Kentucky Man Says God Healed Him of Cancer

 

After suffering a stroke from a cancerous brain tumor, Perry County resident Roger Teague gives the credit to God for healing him of cancer after deciding to stop his chemotherapy treatment.

Even though Teague had the tumor removed, the cancer was still in his body. In 2012 he was given only a few months to live. The chances of surviving this type of cancer are approximately a million to one.

Teague stated he decided after battling the cancer for years to stop his chemotherapy.

According to Teague, he had an experience with God at the time which caused him to believe he had been healed of cancer. He was right.

After being taken home and given a short time to life, Teague says he saw the Lord "running through my body," adding it felt as if he was glowing.

Teague said he also saw the cancer cells being struck down in his body by God Himself. A few months later there was no longer any cancer left in his body.

His doctors confirm the cancer is gone, and conclude they have no medical explanation for the event.

One of Teague's doctors, Dr. Joe Kingery, said, “I think miracles happen, yes. Medically speaking a lot of things happen that we can't explain, especially with regard to cancer or other terminal diseases.”

Medi-Share Back in Business in Kentucky

After a wasteful 10-year battle between the Kentucky Department of Insurance and Medi-Share, lawmakers from the state intervened after a judge ordered the health ministry to quit operating in the state.

Kentucky lawmakers changed the insurance code of the state to allow Medi-Share in programs like it to operate in the state.

"We appreciate that Kentucky Christians once again have the freedom to manage their medical bills by sharing them with other Christians through Medi-Share," said Christian Care Ministry President Tony Meggs. "We've already heard from a number of Kentucky families who are grateful and excited to rejoin Medi-Share."

Medi-Share was taken to court because the Department of Insurance theorized some participants may believe it was an insurance plan that guaranteed coverage.

What it is is a cost-sharing ministry which people pay into and share expenses with others as they may have need. Participants in Kentucky have had about $25 million paid in medical bills over the last decade.

Those in the health program must agree to not drink, smoke, or have sex outside of marriage.

Some of the approximate 800 residents of Kentucky who lost the coverage have already started signing back up for the service.

Lawsuit Challenges Ky. Health Exchange

Saying Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear created the Kentucky Health Benefits Exchange without the approval of the state legislature, Tea Party activist David Adams of Nicholasville filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the exchange.

Adams is asking a judge to order the development of the exchange to be stopped.

According to Beshear spokeswoman Kerri Richardson, he "exercised the constitutional authority afforded the office" to begin the development of the exchange.

"The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land," Richardson said. "There are hard deadlines that the state must meet in order to not only comply with the law, but also to ensure that the state runs its own health benefits exchange, not the federal government."

Those considering themselves tea party proponents have criticized Beshear for his willingness to create the health exchange, saying taxpayers will have to foot the bill for what is considered another government department that is not necessary.

Initial costs to set up the health exchange in Kentucky are covered by Federal grants, but starting in 2015, Kentucky will be required to pay for the funding of the exchange.

People uninsured in Kentucky will be forced to begin enrolling in the exchange on October 1, with the exchange launching operations on January 1, 2014.

E-town Doctor Faces 233 Years in Prison on Felony Charges

Elizabethtown OBGYN Dr. Cahn Vo is charged with felonies that could result in a sentence of 233 years in prison if convicted. He also faces over $3 million in fines if found guilty of the charges.

Vo owns Bluegrass Women’s Healthcare, and is charged with bringing non-FDA approved birth control into the country. Vo inserted the IUDs into his patients, which in some cases were ineffective and potentially dangerous.

Included in the 13 charges against Vo are the implantation of non-FDA approved birth control devices, bringing them into the country, and fraud.

One patient of Vo, 24-year-old Cara Gray, told whas11 this, “He’s messing with people’s lives . . . You shouldn’t be scared to go to the doctor and be afraid he’s going to put something in you that’s not going to work. You shouldn’t have that fear. You should feel safe when you go to the doctor.”

