October 21st, 2010 by Stanley Feld, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Complications of Chronic Diseases, Disruptive Physician, Doctors and Social Media, Dr. Stanley Feld, General Medicine, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare reform, Medical Malpractice, Non-Compliant Patients, Patient Lifestyle, Patient Responsibility, Patients Must Own Their Disease, Patients' Central Role In Healthcare, Personal Responsibility For Illness, Physician Frustration, Physician Leadership, Physicians' Social Network, Preventive Care, Preventive Health, Preventive Medicine, Sermo, U.S. Healthcare System
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It is important to listen to what physicians are saying. An article appeared in SERMO, a physicians’ social network, which expressed a physician’s frustration. It is appropriate to publish some of that physician’s thoughts:
“I first heard this statement over twenty years ago, when I was an intern in general surgery, struggling to find my professional self.”
“My chief resident said; “The patient owns the disease,” “You’re not trying to make them suffer, you’re trying to help. They’re sick, you’re not.”
“The human body is unpredictable. Disease complications happen.”
The author thought his chief resident was heartless and callous. In a way, he was but he was getting at the heart of the matter. What is the patient’s responsibility in the evolution of disease? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*
October 21st, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Army, Blood Test, Brain Injury Protein, Combat Troops, Concussion, Contact Sports, Emergency Medicine, General Peter Chiarelli, GruntDoc, Head Injury, Head Trauma, Lumbar Puncture, Mild Brain Damage, Neurology, Pseudotumor Cerebri, Seizure, Shaken Baby Syndrome, Stroke, TBI, TIA, Traumatic Brain Injury, USAToday.com, Young Athletes
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Via USAToday.com:
FREDERICK, Md. — The Army says it has discovered a simple blood test that can diagnose mild traumatic brain damage [TBI] or concussion, a hard-to-detect injury that can affect young athletes, infants with “shaken baby syndrome” and combat troops.
“This is huge,” said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff.
Yes, it is, if it pans out. There’s so little actual information in this that it’s hard to get excited about it, but let’s say they’ve isolated a “brain injury” protein.
First, it would have uses outside traumatic brain injury (TBI), though that in and of itself might be useful. I don’t want to poo-pooh this test for TBI, but there are already rules for returning to contact sports (and combat has to be the ultimate in contact activities), so what’s the purpose here? (I forsee more Purple Hearts, which is fine.)
Stroke? TIA? Seizure? Pseudotumor cerebri, as a strain indicator? What if this is the test that allows us to diagnose meningitis without doing lumbar punctures? I’m all in on that front. Let’s hope this pans out, for all our sakes.
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
October 21st, 2010 by Iltifat Husain, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: ALS, Apple, Apraxia, Cerebral Palsy, Children With Special Needs, Developmental Disabilities, Down Syndrome, Health Apps, Health Insurance Coverage, iMedicalApps, Insurance Reimbursement, Intracerebral Hemorrhage, iPad, iTouch, Medicare, Proloquo2Go, Special Needs Kids, Speech Therapy Apps, Steve Jobs, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Wall Street Journal
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In a Wall Street Journal profile on how iPad apps are being used by special needs children, such as those who have speech impediments and as a communication tool — Steve Jobs commented on how even he did not have the foresight to see that the iPad could be used in such a fashion.
“We take no credit for this, and that’s not our intention,” Mr. Jobs said, adding that the emails he gets from parents resonate with him. “Our intention is to say something is going on here,” and researchers should “take a look at this.”
Last year we reported on how how much cheaper Apple’s portabile devices were compared to the traditional speech software/hardware products, and how insurance companies were hesitant to reimburse for a significantly cheaper Apple products verse industry products. At the time of our report, insurance companies were willing to reimburse up to $8,000 for a product that could be replaced by an iPod Touch with speech therapy apps would cost approximately $600. Since our report on the topic last year, not much has changed. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at iMedicalApps*
October 21st, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Blog Action Day 2010, CharityWater.org, Clean Water, Contaminated Drinking Water, Disease Prevention, Dr. Ramona Bates, Improper Drug Disposal, International Water Treaty to Provide Clean Water Everywhere, Pharmaceutical Disposal, Proper Disposal of Prescription Drugs, Restrictions on Water Use, Safe Drinking Water, Suture For A Living, Wasting Water, Water Conservation, Water Pollution, Water-Related Deaths
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This year’s topic for Blog Action Day [was] water. Many of us take clean water for granted, but even in the United States we are finding more and more that our drinking water is contaminated with prescription drugs. Dry years put our water reservoirs at risk and often result in mandatory restrictions on water use.
I am guilty of taking water for granted. I do try to use a full load when washing my clothes. I do turn off the water while brushing my teeth. I don’t water my lawn regularly. But I am still guilt of taking it for granted. I expect clean water to be there for me to drink and use for bathing.
Clean water is not the norm for many in the world. Nearly one billion people lack basic access to safe drinking water. That’s nearly 1 out of every 8 of us. Organizations like CharityWater.org are trying to bring clean wells to areas in Africa that lack clean water.
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
October 21st, 2010 by Berci in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research
Tags: AccessDNA, Biological Relatives, Family Collaboration, Family Health History, Genetics, Hereditary Disease Risk, Inherited Health, Jordanna Joaquina, Lowering Health Risks, Medical History
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More than a year ago I wrote about AccessDNA, which now changed focus and became Inherited Health. Jordanna Joaquina, M.S., C.G.C., Director of Genetics and Co-Founder of Inherited Health, shared what kind of changes they implemented into the site:
— We have created an easy-to-use and secure tool that allows people and their biological relatives to collectively create and update their family health history together.
— We then analyze the family history information to create a personal health guide, which identifies hereditary disease risks and provide actionable guidance about how to lower these risks for each family member.
— We also provide a summary of the family health history that can be printed and shared with doctors and helps avoid repeatedly filling out health history forms at doctors office and improves the accuracy of the information provided because of collaborative family effort.
Click HERE to see an image of a whole health report, with all the details and disease risks.
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
