Methodist and OSF Saint Francis medical centers have been named
to U.S. News & World Report's list of best regional
hospitals.
The local hospitals were among 247 hospitals located outside
major metropolitan areas that the magazine described as
high-performers in at least one medical specialty, capable of
providing first-rate care, “even to most patients who have
serious conditions or need demanding procedures.”
Methodist was ranked as “high performing” in gastroenterology,
geriatrics, neurology and neurosurgery, and orthopedics.
More than 80 percent of Methodist patients would recommend the
hospital to family and friends, according to the magazine's
analysis of a year's worth of patient satisfaction surveys.
St. Francis received the same ranking in ear, nose and throat,
gastroenterology, gynecology, nephrology and urology.
More than 70 percent of St. Francis patients said they would
recommend the hospital to family and friends.
U.S. News & World Report evaluated almost 5,000 hospitals
in 16 different medical specialties. The analysis included a
review of their death rates, patient safety and volume.
Physicians also were asked to name hospitals they consider best
in their specialty for the toughest cases.
Ten other Illinois hospitals were named to the list, including
OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, which is part of
the OSF Healthcare System that also operates St. Francis.
For more information about the hospitals or the list, go to
www.usnews.com/bestregionalhospitals.
Pam Adams can be reached at 686-3245 or
padams@pjstar.com.
U.S. News & World Report has named two Erie hospitals among
the best regional hospitals in the country.
Saint Vincent Health Center and UPMC Hamot are two of the 247
hospitals located outside major metropolitan areas that are
capable of providing first-rate care, even to patients with
serious conditions or who need demanding procedures, said Avery
Comarow, U.S. News & World Report's health rankings editor.
Hamot and Saint Vincent were among almost 5,000 hospitals
evaluated.
Hamot was considered “high performing” in nine of 16
specialties: cardiology and heart surgery; ear, nose and
throat; gastroenterology; geriatrics; nephrology; neurology and
neurosurgery; orthopedics; pulmonology and urology.
Saint Vincent was considered “high performing” in four of the
specialties: ear, nose and throat; gastroenterology; geriatrics
and pulmonology.
The Gresham Outlook, Jan 28, 2012
"story_2nd.php?story_id=132771353189995600#comment_section_container">
ADVERTISEMENTS
Upcoming events address prostate cancer
Legacy Health is hosting two free education events for men to
learn about prostate cancer screening and treatment.
Dr. Kent Toland, urologist of The Center for Men’s and Women’s
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screening, recommended timeline for screening, and, if cancer
is detected, about treatment versus active surveillance.
Meetings will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, at
McMenamins Edgefield and Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Persimmon Country
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register.
Singers sought for Idol contest
Think you’ve got what it takes to be the first Oregon History
Idol? Then enter a new singing contest presented by the Oregon
Historical Society and the Portland Trail Blazers.
The individual who is crowned Oregon History Idol will sing the
state song, “Oregon, My Oregon,” at the Blazers game on
Oregon’s birthday, Tuesday, Feb. 14, against the Washington
Wizards.
"Jump to Link in Article">^
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(www.theoutlookonline.com)
MIAMI – The Republican presidential rivals courted influential
Hispanic voters in South Florida on Friday with promises to
improve immigration laws and focus on Latin America, as a new
poll suggested that Mitt Romney is regaining his edge in the
first mega-state to deliver a decision.
A survey by Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University – conducted
just days ahead of Tuesday's primary voting – found Romney
leading the once-surging Newt Gingrich by 38 percent to 29
percent in what has become a two-man race, though former
Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum picked up the endorsement of
the Latin Builders Association after he and Gingrich spoke to
the group.
Romney and Gingrich appeared hours apart before a crowd at the
center-right Hispanic Leadership Network, where Sen. Marco
Rubio (R., Fla.) preceded them onstage. They largely refrained
from the sharp attacks that have defined the campaign, though
they continued to disagree on what to do with the estimated 11
million people who live in the United States illegally.
Without mentioning a Gingrich attack ad that the campaign
withdrew after complaints from Rubio, Romney sought to defend
himself from the ad's accusation that he was “anti-immigrant.”
“We are not anti-immigrant. We are not anti-immigration,” said
Romney, who during Thursday night's debate had called the
suggestion “repulsive” as he aggressively hit back at Gingrich.
“We are the pro-immigration, pro-legality, pro-citizenship
nation.”
