Manny, A-Rod, Clemens, Bonds…Health Policy in the Light of the Steroid Era in Baseball

Posted on: May 14, 2009  |   Author: Alexander
Filed Under: Drug & Device, Other   |   Leave a Comment

One of the major issues confronting Major League Baseball in this century has been the use of performance enhancing drugs by the game’s best players. Last week’s suspension of Dodger outfielder Manny Ramirez, the continuing denials by Roger Clemens, and the revelations about Alex Rodriguez taking the drugs have been a black eye on the sport and have tainted many of the game’s records. It is a seemingly endless parade of revelations which almost cause them to be less shocking as fans become cynical of players.

Performance enhancing drug use is not limited to baseball, as the NFL and track and field have seen many of their records tarnished by steroid use. 2006 Tour de France champion Floyd Landis has been stripped of his title, and seven time champion Lance Armstrong has been constantly suspected of drug use. Even in NASCAR, driver Jeremy Mayfield was suspended for failing a drug test.

It is in this light of allegations, confessions and suspensions that health policy may begin to take shape. I apologize for the cliché, but it is necessary to think of the children, specifically, young players attempting to make the big leagues who might be tempted to improve their pro prospects, or even high school or youth players looking for an edge. The issue with the current suspensions is do they provide enough of a deterrent for young players. I believe that they do, as the reputations of the players involved in steroid use have been tarnished for the rest of their lives, and their future endeavors, including the Hall of Fame, may be jeopardized.

While the potential for loss of reputation is great, I believe that it is not enough, and that professional sports leagues, in conjunction with government, should step in to educate students about the physical dangers of steroid use. However, the battle does not end there, as more education is needed for high school coaches and administrators to recognize the signs of a potential drug user and also not to encourage or condone this use in any way. Moreover, the players violating the rules should be involved in this education process as well. While there have been steps taken to start this process, greater education is needed or many will be affected negatively by the effects of performance enhancing drugs.

It’s Bikini Season - But Skip the Hydroxycut

Posted on: May 14, 2009  |   Author: Greg
Filed Under: Drug & Device, Liability & Litigation, Other   |   Leave a Comment

You have seen the ads.  You have seen the ridiculously chiseled bodies of people compared to their old frumpy selves.  All you need is to take a few Hydroxycut pills and you will be ripped.  You will be the talk of the pool party.  Sounds pretty good, except for the occasional liver failure, jaundice, or death.  Now the makers of the diet pills have agreed to pull the product off of shelves due to an “abundance of caution.”  As the pills are sold as dietary supplements, they are sold under relatively lenient restrictions.  Therefore, criticisms of the dietary supplement regulatory network are easy to find.  But dietary supplement regulations are slowly tightening.  The fact that Hydroxycut pills are now being pulled off shelves may be evidence that increased regulation is headed in the right direction.  Better late than never, right? http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/health&id=6798437

As Odd As It May Seem, Gay People Get Sick Too

Posted on: May 13, 2009  |   Author: Justin
Filed Under: Access to Care, HMOs & Health Plans, Health Information, Public Health Policy   |   Leave a Comment

A recent NY Times article reviews the results of a Healthcare Equality Index for hospitals, a survey put together by The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association that focuses on “patient rights, visitation, decision-making, cultural competency training and employment policies and benefits.” The purpose of the survey was to determine how various hospitals around the country treat same-sex couples as opposed to opposite sex couples.

According to the article, twice as many hospitals (166) participated in the survey compared to last year, and the groups involved in the survey reported that almost 75 percent of the hospitals have policies in place to protect same-sex couples from discrimination. The main issue the article addresses is the fact that, while these hospitals have policies in place, hospital staff often don’t implement the policies correctly, thus causing the policies to be ultimately ineffective. The main issue the article fails to address is that over 25 percent of hospitals do not have policies to protect a group that has been historically left behind by the state legislatures.

The article cites a handful of specific examples where hospitals have discriminated against same-sex couples, including a case where a woman from Washington was rushed to a hospital while on vacation in Florida with her partner and their children. While trying to get the hospital’s administration to allow her and the children into the room, her partner died. This is but one of many instances where a gay couple has been discriminated against at a time when discrimination has the ultimate effect of preventing a loved one from seeing his or her significant other on his or her deathbed.

Moreover, while married couples are rarely, if ever, required to provide documentation to prove their relation, according to the article many experts suggest that all same-sex couples should carry legal documentation with them in case of an emergency. While it seems evident to many clear-headed individuals that if marriage is a fundamental right for heterosexual individuals, it should be a fundamental right for homosexual individuals, a debate on the legality, morality, or societal effects of same-sex marriage is not even necessary in this situation. This seems like simply an issue of common sense and human decency. If a person’s loved one is sick or dying, he or she should be permitted to spend time with that loved one, regardless of their sexual orientation.

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