February 12th, 2010 by Nancy Brown, Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: Alcohol, Caffeine, Drunk, Emergency Medicine, Energy Drinks, Food and Nutrition, Pediatrics, Primary Care, Risky Behaviors, Youth
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What is it about our culture that encourages newer and riskier ways to challenge our health? Public health folks have become very concerned about the latest challenge – alcoholic energy drinks. These are prepackaged beverage with alcohol and caffeine, as well as other stimulants, that look like other energy drinks but carry a much more powerful, and dangerous, punch!
There were 500 new energy drink products introduced worldwide in 2006 with average sales topping $3.2 billion. These products are targeting youth by creating brand confusion with nonalcoholic versions; providing a cheap alternative to mixing energy drinks with alcohol; and using youth-friendly grassroots and viral marketing. The names of these products say it all – Rockstar, Sparks, and Tilt. Read more »
This post, Why You Shouldn’t Mix Energy Drinks With Alcohol, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Nancy Brown, Ph.D..
February 11th, 2010 by CodeBlog in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Interviews
Tags: Caregiver, Caring Bridge, Health Status, Hospital Status, Monitoring, Nursing
2 Comments »
When Beth found out that her husband had cancer, a friend suggested that she look into creating a page on CaringBridge.org. As she puts it, “CaringBridge became a tool to help us communicate with others.”
I spoke with Sona Mehring last week, who is the owner of CaringBridge. The site started as a simple webpage for a friend of Sona’s who was going through a difficult pregnancy. Sona and her friends used the site to keep friends and family informed of updates, keeping everyone in the loop without having to make several phone calls each day. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at code blog - tales of a nurse*
February 9th, 2010 by Paul Auerbach, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research
Tags: Broken Bones, Ibuprofen, Narcotics, Orthopedic Surgery, Pain Management, Pediatrics, Side Effects
1 Comment »
Pain management is a hot topic in medicine in general and certainly in medicine for the outdoors. Injuries in particular, and many illnesses, cause pain, which in turn causes the victim to suffer. To a great extent, pain is subjective, but regardless of whether your pain is a “1” or a “10,” it can be disabling and even dangerous, particularly if it causes you to be distracted in a situation of risk (e.g., climbing, swimming, walking along a ridgeline).
Broken bones usually hurt a great deal. It’s commonly believed that the pain is always of a severity to require the administration of “strong” pain medicine, notably, something containing a narcotic compound. This may not be true. Read more »
This post, Broken Arm? Try Some Ibuprofen, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..
February 9th, 2010 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: 15 minutes, Doctor Visit, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Make The Most Of, Nursing, Primary Care, Questions To Ask Your Doctor
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Kevin Pho, MD, primary care physician in Nashua, N.H., blogs at KevinMD.com, member of USA TODAY’S board of contributors and a guest to the Health in 30® Radio Show, writes about the importance of doctors engaging in social media to communicate with patients.
He writes in an op-ed in USA TODAY “Doctors ignore Internet at their own peril” on January 27, 2010:
“Raise your hand if you’ve ever left a physician’s office without fully understanding what the doctor just told you. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, half of patients admit to not understanding what their doctor told them during an office visit.
As a primary care physician, being unable to clearly communicate with patients is frustrating. The typical, 15-minute office visit often is not sufficient for a thorough discussion. A better way to connect with patients is needed.”
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
February 8th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: Calcium, Do I need vitamins?, Fat Soluble, Gastric Bypass, Osteoporosis, Pregnancy, Vitamin D, Vitamins, Who Needs Vitamins?
1 Comment »
Some patients love their vitamins, spending hundreds to thousands of dollars annually. At times, they will even forgo proven medical therapy. As more Americans go without health insurance coverage while others face higher office visits and copays, increasing numbers of patients are seeking alternative, natural therapies instead of medical care. Are vitamins really the scientific breakthrough and secret that doctors refuse to recommend or are they simply marketing hype? As any medical school student will tell you, the correct answer to any question is: it depends.
For certain groups, pregnant women, patients with macular degeneration, and vegetarians, vitamins and minerals may be recommended as research finds them helpful. Prenatal vitamins have more folic acid which has been found to decrease the risk of neural tube defects in the fetus. Vegetarians may need to supplement their diet with vitamin B12, iron, and vitamin D, which are absent in their food choices. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