He and Gingrich clashed sharply at the debate, but Romney
appeared Friday to be riding a wave from his pull-no-punches
performance, and he seemed relaxed and jovial before the
Hispanic group, which gave him sustained rounds of applause and
a standing ovation when he pledged to “help Cuba become free.”
He also said he would appoint a presidential envoy responsible
for democracy and freedom in Latin America.
He defended his call for those who are in the United States
illegally to be given a temporary status and then return to
their home countries to apply for citizenship.
“Other people call that self-deportation,” he said, adding,
“We're not going to go out and round up people in buses and
send them home.”
Gingrich sought to draw a line of distinction, saying he had a
“big disagreement” with Romney. Gingrich, who had mocked
Romney's mention of “self-deportation” at Monday's debate in
Tampa, said that “a very significant number” of “young,
unattached” undocumented immigrants would go back to their
countries and apply for a guest-worker program under Romney's
proposal.
“Self-deportation in fact works for those groups,” he
acknowledged, but not for everyone. “The idea that a
grandmother is not going to be supported, the idea that she's
going to self-deport.. . . This is not a solution.”
With Hispanics one of the fastest-growing voting blocs, some
Republicans, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have
cautioned against harsh anti-immigration rhetoric. Gingrich
acknowledged that he didn't think sweeping immigration change
was possible, given the failures of previous Republican and
Democratic administrations.
Such legislation, he said, would face “too many enemies.”
Romney picked up the endorsement Friday of Puerto Rico Gov.
Luis Fortuno, a key asset in reaching Puerto Rican Republicans
in Central Florida.
He told the Hispanic Leadership Network hours before the
endorsement that he hoped Puerto Ricans would follow Fortuno's
lead and vote for statehood for the island.
Santorum, along with his traditional stump-speech pledges to
lower taxes and roll back Obama regulations, told the story of
his grandfather, an Italian immigrant who worked in
Pennsylvania coal mines until he was 72.
“Those were the hands that dug freedom for me in America,” he
said, praising Miami's Cuban American community for its
“passion for freedom.”
Santorum then vowed to take a hard line against any alliance
between Iran and Venezuela, which he described as “Cuba Part
B.” Although he's lagging in the polls, Santorum's speech won
over the builders' board.
“We are most interested in supporting a candidate that is going
to reinvigorate the economy,” said Bernie Navarro, the Latin
Builders Association's president.
Romney pursued a two-track strategy Friday. While he engaged
President Obama over policy and refrained from sharp criticism
of his rivals, surrogates went on the attack.
Florida's Bush blasted Gingrich for criticizing Romney's hiring
of former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's staffers, calling the
criticism “ridiculous.” Crist left the GOP to run as an
independent against Rubio in 2010. Rubio won.
“That's not a serious accusation,” Bush told National Review
Online about Gingrich's allegations. “Candidates win elections.
I'm not a big Charlie Crist fan, as you recall, but these guys
shouldn't have that moniker attached to them, as if Gov. Romney
is part of some evil plot.”
The latest Quinnipiac poll suggests that Romney, who has more
money than Gingrich and has been able to hammer him in a series
of attack ads, is opening up a considerable lead over Gingrich.
The poll, conducted Tuesday through Thursday among 580 likely
Republican primary voters, had Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 14
percent, followed by Santorum at 12 percent. It has a margin of
error of 4.1 percentage points.
DEAR AMY: I had a miscarriage last year around this time. I was in a horrible state at first and then started cheering up, but now I'm starting to feel depressed about it again.
Dear Amy: I had a miscarriage last year around this time. I
was in a horrible state at first and then started cheering up,
but now I'm feeling depressed.
I don't know if it's because the anniversary of this
miscarriage is coming up or what else it could be — but I don't
know what to do.
Should I tell my family and friends or doctor? I just don't
want to be depressed about it anymore.
I have other kids to think about but I just can't stop thinking
about the one I lost. What should I do? — Feeling
Depressed
Dear Depressed: It is completely understandable that you
would experience grief and sadness at this time — especially if
you “held it together” for your children after your
miscarriage.
Please, reach out to others, realizing that not all people are
capable of responding.
Some will try to erase your grief by insisting that you focus
on the positive instead of understanding your pain.
Your doctor should understand and will prescribe medication or
refer you to a therapist if she believes you are clinically
depressed.
For many grieving people, knowing you are not alone is one key
to healing. Your hospital will have information about local
miscarriage support groups.
