Mind, Body & Spirit: The Holy Triumvirate of NeuroModulation ...

There was a time not all that long ago when people ? and the cultures in which they thrived ? fully realized the interconnectedness of all things in their daily lives. This applied not only to nature and community, but to individuals themselves, who understood they are made up of many interlacing parts.

If one of those parts is sick and not working properly, the others are affected. Almost like a butterfly effect for the human body. But somehow this innate wisdom eroded over the years, especially in western medicine, and it?s manifesting in a society that is unwell.

To put it mildly.

While it?s often too daunting to confront the larger issues facing our planet, we can at least look a little closer to home ? at ourselves. People these days are a mess, with physical ailments, emotional trauma, and spiritual roadblocks. We treat one component of a tripod that?s in disarray, often to the detriment of the others.

And that?s where NeuroModulation Technique (NMT) comes in. But what exactly is it?

?Want to understand NMT?? asks Gail Smithson, L.Ac., of the Smithson Clinic, laughing. ?How comprehensive is your understanding of the universe and consensual reality? ?Cause that?s what it?s about. It?s based on the notion of non-duality.?

Translation please.

?NMT works with the body?s innate ability to heal,? he explains. ?Your body has infinite intelligence, and NMT basically activates that intelligence through muscle testing and response.?

In essence, your body knows better than you do. It realizes that if one area is out of synch, often all areas are out of synch.

This particular system of health care was developed by Dr. Leslie S. Feinberg of Oregon, a result of many years studying numerous methods of energetic medicine. It?s rooted in these methods, and intertwined with accepted principles of western science ? neurophysiology, physiology, psychology ? and traditional Chinese medicine concepts. Feinberg basically postulates that illness is caused by confusion in the body?s internal control center, the Autonomic Control System (ACS), which makes it nearly impossible to regulate the body to a healthy state.

This confusion can be caused by allergies, toxic agents, errors in sensitivity settings, environmental chemicals and pernicious synaptic patterns (PSPs). ?What NM T attempts to do is correct the confusion, calm the system, by reintegrating all parts of what make up a human being, including mind, body and spirit.

This is done through muscle response testing and verbal or non-verbal semantic questions and statements. The process is often further augmented with gentle stimulation of vertebral segments, specific breathing patterns and other sensory stimuli.

It?s a whole-body treatment system, and Smithson says that just about all conditions can be helped by NMT.

Let the healing begin.

Source: http://www.cpt12.org/blog/index.php/2012/11/22/mind-body-spirit/

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Study finds mammograms lead to unneeded treatment

Graphic shows early vs. late diagnoses in women 40 and older

Graphic shows early vs. late diagnoses in women 40 and older

FILE - In this Thursday, May 6, 2010 file photo, a radiologist uses a magnifying glass to check mammograms for breast cancer in Los Angeles. There's more disappointing evidence that breast cancer screening is not as helpful as many women believe. A big U.S. study shows that mammograms have done surprisingly little to catch deadly cancers before they spread. At the same time, they have led more than a million women to be treated for growths that never would have threatened their lives. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Mammograms have done surprisingly little to catch deadly breast cancers before they spread, a big U.S. study finds. At the same time, more than a million women have been treated for cancers that never would have threatened their lives, researchers estimate.

Up to one-third of breast cancers, or 50,000 to 70,000 cases a year, don't need treatment, the study suggests.

It's the most detailed look yet at overtreatment of breast cancer, and it adds fresh evidence that screening is not as helpful as many women believe. Mammograms are still worthwhile, because they do catch some deadly cancers and save lives, doctors stress. And some of them disagree with conclusions the new study reached.

But it spotlights a reality that is tough for many Americans to accept: Some abnormalities that doctors call "cancer" are not a health threat or truly malignant. There is no good way to tell which ones are, so many women wind up getting treatments like surgery and chemotherapy that they don't really need.

Men have heard a similar message about PSA tests to screen for slow-growing prostate cancer, but it's relatively new to the debate over breast cancer screening.