Gray had two IUDs implanted by Dr. Vo, both of which failed, resulting in pregnancies in both cases.

She said she chose IUDs because of the 99 percent success rate of the birth control option.

Larue County Ranked 14th in Kentucky Health

A recently released report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute concerning the health of all of Kentucky's 120 counties, found Larue County a respectable #14 on the list.

Factors included in the results included the rate of people dying before age 75, high school graduation rates, unemployment, access to healthy foods, air and water quality, income, and rates of smoking, obesity and teen births.

Larue County was #1 in physical environment, which measured drinking water safety, daily fine particulate matter, access to recreational facilities, access to healthy foods and fast food restaurants.

The stated purpose of the rankings, which included all the counties in America overall, was to aid communities in working to develop for people in the area to live healthier lives.

According to these rankings Larue County is doing a decent job of it.

Below you can see all the various rankings of the study as they relate to Larue County. You can go here to see the rankings on the County Health Rankings site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

	Larue County	Error Margin	Kentucky	National Benchmark*	Trend	Rank (of 120)
Health Outcomes						14
Mortality						28
Premature death	7,971	6,384-9,558	8,768	5,317
Morbidity						11
Poor or fair health	21%	16-28%	21%	10%
Poor physical health days	4.5	3.2-5.8	4.7	2.6
Poor mental health days	4.7	3.3-6.2	4.3	2.3
Low birthweight	6.3%	4.9-7.7%	9.1%	6.0%
Health Factors						30
Health Behaviors						35
Adult smoking	26%	19-36%	26%	13%
Adult obesity	33%	27-40%	33%	25%
Physical inactivity	32%	26-39%	31%	21%
Excessive drinking	11%	6-21%	12%	7%
Motor vehicle crash death rate	31	21-44	20	10
Sexually transmitted infections	211		377	92
Teen birth rate	52	44-60	50	21
Clinical Care						76
Uninsured	20%	18-22%	18%	11%
Primary care physicians**	14,215:1		1,588:1	1,067:1
Dentists**	4,843:1		1,855:1	1,516:1
Preventable hospital stays	80	65-95	103	47
Diabetic screening	83%	70-97%	84%	90%
Mammography screening	51%	38-65%	62%	73%
Social & Economic Factors						14
High school graduation**	83%		78%
Some college	50%	42-59%	56%	70%
Unemployment	8.6%		9.5%	5.0%
Children in poverty	28%	21-35%	27%	14%
Inadequate social support	12%	7-18%	20%	14%
Children in single-parent households	30%	21-39%	33%	20%
Violent crime rate	62		264	66
Physical Environment						1
Daily fine particulate matter	12.9	12.6-13.1	13.1	8.8
Drinking water safety	0%		11%	0%
Access to recreational facilities	21		8	16
Limited access to healthy foods**	1%		5%	1%
Fast food restaurants	57%		54%	27%

Oldest Kentucky Lung Transplant Recipient Doing Well

photo credit : Dylan Lovan

Last year, Bill Ray, 73, became the oldest person in Kentucky to receive a lung transplant. Ray, from Illinois, said when returning to Jewish Hospital in Louisville that he was close to being back to normal.

He said much of the energy he lost because of his damaged lung has now returned. He received a new right lung at the hospital about 5 months ago. He is now 74-years-old.

Jewish Hospital in Louisville imposes no age restrictions on potential recipients of lungs, and according to a spokeswoman for University of Kentucky Hospital, Kristi Lopez, neither does the Lexington-based hospital, adding they make a determination based upon each individual case.

"There used to be of a more stringent age limit, but more recently people began to understand ... that age is just a number, it's really how fit you really are in other capacities," said Dr. David Nunley, a surgeon on the team that operated on Ray at Jewish Hospital.

Ray had pulmonary fibrosis, which resulted in the need for a new lung. The other reasons for a new lung are emphysema and cystic fibrosis.

A total of 21 lung transplants were performed at Jewish Hospital in 2012.