Read “I Never Held You: Miscarriage, Grief, Healing and
Recovery,” by Ellen M. DuBois and Linda R. Backman
(CreateSpace, 2006).
Dear Amy: A couple of years ago, because of a
falling-out over money we lent to our son, we were told that we
were no longer welcome in their lives.
We continued to send monetary gifts to the two grandchildren
for birthdays, Christmas and graduation, with no acknowledgment
at all.
This year, the day after Christmas we received a phone call
from our 18-year-old grandson saying that he'd received our
Christmas card but there was nothing inside. He wondered if
something had fallen out.
I advised him that nothing was inside but our “good wishes,”
explaining that he was an “adult” now.
Because he sounded so pleasant and it was so nice to hear his
voice after so long, I “chickened out” of telling him that we
hadn't sent money because we have never been thanked for
previous gifts of money.
We continued with a very pleasant “catching up with his life”
conversation. Now I am feeling guilty about not sending him any
money (although we are still sending it to his younger sister). — Torn
Dear Torn: Your gifts and grants of money have caused
nothing but trouble in your family, and yet the first thing
that occurs to you after you've had a decent encounter with a
family member is to reward him by sending money.
Can you build upon this encounter without shelling out cold,
hard cash?
You have told this young man that he is an “adult.” Now respect
him enough to tell the truth so that he might see the
connection between his behavior and the consequences.
He needs to understand that if he had picked up the phone to
say thank you, he might not have had to pick up the phone to
ask, “Did my check fall out of the envelope?”
If he taps into his gratitude, you will be more likely to feel
generous in the future. Contact him, be honest and say you'd
love to stay in touch.
Dear Amy: More feedback for “Bah Humbug.” I hope she
follows her heart on how to celebrate the holidays next year.
My husband and I radically changed our celebration this year,
each observing the season in our own way, and it was just
lovely.
The sky didn't fall. Friends and relatives are still speaking
to us, and we're certainly speaking to one another, smiling,
and asking why we didn't do this sooner.
I suspect that Bah may just discover that, freed from a frantic
baking/shopping/wrapping/decorating fiend of a wife full of
resentments and expectations, her husband may come through with
some heartfelt gestures to observe the season that she will
truly appreciate.
That's what happened to us. — Happy New Year in Virginia
Dear Happy: I've heard from many readers who had a
serious case of the “Bahs” this year. Thank you for the
inspiration to do things differently.
Send questions via e-mail to
"mailto:askamy@tribune.com" style=
"color: inherit; text-decoration: none;" name=
"readabilityLink-1" id=
"readabilityLink-1">askamy@tribune.com
"#readabilityFootnoteLink-1" class="readability-DoNotFootnote"
style="color: inherit;">[1] or
write to Ask Amy, Chicago Tribune, TT500, 435 N. Michigan Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60611.
References
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id="readabilityFootnoteLink-1">askamy@tribune.com
(www.denverpost.com)
A state lawmaker has introduced a bill aimed at preventing an
unmarried woman from coming to Utah to give birth and pursue
adoption without informing the biological father of her plan, a
problem highlighted in a Friday Utah Supreme Court ruling
involving an unmarried Colorado father.
House Bill 308, sponsored by Rep. Christine Watkins, D-Price,
would require pregnant women to give notice by mail or
publication to out-of-state unmarried fathers if they plan to
give birth and place infants for adoption in Utah.
Watkins’ proposed bill also simplifies the process an unwed
father must follow to initially protect his rights, eliminating
the requirement that he initiate a court action before he can
file a notice of intent to claim paternity with the state’s
putative father registry. That change would apply to Utah
residents as well as unwed fathers who reside elsewhere.
The bill would require a notice to be sent to the unmarried
father’s last known residence or published in a newspaper where
he was last known to reside that informs him of an adoption
plan and what he needs to do to protect his rights. It sets a
deadline of 30 days for the father to act once he receives the
notice or the mother gives consent or relinquishes the baby.
An unwed father who files a paternity notice with the state
registry would then have an additional 30 days to begin a court
paternity action and file other declarations about his interest
in assuming custody and caring for the child. If the unmarried
father does not respond, his consent to the adoption would be
assumed, the bill says.
“I am very sympathetic to fathers loving their children,” said
Watkins, who has two brothers and four sons. “A lot of fathers
don’t want to give up on their children. I thought, ‘You know,
let’s give these guys a chance.’”