"We're coming to learn that some cancers ? many cancers, depending on the organ ? weren't destined to cause death," said Dr. Barnett Kramer, a National Cancer Institute screening expert. However, "once a woman is diagnosed, it's hard to say treatment is not necessary."

He had no role in the study, which was led by Dr. H. Gilbert Welch of Dartmouth Medical School and Dr. Archie Bleyer of St. Charles Health System and Oregon Health & Science University. Results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Breast cancer is the leading type of cancer and cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Nearly 1.4 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Other countries screen less aggressively than the U.S. does. In Britain, for example, mammograms are usually offered only every three years and a recent review there found similar signs of overtreatment.

The dogma has been that screening finds cancer early, when it's most curable. But screening is only worthwhile if it finds cancers destined to cause death, and if treating them early improves survival versus treating when or if they cause symptoms.

Mammograms also are an imperfect screening tool ? they often give false alarms, spurring biopsies and other tests that ultimately show no cancer was present. The new study looks at a different risk: Overdiagnosis, or finding cancer that is present but does not need treatment.

Researchers used federal surveys on mammography and cancer registry statistics from 1976 through 2008 to track how many cancers were found early, while still confined to the breast, versus later, when they had spread to lymph nodes or more widely.

The scientists assumed that the actual amount of disease ? how many true cases exist ? did not change or grew only a little during those three decades. Yet they found a big difference in the number and stage of cases discovered over time, as mammograms came into wide use.

Mammograms more than doubled the number of early-stage cancers detected ? from 112 to 234 cases per 100,000 women. But late-stage cancers dropped just 8 percent, from 102 to 94 cases per 100,000 women.

The imbalance suggests a lot of overdiagnosis from mammograms, which now account for 60 percent of cases that are found, Bleyer said. If screening were working, there should be one less patient diagnosed with late-stage cancer for every additional patient whose cancer was found at an earlier stage, he explained.

"Instead, we're diagnosing a lot of something else ? not cancer" in that early stage, Bleyer said. "And the worst cancer is still going on, just like it always was."

Researchers also looked at death rates for breast cancer, which declined 28 percent during that time in women 40 and older ? the group targeted for screening. Mortality dropped even more ? 41 percent ? in women under 40, who presumably were not getting mammograms.

"We are left to conclude, as others have, that the good news in breast cancer ? decreasing mortality ? must largely be the result of improved treatment, not screening," the authors write.

The study was paid for by the study authors' universities.

"This study is important because what it really highlights is that the biology of the cancer is what we need to understand" in order to know which ones to treat and how, said Dr. Julia A. Smith, director of breast cancer screening at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. Doctors already are debating whether DCIS, a type of early tumor confined to a milk duct, should even be called cancer, she said.

Another expert, Dr. Linda Vahdat, director of the breast cancer research program at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, said the study's leaders made many assumptions to reach a conclusion about overdiagnosis that "may or may not be correct."

"I don't think it will change how we view screening mammography," she said.

A government-appointed task force that gives screening advice calls for mammograms every other year starting at age 50 and stopping at 75. The American Cancer Society recommends them every year starting at age 40.

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the cancer society's deputy chief medical officer, said the study should not be taken as "a referendum on mammography," and noted that other high-quality studies have affirmed its value. Still, he said overdiagnosis is a problem, and it's not possible to tell an individual woman whether her cancer needs treated.

"Our technology has brought us to the place where we can find a lot of cancer. Our science has to bring us to the point where we can define what treatment people really need," he said.

___

Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-11-21-Breast%20Cancer-Mammograms/id-8817566f0c2e4faf959cf6f127915bc4

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5 tips for drawing up your social media crisis plan | memeburn

The social web is largely public. Yes, everything that gets shared, published, tweeted, liked, uploaded, pinned, +1?d or commented on. Everyone is now a citizen journalist, capable of sharing anything at any time. That means anyone with internet access. The web has gone mobile and so have all the users making use of the various social media channels available.

