November 3rd, 2009 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, Opinion
Tags: Diabetes, Endocrinology, Guilt, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Psychology, Type 1 Diabetes
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… and that five letter word is “guilt.”
At the ePatient conference last week, Sue Rago was talking about diabetes and the complications that can arise. “But the complications of well-managed diabetes? None.”
And despite the fact that I met and enjoyed hanging out with Sue, this statement cut right through me. Well-managed diabetes produces no complications? So diabetes-related complications are just the result of an inattentive “host,” or “slacking off?” It’s not the fault of diabetes itself? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
November 3rd, 2009 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network
Tags: Arthritis, Geriatrics, Low Back Pain, Musculoskeletal Disease, Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation, Primary Care, Rheumatology
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What medical condition costs the U.S. Health system the most in disability and overall costs? If you said heart disease or cancer or pulmonary disease you would be wrong! I would have said one of those myself.
The answer…slow drumroll….is musculoskeletal disease. Yes, 50% of the adult population reported having a disabling musculoskeletal condition in 2008. The expenditures for these problems include the costs of preventive care, the cost of direct care, the cost of care in hospitals, by physicians, therapists and other caregivers. It also includes the loss of productivity. In 2004 it was estimated that the cost of care for musculoskeletal problems was $840 billion. (Hey, isn’t that about equal to the bank bailout?)
What are musculoskeletal conditions? They include that old nemesis: Low back and neck pain. Spine problems are among the most common problems that bring patients for medical care. That’s why the chiropractic industry is booming. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
November 3rd, 2009 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Opinion
Tags: ePatient, ePatients, Nursing, Participatory Medicine, Physician, Rock Star
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Part 1 in a series on the e-patient and participatory medicine
There’s no question that today’s patients are savvy. Today’s patients are e-patients. Surrounded by technology, researching health information on the Internet has never been easier. Patients are engaging in communities and social networking sites and the exchange of information between patients has proven invaluable to some.
When patients visit their doctor and other health care professionals, many are armed with questions and they are not satisfied until they get answers. Patients are empowered and they want to be engaged in a relationship with their doctors and other health care professionals. They want respect, collaboration and connection. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
November 2nd, 2009 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Banning Kids, Evidence, Flu, H1N1, Hospital Visitation, Infection Control, Infectious Disease, Influenza, Science, Swine Flu
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I learned recently that Happy’s hospital was one of a growing number of hospitals nationwide banning children from entry during the pandemic H1N1 flu to protect their patients. But where is the science that says it works?
Hospitals nationwide are making up their policies as they go along.
The result? Huge variation. The large Stanford University Hospital in California on Monday barred anyone under 16 from visiting, while the small Central Vermont Hospital turned away the under-12 crowd. Other hospitals have settled on 14 or 18.
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at A Happy Hospitalist*
November 2nd, 2009 by David Kroll, Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Quackery Exposed
Tags: Amy Wallace, Anti-vaccination, Journalism, Science, Vaccines, Wired
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One of the most engaging and clearly-written pieces of science journalism over the last year or so was published in Wired magazine last week. Amy Wallace’s, “An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All,” is part interview with rotavirus vaccine developer, pediatric infectious disease physician, Dr Paul Offit, and description of the anti-vaccination movement in the United States.
Wallace’s work is the centerpiece a collection of smaller articles providing science-based information about vaccination that also refutes common anti-vaccination myths including “How To Win An Argument About Vaccines” and “The Misinformants: Prominent Voices in the Anti-Vaccine Crusade”.
Wired’s follow-up discussion of the issue includes, “A Short History of Vaccine Panic,” for those of us who “have a day job” and not enough time to read Paul Offit’s 2008 book, “Autism’s False Prophets.”
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Terra Sigillata - PostRank (PostRank: All)*
