When Barbara Wagner learned that her lung cancer had returned after being in remission and would likely kill her, her insurance company refused to pay for the drugs her doctor prescribed to her. The Oregon Health Plan would, however, cover drugs for a physician-assisted death.

Says Wagner, “I got a letter in the mail that basically said if you want to take the pills, we will help you get that from the doctor and we will stand there and watch you die. But we won’t give you the medication to live.”

Both critics and supporters of Oregon’s decade-old Death With Dignity Law — the only one of its kind in the nation — are up in arms over the indignity of her unsigned rejection letter. Opponents say the law presents all involved with an “unacceptable conflict” and the impression that insurance companies see dying as a cost-saving measure. They say it steers those with limited finances toward assisted death.

Nearly half of England’s drinking water could have fluoride added to it under a ’secret’ Government plan. Although plans to add the chemical to more of the nation’s water supply were announced in February, the scale of the Government’s intentions has remained under wraps until now.

Dental health chiefs want to add the chemical to 40 percent of England’s water supply to combat high levels of tooth decay. Critics have said that the ‘mass medication’ of water without the population’s consent is an invasion of their rights.

Fluoride has been linked to diseases including brittle bones and cancer. At present, only 10 percent of England’s tap water has fluoride added.

At a hospital appointment last week, I received a diagnosis of sensorimotor axonal neuropathy. Possible causes they are looking at are medication-related, coeliac disease, and vasculitis. We know that I don’t have diabetes or alcoholism, which are the most common causes. So, of course, I’m doing all the googling. Amongst others, I have learned these two things: 1) With exception of the Roman Catholic Church, most mainline Christian churches offer their communicants gluten-free alternatives to

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for being overweight, whether or not they are on medication for the condition.

Prior research has suggested that the impulsivity and poor behavioral regulation common in children with ADHD may promote poor eating patterns. To investigate further, the researchers analyzed data from more than 62,000 children and adolescents.

After accounting for demographic factors, as well as depression and anxiety, ADHD patients who were not being treated with medication were 1.5 times more likely to be overweight than children without the disorder. The risk for ADHD among those who were currently receiving medication was only about 0.5 times higher than children without ADHD.

Deaths from medication mistakes at home have risen dramatically during the past two decades in the U.S.

The reasons likely include soaring home use of prescription painkillers and other potent drugs, which 25 years ago were given mainly inside hospitals.

The findings were based on nearly 50 million U.S. death certificates. Of those, more than 224,000 involved fatal medication errors, such as overdoses or mixing prescription drugs with alcohol or street drugs.

Deaths from medication mistakes at home increased from slightly over 1,000 deaths in 1983 to nearly 12,500 in 2004. Adjusted for population growth, that amounts to an increase of more than 700 percent.