INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE This Medical Policy provides assistance in interpreting UnitedHealthcare benefit plans. When deciding coverage, the enrollee specific document must be referenced. The terms of an enrollee's document (e.g., Certificate of Coverage (COC) or Summary Plan Description (SPD) and Medicaid State Contracts) may differ greatly from the standard benefit plans upon which this Medical P...

Influenza has a long history of causing morbidity and mortality in the human population through routine seasonal spread and global pandemics. The high mutation rate of the RNA genome of the influenza virus, combined with assortment of its multiple genomic segments, promote antigenic diversity and new subtypes, allowing the virus to evade vaccines and become resistant to antiviral drugs. There i...

H emorrhoids are a very common condition. Hospitalbased proctoscopy studies show prevalence rates of hemorrhoids in up to 86 percent of patients studied with many in an asymptomatic state. Botanicals used internally and topically can treat early stages of hemorrhoids effectively and can be used as adjuncts in more advanced stages when surgical treatments may be necessary. The roles of butcher’s...

INTRODUCTION In recent years, there has been increased interest by physicians and the pharmaceutical industry regarding newer treatments for IBS. Before discussing these new treatments, it is important to consider the overall management strategy in IBS. This is necessary because patients with IBS exhibit a wide spectrum of symptoms of varying frequencies and degrees of severity. There is no one...

Chronic subjective tinnitus is a prevalent symptom, not a disease in adults. Epidemiologic studies of general populations have estimated tinnitus prevalence at 10-15% of the adult population. Approximately 1-2% are severely affected and 0.5% are unable to lead a normal life [1-3]. Briefly, one in ten adults has clinically significant subjective tinnitus and one in hundred is severely affected. ...

Postharvest heat treatments are being used for disinfestation and disinfection of an increasing variety of crops, including flowers, fruits and vegetables. This review focuses on the effects of heat on the commodity and its postharvest quality. The effects of a postharvest heat treatment on aspects of ripening and development of thermotolerance is discussed. Ethylene production, respiration, so...

Psychosis is a mental condition characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorder; it spans diagnostic entities that respond to similar therapeutic approaches. Psychosis has no fully described tissue pathology, as vet, but is still identified and assessed symptomatically. The first generation of antipsychotic drugs was developed in the middle of the 20th century. The second gener...

This article focuses on the importance of psychosocial interventions for individuals with schizophrenia. We present recent research in the areas of cognitive behavior therapy, social skills training, family interventions, supported employment, and cognitive remediation. We consider issues within those domains of treatment, such as symptom remission versus functional recovery, the limitations of...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of joint disease. Although OA was previously thought to be a progressive, degenerative disorder, it is now known that spontaneous arrest or reversal of the disease can occur. Conventional medications are often effective for symptom relief, but they can also cause significant side effects and do not slow the progression of the disease. Several natural ...