sunscreen generously for four years while the others were given no specific instructions. The study confirmed that sunscreen does protect skin from aging. The lead author of the study, Dr. Adele Green said, “skin surface patterns reflect the severity of the sun’s damage to the deeper skin, especially to the elastic fibers and collagen.” More here Read more »

According to a new study, smokers have a lower chance of surviving and being cancer-free years after having colon cancer surgery than non smokers. Researchers have found that 74% of nonsmokers remain cancer-free 3 years after colon cancer surgery while only 70% of smokers remained cancer-free. Experts warn that smoking adds many health risks; the study’s lead author from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Amanda Phipps said, “I would say as we get further and further away from a colon cancer diagnosis, the impact from smoking is going to get greater.” More here Read more »