Did you know that it can take 140 characters or less to make or break a reputation in today?s digital business environment? Bad news spreads like wildfire and the days are long gone where a business that received negative feedback could wait and devise a plan before it published. If you are worried about your digital reputation or if you want to start promoting yourself on social media, having a social media crisis plan can help you when a negative comment about your brand or business snowballs online.

Here are a few tips to help you get started with your social media crisis plan:

1. Monitor the social web
Set up a couple of listening outposts on the social web to monitor the conversations going on that are relevant to your business. This can help you to be notified of any issues before they turn into a wild-fire. When a crisis hits, assess and research everything you can about the situation.

2. Use social media as your communication vehicle
Social media is an important communication medium to handle potential issues that erupt online. Determine where you will be integrating social media in your business communication strategy to ensure your message is consistent and efficient.

3. Build your digital footprint before a crisis
If you already have a couple of social media profiles on popular channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, it will be easier to respond when a crisis hits. Start promoting your social media presence so that your clients will know where to turn in case of an emergency. To ensure you have a connection with them in advance, use these channels to engage and communicate with them on a regular basis.

4. Social media policies
The middle of a crisis is not the right time to consider who can access various social media channels and what they can update on them. At a bare minimum, create a basic social media policy and guidelines around access restrictions, personal data, and comments. Outline what comments and information will be deleted and who has access to what.

5. Have an escalation procedure in place
Determine who from senior management or the communication department in your company needs to be contacted in case of a social media crisis. This list must be updated often with personal emails and numbers. Who will be contacted during office hours and after hours?

In today?s digital business world it?s important to use social media as your vehicle of communication when you are part of a crisis online. Your customers, employees, and the public expect it because they are already using the social web to talk to each other.

Source: http://memeburn.com/2012/11/5-tips-for-drawing-up-your-social-media-crisis-plan/

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Survival of the Fittest: Final Stand | DoDLive

Cancer does not discriminate among its victims. Cancer does not care whether a person is male or female, old or young. Cancer ? specifically brain cancer ? did not care how hard Michael Moyles worked to beat it and for a third time it chose to attack him without hesitation.

Michael Moyles, a boy with a dream of becoming an Air Force officer, followed that dream and commissioned in the Air Force in 1994.

Since his commission he married his longtime girlfriend and soon after was diagnosed with brain cancer. He fought and beat brain cancer, but four years later he would be faced with it once again. He strove to make himself mentally, physically, spiritually and emotional sound, so cancer would not have any ground to stand on. Michael defeated cancer a second time, but like a reoccurring nightmare it reared its ugly head back into his life once again.

In December 2008, Michael closed his eyes and placed his faith in his God, his perseverance, and his Air Force values, and entered brain surgery for a third time.

?Michael has always been obsessive about things, but this was different,? said Angela Michael?s wife. ?It was more like he was attacking the cancer instead of the cancer attacking him ? he just fought with everything he had. The third recurrence was difficult for all of us, but his preparation paid off ? he was ready for it.?

Michael would go through a third surgery that took several hours and once again he would come out unaffected, just as he had twice before. His resiliency not only baffled his family, but the actual doctors who operated on him as well.

Within a few weeks of surgery, Michael faced perhaps the greatest challenge yet ? 42 days of combined chemotherapy and radiation, in one last all-out attempt to make sure the cancer would not return.

?It was time to give it everything we had,? said Michael. ?Surgery and chemotherapy were not enough anymore, so the doctors attacked it with all three weapons ? surgery, followed by combined chemotherapy and radiation.?

Every morning, for 42 consecutive days, Michael started the day with chemotherapy, then traveled an hour to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, to receive targeted, high-dose radiation treatments. At this time he was a major stationed at the Pentagon. Michael did not miss a day of work while going through chemo and radiation therapy.

