April 11th, 2010 by Harriet Hall, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research, True Stories
Tags: 5-HTP, Dream Water, DSHEA, Fall Asleep, FDA, GABA, General Medicine, Insomnia, Melatonin, Natural Ingredients, Natural Medicines, Natural Remedies, Naturopathy, Perfect Blend, Primary Care, Proprietary, Quality of Sleep, Relaxation, Secret Formula, Sleep Deprived, Sleep Medicine, Sleep Remedy, Tryptophan
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A new product, Dream Water, is designed to help one relax, fall asleep and improve the quality of sleep using the “perfect blend” of all-natural ingredients melatonin, GABA and 5-HTP (tryptophan).
A single-dose 2.5-ounce bottle retails for $2.99. They also offer a more dilute formulation in an 8-ounce bottle. They suggest drinking half a bottle, keeping it at your bedside, and drinking more if you wake up during the night.
What dosage will you get from half a bottle? From a whole bottle? There’s no way to know. They offer a money-back guarantee, free shipping, free samples, and lots of testimonials. But they refuse to disclose how much of what is in their product. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
April 11th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Banner Health, Cardiology, Cookbook Medicine, Denial of Hospital Privileges, Doctors, General Medicine, Greeley, Hospital-Directed, Hospitals, Loveland, McKee Medical Center, North Colorado Medical Center, Poudre Valley Health System, Primary Care, Standardized Treatment Procedures, Treatment Standardization
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Is the need for cookbook medicine being used as a ploy to bar cardiologists from practicing at competing hospital systems in Colorado? An excerpt from the Reporter Herald:
Banner Health, the owner of McKee Medical Center in Loveland and the operator of North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, soon will bar cardiologists who are not on the Banner payroll from practicing at the Greeley hospital. The denial of hospital privileges to cardiologists outside the Phoenix-based Banner system is the latest step in carving up the heart of the Northern Colorado health care market, where two dominant hospital groups — Banner and Poudre Valley Health System — vie for shares. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
April 11th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, News, Opinion
Tags: Best Medical Care, Doctor, Friendly, General Medicine, Good Medical Care, Level of Concern, Op-Ed, Patient Satisfaction, Physician, Primary Care, Survey
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A version of this op-ed was published on March 15, 2010 in USA Today:
If you recently saw a doctor, you might subsequently receive a survey in the mail asking whether your physician was friendly, spent enough time with you, or showed the appropriate level of concern for your medical issues.
Read the rest of article here: Op-ed: Patient satisfaction doesn’t mean the best medical care
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
April 10th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News
Tags: Condom Use, Condoms, General Medicine, Grove Medical, Men's Health, Passion, Primary Care, Protected Sex, QuickStrips, Safe Sex, Sensis, Sexual Health, sexually transmitted diseases, STDs, The Mood, Women's Health
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According to Grove Medical, disruption of “the mood” is a main barrier to condom use. With their Sensis condoms with QuikStrips, the company tries to overcome this mental handicap by offering a new condom technology to protect the passion while practicing safer sex.
The QuikStrips are little handles on the side of the condom that work much like the pull-off tabs on a bandage, creating an application that helps to apply the condom quickly in the right way.
Presumed benefits include appropriate spacing at the reservoir, no touching of the condom as it’s being applied, and less chance of accidental inside-out-then-flip contamination. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
April 10th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Aetna, Assurant Health, Denied Coverage, Doctors, Health Insurance Policy, Health Insurance Rates, Health Insurance Reform, Health Savings Accounts, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare reform, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, HSAs, Humana, Medical Coverage, Medical Training, Personal Health Insurance, Physicians, Premium Increases, UnitedHealth Group, Wellpoint
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Physicians aren’t exempt from the struggles with personal health insurance coverage, affordability, denied coverage, etc.
When I finished my medical training and opened my practice 20 years ago, I had to buy individual coverage. All options included a rider that excluded coverage on my uterus and ovaries due to fibroid surgery during my training, so when I had my TAH & BSO a few years later, the entire cost came out of my pocket. Fortunately I knew how to ask for cost reductions, but still.
My husband and I are both small business individuals. I have always carried our health insurance under my name (office). Over the years we have gone to a health savings account with a high deductible to keep the cost reasonable. Fortunately, we have been mostly healthy. Last month we received a letter from Assurant Health. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
