April 18, 2013 - The Bemidji State University women's track team is competing with 37 members on its roster for the 2012-2013 season. The team was ranked 11^th in the preseason NSIC coaches poll.

In his 23 years as head coach for track and field at Bemidji State, Craig Hougen has earned six NSIC Coach of the Year honors.

For more information about Beaver track and field, visit bsubeavers.com.

Members of Bemidji State University's women's track and field team are listed below, by hometown

MINNESOTA

Alexandria |56308| Tess Boucher, sophomore, nursing; distance

Andover |55304| Mackenzie Haupert, junior, exercise science; distance

Argyle |56713| Nicole Crummy, freshman, undecided; distance

Becker |55308| Nikki Anderson, freshman, elementary education; hurdler, multi

Bemidji |56601| Mikayla Connell, freshman, nursing; distance

Big Lake |55309| Sara Churness, senior, physical education; distance, jumper

Bingham |56118| Emily Turner, sophomore; biology; distance

Blaine |55434| Kayla Alexander, sophomore, sport management; hurdler

Blaine |55449 | Marisa Olgrady, junior, sociology; pole vault

Braham |55006| Austyn Eng, freshman, mass communication; distance

Chisholm |55719| Tia Lindberg, junior, criminal justice; sprinter

Coon Rapids |55433 | Emily Paquin, sophomore, biology; distance

Crookston |56716| Ciara Brewster, freshman, nursing; thrower

Cyrus |56323| Tina Larson, senior-captain, early childhood education; distance

Dawson |56232| Sara Melom, freshman, elementary education; sprinter, jumper

Duluth |55811| Sonja Barr, freshman, nursing; sprinter

Elk River |55330| Dani Detloff, freshman, undecided; sprinter, jumper

Esko |55733| Jolynne Denman, freshman, english; distance

Faribault |55021| Jessica Meyer, sophomore, elementary education; distance

Faribault |55021| Sammie Taube, sophomore, physical education; distance

Floodwood |55736| Ashley Larva, senior-captain, social work; hurdler

Fridley |55432| Carly Schwint, sophomore, nursing; sprinter, jumper

Grand Rapids |55744| Jessica Cagle, junior, criminal justice; thrower

Grand Rapids |55744| Brittany Koss, freshman, nursing; distance, jumper

Grand Rapids |55448| Gina Padrnos, junior, exercise science; thrower

Grove City |56243| Denna Hegg, sophomore, undecided; thrower

Hutchinson |55350| Caitlyn Quast, sophomore, marketing communication; pole vaulter

Owatonna |55060| Bethany Thompson, senior, physical education; jumper

Rosemount |55068| Kaneeshia Johnson, freshman, business administration; sprinter, jumper

Tamarack |55787| Taylor Sautbine, senior-captain, exercise science; hurdler, multi

DELAWARE

New Castle |19720| Jamie Piatt, sophomore, biology; thrower

IOWA

Davenport |52803| Melissa Youngblut, freshman, elementary education; sprinter

NORTH DAKOTA

Grand Forks |58203| Sydney Lund, freshman, undecided; sprinter

Wahpeton |58075| Kasey Lasch, sophomore, undecided; distance

Williston |58801| Hailey Horob, freshman, psychology; pole vault

PENNSYLVANIA

Thorndale |19372| Stephanie Price, junior, biology; thrower

ARIZONA

Scottsdale |85260| Phuong Dy Le, sophomore, exercise science; pole vault

About Bemidji State University

Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota's lake district, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling approximately 5,000 students, the University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate programs encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. The University is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global and multi-cultural understanding.

For further information about the University, visit http://www.bemidjistate.edu.

Become a fan of Bemidji State University on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BemidjiState or follow us on Twitter at @BemidjiState.

Q:        Why do you support the Keystone XL Pipeline?

A:        The crude oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast called the Keystone XL pipeline would provide 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day and help to counteract insufficient domestic oil supplies and reduce America's dependence on less reliable foreign sources.  The way I see it, the energy and economic development benefits of this pipeline are too important to delay any longer.  Keystone XL contributes to a necessary, three-pronged approach for America's energy policy.  We need to develop traditional oil and gas resources in America.  We need development, production and use of alternative renewable fuels.  We need to conserve energy.  What's needed now is an increased supply of oil.  The Keystone XL pipeline would help maintain adequate crude oil supplies for U.S. refineries and let us decrease dependence on foreign crude oil supplies from the Persian Gulf and Venezuela.

Q:        What have you done to advance this pipeline?

A:        In March, I voted for an amendment offered by Senator John Hoeven to the Senate budget resolution.  The amendment expressed support for the approval and construction of the pipeline and passed with a bipartisan vote of 62 to 37.  It was mostly a symbolic vote because the budget resolution does not become law and isn't binding.  But the vote demonstrates strong support within the Senate for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Q:        How has President Obama delayed the Keystone XL?