?I could have ?played the cancer card? and just stayed home, but that isn?t who I am and if I did it would have stopped me from doing what I love ? serving in the Air Force,? said Michael.

Every morning after going through chemo and radiation therapy, Michael would go for a run and then head to work. The chemo caused nausea and at times vomiting. The radiation caused fatigue that would follow Michael like a dark cloud above his head throughout the day.

?While working at the Pentagon I was often told I could leave to get rest, but I wouldn?t,? said Michael. ?I didn?t want to be treated differently and just wanted to do my job.?

After the radiation and chemo was complete, doctors scanned Michael?s brain and confirmed that he was cancer free. For the third time he was cancer free, but he couldn?t help but feel skeptical.

?I had beaten cancer twice before, so the idea that it may return did enter my mind,? said Michael. ?Either way I was excited to have beaten it for a third time and was ready to continue on with my career as an Air Force officer.?

The radiation took a toll on Michael even after treatment was over. He would still have to battle the fatigue from it.

?I just ran,? said Michael. ?The fatigue was always there, but exercising really helped to combat that.?

Fatigue was not the only thing Michael would have to deal with from the 42 rounds of radiation. In July of 2009 when Michael woke up for his morning run he immediately noticed he could not open his eyes.

?My eyes were completely swollen shut,? said Michael. ?I had no idea what was wrong, but knew it wasn?t good. My wife rushed me to the emergency room.?

Michael informed the doctors of his previous medical surgeries and they began to perform tests to determine what was happening.

?The idea that cancer was back again ran through my mind, but I still didn?t know what was the cause and I wasn?t about to jump to any conclusions,? said Michael.

Osteomyelitis was the word doctors uttered to Michael. The diagnosis determined that the 42 rounds of radiation killed the cancer, but it also compromised his immune system, allowing an infection that killed a third of Michael?s skull as well.

?I was relieved to have an answer for what caused my eyes to swell shut, but unsure what this would mean for my future,? said Michael.

A neurosurgeon performed a cranioplasty on Michael, removing a third of his skull plus a little extra to make sure the infection would not continue.

?They took the entire front portion of my skull out,? said Michael. ?Not only did they remove my skull, but they did not put anything in its place.?

Michael would have to go six months without a third of his skull. During the six months, doctors took a mold of Michael?s skull and began to rebuild him a brand new acrylic prosthetic.

?It was rather strange that I was without a large portion of my skull,? said Michael. ?Just skin on brain.?

Because Michael?s brain had no protection, he wore a helmet throughout the day while navigating through the hectic halls of the Pentagon.

?You certainly get some funny looks on the metro,? said Michael. ?I even had one person in the Pentagon tell me to remove my cover while indoors ? I just smiled and thanked him. If only he knew!?

Besides wearing a helmet to protect his brain, Michael needed to take a large amount of anti-bacterial medication. The doctors installed a catheter port in his arm that could be hooked up to an IV, and received daily infusions of high-dose antibiotics. Doctors were clear that if the infection spread to his brain, it would likely be fatal. Undeterred, Michael actually ran another marathon and several half-marathons without his skull ? and, to the dismay of his doctors, without his helmet as well. ?If surgery, chemo, and radiation weren?t going to stop me, neither was a cranioplasty,? said Michael.

When the six months were up and the infection was gone, doctors fitted the acrylic piece made from a mold of Michael?s skull in place and Michael was sewed up.

?Having a complete skull again was very reassuring,? said Michael. ?Not only was my risk of injury reduced, but I felt normal again. I didn?t look like a cancer patient anymore. And I could get rid of that darn helmet!?

In 2010, after 42 rounds of radiation, 22 rounds of chemotherapy, 3 brain surgeries, 2 reconstructive surgeries and having run eight marathons Michael was finally free of cancer.

?It has been a wild ride,? said Michael, ?but my faith, my family, and fitness have brought me through.?

During his battle with cancer Michael passed five medical boards.

?It?s hard for them to tell you you?re ?unfit for continued military service? when your lapping most of them around the track,? said Michael jokingly.

