August 22nd, 2011 by Glenn Laffel, M.D., Ph.D. in Opinion, Research
Tags: Anxiety, Depression, Eric Kim, Health and Retirement Study, Healthy Lifestyle, Martin Seligman, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Neuroticism, Optimism, Pessimism, Positive Health, Proactive, Research, Self-Reporting, Stroke Risk, University of Michigan, WHO, World Health Organization
No Comments »
Way back in 1946, the chartering documents for a new agency of the UN—the World Health Organization—defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
We have made astounding progress in medicine and public health since the WHO charter was crafted, yet we have actualized only part of its comprehensive vision for health. What we call health care today is really just illness care. Even our disease prevention and health promotion programs focus on reducing risk factors for disease. It is the rare initiative indeed that encourages good health for its own sake. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Pizaazz*
August 22nd, 2011 by Steve Novella, M.D. in Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: Acai Berry, Antioxidants, Benefits, Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, Dietary Supplements, DSHEA, Fiber, Marketing, Nutrition, Phytonutrients, Prebiotics, Probiotics, Regulation, Scam, Scientific Evidence, Shakeology, Skeptics, Vitamins and Minerals, Whey Protein
4 Comments »
In 1994 Congress (pushed by Senators Harkin and Hatch) passed DSHEA (the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act). As regular readers of SBM know, we are not generally happy about this law, which essentially deregulated the supplement industry. Under DSHEA supplements, a category which specifically was defined to include herbals, are regulated more like food than like medicinals.
Since then the flood-gates opened, and there has been open competition in the marketplace for supplement products. This has not resulted, I would argue, in better products – only in slicker and more deceptive claims. What research we have into popular herbals and supplements shows that they are generally worthless (except for targeted vitamin supplementation, which was already part of science-based medicine, and remains so).
A company can essentially put a random combination of plants and vitamins into a pill or liquid and then make whatever health claims they wish for their product, as long as they stay within the “structure-function” guidelines. This means they Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
August 21st, 2011 by GarySchwitzer in News, Opinion
Tags: ABC Television, AP, Brain Cancer, Cancer, Cancer Treatment, CBS Online, Diane Sawyer, Exaggeration, False Hope, Hyperbole, Joe Palca, Leukemia, Linsey Davis, Medical News, Medical Reporting, NBC, NPR Shots Blog, Ovarian Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Research, Reuters
No Comments »
Right off the top, let me be clear that I am NOT minimizing the importance of this week’s news about an experimental treatment for leukemia – one that has drawn much news attention.
It is an important finding.
What I am commenting on herein is the news coverage.
The ABC television piece itself wasn’t bad, with good perspective from Dr. Len Lichtenfeld of the American Cancer Society. But the lead-in and the ending, both involving anchor Diane Sawyer, were hyperbolic. The following screenshot was part of Sawyer’s lead-in. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
August 21st, 2011 by Lucy Hornstein, M.D. in Opinion
Tags: Checklists, Common Sense, Communication, Guidelines, Huddle, Instructional Videos, Medical, Open Access, Patient Care, Patient-Centered Medical Home, Teamwork, Templates, Visit Pre-Planning, Webinars, Workflow Redesign
No Comments »
There’s nothing new under the sun, or in medicine. I’m not talking about monoclonal antibody targeted chemotherapy; I’m talking about taking care of patients, and specifically about running a medical practice. Not even the incursion advent of all our fancy new electronics has (or should have) a fundamental effect on how we take care of our patients. The latest thing to come down the pike is the so-called Patient Centered Medical Home, a collection of policies, procedures, and practice re-structuring (webinars, templates, guidelines, etc. all available at low, low prices, of course) that essentially makes large group practices function like a solo doc from the patient’s point of view.
Because the buzzword of this new model is “teamwork”, we’re all supposed to begin the day with a brilliant new concept called the “huddle“: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Dinosaur*
August 19th, 2011 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Opinion
Tags: Aggregate Data, Aggregated Information, API, C3N, Gastroenterology, Improve Care Now, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Pediatrics, Self-Quantification Tools
No Comments »
As self-quantification tools becomes more accessible, we’re able to monitor and collect all that’s coming, going and happening with our bodies. Some are beginning to think of this aggregate data as something of a health code, a repository of personal information which can be opened up to others – an API for your body. Once opened and tapped, others can create tools for manipulating and analyzing the data. Aggregated information that’s presented in the right way can give us and our providers valuable information about our physical status.
Loic Le Meur, the founder of Europe’s biggest Internet conference, raised the dialog here. It’s a fascinating concept and one that plays on the themes of personalization, measurement, and mobility.
This has implications in pediatrics, of course. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
