Healthline

A MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS patient who has battled to raise money to fight the disease has written Free (or Almost Free) Prescription Medications, published by Robert D. Reed Publishers ($19.95).

David Johnson's book provides information on every drug company, what the eligibility requirements are for free medicines and how to enroll in the programs.

"Aside from manufacturers' Web sites (which would have been useful to include), this reviewer knows of no other place where this information can be found," Library Journal said.

Also, the Cost Containment Research Institute in Washington, D.C., has published a 48-page booklet on how people can obtain free and low-cost prescription drugs. For more information go to www.institutedc.org.

IN OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS ... Three top medical experts in neuroscience, neurology and psychiatry (Drs. Floyd Bloom, M. Flint Beal and David Kupfer) provide a comprehensive reference book on how a marvelous tissue works.

The Dana Guide to Brain Health (Free Press, $45) also features information on 72 disorders, with the latest in diagnoses and treatments. The Dana Foundation, a science, health and education organization, has focused its medical initiatives on brain research.

DENTISTS OFTEN WARN PATIENTS that inadequate toothbrushing and flossing habits could lead to gum disease and tooth loss. Now a study by Harvard University researchers suggests that losing your teeth also might heighten your risk of suffering a stroke.

The new study has found that men with fewer than 25 teeth had a 57 percent higher risk of suffering an ischemic stroke than those who had 25 or more teeth. Ischemic strokes are caused by blockage of an artery to the brain.

Scientists haven't yet established a direct cause-and-effect between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. But the latest findings add to a growing body of research linking infections, including those of the mouth, to heart disease.

Scientists have proposed several explanations. Some think that when bacteria in the mouth get into the bloodstream, they create inflammation that increases the buildup of plaque in the arteries. Plaque can break off and lodge in the heart, causing a heart attack, or in the brain, causing a stroke. Some think a periodontal infection makes blood more likely to clot, raising the risk of stroke or heart attack. Another idea is that the bacteria might release a toxin that damages cells lining the arteries.

-- Compiled from Times wires

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