Almost 14 Percent of Kentucky Babies Born Prematurely

When it comes to infant mortality and babies born prematurely, Kentucky ranks a dismal 46th among the states.

To get a better grasp of the challenges faced by Kentucky, infant mortality rate is higher here than it is in countries like Cuba, Slovakia and Croatia.

Last week at the Governor's Summit on Infant Mortality, officials stated that almost 14 percent of babies born in Kentucky are born prematurely. Part of that problem is drug addiction, where figures show that babies born to addicted mothers has soared by about 2,400 percent from the period of 2000 to 2011.

The problem in the state is no longer medical technological, as it has been in the past, but is now related to social problems such as drug abuse, poverty and educational challenges.

In Kentucky the rate of death for infants in the first year of life is 6.6 per 1,000 births. The national average is 6.1 deaths per 1,000 births.

As for babies born and suffering from drug withdrawal, it's far worse in Kentucky than the 330 percent growth from 2000 to 2009 across the nation. Prescription drugs especially are a huge and growing problem in Kentucky.

Unsurprisingly, areas hit the hardest by infant mortality in Kentucky are counties in the Appalachian region, where high unemployment and poverty contribute to the problem in a major way.

One of the successful programs in the state has been the Health Access Nurturing Development Services, or HANDS program, which brings together expectant mothers with mentors. That makes a lot of sense, as it's not money or the state that can handle this problem, but rather caring people (even though HANDS is a state program.

In the end, these health issues are in fact spiritual problems, and no matter what the government does, it won't really help in the long run. The reason why is government isn't a healer in any way, shape or form, and only Jesus Christ and His people can get to the core issues that can help many people over time.

That's not to say the outcomes of lifestyles resulting in this tragic circumstances shouldn't be worked on, just that it will also only deal with the outward situation and not the cause.

University Hospital Receives Stroke Designation

University Hospital is the first facility in the state, and the 20th in the nation, to earn an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center designation.

Kentucky is considered part of the “stroke belt,” an area in the Southeast with a high rate of stroke mortality. The state had the 11th-highest stroke-mortality rate nationally in 2009, with 2,064 deaths from stroke that year.

University of Louisville President James Ramsey said University Hospital’s stroke service, which treats about 1,000 patients annually, is essential, given such statistics in Kentucky.

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Kentucky May Get 1st Alternative Birthing Center

The desire by certified nurse midwife Mary Carol Akers to open an alternative birthing center in Kentucky, has been quickly met with opposition from three area hospitals, including Hardin Memorial Hospital, Flaget Memorial Hospital in Bardstown and Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center in Leitchfield.

All have filed documents with the state in opposition to the center, which would be located in Elizabethtown.

Akers has applied to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family for what is called a certificate of need for permission to build and operate the Visitation Birth and Family Wellness Center in Elizabethtown.

Supposedly the purpose of the certificate is to "safeguard" against too many health care facilities being in the area, but that's nonsense of course. It's really an anti-competitive regulation to protect the status quo of health care in the area.

After all, with Obamacare, there are going to be so many extra patients seeking medical care in general, that any help would be needed. It's the particular birthing service that is threatening to the hospitals, as it's among the more lucrative and consistent money earners.

If Akers succeeds in getting the okay, it'll be the first alternative birthing center in Kentucky.

She will get an opportunity to defend herself and the proposed Center on February 20-21 at a hearing.

In-Store Medical Clinics Will Soar in Kentucky

With the implementation of the terrible Obamacare or so-called Affordable Care Act, it is already producing huge problems across America, as doctors and facilities can't keep up with the millions of new patients entering the system.

That's true in Kentucky as well, where one of the answers appears to be the expansion of in-store clinics to treat some of the more benign illnesses or needs, such as vaccinations and colds, among others.

As opponents of Obamacare rightly asserted, even for those new patients with a primary physician it is hard to get an appointment because of soaring demand for services.

Beyond the limited services now offered, clinics are looking to expand care to high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension.

Numerous insurance plans are accepted by the clinics, and prices for those using cash are listed in an obvious place for all to see.