Michael had a streak of 9 straight 100?s on his Physical Fitness test during his battle with cancer.

?I found fighting cancer and the military mindset and lifestyle very well aligned,? said Michael. ?The military promotes physical fitness, advocates perseverance and provides an amazing support structure.?

Michael took his passion for running and battling cancer in a new direction. He started the foundation, ?Team Michael Moyles.?

?I wanted to do something to give back to the cancer community and came up with the foundation,? said Michael. ?Family, friends and even people I?ve never met have given to the foundation.?

Michael?s foundation eventually teamed up with the Livestrong foundation.

?I had the honor of eating dinner at Lance Armstrong?s home and talk with him personally,? said Michael. ?I wouldn?t say he would remember me if you asked about me, but it was still a once in a lifetime opportunity.?

One thing that came as a total surprise to Michael during his battle with cancer was when his wife became pregnant with their now 4-year-old daughter Ellie.

?I had already gone through chemo and was told I could not have kids so when we found out we were going to have a child I was ecstatic,? said Michael. ?She is my world now.?

The thing or things that Michael used to get through everything were what he called his three ?F?s.?

?Faith, Family and Fitness those are what come first for me,? said Michael. ?Every decision I make is dependent on those three things.?

Michael or better known as Lt. Col. Michael Moyles at Joint Base Charleston is the 628th Mission Support Group deputy commander. He is in his in his 19th year of service and realizes his goal of becoming a general may not be in the cards anymore, but he looks forward to meeting with his first O-6 board this year.

?I set the lofty goal of becoming a general almost twenty years ago, but at the time I had no idea where my life or career was going to take me,? said Michael. ?I would love to achieve the rank of a full-bird colonel, but if not, I will still have had an amazing journey in the United States Air Force.?

?

by Senior Airman Dennis Sloan
Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs

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Disclaimer: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense of this website or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation sites, the Department of Defense does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD website.

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Source: http://www.dodlive.mil/index.php/2012/11/survival-of-the-fittest-final-stand/

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Five Republican Brush Fires

In the wake of a difficult 2012 cycle featuring weak and not-ready-for-prime-time candidates, Republican leaders are looking to assert more control over the nomination and recruitment processes.?As Politico reported Monday, the party?s Senate campaign committee is plotting to ?prevent more Todd Akins? from emerging over the next two years.

But there are already indications that the mission to stop unelectable candidates from emerging is a lot harder than advertised.? In the two upcoming off-year gubernatorial elections, an assertive right could complicate Virginia Republican prospects in a crucial off-year election and act as a nuisance as Christie prepares for a tough campaign for a second term.?Two Republican Congressional firebrands are already considering Senate bids of their own, and would be as potent in primaries even though they?d be highly vulnerable in general elections.? And there are already rumblings among conservative activists about challenging several of their own incumbents up for re-election in 2014, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

How various party leaders navigate these challenges will go a long way in assessing the party?s future direction ? and whether they have the power to control the often-unruly grassroots.? It will show whether activists will tolerate a center-right Republican, like Christie, who will occasionally stray from conservative orthodoxy ??It will indicate whether Republicans can afford to sound a more moderate note on immigration without risking retribution from the base. ?

Here are the five of the biggest priorities for the Republican establishment in the coming months. Their successes on these fronts will indicate whether they've learned the right lessons from missed opportunities over the last two cycles.

1. Nominating a Republican who can appeal to the rising Virginia electorate: The earliest showdown is shaping up in the Old Dominion, where lieutenant governor Bill Bolling is squaring off for the gubernatorial nomination against Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.? The nomination fight has suddenly taken on more urgency, in the wake of President Obama?s victory in the state for the second straight election.? Virginia is now a decidedly purple state, and with its more-Democratic parts growing fastest, may even lean Democratic in future presidential elections.

