Season's Greetings Dear Reader.

December 25th is chosen worldwide by vast numbers of people as a day of celebration. Traditionally chosen by Christians as the day each year to celebrate the incarnation, the act whereby God became Man and dwelt amongst us in the birth of Jesus (God's gift to us), it is also adopted by other people as a special day.

But what really makes it special? I suggest that it is not any religious calendar, nor is a point at which people appreciate the commercial crecendo that tends to build up to that date. It is not about any religion nor is it about any secularism. Ultimately it all comes down to the meaning people ascribe to the day and the feelings and behaviors that have become associated with the date through tradition and personal history.

A telephone-based program linking chronically ill older adults to home or community services significantly reduces mortality risk, according to a new study.

“It’s not just medical or social services, but bridging those two together,” said lead author Gretchen Alkema of the Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The study appears in the latest online issue of Health Services Research.

The study involved 781 adults age 65 and older with chronic health care conditions who were enrolled in Medicare. After undergoing a detailed assessment of their health and functional needs, half of the adults received advice and referrals to in-home care, nutrition, home safety, transportation and other supportive services not covered by their health plan.

Doctors have long known that hostility, depression, anxiety and anger have a negative effect on heart health. Now, a long-term study finds that the combined presence of these traits makes it more likely that a veteran will experience coronary heart disease.

The study, published in the November/December issue of Psychosomatic Medicine, followed 2,105 Air Force veterans who served in the Vietnam War, with researchers tracking their cardiovascular health over 17 years, from 1985 to 2002. At the start of the study, none of the vets showed evidence of coronary heart disease.

Researchers assessed participants’ hostility, anxiety and depression when the study began. The men then underwent periodic physical examinations until 2002.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a drug safety alert that documents the creation of a new disease that is caused by the use of advanced medical technology. The disease, known curently as Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis/Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NSF/NFD), affects people with existing renal pathology and results from use of Gadolinium-containing contrast agents used in procedures called Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA).

I have already documented my views on the inappropriateness of most uses of high-technology in medical practice. Consider the Real Price of Medical Technology for example. Now we again have a situation unfolding where the technology used to assist with diagnosis is actually causing disease and death. This is a widespread problem and is not simply confined to this latest finding. Here is the FDA release.

The Food and Drug Administration announced December 6th that it is assisting in the investigation of an outbreak of E. coli O157 infection in consumers associated with eating food from several Taco Bell restaurants in Northeastern states.  FDA said it was actively working with state and local health officials, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the firm, suppliers and distributors to determine the cause of the sicknesses and prevent additional infections.

States reporting probable cases associated with the outbreak are:  New Jersey (20); New York (15); Pennsylvania (7); and Delaware (1).  Additional cases are suspected in these states and in Connecticut.  Thirty five individuals have been hospitalized, three with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).  No deaths were reported up to December 2.  CDC first reported that the first reported onset of illness connected with this outbreak occurred on November 20, 2006.