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Cancer patients and survivors have some of the most challenging experiences with our health care system, at a time in their lives when they are most vulnerable.

Federal and state programs that provide support to under served people with cancer are dramatically underfunded, leading to huge gaps in access to treatment. Even cancer patients with health insurance find that because of high cost sharing, annual and lifetime maximums, and other limitations, they may be exposed to extremely high out-of-pocket costs. If a cancer patient has to cut back on hours or leave their job to undergo treatment, they often face the prospect of losing their health insurance. And, cancer survivors face some of the largest hurdles for reentering the workforce or seeking private insurance, because they have a so-called preexisting condition.

Cancer costs the U.S. $228 billion each year in medical costs and lost productivity. It claims more than 565,000 lives each year and inflicts incalculable physical pain and emotional distress on cancer patients and their families.

We must take this opportunity to address the needs of cancer patients by making a strong investment in the fight against cancer. This investment will provide a short-term stimulus the economy needs today, while building a foundation for a healthier, more productive workforce in the future.

As Congress considers health care reform legislation, our elected officials have a unique opportunity to address the long-standing concerns of people with cancer, which have all too often been overlooked by the U.S. health care system.

There's no time to waste.

Labels: cancer, healthcare

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a normal stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes.

Because REM is a mixture of encephalic (brain) states of excitement and muscular immobility, it is sometimes called paradoxical sleep. It is generally thought that REM-associated muscle paralysis is meant to keep the body from acting out the dreams that occur during this intensely cerebral stage.

We examined the role of REM on creative problem solving, with the Remote Associates Test (RAT). Using a nap paradigm, we manipulated various conditions of prior exposure to elements of a creative problem.

A study done by Dr Sara Mednick, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego and the VA San Diego Healthcare System, and colleagues, on the positive effects of napping was published online in the 8th June issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The researchers said their findings are important because they show that sleep, and REM sleep in particular, helps the brain to form "associative networks".

Mednick said:

"For creative problems that you've already been working on -- the passage of time is enough to find solutions."

"However," she added, "for new problems, only REM sleep enhances creativity."

The researchers discovered that it looks as if REM sleep stimulates associative networks helping the brain to make new and useful connections between unrelated ideas, the key to creativity.

Denise J Cai, Sarnoff A Mednick, Elizabeth M Harrison, Jennifer C Kanady, and Sara C Mednick

PNAS published online before print June 8, 2009

Labels: rem, sleep