August 13th, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Humor
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Happy: Ma’am, I noticed you have an allergy to prednisone listed.
Ma’am: Oh, I can never take prednisone again. I’m allergic to it.
Happy: Really? Huh. What happened when you took prednisone?
Ma’am: It made my tongue swell up really bad.
Happy: Huh. What did they give you to reverse the allergic reaction?
Ma’am: Some sort of steroid through my IV.
I’m thinking this qualifies as a raging case of systemic fibromyallergia.
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
June 6th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
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Current methods of testing people for food allergies aren’t particularly precise, leaving many people to falsely think that they have a condition that they really don’t.
MIT chemical engineer Christopher Love is working on a new test based on cytokines that may prove to be substantially faster and more reliable. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
May 17th, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
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The essence of the moral hazard experience through a nice neighborly conversation:
Neighbor: These allergies are killing me.
Happy: That’s terrible. I hope you feel better.
Neighbor: I tried Zyrtec but it wasn’t doing anything for me, so my doctor prescribed ‘x.’ (inaudible drug name )
Happy: Does it start with an ‘x?’ (The drugs name is Xyzal.)
Neighbor: Yes, it does.
Happy: Oh, that drug (Xyzal) is nothing more than Zyrtec, which the company slightly changed the formula of and now they get to sell it as a patented medication at 10 times the price for the next 10 years.
Neighbor: Oh, I didn’t know that. But you’re right. It was $110.
Happy: Did it help you with your allergies?
Neighbor: Nope.
Happy: I guess you just wasted $100.
Neighbor. I didn’t waste anything. My insurance company paid for it.
Happy: Actually, we all paid for it with higher premiums.
Neighbor: (Walks away.)
The doctor doesn’t care — he’s not paying for it. The patient doesn’t care — she’s not paying for it. But everyone complains that their insurance rates are out of control. It’s not insurance company profits that are making healthcare too expensive, it’s patients and doctors who don’t care.
Bundled care solves this problem because the doctor won’t prescribe a $110 medication and offer therapies with no proven benefit over less-expensive options.
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
April 17th, 2010 by Michael Sevilla, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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If you haven’t read about the “record” high levels of pollen in the air, you (like me) have experienced a lot of the allergies we know as allergic rhinitis.
Yesterday, I was on the local TV news station talking about pollen, allergies, and what to do about it. Check out Video 1 and Video 2.
If you find them useful, I encourage you to check out more of my interviews by clicking here.
*This blog post was originally published at Doctor Anonymous*
March 12th, 2010 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Tips
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Allergists from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) have some tips for reducing allergy symptoms this spring. I thought they were excellent and worth sharing… Enjoy!
Do:
1. Wear glasses or sunglasses when outdoors. Covering your eyes keeps pollen and other irritants away from this sensitive area, which reduces itchiness and redness.
2. Shower and wash your hair before bed. Cleaning up before getting into bed helps remove pollen from your hair and skin, which reduces irritation. You should also consider keeping pets out of the bedroom if they’ve been outside, as pollen can cling to their fur. Read more »
