Battle Over California Prison Medical Facilities Continues
Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is seeking to eliminate an $8 billion spending plan for medical facilities in prisons, claiming the plan is illegal and too expensive, the Associated Press reports. Schwarzenegger administration officials and state Attorney General Jerry Brown asked a judge in U.S. District Court in San Francisco to halt spending plans for seven prisons. They also requested the termination of a court-appointed receiver who is overseeing improvements in healthcare in 33 California prisons. Brown wants to replace the receiver with a special master with less power until the state can take control. Cost is at the center of a legal fight over healthcare provided to inmates in adult prisons in California. In 2005, the quality of inmate care in California was deemed unconstitutional by a federal court.
Problems with prison healthcare are not isolated to California. A recent study found that many inmates in U.S. prisons lack good healthcare.
Mammograms Skipped by Childhood Cancer Survivors and Other Breast Cancer News
Two studies out this week underscore just how much is still unknown about breast cancer and how difficult some decisions can be when it comes to dealing with your own individual risk, Deborah Kotz reports. A study published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that a significant number of women ages 25 to 40 who had chest radiation for a childhood cancer aren't getting screening mammograms, even though they have up to a 20 percent chance of developing breast cancer by the time they're 45.
This week's second relevant study may help breast cancer patients determine whether to have a preventive mastectomy on the other breast. Researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center found three independent risk factors that help determine whether cancer is likely to spread to the second breast: (1) having more than one tumor in the original breast; (2) having a tumor that starts in the milk-producing lobes but spreads around the breast instead of forming one solid lump; (3) having a high score on the "Gail risk model," which takes into account age, race, age at first childbirth, and family history of breast cancer.
A growing number of programs teach young girls about breast cancer risks and how to lower them. Learn what to do if you're at high risk for breast cancer. Also, a study published last year found that a fraction of breast cancer tumors may disappear on their own—but if that's the case, do women still need mammograms? Yes, Kotz explained in a November On Women blog post. And here are 7 things to consider if breast cancer runs in your family.
Can You Really Get a Great Workout in 3 Minutes?
Athletes have been utilizing interval training—alternating periods of high- and low-intensity exercise—for years. But it has taken a little longer for the concept to trickle down to the average exerciser, Katherine Hobson reports. Studies have shown that this kind of workout, which has the appeal of taking far less time than the usual steady slog, can improve cardiovascular capacity and other markers of health. A new study finds that a workout centered around just two to three minutes of all-out sprinting helped sedentary young men improve their body's capability to process sugar, which is key to preventing diabetes. The study was small—just 16 men in the active arm—but the potential health benefits of interval training are intriguing.
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