August 1st, 2010 by Steve Novella, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Alcohol, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Appetite Control, Calorie Density, Calorie-Dense Foods, Cessation of Smoking, Consumption of Meat, Diet and Exercise, Diet and Nutrition, Diet and Weight, Eating Meat, Eating More Vegetables, Eating Out of Home and Obesity, EPIC-PANACEA Project, Epidemiology, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Physical Activity, Food and Nutrition, Gaining Weight, Less Physical Activity, Macronutrients, Meat Eaters, Nutrition, Portion Control, Regular Exercise, Self-Reported Weight, Total Caloric Intake, Total Weight, Types of Diets, Weight Control, Weight Gain, Weight Management
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A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is reporting an association with eating meat and weight gain. This is a fairly robust epidemiological study, but at the same time is a good example of how such information is poorly reported in the media, leading to public confusion.
The data is taken from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition–Physical Activity, Nutrition, Alcohol, Cessation of Smoking, Eating Out of Home and Obesity (EPIC-PANACEA) project. This is a long-term epidemiological study involving hundreds of thousands of individuals, and is therefore a great source of data. We are likely to see many publications from from it. This one looked at the association of meat eating –- poultry, red meat, and processed meat -– with total weight. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
July 30th, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Attractive Physician, Doctor-Patient Connection, General Medicine, Good-Looking Doctor, Handsome Mechanic, How You Pick Your Doctor, Medical Humor, Patient-Doctor Relationship, Physical Features
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I found this sign while driving past a mechanic’s shop the other day. Of course, now I get it. How do women pick their mechanic? This sign explains it all. Just look for the “Handsome Mechanic ‘Now On Duty'” sign. I wonder if it works for doctors, too.
Be honest. If your doctor had exceptionally good-looking physical features by most people’s standards, would you be more likely or less likely to keep him or her as your doctor? Would you be more likely or less likely to think of them as highly intelligent? Would you be more likely or less likely to sue them when something goes wrong?
We know that babies respond to good-looking parents differently even as newborns. So why would we expect adults to respond to handsome mechanics and doctors any differently?
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
July 29th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research
Tags: General Medicine, Health 2.0, Healthcare Professionals Online, Medical School Applications, Medical Students, Medicine and the Internet, Social Media, Social Media in Healthcare, Social Medical Community, Social Platforms in Medicine, SXSW
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I have a friend actively involved in social health applying for medical school. She reached out to ask me how much should she make of her social media involvement? Will the mention of participation on a SXSW panel or the start of a social community help or hurt her application?
Actually a good question. Some academics, after all, see social media as a waste of time, but many are curious about it. The really smart ones understand its potential power. So as a medical school applicant you can see how this could work for you or against you.
While initially I thought that positioning yourself as a social health innovator could be something of a liability, I think the potential upside outweighs risk. But like so many things, it’s all in how you set it up. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
July 29th, 2010 by Kimball Atwood IV, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research
Tags: AANP, American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, CAM For Smarties, Dr. Josephine Briggs, Emunctorology, Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy, Lack of Evidence, Medical Quackery, Medications From Plant Sources, NACCAM, National Advisory Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Naturopathic Doctor, Naturopaths, Naturopathy, NCCAM, ND, Non-Evidence-Based, Pseudomedical Pseudoprofessional Organizations, Pseudomedicine, Pseudoscience, SBM, Science Based Medicine, Thomas Kruzel
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Josephine P. Briggs, M.D.
Director, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Dear Dr. Briggs,
As you know, we’ve met twice. The first time was at the Yale “Integrative Medicine” Symposium in March. The second was in April, when Drs. Novella, Gorski and I met with you for an hour at the NCCAM in Bethesda. At the time I concluded that you favor science-based medicine, although you are in the awkward position of having to appear ‘open-minded’ about nonsense.
More about that below, but first let me address the principal reason for this letter: it is disturbing that you will shortly appear at the 25th Anniversary Convention of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP). It is disturbing for two reasons. First, it suggests that you know little about the tenets and methods of the group that you’ll be addressing. Second, your presence will be interpreted as an endorsement of those methods and of that group—whether or not that is your intention. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
July 28th, 2010 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research
Tags: Doctor-Patient Communication, Doctors Paid To Communicate With Patients, General Medicine, Physician Income, Physicians' Salaries, Primary Care, Reminbursement For Services
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I often hear from physicians that they would do a better job communicating with patients if they were adequately reimbursed for the time it took to do so. Given that certain types of physician-patient communications (patient education, care planning, etc.) can have quantifiable, therapeutic benefits for patients, I can see their point.
I have no problem with physicians asking to be adequately reimbursed for services they provide, as long as they are high quality and add value. For example, teaching chronic disease patients how to care for themselves at home takes time and is critical to effective patient self care. In this role, physicians are called upon to be a provider of necessary information as well as a coach to encourage and support patients.
But as evidence suggests, many physicians don’t communicate effectively enough with patients, chronic or otherwise, to seem to merit additional reimbursement. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
