News lifestyle 2008-05-14 Andanh.com

Pill poppers now a majority in U.S. Wed, 14 May 2008 02:06 EDT
For the first time, it appears that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems, a study shows.

The most widely used drugs are those to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol -- problems often linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

The numbers were gathered last year by Medco Health Solutions Inc., which manages prescription benefits for about one in five Americans.

Experts say the data reflect not just worsening public health but better medicines for chronic conditions and more aggressive treatment by doctors.

In addition, there is the pharmaceutical industry's relentless advertising. With those factors unlikely to change, doctors say the proportion of Americans on chronic medications can only grow.

Lexington's Urban League marks 40 years of service Tue, 13 May 2008 19:50 EDT

When Harry Sykes attended a speech in the late 1960s at the University of Kentucky by national Urban League executive director Whitney Young, he heard Young talk about an organization that sounded like a good fit for Lexington.

As an extension of the civil sit-ins and marches that brought public awareness to the plight of blacks during that era, the Urban League, formed on the national level in 1910, was presented in Young's speech as an organization that focused on economic improvements.

.It was clear in the beginning that it wasn't just another protest organization,. Sykes said. .It had very sound ideas of what was appropriate for the people: education, housing and .employment..

Sykes used his considerable influence as Lexington's first African-American city commissioner to line up the necessary funds from corporations and individuals within a few weeks, and Lexington's Urban League received its charter on May 17, 1968.

Chinese Dir