Utah’s current law says that once a birth mother consents to an
adoption or relinquishes her child, that decision may not be
revoked. Watkins’ proposed bill changes that, too. If a
biological father successfully asserts his parental rights, a
birth mother would have 30 days to then revoke her consent to
the adoption.
Two Utah attorneys said the legislation was a “step in the
right direction.”
Story continues below
“The state obviously needs a means to facilitate adoptions of
out-of-state children but the current system is ripe for
abuse,” said Joshua Peterman, an attorney for a Florida father
whose effort to intervene in his daughter’s adoption is
currently pending before the Utah Supreme Court.
Wes Hutchins, who is an adoption attorney and an adoptive
father, consulted on Watkins’ bill. He is also president of the
Utah Adoption Council but spoke independently of that
organization on Friday.
He said the Utah Supreme Court’s rulingrequiring a rehearing in
the case of Colorado father Robert Manzanares “lends
considerable support for positive change in this area of the
law,” including changes proposed by Watkins that are “designed
to prevent birth mothers from forum shopping Utah just to cut
bio dads out of the parenting picture.”
The justices determined Manzanares did not know and reasonably
could not have known that a birth and adoption would take place
in Utah, entitling him to intervene in the proceedings.
John Hedrick, Manzanares’ Colorado attorney, said given the
current loophole in Utah’s adoption law, he has taken to urging
unwed fathers to file in Utah any time a birth mother has the
slightest tie to the state or its predominant Mormon religion,
a practice he’ll continue unless the law is changed.
PRO-LIFE campaigners have criticised a Scottish fertility clinic for introducing a screening test that checks for genetic abnormalities before eggs are implanted into a woman.
AMARILLO, Texas – A federal birth control ruling has many
religious groups upset, while women's right supporters are
singing its praises.
The new federal birth control ruling is ordering birth control
must be covered in employee health insurance plans. Some
religious employers say supporting contraceptives forces them
to go against their teachings.
“From conception to natural death. I mean, we've been brought
up with that tradition… It's not a tradition, it's a
teaching. There's no way that we can say that we're for women's
health care when we don't care about the life within the womb,”
Stephanie Frausto with Respect Life Ministries said.
Supporters think otherwise.
“I think it's a very generous ruling because it gives the
religious organizations additional time to work out an
exemption for them… Nobody's trying to force them to do
anything. They're trying to force us not to have birth
control,” women's rights supporter Claudia Stravato said.
Under the order, employers would be required to offer birth
control in their health plans, free of co-pays or deductibles.
Opponents of the order can try to challenge the issue in court
or try to get an exemption passed by congress.
In the February 2012 issue of Good Housekeeping, the magazine printed this pop quiz written by Peggy Post, now the head of Emily Post’s etiquette institute:
Your coworker shared her good news that she was pregnant. Later, you learn that she has miscarried, so you:
A. Say nothing, some things are private
B. Leave flowers on her desk with a note
C. Tell her you are there if she wants to talk.
As Baby Loss Moms, we are confused by this quiz. Can we pick B and C? How thoughtful for someone to acknowledge the real pain of returning to work after something so devastating with the offer to talk. And what a keepsake to treasure in the baby’s memory box, a note and perhaps some flowers to dry out and save.
I myself couldn’t decide which answer was better. “A” was obviously the throw away option.
But then I read Peggy Post’s answer:
A. With a good friend you would be more personal, but saying nothing is the best approach–until she shares the news with you. Then, offer your support.
What?
So, I’m picturing this scenario. Your coworker, coming in after a few days off, all she was allowed in many cases because there isn’t a funeral, sits at her desk. She knows everyone knows she was pregnant. (According to the quizlet, she “shared her good news.”) She’s got a staff meeting in a few hours, and she’s barely holding it together. Last time she sat at her desk, she was expecting a baby.
How does she “untell” her pregnancy? How will she even keep from falling apart? So far the only person who knows is her boss and one friend she had handling her phone calls and mail.
She walks down the line of cubes to get her mail from the friend and notices no one looks her way, as though she is train wreck it isn’t polite to stare at. She turns back around, rattled. Everyone must know. Should she send an email out? Ask her boss to? Will this make it worse?
Peggy Post, supported by Good Housekeeping, thinks that because this coworker doesn’t stand by the break room door and announce, “I’m not pregnant anymore! Be nice to me!” that she doesn’t want or need anyone’s cards, flowers, or even kind words. According to this magazine, you are to say nothing.
