Effective Jan. 2020, NY state extended state-wide infertility treatment insurance mandate to include IVF coverage. This expanded coverage is estimated to include 2.4M New Yorkers. SGF New York applauds these dynamic changes and supports legalization of gestational surrogacy in the state.

NEW YORK (PRWEB)
February 14, 2020

For millions of New Yorkers who face infertility, others whose cancer, previous trauma, or genetic disease has affected their reproductive capabilities, and the LGBTQ community who desire to start a family, gestational surrogacy—which involves a woman other than the biological or intended parent carrying the pregnancy—is not just an option, it’s the only option to start or grow a family.

While reproductive technology has evolved tremendously over the last several decades, some would argue New York’s laws that ban gestational surrogacy have not, and continue to pose a heavy burden on those who need a gestational carrier (GC) in order to become parents.

“New York is arguably one of the most progressive states in the country, and yet does not allow the use of GCs. Therefore, I support passage of the Child-Parent Security Act that would reverse the ban on compensated gestational surrogacy in New York, clarify the legal parentage by the intended parents of the child from birth, and simplify second parent adoptions. While many of the arguments in support of passing such a bill surround the LGBTQ community, we see many heterosexual female patients who require the user of a carrier, as in the case of women with previous traumatic birth, ruptured uterus, different genetic conditions, estrogen sensitive breast cancer, absent uterus (MRKH syndrome), severe renal disease, uterine cancer, post-partum hemorrhage that required a hysterectomy, to name a few. Without lifting this ban, women in each of these situations, and many more, would be forced to travel to a GC-friendly state, and incur additional financial and emotional burden just to have a baby,” said Anate Brauer, M.D., Director of IVF, SGF New York in Manhattan.

“I have read the opposition’s concerns. I cannot say I don’t disagree with the concerns surrounding rights of a gestational surrogate and a slippery slope to a fictional world of uteri for hire. As a woman and a physician, I make it clear to my patients that it is my job to advocate for both my intended parents and GCs. I’m an advocate for all—lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and straight. But mostly, I am an advocate for women. No matter how a baby is brought into this world, it should be cherished,” Brauer adds.

“Throughout our 38 locations, SGF has years of experience working with GCs and intended parents. Our team is committed to providing both parties with the best personalized care in order to help many achieve the dream of parenthood,” added Tomer Singer, M.D., MBA, Medical Director, SGF New York in Manhattan.

“Patients with uterine factor such as fibroids, Asherman’s syndrome, prior hysterectomy, different genetic diseases, recurrent miscarriages, and certain types of cancer are not able to carry a pregnancy. SGF has exceled in creating programs that allow these patients and others become parents,” adds Singer.

Effective January 2020, New York state extended the state-wide infertility treatment insurance mandate to include in vitro fertilization (IVF) coverage. This expanded coverage is estimated to include 2.4 million New Yorkers. SGF New York applauds these dynamic changes for New York state and supports the legalization of gestational surrogacy in the state.

To learn more about New York’s family building advocacy efforts, visit RESOLVE. To learn more about the Child-Parent Security Act, Bill A01071C, visit The New York State Assembly.

To schedule a fertility consultation with either Dr. Brauer or Dr. Singer in New York City to discuss your family building options, call 212-203-4826 or submit this brief form. SGF New York’s new 15,300 square foot space is conveniently located at 110 East 60th Street—minutes from nine NY subway stations providing easy access from all boroughs as well as Westchester, Long Island, and Connecticut, and steps from Bloomingdales, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and The Plaza Hotel.

To schedule an appointment at any of SGF’s other 37 domestic locations, call the SGF New Patient Center at 888-761-1967.

About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)

SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 85,000 babies born and counting. With 38 locations throughout FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C., and Santiago, Chile, we offer patients individualized care, accept most insurance plans, and make treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including treatment guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.

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With locations across Southern California, West Medical offers numerous bariatric treatments for those dealing with weight issues.

When it comes to diet, cutting food intake significantly over a long period is far easier said than done.

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)
February 13, 2020

A January 23 article on MSN reports on how to calculate if one is medically obese and how to combat obesity using a multifaceted approach. Southern California based weight loss clinic West Medical says that, while such prescriptions are completely valid, they entirely ignore the fact that, when it comes to diet, cutting food intake significantly over a long period is far easier said than done. The fact of the matter is that obesity is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that can be extremely difficult to permanently defeat without a medical intervention of some sort, says the medical group.

West Medical says that in order to understand why obesity is so hard to fight, one has to understand one of its underlying mechanisms. On some level, says the center, the body doesn’t really “care” that it might be obese. It was essentially designed to survive into the childbearing years with maybe a little extra time to help continue the species by becoming a grandparent during one’s mid-thirties. What the body greatly “fears” however, is starvation foreshadowed by a dramatically lower caloric intake and weight loss. During most of human history, says the center, food was relatively scarce and being fat was seen as a good thing because it meant one could survive a famine more easily. So, when individuals begin to lose weight, the body does whatever it can to encourage more eating to store calories before the next famine. This often leads to excessively sharp feelings of hunger that can be very difficult to ignore, the center adds. The exact mechanisms behind this phenomenon are not fully understood, the center notes, but are believed to be caused by the same hormones responsible for ordinary feelings of hunger, most famously ghrelin.

West Medical says that weight loss procedures are all designed to reduce the appetite while such procedures as a gastric sleeve may actually greatly reduce the body’s production of ghrelin. The result, says the medical group, is that patients are not bothered by incessant cravings for food and can actually do the work of changing their dietary habits without being driven to distraction.