But conservatives in the state haven?t bought that message, at least not yet.? Bolling is already sounding the alarm that the conservative Cuccinelli would be near-unelectable in the Old Dominion, thanks to his outspoken socially conservative views and often-strident rhetoric. But despite holding the support of popular Gov. Bob McDonnell, Bolling faces a tough challenge, given that state party leaders opted to choose the nominee through a closed convention instead of an open primary ? a process that empowers the most conservative elements of the party.? Virginia GOP operatives privately believe Cuccinelli is the heavy favorite to emerge as the nominee.

Cuccinelli has shown impressive political acumen throughout his career, holding a Northern Virginia Senate seat for seven years and winning 57 percent of the vote in his Attorney General race. But a gubernatorial campaign is a different ballgame and his socially conservative views will receive much scrutiny.? No one expects him to moderate his positions, but if he?s the nominee, he?d have to emphasize economic issues, and argue he?s best-positioned to continue the McDonnell legacy. The makeup of the Virginia electorate won?t be as Democratic as it was last year, but it probably won?t be as favorable as it was for McDonnell in 2009, either.

Virginia has a long history of electing a governor of the opposite party to the president, and that streak would favor the Republican nominee in 2013.? If a Democrat breaks that record ? especially a non-native Virginian like Terry McAuliffe -- it would suggest that the state party hasn?t learned many lessons from 2012 about the changing nature of the state.

2.? Keeping the base on board with Christie:? Gov. Chris Christie has gone from one of the most popular Republicans ? a front-runner in early 2016 presidential polling ? to one being openly questioned about his loyalty to the Republican party for embracing President Obama?s support in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.? Last Sunday, the Drudge Report mocked Christie?s appearance on Saturday Night Live, saying he was clowning around as his constituents suffer in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.? He received a lukewarm reception from his GOP colleagues at last week?s Republican Governors? Association, according to the New York Times, even as he prepares to chair the organization in 2014. ?It?s a notable departure from the near-unanimous plaudits the straight-talking governor received from the right, pre-Sandy.

Most political observers believe Christie?s standing back home has been strengthened by his hurricane response.? He?s received newfound appreciation from Democrats, who have publicly praised his governance.? Newark Mayor Cory Booker, the Democrats? only bona fide prospect, may have some second thoughts about running against Christie in the wake of the governor?s popularity boomlet.

But for the GOP, the bigger question is whether Christie?s bipartisan pivot will earn him long-term blowback from the right.? One early test will be whether anyone challenges him in a primary from the right. He?s a lock to be re-nominated, but if he receives a credible opponent, it would indicate the demand for conservative orthodoxy is quite high ? even in a blue, Northeastern state like New Jersey.? Remember: Christie only won 55 percent in the 2009 primary against Steve Lonegan, a Bergen County mayor, despite receiving support from most party organizations.? As a popular incumbent, he?s in better shape this time, which would make it all the more self-defeating for conservative detractors to wound him before a competitive general election.

3. ?Encouraging Steve King to stay in the House. ?One of the first signs that Republicans are willing to more aggressively intervene in their primaries came from Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who all but urged tea party favorite Steve King to stay out of the state?s Senate race.? At the RGA?s annual meeting, Branstad told my colleague Reid Wilson that he didn?t think King could win statewide, and preferred his more-establishment colleague to run Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa.? It?s the kind of sentiment that party leaders recently expressed behind closed doors, but now are being more open about their concerns.

Branstad?s worries, however, could fall on deaf ears. ?King, who said he?s considering a bid, would be well-positioned to win support from evangelical voters in the western half of the state, and his anti-illegal immigration rhetoric offers loads of red meat to the base.? Just look at the Iowa Republican presidential caucus results, for a sense of the party sentiment.?

In a Senate cycle filled with Republican opportunities, Iowa isn?t an absolute must-win for the GOP.? But if someone like King runs and undermines their chances early on, it?s a signal the tea party movement is alive, well, and isn?t backing down.

