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Latest Posts

Leftovers: How Long Will They Keep?

Ever wondered how long that chicken (in your fridge) will remain safe to eat? Dr. Joe has found a handy “Safe Storage Times” magnet. Check it out

This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.

Quote of the Day

From the Happy Hospitalist, “And The Lawyers Win:”

They have now infiltrated the super old in the pursuit of world domination. How do I know? Because I had a 94 year old in the depths of delirium scream at the top of her lungs: “I’m going to sue you. I’m going to sue you”. As she tried to punch me during my exam of her.

This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.

Anorexia Claims The Life Of My Group Member

Prior to my work at Revolution Health I was the founding editor of an online peer reviewed journal called Clinical Nutrition and Obesity. At Revolution Health, I’ve been leading a thriving community group called, “Lose 20 Pounds.” Sadly, this past week we lost a group member to anorexia.

Anorexia affects 1 in every 200 American women.  It is quite common and can be deadly. Some statistics

  • Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
  • A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5 – 10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30 – 40% ever fully recover.
  • The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old.
  • 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems

The group mourns the loss of Amy, a young dancer who leaves behind a husband and two children. Our group encouraged her to get professional help, and in fact she spent her last days in a world-renowned treatment center in England. Sadly, Amy lost her battle with anorexia despite a lot of love and support.

If you’d like to send a message of encouragement to her husband, feel free to click here. And if you know someone who struggles with anorexia, please encourage her/him to get professional help. This disease is dangerous and must be taken very seriously.

This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.

Heard Around The Blogosphere

Here’s my weekly list of things that caught my eye in the medical blogosphere:

Vaccines

With all the misinformed parents opting out of vaccinating their kids, could polio make a comeback the way measles has? Dr. Doug Farrago speculates about the new wave of paralyzed children that may be on the horizon.

Bloggers

What kind of person blogs? A new study suggests that bloggers are more likely to be both “open-minded” and “neurotic” by nature.

Drugs of Abuse

Steroid abuse can lead to a severe form of disfiguring acne. KevinMD found this example.

How NOT to forge a prescription for pain medicines. Thank you, Dr. White Coat.

The Healthcare System

Barack Obama says that a government-run single payer healthcare system makes sense for America. Now THAT’s scary.

Thousands wait in line for a free health clinic, staffed by volunteer physicians in Apalachia.

The government clamps down on pharmaceutical gift pens and paper to doctors while welcoming millions in sponsorship from them for political causes. Wow.

Gadgets

How about this new gadget? A clock that you can wear on your thumb nail.

Weird Anatomy

Would you like a vase shaped like your elbow or knee? Why not?

Are men with wider faces more likely to be violent? Dr. Joe presents the latest research.

This artist takes old fashioned anatomical drawings and makes them “joyful.”

Some serious exophthalmos from Happy Hospitalist.

The Cutest Animal Photo EVER

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Thanks, Medgadget.com

This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.

Snake Oil Crackdown: Enzyte CEO Goes To Jail For Fraud

Faithful readers of my blog know that one of the things I hate the most is when the public is purposefully misled by false medical claims. This year, we have been fortunate to see the beginning of a new trend: a snake oil crackdown.

First it was the successful lawsuit against AirBorne, a supplement that claims to protect its users from catching colds on airplanes. They agreed to pay $23.3 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought against the company for falsely claiming its vitamins prevented colds.

Then, the FDA came right out and named names in fraudulent cancer treatments.

And now smiling Bob’s Enzyte “male enhancement” CEO is going to jail for conspiracy, fraud and money laundering.

Well, thank goodness! It’s about time that we begin calling out the fraudsters who prey on vulnerable Americans who seek help with their diseases and conditions. I hope we can also hunt down the supplement hucksters who put arsenic, mercury, and lead in their “alternative medicines.”

This serves as just another warning to Americans to be VERY careful about how you spend your money and what you put in your body. And as for the FDA – I hope this emboldens them to do more than ever to protect the public from snake oil.

This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.

Latest Interviews

IDEA Labs: Medical Students Take The Lead In Healthcare Innovation

It’s no secret that doctors are disappointed with the way that the U.S. healthcare system is evolving. Most feel helpless about improving their work conditions or solving technical problems in patient care. Fortunately one young medical student was undeterred by the mountain of disappointment carried by his senior clinician mentors…

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How To Be A Successful Patient: Young Doctors Offer Some Advice

I am proud to be a part of the American Resident Project an initiative that promotes the writing of medical students residents and new physicians as they explore ideas for transforming American health care delivery. I recently had the opportunity to interview three of the writing fellows about how to…

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Latest Book Reviews

Book Review: Is Empathy Learned By Faking It Till It’s Real?

I m often asked to do book reviews on my blog and I rarely agree to them. This is because it takes me a long time to read a book and then if I don t enjoy it I figure the author would rather me remain silent than publish my…

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The Spirit Of The Place: Samuel Shem’s New Book May Depress You

When I was in medical school I read Samuel Shem s House Of God as a right of passage. At the time I found it to be a cynical yet eerily accurate portrayal of the underbelly of academic medicine. I gained comfort from its gallows humor and it made me…

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Eat To Save Your Life: Another Half-True Diet Book

I am hesitant to review diet books because they are so often a tangled mess of fact and fiction. Teasing out their truth from falsehood is about as exhausting as delousing a long-haired elementary school student. However after being approached by the authors’ PR agency with the promise of a…

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