November 14th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, Medical Art, News, Opinion
Tags: Cardiopulmonology, Cigarette Labels, Dangers Of Smoking, Dr. Wes Fisher, Family Medicine, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, General Medicine, Health Risks Of Smoking, Internal Medicine, Oncology, Patient Education, Primary Care, Public Awareness, Public Health, Quitting Smoking, smoking cessation, Stop Smoking, Tobacco Products
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The FDA will soon require new cigarette package labeling to deter smoking. So in politically-correct governmental fashion, they are asking which labels you’d like to see. (You can pick your favorites here.) My personal favorite (so far) is the one shown to the left, but its impact factor pales in comparison to this example found in England. (That, my friends, is cancer!)
Ironically, it appears the FDA isn’t too sure how forceful it should be in these warnings about the dangers of smoking. They offer a cornucopia of milquetoast labeling options, many of which contain cartoons. Might such unrealistic portrayals defy they hard-hitting message they want to project? Worse, at least one cartoon (seen here) even seems to promote cigarettes AND drug use together!
In an even more astonishing example, some images almost make me what to take up smoking so I can blow big bubbles. Since I could never do this well before, maybe I should take up smoking! Seriously, is an empowerment message what the government wants to portray?
Make these labels big, ugly, and real. Anything else is a waste of taxpayer’s money.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
November 14th, 2010 by DrCharles in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Crying Spells, Depression, Emotional Health, Emotional Stability, Emotional Well-Being, Healthcare Politics, John Boehner, Leadership, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Psychiatry and Psychology, Psychological Health, The Examining Room of Dr. Charles, The New York Times
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When the Republicans took back the House of Representatives [recently], John Boehner, the presumptive new Speaker and current Senator from Ohio, unleashed a “sob heard round the world.” As The New York Times quotes:
“I’ve spent my whole life chasing the American dream,” (Boehner) said, beginning to cry. He swallowed and tried again. But describing all the bad jobs he had once led to near sobbing when he got to the line, “I poured my heart and soul into running a small business.”
Boehner has cried in public many other times, the recent election night being only the largest stage to date. The tears also flow at his annual golf tournament, or while watching a child pledge allegiance to the flag, listening to a Republican colleague speak about his Vietnam War experiences, the unveiling of a statue of Ronald Reagan, while accepting various awards, during a rendition of “America the Beautiful,” etc. Could these tears be signs of major depression? Should melancholy be a disqualification for leadership? Were Clinton’s tears any better? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Examining Room of Dr. Charles*
November 14th, 2010 by Edwin Leap, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Dr. Edwin Leap, General Medicine, Hospital Auxiliary Association, Hospital Volunteers, Medical Volunteer Efforts, Patient Care, Retirees, Volunteerism
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Here is a talk I gave last week to our hospital auxiliary association, mostly made up of retired volunteers. They give us so much, and this is my tribute to them.
Capacity, utility and volunteers
Thank you for letting me speak to you tonight. It is an honor. I have today been at two different ends of the medical world . Today at lunch, I spoke to a Christian Medical Student’s association at USC in Columbia, SC. And now, I am honored to speak to you, who do so much to keep the hospital functioning by your gift of volunteerism.
Tonight I want to talk about capacity and functionality. About utility and usefulness. In preparing to do so, I began to think about how I became the way I am, and my mind wandered to ancestry. I suppose that ancestry has much to do with who we are, though I doubt it is the sole determinant. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at edwinleap.com*
November 14th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Blood Tests, Cleveland Clinic, Doctor-Patient Communication, Dr. Davis Liu, Family Health History, Family Medical History, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Genetic Testing, Genetics, Imaging Studies, Internal Medicine, Lab Tests, Medical History Form, Overtesting, Patient Resume, Patient's Social History, Primary Care, Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis, Talking to Patients, Too Much Testing
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The Associated Press ran a provocatively-titled piece recently, “Family health history: ‘best kept secret’ in care”, which noted how a geneticist at the Cleveland Clinic discovered that asking about family members and their history of breast, colon, or prostate cancer was better than simply doing genetic blood testing.
Surprising? Hardly. This is what all medical students are taught. Talk to the patient. Get a detailed history and physical. Lab work and imaging studies are merely tools that can help support or refute a diagnosis. They provide a piece of the puzzle, but always must be considered in the full context of a patient. They alone do not provide the truth. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
November 13th, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research
Tags: Asthma, Best Doctors, Chronic Disease, Compliant Patients, Depression, Diabetes, Disease Management, Doctor-Patient Communication, Eating Right, Empowered Patients, Evan Falchuk, Family Health History, Follow Your Doctors' Instructions, General Medicine, Getting Sick, Health Insurance, Health Tips, Healthcare Survivalist, Healthy Lifestyle, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Hypertension, Long Term Care, Obesity, Patient Empowerment, smoking
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There are plenty of “survivalists” out there who stock their basements with canned goods, getting ready for some unexpected (and unlikely) apocalypse. Meanwhile there are things that are much more likely to happen to you — like getting sick — which many of us don’t prepare for at all. So to help you get started, here are five important tips on how you can become a healthcare survivalist:
1. Take care of your chronic conditions. Whether it’s high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, asthma or any other kind of ailment, do what it takes to manage your own care. Take your medications and follow your doctors’ instructions. Why? Because if you don’t, your condition can get worse and lead to even more serious problems. As much of a pain as it may (literally) be, there’s a reason the old saying “an ounce of prevention” still resonates today — because it’s true.
2. Live a healthy lifestyle. Everyone gives you this advice, but with studies showing that 42% of Americans will be obese by 2050, it doesn’t seem to be getting through. Denial can wonderfully appealing; but when it comes to your health, it can also kill you. Stop smoking, exercise, and eat right. You may find that your employer has programs in place that will help you do all of those things, and many of them work. Why not give one of them a try? You can’t improve your life all at once, but you can start. Your life will be happier if you keep yourself healthy. So rather than whistling past the graveyard, jog past it. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
The FDA will soon require new cigarette package labeling to deter smoking. So in politically-correct governmental fashion, they are asking which labels you’d like to see. (You can pick your favorites here.) My personal favorite (so far) is the one shown to the left, but its impact factor pales in comparison to this example found in England. (That, my friends, is cancer!)
Ironically, it appears the FDA isn’t too sure how forceful it should be in these warnings about the dangers of smoking. They offer a cornucopia of milquetoast labeling options, many of which contain cartoons. Might such unrealistic portrayals defy they hard-hitting message they want to project? Worse, at least one cartoon (seen here) even seems to promote cigarettes AND drug use together!
In an even more astonishing example, some images almost make me what to take up smoking so I can blow big bubbles. Since I could never do this well before, maybe I should take up smoking! Seriously, is an empowerment message what the government wants to portray?
