June 30th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Booster Shot, Bortella Pertussis Bacteria, CDC, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Communicable Disease, Deadly Infection, Deaths In California, dT Vaccine, Immunization, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Lost Immunity, Pertussis Vaccine, Preventive Health, Primary Care, Public Awareness, Public Health, Spread Of Disease, Tdap Vaccine, Up-To-Date Care, Whooping Cough Epidemic
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California recently declared an epidemic of whooping cough (pertussis) which resulted in the death of five infants under the age of 3 months. The pertussis vaccine, which is already given routinely to infants, is first given at 2 months of age, then 4 months and 6 months of age, with an additional booster at 15 to 18 months of age, and then again at 4 to 6 years old.
The vaccines for Bortella pertussis bacteria, which causes whooping cough, does not confer lifelong immunity. In other words, fully-vaccinated children who then become teenagers and then adults lose immunity, can acquire the infection and then spread it. Should babies acquire pertussis, as the public has discovered, it can be deadly. The persistent cough tires the baby, causes difficulty breathing, and can make them turn blue or cyanotic resulting in pneumonia or convulsions. According to CDC, about half of children aged 1 year and younger need to be hospitalized if infected with the illness. Although older children and adults can handle the cough, the infection can cause them to cough for weeks or months. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
June 30th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: ACP, American College Of Physicians, Annals Of Internal Medicine, Best Medical School List, Bob Doherty, Commitment To Primary Care, Family Medicine, Fixing Primary Care, General Medicine, Grant Money, Health Reform, Lack of Primary Care, Medical School Rankings, More Primary Care Doctors, Politicians, Primary Care Physicians, Primary Care Shortage, Primary Care Track Record, Primary Care Training Programs, Shifting Funds, Social Mission Score, U.S. News, Underserved Populations, Worforce Diversity
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Medical schools are traditionally ranked on criteria like research funding and technological innovation. These rankings are highly significant. A place on the U.S. News‘ annual “Best Medical School” list is a coveted spot indeed.
So that’s why there was some media attention paid to a recent study from the Annals of Internal Medicine, which ranked medical schools according to their “social mission” — a phrase that defines a school’s commitment to primary care, underserved populations and workforce diversity. Using this new criterion, some of the traditionally high ranking schools fell significantly. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
June 29th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Age-Related Testosterone Deficiency, Aging Men, Andropause, Bad Health News Stories, ED, Elderly Men, Erectile Dysfunction, Gary Schwitzer, German Media Coverage, Health Journalism, Health News Headlines, Health Reporting, HealthNewsReview.org, Hypogonadism, Injudicious Use, Knight Science Journalism Tracker, Liz Scherer, Low T, Low Testosterone, Male Menopause, Media Misinterpretation, Men's Health, New England Journal of Medicine, Older Men, Overdiagnosed, Overhyped, Overtreatment, Psychological Health, Reproductive Endocrinology, Sexual Health, Testosterone Therapy, Unnecessary Treatment
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An article on the Knight Science Journalism Tracker comments on German media coverage of the “Is there male menopause?” question. An excerpt:
One study, but very different types of headlines: “‘Male Menopause’ discovered” and “Men have no Menopause.” Both types of headlines are based on one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which analyzed 3219 European males between 40 and 79. Blood samples provided testosterone levels and questionnaires (!) asked about the “general, sexual, physical, and psychological health.”
What the scientists found was nothing more and nothing less than a correlation between a low testosterone level and three clinical symptoms (“decreased frequency of morning erection, decreased frequency of sexual thoughts, and erectile dysfunction”). So, one could call it an age-related testosterone deficiency, affecting only a minority (about 2%) of elderly men.
But one shouldn’t name it “andropause” or “male menopause” — and the scientists themselves did NOT use the term in the whole article — because this term immediately suggests a relation to menopause, which is a completely different and natural developmental phenomenon for every woman above the age of 50. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
June 29th, 2010 by Steven Roy Daviss, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: Chatting With Neighbors, Chocolate, Coffee, Conversation, Definition, Description, Discussion, Education, Emotional Health, Emotional Well-Being, Healthy Relationships, Medications, Mental Health, Mental Illness, No Right Answer, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Social Health, Talking To Others, Therapist, Therapy Sessions
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Years ago I had a student who repeatedly asked me how psychotherapy works. “How is it different than a conversation?”
When I think of psychotherapy, I think in terms of the talking itself as being the aspect that helps — and yes, of course it can be used in conjunction with medications. I think of it as being structured — in terms of time and place and frequency — and being all about the patient. And whether or not it’s actually discussed, some of what works is about the relationship — most people don’t get better talking to someone they despise, and the warmth, empathy, feeling listened to and cared for, well, they’re all important. And I also think of it as being a process over time. These are all parts of my definition, however, and they may not be parts of yours. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Shrink Rap*
June 29th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: 3-For-1 Doctor Swap, Augusta Health, Cardiologists, Cardiology, Community-Based Program, Complicated Surgical Cases, Doctors Under Contract, Exporting Clinical Expertise, Finding A Doctor, Fishersville, Health System Consolidation, Imbedded Specialists, Loss Of Hospital Privileges, Physician-Employees, University Health System, University Hospitals, University of Virginia, University Specialists
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As doctors increasingly become physician-employees, there’s no longer a need to share resources with university specialists:
Three University of Virginia cardiologists have been told by the Augusta Health board they will lose their hospital privileges next week, impacting the 2,500 patients the doctors serve.
Augusta Health officials [Crow] told the doctors in a letter that they won’t be able to treat their patients in emergencies or otherwise at the hospital in Fishersville. Crow’s statement said the board is limiting cardiology department participation to doctors “under contract to Augusta Health.”
Augusta Health has four cardiologists on staff, and will soon have a fifth, he said. Limiting cardiology participation to the hospital’s own doctors will allow Augusta Health “to build a strong and financially viable community-based cardiology program,” Crow said.
Universities have a long history of exporting their clinical expertise in the hopes of capturing more complicated surgical cases from their imbedded specialists. With more and more health systems consolidating (note the 3-for-1 swap above), the days of collaboration and shared resources between health systems are ending and patients are finding access to doctors more challenging.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