This is not common sense, and surely not common decency. If this woman’s mother had died, or her husband, you would hug her or offer condolences. Peggy Post, and by extension, Good Housekeeping, has just told thousands of subscribers that unborn babies are different. It’s best not to talk about it.
Baby Loss leaders have worked hard to make miscarriage less of a silent pain, something we are allowed to feel, to be upset about, to mourn. Good Housekeeping has just set us back immensely. Imagine the outcry if Peggy Post had told readers never to bring up breast cancer, or divorce, topics that once were taboo but now can be openly discussed.
Many Baby Loss Moms have written Letters to the Editor, which may or may not see print, and even if so, will be long after the damage is done to the casual reader who might remember this advice for years. Still, we can try. Write Good Housekeeping at ghletters@goodhousekeeping.com
Many Baby Loss Moms have expressed their outrage on the magazine’s Facebook page. Feel free to continue to remind them that we are here, and we are not going to say nothing.
When the Facebook comments hit a zenith thanks to the work of Nikki on her blog, Good Housekeeping did respond within the thread. The answer was hard to find and even though I knew it was there, I had to read for 20 minutes to locate their response:
We talked to Peggy Post about your comments and here is what she wanted us to share with you: “Thank you for your feedback – a powerful reminder of the power of emotions and the importance of empathy. You, our readers, are so correct; I totally agree with you that reaching out to this grieving mother – regardless of a concern to respect her privacy – is truly the correct answer. Even if her miscarriage had not yet been general knowledge among her co-workers, a one-on-one heartfelt “I’m so sorry” would have been better than waiting to express condolences. This Pop Quiz is misleading and caused hurt and concern for our readers. For this, I sincerely apologize.” — Peggy Post
I can respect an apology, even though it has a jab in it (“regardless of a concern”).
Now let’s help Good Housekeeping correct its error. They need to write something longer, something their subscribers will actually read and learn from, to erase this terrible error from the minds of the readers, and impart good and useful information for a tragedy that is so common, 1 out of every 4 women will experience it.
So to suggest a full-length article on helping friends, family, and coworkers after a miscarriage, write ghletters@goodhousekeeping.com
You can also write Peggy Post, who wrote the quizlet, directly at peggypost@goodhousekeeping.com
[NOTE: Peggy's email is bouncing for some reason--but this is the one Good Housekeeping lists. There are some addresses when you go to the Emily Post Etiquette web site, but I doubt any of those will go to Peggy.]
But please, whatever you do, don’t say nothing. This misinformation must end now.
24-01-2012 14:25 Weight Gain? Fatigue? Thinning Hair? Trouble Sleeping? All are symptoms of an underactive THYROID. Recharge Your Thyroid with Iodine.Safe
The US FDA has approved Inlyta (axitinib) for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer, in patients with whom other drugs have not been effective, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) announced today. Inlyta is made and marketed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. Renal cell carcinoma – also known as renal cell cancer or hypernephroma, is a type of kidney cancer …
LINTHICUM, Md., Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American
Urological Association (
"lw_1327687330_1">AUA) today announced that
"yshortcuts" id="lw_1327687330_5">submissions are now
being accepted for the 6th
"lw_1327687330_3">Annual Excellence in Urology Health
Reporting Awards, designed to recognize outstanding news
coverage of urologic disease topics. Presentation of the awards
will take place during the AUA Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta,
GA, in May.
The award is designed to honor journalists in both trade and
consumer media outlets for responsible, informative reporting
on health topics in urology. Awards are given annually in the
following categories: Consumer Print Publications,
"yshortcuts" id="lw_1327687330_4">Consumer Electronic
Publications and Trade Publications. Applicants may
submit their own work, or be nominated. Awardees will receive
an honorarium and award.
Submissions for the 2011 awards will be accepted through Friday, March 16, 2012. All materials must have been
published or broadcast between January 1, 2011 and December 31,
2011. All submissions should include a cover letter, contact
information for both the nominee and submitter (if applicable),
and five copies (for electronic media, please submit individual
CD-ROMS; for print media, please limit to 8.5×11 format) of the
submission.
All entries will be judged by a committee of urologists on
accuracy, completeness and public impact. Awardees will be
contacted by the end of March both by telephone and letter.
Decisions of the committee are final.
Submissions should be mailed to: AUA Communications Office
ATTN: Reporting Award
1000 Corporate Blvd.
Linthicum, MD 21090
Press registration for the Annual Meeting will begin in
February 2012.