In-store clinics will become an increasing big part of Kentucky health care. At this time patients visiting clinics like this across America have reached over 20 million.

London, Ky. Hospital Sued by Hundreds of Patients

St. Joseph London hospital in Kentucky, along with 11 cardiologists, has been sued by hundreds of patients accusing them of using procedures that weren't necessary in order to make money off of them.

Almost 400 people are suing the hospital and cardiologists over the accusations.

Under particular scrutiny concerning the cardiologists is Dr. Sandesh "Sam" Patil, who is also under investigation by the U.S. attorney's office, the focus of a federal criminal health care fraud investigation.

In January 2013, the Kentucky Medical Licensure Board took a look at five patients of Patil, concluded Patil had provided poor care to four of the patients, saying three of them had stents placed in them that weren't needed.

An internal investigation of Patil by the consulting doctor for the board found that Patil was far too aggressive in invasive procedures. Nonetheless, the board of St. Joseph London hospital allowed him to continue practicing at the hospital.

Since December 2010 Patil hasn't practiced at St. Joseph's, and now works at the Appalachian Regional Healthcare in Whitesburg, Ky.

Coventry's (CVH) Kentucky Medicaid Program Gets Rate Increase

Kentucky awarded Coventry Health Care Inc. (CVH) a requested rate increase for its Medicaid program in the state, as costs for serving the state's poor have been higher than expected when Coventry, along with WellCare Health Plans Inc. (WCG) and Centene Corp. (CNC), began covering Kentucky Medicaid patients in 2011.

Terms of the agreement are Coventry will get a rate increase of 7 percent for each year of the contract through the latter part of 2014 when it ends. The increase is effective as of January 1, 2013.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Coventry said a rate increase already in place for the last year of the contract will be put in effect three months earlier than the original contract specified.

Aetna Inc. (AET), a planned carrier, should benefit from the deal, as shares of the insurer jumped over 1 percent on the news. That's because Aetna is in the process of acquiring Conventry for $5.7 in cash and stock.

While there has been no reports on WellCare, the assumption is the company is in negotiations with the state of Kentucky for a deal similar to that reached with Conventry. Shares of the company jumped to $54.57 in early Tuesday trading, a gain of 3.2 percent.

It is more murky concerning Centene, which plans to leave Kentucky in July 2014, as Centene CEO Michael Neidorff said in the latest earnings call of the company that the Kentucky Medicaid program was "not sustainable in its current form."

Kentucky continues to be hampered by poor leadership, as has refused to take the necessary steps to get its fiscal house in order, including making government employees pay more for the outrageous benefits they receive at the expense of the taxpayers of the state.

Kentucky Republicans Continue to Support Life, Democrats Don't

The shame of being a Democrat in Kentucky continues, as Republicans again have presented a bill that would allow women who are seeking to terminate the life of the baby within them to look at the image of an ultrasound of the baby.

In the past, Kentucky Democrats have continued to oppose this as a way of a woman seeing that it is in face a living baby inside of her.

Per the bill, doctors who wouldn't comply with women being allowed to view the ultrasound would be fined $100,000 for the first offense and $250,000 for further offenses.

Why a Democrat allegedly supporting all the people living in Kentucky would refuse to provide more protections for the vulnerable little lives of their youngest constituents, will be a dark mark against them in this life, as well as the life to come.

They need to completely and totally support this effort to allow women to see the living babies via ultrasound, as well as a separate measure which would require women seeking abortions to have a face-to-face consultation with a medical representative. Now all they have to do is watch a video of a person talking.

Government Food Police Strike Again

The Agriculture Department of the Federal government is now interfering more in the freedoms of individuals by introducing new rules that would allegedly make foods that are sold in the public school system more "healthful" than they are now. This coming from the same Federal department that promoted the infamous food pyramid.

Supposedly this is an effort to combat childhood obesity. The government now feels it has a mandate to battle childhood obesity? Why not start with cutting back on the junk food all the people using food stamps can buy then. That's a far bigger problem than the food children are eating in schools.