West Medical says that the dangers of obesity are many in number, with a majority of obese individuals also suffering from related conditions and diseases. The center notes that heart disease, osteoarthritis, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and many other serious health problems are directly related to or seriously aggravated by obesity. Naturally, reducing or eliminating obesity, West Medical continues, will tend to reduce or even eliminate these issues in many cases.

The clinic notes that weight loss surgery is not necessarily appropriate for all patients who may not be defined medically as obese. West Medical says that it also offers non-surgical approaches such as gastric balloon surgery and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. Each of the options carries with it a different set of pros and cons. The important thing, West Medical notes, is that patients do have options when they are ready to consider weight loss surgery.

Interested readers can learn more about West Medical by visiting its website at https://westmedical.com or by calling (855) 690-0565.

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Gum Disease Awareness Month has been an incredibly rewarding passion project for the IALD, and it has been exciting to see others come on board to help spread the word about the gum disease epidemic.

CERRITOS, Calif. (PRWEB)
February 13, 2020

The Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry (IALD) once again puts patients first by championing public education about gum disease during Gum Disease Awareness Month in February. Started in 2012, Gum Disease Awareness Month has evolved from a grassroots movement to an international effort, launching in Australia this year. As the new decade commences, the general public is still in need of education of the overwhelming prevalence and consequences of untreated gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, and the impact of successful treatment versus unsuccessful treatment.

The IALD has been committed to spreading the word about this serious and often underestimated disease, chiefly via its patient-facing resource FightGumDisease.com. The Australian effort, FightGumDisease.com.au, is headed by Christopher Barker, BDS, FRACDS, who practices in Queensland. Dr. Barker learned about Gum Disease Awareness month while attending training in Cerritos, California.

“I was intrigued by the approach started by the IALD – educating the public through social media about a disease that has such a significant heath impact,” stated Dr. Barker. “Given gum disease’s prevalence and its significant impact on total health, I was encouraged to begin creating awareness in Australia as well.”

“Gum Disease Awareness Month has been an incredibly rewarding passion project for the IALD, and it has been exciting to see others come on board to help spread the word about the gum disease epidemic,” said Dawn M. Gregg, DDS, Training Director for the IALD. “We are extremely grateful that Australia is the latest to join in this fight and hope to continue to increase awareness of periodontal disease.”

FightGumDisease.com and its Australian counterpart highlight the gum disease epidemic, signs and symptoms, systemic connections to other health risks such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, pre-term birth and erectile dysfunction, among others. Studies have shown that the effectiveness of the treatment method depends on the efficacy of killing bacteria and can lead to lower costs of medical treatments for diabetes, pregnancy and heart disease. Not all treatment options are equally effective.

Additionally, the websites provide information on prevention tips and treatment options.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED LASER DENTISTRY: The IALD is a non-profit educational and research center dedicated to providing evidence-based clinical training in advanced laser dentistry therapies. Formed in 1999, the IALD is ADA-CERP and AGD-PACE accredited, and is nationally recognized for its continuing education programs. The IALD’s ultimate goal is for the percentage of patients seeking treatment for periodontitis to reach the percentage of patients seeking general dental care.

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“Additional studies could help us determine if environmental interventions or medical treatment would help reduce the burden of this disease.” – Olivier Vandenplas, MD

MILWAUKEE (PRWEB)
February 13, 2020

Both work-related rhinitis (WRR) and non-work-related rhinitis (non-WRR) have significant negative impacts on health-related quality of life and work productivity, according to a new study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, an official journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), and those with WRR are likely to see more detrimental impacts.

For this cross-sectional survey, workers were randomly selected during their periodic occupational health visit in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Rhinitis-specific and generic questionnaires were used, including the Mini-Rhinitis QoL Questionnaire, the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-8, and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-General Health questionnaire. Participants were categorized into three groups: non-WRR (current nasal symptoms not related to work, 329 participants), WRR (current rhinitis with two or more nasal symptoms at work, 161 participants), and control (no nasal symptoms, 1,155 participants).

Following analysis, those with non-WRR were less likely to report moderate/severe rhinitis symptoms (48%) compared to subjects with WRR (70.8%). Subjects with WRR displayed higher results than those with non-WRR on the Mini-Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, which measures the impact of rhinitis symptoms across five domains, with higher scores indicating higher levels of symptom disruption.

When rhinitis severity was included in the multivariate model, moderate/severe rhinitis seemed to be a significant risk factor for worse rhinitis-specific quality of life. WRR and non-WRR were also both associated with higher levels of impairment in the Mental Component Summary and Physical Component Summary of the SF-8 questionnaire, which is used to assess health concepts.

Worktime missed and lower at-work productivity was more frequent in those with WRR compared to those with non-WRR and the control population. This indicates that work-related nasal symptoms have a greater impact on quality of life and work productivity compared to rhinitis that is unrelated to work. Subjects with WRR also reported visiting a medical professional more frequently due to rhinitis symptoms than subjects with non-WRR (45.1% and 33% respectively).

“Our findings tell us that we need to improve public and clinical awareness of how the environment of a workplace influences rhinitis symptoms, and the impact those symptoms have not only on workplace productivity but overall quality of life,” said first author Olivier Vandenplas, MD. “Additional studies could help us determine if environmental interventions or medical treatment would help reduce the burden of this disease.”

You can learn more about rhinitis on the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology website, aaaai.org.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has nearly 7,000 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. The AAAAI’s Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.

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