4. Keeping Michele Bachmann in check. ?Unlike Iowa, Minnesota offers Republicans one of their best Senate pickup opportunities in 2014.? Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., has kept a low profile, but barely won in a great year for Democrats and should garner serious opposition.? But the big question is whether the elephant in the room ? Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn ? will make a play for the seat, or sit still in the House.

If past is prologue, Bachmann is bound to be interested. ?She doesn?t have much interest for the nitty-gritty of legislating, and a high-profile Senate race would be another major platform for her to aspire to in the wake of a presidential debacle. ?A Bachmann candidacy would be a nightmare for GOP campaign officials.?? She barely won re-election to her solidly-Republican House seat after an embarrassing finish in the Iowa presidential caucus. Still, she could scare off other Republican contenders because of her imposing fundraising and star power among tea party activists.

The big questions: Will her disappointing presidential campaign chasten her, or embolden her to run for the Senate and rebuild her image?? And what can GOP campaign officials offer, if anything, to encourage her to stick around the House for another two years?

5. Avoiding primary challenges against Senate incumbents.? In the last two election years, Republican primary voters have ousted at least one sitting senator from Congress.? In 2010, it was Utah?s Robert Bennett. In 2012, it was Indiana?s Richard Lugar.? And in both cycles, the demand for party purity ended up costing Republicans several seats, including Lugar?s. Whether the threat still exits in 2014 will go a long way in determining whether the grassroots energy will be trained on taking back the Senate, or more focused on intramural battles.

The three most inviting targets this time around are: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss. After the election, RedState publisher Erick Erickson specifically named McConnell as a top target, arguing a challenge was necessary ?just to drive the point home we aim to fight? party leadership.? But of the three, McConnell is the strongest shape, and has already been working to dissuade anyone from challenging him. He tapped Sen. Rand Paul?s 2010 campaign manager Jesse Benton to run his campaign, a shrewd move positioned to win over conservative critics dissatisfied with his establishment profile.?

Graham is potentially more vulnerable, but only if a credible challenger steps up.? The Club for Growth, which has a solid track record beating Republicans in primaries, signaled Graham was its top Republican target in a post-election briefing. ?And Graham has been a constant thorn in the side of immigration restrictionists, as one of the earliest GOP supporters of comprehensive immigration reform. ?Despite a lot of bluster in 2008 ? at the peak of the anti-illegal immigration activism ? Graham didn?t draw a top primary challenger, and he won with 67 percent. ??It would take the involvement of outside groups, pledging money to an opponent, to change that dynamic for 2014.

Chambliss is shaping up to be the most inviting target, given his bipartisan inclinations.? The Tea Party is alive and well in Georgia, and there are no shortage of potential challengers. Rep. Tom Price is exploring a bid, according to Roll Call and other conservative members of the delegation aren?t ruling anything out.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/five-republican-brush-fires-060003919--politics.html

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FDA warning to meningitis-linked firm came long after inspection

BOSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration took 684 days to issue a warning letter after uncovering serious issues at the pharmacy at the center of the deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak, newly released documents showed.

The New England Compounding Center (NECC) chastised the FDA for taking so long, telling the agency its response time was nearly 18 months longer than the FDA's average response, according to letters released by a Freedom of Information Act request from Reuters.

The FDA issued the warning letter in December 2006. It was based on an inspection of NECC that began in September 2004 and ended on January 19, 2005, according to the documents.

"This prolonged gap between inspection and warning letters does not comply with FDA's procedures," NECC's chief pharmacist, Barry Cadden, wrote in a January 5, 2007 letter to FDA compliance officer Ann Simoneau.

In follow-up correspondence, FDA officials apologized for the "significant delay" in correspondence time between the inspection and the warning letter. While the FDA conceded the gap was unusual, it in no way diminished the regulator's "serious concerns" about NECC's pharmacy operations, documents showed.

(Reporting by Tim McLaughlin; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fda-warning-meningitis-linked-firm-came-long-inspection-143055877.html

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