The Health Regulation Committee on Wednesday voted seven to zip in favor of SB 1116, a proposal to give parents of sixth-graders information on the human papillomavirus vaccine, which helps protect females from cervical cancer. As discussed yesterday, the original version of the bill would have added the vaccine to Florida’s list of…
Rick Perry tried making it mandatory. Michele Bachmann insinuated that it causes mental retardation. One of the world’s top bioethicists bet Bachmann $10,000 to prove this claim. The human papillomavirus vaccine — which helps protect women from certain strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer — tends to be a…
To circumcise or not to circumcise? That’s a question that few people ever ponder — until their little bundle of joy is about to arrive and it’s a boy. For years, the American Academy of Pediatrics has said that “the existing scientific evidence is not sufficient to recommend routine circumcision.”…
Imagine a drug that could stop the spread of HIV. People could screw whomever they wanted however they wanted and sleep peacefully knowing that the virus wouldn’t soon be waging an all-out assault on their immune systems. It sounds like a quick fix to one of history’s most pressing public health…
Chiropractors, physicians, and medical clinics have donated a third of state House candidate Merick Lewin’s campaign contributions so far, and many donors are members of the 1-800 411-PAIN Referral Service owned by Lewin’s family.Lewin, a Republican candidate from Davie, told New Times he did not want to be judged by…
First came the ads touting plastic surgery financing for anyone with a checking account. Now they’re targeting patients with bad credit. If the owners of Strax Rejuvenation and Aesthetics Institute are trying to compete with used-car salesmen, they’re doing an excellent job.See also: Strax Rejuvenation CEO Jeffry Davis Has Criminal Record “Strax…
Strax Rejuvenation and Aesthetics Institute in Lauderhill prides itself on making plastic surgery available to the masses. Owners of the high-volume surgery office say their nips and tucks are less expensive than other doctors’ because they buy surgical supplies, such as breast implants and sutures, in bulk.But Strax also offers…
A little-known killer is making its way through the southern United States, according to the British tabloid The Daily Mail: a “brain-eating amoeba” called Naegleria fowleri. Victims so far include one 16-year-old girl from Florida, Courtney Nash, who reportedly died after swimming in the St. John’s river in Brevard County…
More than 3,600 Floridians are on a government waiting list for AIDS medicine — the longest list in the country, according to the national nonprofit the AIDS Institute. Of the needy patients, 886 live in Palm Beach and Broward counties.The medicine, which keeps patients healthier and living longer, costs $12,000…
“People close to Mr. Scott characterized his downfall in terms suitable for a Greek tragedy, portraying him as a brilliant and incisive businessman who was undone by his fatal flaws. Those flaws, they said, included an arrogance and aggressiveness that permeated the company.”No, this is not a premature eulogy for…
When Rock and Benjy Sanozier of Plantation brought their son June 21 to Broward General Medical Center, doctors determined that the 3-year-old had pneumonia and that his spleen was clogged with blood. After trying medications, doctors figured the only thing that could save the child’s life would be a blood…
The “neurodiversity movement” doesn’t get a lot of press. But in the closing hours of “Autism Awareness Month” — or April, as it’s often known — neurodiversity got an unexpected shot of love in Nichole Brochu’s Sun Sentinel column, which she outsourced for the occasion to filmmaker Todd Drezner.Drezner has…
The federal budget deal congressional leaders inked late Friday avoided funding cuts to Planned Parenthood, but a future Senate floor vote on the issue still looms. The Juice has given you U.S. Rep. Allen West’s views on the organization and a response from Planned Parenthood about the sexual health services…
Florida falls below the national average in quite a few significant measurements that reflect its quality of life. And healthy residents is one of them. But if you live in Broward or Palm Beach, chances are you’re a little healthier than most Floridians.In the sickly Sunshine State, Broward and Palm…
At a town hall meeting this week, U.S. Rep. Allen West said he found it “offensive” that many Planned Parenthood programs are located in black neighborhoods.Judith Selzer, vice president of public policy for South Florida’s chapter of Planned Parenthood, wrote the Juice to respond. Here’s an excerpt from her comments:A…
Over the next 15 years, Florida will bear one of the greatest burdens of diabetes, according to a study, released yesterday, by the Institute for Alternative Futures (IAF). Almost 12 percent of Florida’s population, or 2,271,300 people, suffered from diabetes in 2010. An 85 percent jump to about 4.2 million diabetic…
Belle Glade is a small outpost nestled among the cane fields near the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee. “Muck City,” as it’s also called, houses a large number of the low-wage workers who tend the fields and produce America’s largest supply of sugar cane.Some of those workers live in deplorable…
A bunch of grizzled veterans sit around in a hot room, bending into strange contortions. No, it’s not an off night at the Elks Club. It’s a new program that offers free yoga classes to armed-services veterans.The “Connected Warrior” classes, currently at Yoga South in Boca Raton, are led by instructor…
While it may be exaggeration to say he wants Florida’s “pill mills” to stay open, Rick Scott has smacked down a whole bunch of rules that would regulate and monitor their activity. First he announced a freeze on new rules that would help the state crack down on fly-by-night clinics,…
You’d think that the problem with sickly sweet, carbonated, high-alcohol energy drinks would be (1) that they’re disgusting, or (2) that the hangovers are hellish. And you’d be right on both counts. But the Food and Drug Administration believes there’s another problem: That consumers will drink too much of the…
Broward County’s thriving experiment in free-market health care — pain pill clinics — faces tougher regulations as of last Friday, when a piece of statewide legislation went into effect. The real title of the “Pill Mill Bill” is two single-spaced pages long. Suffice it to say that while the law…
Gary Kompothecras, a chiropractor based out of Sarasota, has been pressuring a Department of Health official to turn over sealed immunization records. “Dr. Gary,” as he’s called, wants those records turned over to father-son duo Dr. Mark and David Geier, crusaders for the “vaccinations cause autism” argument.The idea is that…