About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902
and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American
Urological Association is the pre-eminent professional
organization for urologists, with more than 18,000 members
throughout the world. An educational nonprofit organization,
the AUA pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards
of urologic care by carrying out a wide variety of programs for
members and their patients.
The Associated Press The Associated Press STORM LAKE, Iowa An arraignment has been scheduled for a Storm Lake man who police say gave his girlfriend medicine that caused her to have a miscarriage. Online court records show a hearing for 31-year-old Yoirlan Tome-Rojas is scheduled for Feb. 6 in Buena Vista County. KTIV reports (http://bit.ly/zi7WeJ ) that Tome-Rojas is charged with conspiracy …
Sad news for Teen Mom 2‘s Leah Messer. The MTV reality star’s fiancee, Jeremy Calvert has confirmed that she recently suffered a miscarriage and is no longer pregnant with the couple’s first child together. Read on for more details on Leah and Jeremy’s heartbreaking loss, and to find out how the two are coping. Weeks [...]
Dear Amy says: I had a miscarriage last year around this time. I was in a horrible state at first and then started cheering up, but now I'm starting to feel depressed about it again.
(PhysOrg.com) — It is well documented that male birds seduce females using their songs, colourful plumage and courtship dances. These signals reflect male genetic quality and will be graded by the female to determine a male's potential as a mate. The stronger the grade, the better the odds of being selected.
FRIDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) — When a couple is trying to
have a baby and can't, it can be emotionally and financially
draining. But help may be available in an unexpected form:
"lw_1327701881_1">acupuncture.
Medical experts believe that this ancient therapy from China,
which involves placing numerous thin needles at certain points
in the body, can help improve fertility in both men and women.
“Acupuncture has been around for almost 3,000 years. It's safe
and there are no bad side effects from it,” explained Dr. Lisa
Lilienfield, a family practice and pain management
specialist at the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine in
McLean, Va. “It may not be the only thing that is done in
isolation to treat infertility, but it helps get the body
primed and maximizes the potential effects of fertility
treatments.”
Dr. Jamie Grifo, director of the New York University Fertility
Center and director of the division of reproductive
endocrinology at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York
City, said that “it's not a panacea, but acupuncture does help
some patients have better success.”
“It's one non-traditional modality to help manage the stress of
infertility, and it does improve pregnancy rates and quality of
life in some people,” he said.
In addition to relieving stress,
"lw_1327701881_6">Lilienfield said that acupuncture can
help increase a woman's fertility by improving blood flow to
the ovaries and uterus. This improved blood flow can help
thicken the lining of the uterus, increasing the chances of
conception.
It may also help correct problems with the body's
neuroendocrine system. Acupuncture can help activate the brain
to release hormones that will stimulate the ovaries, adrenal
glands and other organs that are involved in reproduction,
according to Lilienfield. Acupuncture's effect on the
neuroendocrine system may also help infertile men by
stimulating sperm production, she said.
Studies that have been done on acupuncture and fertility have
had mixed results, with some showing benefits and others
showing none. Grifo said the differing results may have
something to do with the design of the studies. Two areas that
appear to be more consistently helped by
"yshortcuts" id="lw_1327701881_4">acupuncture treatments
are in vitro fertilization and women who are infertile due to
polycystic ovary syndrome.
Two studies — one in Acupuncture in Medicine and the
other in the
"lw_1327701881_7">Journal of Endocrinological
Investigation — found a benefit when acupuncture
was used on the day an embryo was transferred into a woman's
uterus.
The study from the Journal of Endocrinological
Investigation also found that women with polycystic ovary
syndrome and men who had infertility issues with no known cause
also benefitted from acupuncture.
The actual treatment session involves placing very thin needles
at specific points in the body. In Chinese medicine, these
points are believed to be areas where a person's “qi”
(pronounced chee), or life force, is blocked, according to the
U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine. In Western medicine, it's believed that the needle
placement may release the body's natural painkillers.
Acupuncture is commonly used to treat pain, such as back pain,
headache and menstrual cramps, according to the center.
Lilienfield said that
"lw_1327701881_2">acupuncture treatment costs vary,
depending on where someone lives and the training of the
practitioner. In her center, a treatment costs about $135, and
most people receive six to eight treatments for infertility,
she said. Insurance reimbursement also varies, she noted,
though many insurance companies will pay for acupuncture.