A:        Authority for siting oil pipelines generally lies with the states, but the construction of facilities at the U.S. border for exporting or importing petroleum or other fuels requires a Presidential Permit issued by the Department of State.  In this case, consideration has been drawn out, most likely to try to stop the pipeline from being built.  In 2008, TransCanada applied for a presidential permit from the State Department to construct and operate the pipeline.  In January 2012, the State Department recommended that the Presidential permit be denied.  The same day, the President stated his determination that the Keystone XL pipeline project would not serve the national interest.  This year, in January, the Governor of Nebraska approved a proposed reroute of the Keystone XL pipeline to avoid the Sand Hills due to the area's unique soil properties.  So, TransCanada reapplied to the State Department in May 2012, along the new route through Nebraska.  This year, in March, the State Department released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on the new Presidential permit application.  The report basically found that the pipeline would not accelerate greenhouse gas emissions or significantly harm the environment along its route.  A final decision from the State Department and the Obama Administration on whether to grant the Presidential permit is expected after expiration of the comment period for the draft SEIS at the end of this month.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Grassley, Cassidy Seek Answers from Georgia Hospital on Discount Drug Program

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Rep. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana today asked a Georgia hospital for details of its use of a federal discount prescription drug program, known as 340B.  They wrote to the Columbus Regional Healthcare System after a hospital executive said during a public interview that the hospital does not receive a "windfall of profits" from participating in the program and puts the proceeds into the hospital.

"When I looked at three North Carolina hospitals' use of this program, the numbers showed the hospitals were reaping sizeable 340B discounts on drugs and then upselling them to fully insured patients to maximize their spread," Grassley said.  "If 'non-profit' hospitals are essentially profiting from the 340B program without passing those savings to their patients, then the 340B program is not functioning as intended.  Our inquiry into the Georgia hospital will help us continue to examine hospitals' use of the 340B program."

Cassidy said, "As a physician who has spent 20 years caring for the uninsured, I recognize the value and importance of the 340B drug discount program. Given this importance, we must be sure that its good work is not threatened by those who misuse. Our common goal must be better care for those who are less fortunate."

The 340B program requires drug manufacturers to give deep discounts on certain outpatient drugs to hospitals that serve large numbers of uninsured and under-insured patients.  Grassley and Cassidy are among the members of Congress who are concerned that hospitals increasingly appear to be making sizeable profits from the program at the expense of Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance.  The federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) conducted poor oversight of the program for a long period but is beginning to exert more scrutiny under pressure from Congress.

The Grassley-Cassidy letter to Columbus Regional Healthcare System is available here.

A Grassley letter to HRSA earlier this month citing the three N.C. hospitals is available here.

There are at least two aspects of a misdiagnosis that can cause patients harm, says Dr. Steven Hotze.

"First, it means you are not being treated for what's actually causing illness; second, a misdiagnosis can lead to inappropriate treatments and medicines with side effects that can cause you harm," says Dr. Hotze, founder of the Hotze Health & Wellness Center, (www.hotzehwc.com), and author of "Hormones, Health, and Happiness."

"But there's a quality of life issue that's important as well. Many of my patients are women at or near middle age, and they often suffer from a multitude of symptoms including fatigue, low body temperature, brain fog, weight gain, loss of libido, hair loss and depression. Too often, they're told by their physician that 'nothing is wrong.' "

Women are more apt than men to pay attention to their bodies - and they're right for doing so, he says. A women's body includes a much more complex hormonal balancing act, with dramatic swings involved in the menstrual cycle.

Often, the women who come to him with that litany of symptoms do have a medical issue: hypothyroidism. Hotze calls it a "hidden epidemic" because it is so frequently un- or misdiagnosed.

The condition means the thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormone, which affects hormone regulation. Hypothyroidism affects women seven times more frequently than men, Dr. Hotze says.

He reviews three ways in which a missed hypothyroidism diagnosis can affect a patient's life:

•  Living with unrelieved symptoms. When a person experiences the constellation of symptoms associated with hypothyroidism and is told by multiple doctors that it's  "just a normal part of aging," the future can seem bleak. Many physicians will order blood work and tell the patient she's fine because the results are "normal." However, 95 percent of people tested for hypothyroidism fall within a range considered normal. Also, keep in mind that two different labs testing identical blood samples can provide different results.

•  Prescribed unnecessary medication with undesirable side effects. Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Paxil, Effexor, Zoloft and Fluoxetine - these are just some of the antidepressants that one in four women take, according to a recent report from MedCo. One in 10 Americans, or 30 million people, are taking pills to fight depression, and 30 percent of the women aged 35 to 60 who are taking them are doing so because of misdiagnosed hypothyroidism. Antidepressants can have numerous side effects, from nausea and irritability to sexual dysfunction and homicidal or suicidal thoughts.

•  Uncomfortable, unhealthy physical changes. Untreated hypothyroidism  causes weight gain, which can further affect a person's emotional health. The weight gain comes with all the risks any excessive weight brings, from diabetes to heart disease.

"It has long been a cliché in our society that 'pills are not often the answer for our mental and physical wellbeing,' yet pharmaceutical companies continue to dominate treatment in our country," Dr. Hotze says. "Hormone replacement therapy, as long as bioidentical hormones are used, has been proven to be a healthy and effective treatment for women suffering hypothyroidism."

The distinction between synthetic and bioidentical hormones is important, he says; the latter have the same molecular structure as the hormones that are found naturally in the body, which means bioidentical hormone treatments cannot hurt patients. Counterfeit hormones - those that do not perfectly match the molecular structure of hormones in one's body - can be dangerous, he says.

"Hypothyroidism and aging share an important common denominator - diminished or faulty hormone production -- so it's easy to see how doctors can miss a diagnosis," Hotze says. "But that makes it all the more important for physicians to listen to their patients, and that takes time. Hormone replacement therapy using bioidentical hormones help patients who are suffering extreme symptoms in both cases."

About Steven F. Hotze, MD

Dr. Steven Hotze is the founder and CEO of the Hotze Health & Wellness Center in Houston, Texas. He's a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and is the former president of the Pan American Allergy Society. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas. Dr. Hotze and his wife of 44 years have eight children and 16 grandchildren.