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Experimental Brain Injury Treatments Could Be Worth Billions
Brain trauma is one tough and expensive field.
Each year brain injuries cost the nation roughly $50 billion. That's half a trillion every decade.
And then there's the human toll….
Brain injuries kill 52,000 people each year, making this the third leading cause of death from injury.
But there's more to this story than the death toll. Another 80,000 people a year in the U.S. survive brain injuries but go on to lead reduced lives.
Luckily, there is hope. Today we're on the verge of saving millions from the suffering brought about by traumatic brain injuries.
These insights also will lead to new treatments for such severe brain diseases as Lou Gehrig's (also known as ALS) and Alzheimer's.
And that's what the Era of Radical Change is all about — seeing friends and family survive things that a few years ago would have killed them.
It's all the result of more than 50 years of exponential growth in high tech and its effect on every aspect of science.
We are now at a tipping point in human history. Cases that once seemed doomed now offer new hope.
Brain Injuries: The Tragedy and the Hope
Unfortunately, this is a story I know all too well. It is one of the reasons why I'm deeply interested in this field.
Nineteen years ago last March, my cousin was killed in an infamous boating accident while his family looked on.
Doctors tried to save him but to no avail. His brain injuries were just too severe.
Now I wonder how my cousin would have done had that very same boat crash happened today.
As it turns out, a similar accident just occurred in our town.
Weight Loss Stocks: ARNA, VVUS, and OREX Race to End the Obesity Epidemic
Obesity is considered the most serious health issue in the developed world. Along with growing waistlines also comes ballooning costs.
Across urbanized nations, the economic burden of obesity is estimated to be 10% of total health care costs, with projections continuing to grow as the obesity epidemic spreads.
For investors, that means weight loss stocks are poised to gain.
Here's why.
When it comes to obesity the statistics are staggering.
Currently 35.7% of U.S. adults, or more than one third, is obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), that's a giant increase over just ten years ago.
In 2000, not a single U.S. state had an obesity rate of 30% or more. Today, 12 states have crossed that obesity threshold.
The costs attributed to obesity are estimated at $147 billion and rising.
Weight Loss Stocks: ARNA, VVUS and OREX
It is no wonder pharmaceutical companies are racing to fill the void and close the growing gap in treating this mounting epidemic.
Two leaders early in the game include Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ARNA) and Vivus Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) A third California-based company, Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: OREX), is also vying for Food and Drug Administration approval.
All three hope to bring to the market the first weight loss treatment in some 13 years.
With or Without "Obamacare" These Healthcare Stocks Are Headed Higher
The fat lady hasn't sung yet…but she is warming up.
Three days of arguments before the Supreme Court have made it abundantly clear – "Obamacare" is in danger of being gutted or completely wiped off the books.
Only one thing's for sure. Investors will want to keep buying healthcare stocks -especially as 10,000 baby boomers a day turn 65 years old for the next 20 years.
But there's one segment of the healthcare sector that will be sitting in the driver's seat when it comes to delivering healthy profits and investment returns – no matter how the court rules.
Here's what you need to know…
Health Care Reform: How the Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act Ruling Could Affect Our Economy
Health care reform takes center stage this week as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare – and it's going to be a real doozy.
A final decision will be issued around the end of June, just months before the presidential election. It could be like the shot heard "round the world.
Law, politics, U.S. world image, and our economy weigh in the balance.
Pundits are predicting and cogs are turning. Here's how the Supreme Court's decision on Obamacare may play out and how it might affect our economy.
We Want to Hear From You: What Do You Think About the New Healthcare Law?
After months of controversy, political bickering and maneuvering, and intense media speculation and scrutiny, this week became a historically significant moment in the annals of U.S. healthcare when U.S. President Barack Obama signed the new healthcare bill into law. Thus begins a new chapter in the healthcare saga, when the country will feel the effects [...]
Shaky CBO Deficit Projections Help Healthcare Reform Bill Pass House
When the comprehensive healthcare reform bill won approval from the House on Sunday, some of the swing lawmakers were won over by a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis showing the bill will slash the deficit by over $1.3 trillion over the next 20 years.
But at a time when the U.S. budget is already saddled with hefty doses of red ink, there's a growing debate about whether the new bill will reduce the deficit or evolve into another entitlement program that will expand the country's debt beyond already record levels.
Even though the bill – which President Barack Obama has hailed as the "most significant effort to reduce the deficit since the Balanced Budget Act" of the 1990s – will cost the federal government $940 billion over a ten-year period, the CBO said it will increase revenue and cut other costs by an even greater amount.