In general, someone younger than 35 is often advised to try to
get pregnant for about a year before seeking treatment for
infertility. “But, if you're anxious to get going, six months
is a reasonable time to wait,” Lilienfield said. And women
older than 35 probably shouldn't wait more than six months, she
added.
Grifo said he doesn't favor waiting that long to seek
treatment. “If you are trying to get pregnant and struggling
with it, you don't need to wait a year,” he said. “And, if
you're over 35, don't wait six months to get worked up if it's
causing you distress.”
More information
The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine has more on
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Publication Date: Oct. 31, 2011
References
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Utah high court reverses ruling in adoption case of unwed Colorado dad By brooke adams The Salt Lake Tribune Published Jan 27, 2012 03:38PM MDT The Utah Supreme Court ruled Friday that a Colorado father was improperly denied a say in his infant daughter’s adoption and sent the case back to a lower court for a rehearing. In a split decision that establishes a new ground rule for future cases, the …
The Utah Supreme Court ruled Friday that a Colorado father was
improperly denied a say in his infant daughter’s adoption and
sent the case back to a lower court for a rehearing.
In a split decision that establishes a new ground rule for
future cases, the justices said Robert Manzanares’ consent to
any adoption was necessary. The majority held Manzanares did
not know and reasonably could not have known that a birth and
adoption would take place in Utah, entitling him by law to more
time to intervene in the proceedings.
Although Manzanares stated in a paternity petition filed in a
Colorado court months before her daughter’s birth that he
feared his girlfriend might flee to Utah, those were “yellow
flags” and not the same thing as having knowledge of such a
plan, the majority said.
Manzanares reasonably relied on Cari Terry’s denials, stated in
Colorado court filings, of any intention to come to Utah to
give birth and place their baby for adoption, Friday’s opinion
noted. He was unaware the child had been born in Utah until
several days after the birth mother consented to an adoption,
the high court said.
The justices said they were “disavowing” what constitutes
notice to an unwed father, as set out in its previous ruling in
the 2009 O’Dea case, which involved a Wyoming father.
Based on the difference between belief and knowledge, “it
cannot be enough to simply establish that the father had
‘notice’ in the sense of suspicion sufficient to trigger a
further inquiry,” the high court said.
While Utah’s law does not permit an unwed father to use fraud
by the birth mother as a defense for failure to protect his
rights, the birth mother’s actions and statements are material
in determining what he knew about her plans and when he knew it
— and thus whether a qualifying circumstance existed that
required him to take legal action with a day of a child’s birth
or the birth mother’s consent to adoption.
The majority also ruled that the birth mother’s consent to the
adoption was properly upheld by the lower court, an issue
Manzanares challenged because a judge’s acceptance of Terry’s
consent was subsequently vacated due to her “deceptions and
misrepresentations to the courts.”
Story continues below
“The district court never questioned that Terry freely and
voluntarily signed her consent, only that she did not divulge
to the court that Manzanares had filed a paternity action in
Colorado,” the majority held. Given that, a ruling vacating the
judge’s acceptance of the mother’s consent was “legally
baseless.”
The Utah Supreme Court instructed the district court to hold a
hearing to determine whether Manzanares fully complied with
Colorado’s requirements for establishing parental rights to his
daughter, referred to in court documents as Baby B., and
whether he had demonstrated a full commitment to his parental
responsibilities.
Manzanares was nearly speechless after learning of the court’s
decision.
“It is still an uphill battle but as I’ve said from day one, I
won’t stop climbing that mountain until I have [my daughter] in
my life,” he said. “I’ve missed so much of her life. It is
incredible to know that I could be with her soon.”
John Hedrick, Manzanares’ Colorado attorney, called the ruling
a “step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it is still
going to be a tedious process for Rob to achieve his ultimate
goal.”
Hedrick also said that rather than a rehearing in Utah, the
case should be heard in Colorado, where Manzanares lives and
where he timely filed to protect his parental rights.
Manzanares and Terry, both Colorado residents, conceived a
child in the summer of 2007. Although their relationship ended
in August, Manzanares made clear he opposed adoption and would,
if necessary, raise the child on his own. Manzanares provided
financial support throughout Terry’s pregnancy.
On Jan. 11, 2008, Terry sent Manzanares an email stating she
planned to travel to Utah in February to visit her sick father
and that she would be willing to sit down and talk to him about
“your reconsideration to consent for adoption” in April,
although the baby was due in late March.