"Parents and teachers work hard to instill healthy eating habits in our kids, and these efforts should
be supported when kids walk through the schoolhouse door," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Really, he actually said that.

There is no obese child that has a parent "instill healthy eating habits" that is then undermined by them endlessly gorging at a school. Those obese children are obviously allowed to eat anything they want at home, only complementing it with the food they eat at school.

Either way doesn't really matter though. The government is again attempting to show itself as all powerful and big brother by sticking its nose in far beyond the mandate it exists for.

Be that as it may, what will be changed is snacks now sold in school systems will not be allowed to have over 200 calories in them. The new standards will include snack bars, vending machines, and a la carte lunch lines.

There will also be different guidelines based upon the particular school levels. For elementary and middle schools, beverages that can be offered include only water, 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, and low-fat milk.

High schools will be able to offer diet sodas, iced teas and sports drinks, although that wouldn't include all that are available, but only those approved to be offered. Calories in high school drinks would be limited to 60 to 75 calories per 12-ounce container.

As for portion sizes, in elementary schools the largest would be 8-ounce portions, while in middle schools that would increase to 12-ounces.

Other food issues such as school bake sales and food offered for fundraisers won't be regulated at the federal level, although states are empowered to do so if they choose to.

Some conservatives have rightly resisted the rules, saying government has no place in telling children what they are allowed to eat.

Sentate Committee Approves Abortion Bills

In an attempt to stop further murders of babies by abortion, two bills were recently approved by a Senate committee which would probably help reduce the number of abortions in Kentucky.

One of the bills were introduced in order to help clear up an existing law which requires that women seeking abortions must have face-to-face consultations with a health professional or social worker recommended by a physician before an abortion can be performed.

The other bill would make it mandatory for a women to have an ultrasound before having an abortion.

The first bill deals with the misinterpretation of the "informed consent" law already in effect as being able to impersonally listen to a pre-recorded message on a phone rather than by talking to a doctor or other health professional.

Now the bill will be defined specifically as being in the same room with the health professional or social worker for the counseling session.

HMH Offering Free Lipid Profile at Saturday Fair

Hardin Memorial Health (HMH) announced it will offer a a free lipid profile at Heart Fair 2013 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair will be held at the inside fifth floor auditorium of the hospital.

A lipid profile entails a total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride and glucose checks. The profile is valued at $75.

To qualify of for the free profile, Karen Blaiklock, health and wellness promotion manager for HMH, said people must pre-register by end of business Wednesday. You can schedule an appointment by calling (270) 706-1250, or go to www.hmh.net.

Other things attendants can do is get a body mass index examination, have blood glucose levels checked, as well as their blood pressure.

According to Blaiklock there will be booths available with information on heart healthy nutrition, cardiac catheterization, disease and weight management, stroke prevention, diabetes and fitness.

Also available will be information associated with what are called the simple seven measures of life by the American Health Association: Get active, control cholesterol, eat better, manage blood pressure, lose weight, reduce blood sugar and stop smoking.

She added that if a person is older than 20 they should get their cholesterol checked at least one time every five years.

For those that aren't able to attend the fair, the hospital says they can go to the website to find out where the Wellness on Wheels mobile health unit can be found during the month of February.

Kentucky Rates #1 in Major Cancers

With over 25,000 new cancer cases diagnosed in 2012, the terrible disease remains a major challenge for the Commonwealth, as it still holds the unwanted distinction of having the worst number of deaths attributed to cancer of all the states.

The specific cancers Kentucky ranks worst in are colon and rectum, oral cavity and pharynx, and lung and bronchus. Other areas the state ranks high in are kidney and renal pelvis (2nd), brain (3rd) and cervix (8th).

Hit particularly hard is the Appalachian region of the Kentucky, where the death rates for some cancers are the worst in the nation.

From 2000 - 2009, the overall mortality from cancer in the United States has fallen.