October 22nd, 2010 by Edwin Leap, M.D. in Better Health Network, Research, True Stories
Tags: Blindness, Childhood Diabetes, Continuous Glucose Monitor, Dr. