AACCA - American Association of Certified Coders and Auditors

AACCA Coding Newswire
December, 2006
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Natural Remedies for Seasonal Allergies

Spring has sprung, and that means allergies have too. As the weather gets warmer and wetter, pollen and molds bloom, and springtime winds can stir up the allergens.

When it comes to allergies, misery loves company. Roughly 40 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. Nearly 10 percent of Americans are allergic to pollen. The result is hay fever, whose symptoms include runny nose, sneezing and puffy, watery eyes.

Read the ABC News website to add these natural remedies to your checklist.

CDC Funds Largest Study of Autism's Cause

The largest federal study to date into the causes of autism was announced Friday -- a multi-state investigation that will involve 2,700 young children.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and five other research centers will study the youngsters over five years. The research is designed to ferret out any genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to autisim.

Get more specifics on the study at CNN.

CDC Probe Links 21 Deaths to Cough Syrup

U.S. health officials this week cracked the case of what caused the mysterious deaths of 21 people in Panama since midsummer - an industrial chemical in red cough syrup.

Officials continue to investigate how the medicine became contaminated. The Panamanian government has ordered the syrup removed from store shelves and the government factory that manufactured it shut down.

Find out more at the CBS News website.

Dark Side of Being Cured of Childhood Cancer

A landmark study of more than 14,000 patients in this week's New England Journal of Medicine finds that survivors of childhood cancer have frequent and serious health problems.

The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study "points out long-term complications related to specific kinds of cancer treatment," said Dr. Anna Meadows, director of the Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Find out more about these troubling statistics att ABC News.

Obesity Surgery Without a Scalpel?

Stomach-stapling surgery to combat obesity may be done in the future with a tube inserted through the mouth, making the procedure safer than using an incision and opening the way for more people to undergo it, doctors say.

Learn more about this less invasive procedure at the MSNBC website.

More Retailers, Employers, Offering Low-Cost Generic Drugs

Consumers are suddenly getting a break on the cost of generic drugs as discount retailers and some prescription benefit managers start programs that provide a host of popular medications at very low costs.

In the last month,, Wal-Mart stores, Inc and Target Corp.have begun programs at pharmacies in their Florida stores, including Wal-Mart's Sam's Club, offering dozens of generic drugs for $4. Last May, Kmart Holding Corp.'s 1,100 stores began offering generics for $15 for a 90-day supply.

Learn more about these changes at the Fox News website.