What do women want from men in 2010?

Alcohol-coffee mix ‘dangerous’

NEW YORK

The drinks are dangerous, doctors say, because the caffeine masks the effects of the alcohol, keeping consumers from realising how intoxicated they are.

A brand called Four Loko — a fruit-flavoured malt beverage that has an alcohol content of 12 per cent and as much caffeine as a cup of coffee — has come under scrutiny after students who drank it in New Jersey and Washington ended up in emergency rooms, some with high levels of alcohol poisoning. The drink is only sold in the US.

“This is one of the most dangerous new alcohol concoctions I have ever seen,” said Dr Michael Reihart, who said he had treated more than a dozen teenagers and adults during the past three months after they drank Four Loko.

“It’s a recipe for disaster because your body’s natural defence is to get sleepy and not want to drink but in this case you’re tricking the body with the caffeine.”

The Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing whether the drinks are safe.— Mixing alcohol and caffeine is hardly a new concept but a rash of cases involving students and others who landed in hospital after drinking beverages that combine the two has alarmed college and health officials in the United States.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Wednesday:  27 10 2010 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              27 10 2010      end_of_the_skype_highlighting 

Ch 8  Good Morning Singapore  8:15am

CALL  62506851 / 62501210

DR  LEONG  [梁医生]

HAZE  is poisonous

Vehicle Exhaust discharge is poisonous

Second-Hand Cigarette smoke is poisonous

Use  salt water sprays [喷盐水] into the nose

to reduce the damaging effect 

Neo Chai Chin

chaichin@mediacorp.com.sg

In order to reiterate the importance of adequate coverage [who covers for him ?  emplOyer ? persOnal ?], Mr Khaw said in his latest blog post yesterday that his operation, at the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), was mostly paid for by MediShield and a private Shield supplement, while Medisave helped in the co-payment of the rest of his hospital bill. 

According to figures on the Ministry of Health website, the bill for heart bypass surgery is less than $30,000 for nine in 10 patients staying in an A class ward in NHCS.

Those covered under MediShield — a basic insurance scheme for CPF members — can choose to top up their basic coverage by supplementing it with plans from private insurers, while Medisave allows members to dip into its accounts to pay for hospitalisation expenses.

Recounting a recent meeting with health insurers, Mr Khaw also flagged the possibility of extending MediShield to cover mental illness, congenital illness and neonatal treatment.

Mr Raymond Fernando, whose wife suffers from schizophrenia, told MediaCorp such a move would “greatly help in relieving my financial burden… and, hopefully, lead to other insurers taking the cue”. It could also reduce the stigma of mental illnes and encourage more patients to come forward, said Mr Fernando.

Another idea f loated during Mr Khaw’s meeting with the health insurers was to raise the MediShield claim limits on outpatient cancer care, which stand at $300 per weekly treatment cycle and up to $2,800 for radiotherapy treatment.

Mr Khaw added that there was also discussion on raising the monthly payout for ElderShield — a severe disability insurance scheme — to extend the monthly basic payout of $400 and to extend the payout period beyond six years.

SINGAPORE — Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan paid only $8 from his pocket for his heart bypass in May.