April 17th, 2011 by ChristopherChangMD in Health Tips, Video
Tags: Arjun Joshi, Cure, Eating, face, Jaw, Parotid Gland, Salivary Gland Stone, sialendoscopy, Spit, Submandibular Gland, Treatment
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The Doctors TV show actually produced a great (and accurate) segment on a relatively new procedure called sialendoscopy. This procedure allows a surgeon to remove a stone that may be blocking your spit gland from draining saliva into the mouth. This is analogous to a kidney stone which blocks urine from draining from the kidney into the bladder resulting in painful swelling of the kidney (causing flank pain).
How does a person know if they have a salivary gland blockage due to a stone? There is a painful swelling located right in front and/or below the ear if the parotid gland is affected, or under the jawbone if the submandibular gland is blocked.
If the blockage persists long enough, it may lead to an infection of the gland itself (sialadenitis). Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog*
April 16th, 2011 by Shadowfax in Health Tips, Opinion, Research
Tags: Children, CT Scans, Emergency Medicine, kids, Pediatrics, Radiation, Radiation Exposure, Radiology, Risks
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There was an interesting study published this week in the journal Radiology:
Rising Use of CT in Child Visits to the Emergency Department in the United States, 1995–2008 (Abstract)
The results are not surprising to anyone who has been working in medicine in the US over the last fifteen years. Basically, in 1995, a kid visiting the ER had a 1.2% likelihood of getting a CT scan, and by 2008, that number was 5.9%.
I had written about this general phenomon not too long ago, in defense of the general increase of CT utilization in the ER, largely on the basis that CT is a better tool: it provides diagnoses in a rapid and timely manner, and excludes many potential life threats, saving lives and mitigating malpractice risk. That was largely relevant to the adult population, though, and kids are not, as they say, just little adults. The increase in scanning children is more dramatic, especially given the generally lower incidence of disease in kids compared to adults and the chonrically ill. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*
April 16th, 2011 by GarySchwitzer in Health Tips
Tags: Covering Medical Research, Gary Schwitzer, Health Journalists, Journalists, NAS, Toolkit
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Beyond just evaluation and constructive criticism of news stories, we want to reach out to help journalists.
We know they often struggle with reporting on the costs of treatments, tests, products and procedures. It’s reflected in the facts: after 5 years and nearly 1,500 stories reviewed, we don’t like to report that more than 70 percent of stories fail to adequately address the costs of the stuff they’re covering.
So we talked with journalists and others to assemble our first stab (and that’s all it is – a first stab) at an online list of resources to help journalists explore the costs of health care products and approaches.
There are some links to websites, names, email addresses and phone numbers.
This is just one of many primers and resources offered on our site. Here’s a screen shot of the listing of primers available in the Toolkit. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
April 14th, 2011 by Mary Lynn McPherson, Pharm.D. in Health Tips
Tags: Anesthesiology, Opioids, Pain Description, Pain Management, Pharmaceuticals, Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation
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When it comes to treating chronic pain such as arthritis or low back pain, it’s important to remember that what works for one patient may not work for the next patient. Some people are able to control their pain by taking a nonprescription medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), while others may need an opioid (also known as narcotics). Tablets or capsules containing the opioid hydrocodone plus acetaminophen (known as Vicodin or Lortab) are among the most commonly dispensed medications in the US. But remember: just because this medication is popular doesn’t make it the best pain reliever for everyone!
For example, a recent study showed the older adults who were prescribed a short-acting opioid such as hydrocodone or oxycodone (e.g., Percocet) were twice as likely to break a bone in the following year compared to those on a long-acting opioid or a different pain medication altogether. How can doctors tell which pain medication to prescribe to best treat your pain, without increasing the risk of side effects? People also frequently turn to their pharmacist for medication advice – how does the pharmacist know what to recommend for your pain?
It all starts with a careful description of your pain. Read more »
April 14th, 2011 by admin in Health Tips
Tags: Caffeine, Chocolate, Dyes, food, Headaches, Health, Migraines, Nuts, Personal, Trigger Foods
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At a Harvard Medical School talk on migraine and food, a nutritionist from Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center delivered a message that people in the audience probably didn’t want to hear: “There are no specific dietary recommendations for migraine sufferers,” said Sandra Allonen. But she did have some advice to offer—and she emphasized that the connection between food and migraine is a very individual one.
Several foods have been associated with triggering migraine. None of them has been scientifically proven to cause migraines, explained Allonen, but many people report a link between eating these foods and getting a migraine. Possible migraine triggers include: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog*
