November 3rd, 2010 by AndrewSchorr in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Advanced Breast Cancer, Andrew Schorr, Cancer, Clinical Research, Clinical Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, Considering a Clinical Trial, Corengi.com, Empowering Patients, Encouraging Clinical Trial Enrollment, Human Clinical Trials, Human Subject Research, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Oncology, Participating in Medical Research, Patient Power, Ryan Luce, Type 2 Diabetes
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About 10 days ago I appeared in Phoenix as a speaker at a regional education seminar put on by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My topic was sharing my experience as a participant in a clinical trial. I was delighted to do so, as I feel that trial saved my life and restored me to good health.
I am hoping my words encouraged others to consider being in a trial. There are no guarantees of the result, but trials are always worth considering. Unfortunately, few patients do. That may limit their choices and certainly holds back research that could help others. What a shame.
Clinical trials are defined as human subject research. It is through these trials that we determine if new drugs or devices can better serve patients than what is currently available. Clinical trials are available for almost every disease — although finding these trials can be challenging. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Andrew's Blog*
November 2nd, 2010 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Annals Of Internal Medicine, General Medicine, Healthcare Social Media, Mind The Gap, Online Support Groups, Peer Support, Social Media Advocates, Social Media and Personal Support, Social Media In Medicine, Social Networking For Patients, Steven Wilkins MPH
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Over the last year or two, lots of people have been jumping on the social media bandwagon, i.e., Twitter, Facebook, and so on. There has been a lot of talk about how social media and social networking will revolutionize healthcare, but little evidence to back this talk up. Until now, that is.
Before I get to the evidence that I referred to, I need to clarify something. The goal of social media as I understand it is to get people talking, sharing information and creating new ideas. As applied to healthcare, one of the goals of social media is to get people/patients with like medical conditions taking, sharing and supporting one another. Healthcare researchers refer to this phenomenon as peer support. Peer support is not new to healthcare. Disease-specific support groups (breast cancer, diabetes, etc.) have been around for years. “Group” physician office visits comprised of patients with the same diagnosis have been around for years as well.
The Study
Now to the evidence. As anyone with a chronic condition or who treats patient with chronic conditions knows, patient self-care is critical. Knowledge, skills and confidence are prerequisites for effective self-care management. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
November 2nd, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Broken Healthcare System, Dr. Rob Lamberts, Election 2010, Fixing American Healthcare, General Medicine, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare reform, Musings of a Distractible Mind, Politics and Medicine, U.S. Healthcare System
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The top vote-getting answer on my poll about what people feel about the election: Different lunatics, same asylum. We are getting jaded by our system. Being the “flaming moderate” that I am, I find it hard to hear the substance of the rhetoric on either side, just the shrillness and rancor of the voices.
From the physician’s perspective, it is very hard to know who to favor in this election. The democrats seem to love lawyers and hate tort reform, and they also favor an expansion of government. The republicans love big businesses and “free market,” accepting the bad behavior of insurance and drug companies as “the market working itself out.” They both seem hell-bent on sticking it to the other party at the expense of getting anything done — and this in a time of crisis for our industry.
The results of this playground brawl between the two gangs of bullies is that all of us wimpy kids (the ones without power) end up lying bloody in the dirt. Here are the facts as I see them about healthcare in our country:
1. It costs far too much. The top item on the agenda needs to be cost control. The only way to control cost is to stop paying for things that are unnecessary or for which there is a cheaper alternative. I know that’s not simple as it sounds, but so much of the discussion is about coverage and how things are paid, while the real issue is not who pays, it’s what and how much gets paid. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
November 2nd, 2010 by JenniferKearneyStrouse in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News
Tags: ACP Internist, American College Of Physicians, Election 2010, Health Care Reform, Healthcare Legislation, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare reform, Jennifer Kearney Strouse, Politics and Medicine
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All eyes are on today’s mid-term elections and how they’ll play out across the country. The results are likely to affect the recently enacted healthcare reform legislation, Politico reports. Although repealing the legislation would be difficult, Republicans may be able to challenge its implementation if they gain control of the House. Attempts to modify the law could require a delicate balance since, as noted by the Washington Post‘s Ezra Klein, some of its provisions, such as coverage for dependents age 26 and younger, are individually popular.
Reuters has published a Q&A on what the election results could mean for the healthcare reform law. The Wall Street Journal is asking readers to weigh in on whether the legislation is affecting their votes. (Politico, Washington Post, Reuters, Wall Street Journal)
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
November 1st, 2010 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Tips, News
Tags: Autism, CDC, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Diphtheria, Efficacy, Engerix-B, Flu Vaccine, Gardasil, Hepatitis, HPV, Immunization, Immunized, Infectious Disease, Jab, Lock Jaw, Mayo Clinic, Meningococcal Vaccine, MMR, Pertussis, Pneumovax, Polio, Primary Care, Reasons To Get Vaccinated, Safety, Science Based Medicine, Shots, Tetanus, Top 10, Vaccine, Vaccines, Whooping Cough, Zostavax
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Vaccines have saved more lives than any other medical intervention in history. They are incredibly safe and effective and are well-tolerated by most people. In the US, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) carefully reviews all reports of adverse reactions that could be associated with vaccines. Over decades of review, they have found that the rate of potential severe reactions is so low that they cannot even calculate a risk.
There are many vaccines available for babies, children, and adults. Please check these vaccine schedules to make sure that you and your family are fully protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. (Or you can ask your doctor/nurse to review your vaccine needs with you in person.)
Vaccines for ages 0-6 click here.
Vaccines for ages 7-18 click here.
Vaccines for adults click here.
In case you have any doubts about the value of protecting yourself from disease, here are my top 10 reasons to get vaccinated: Read more »
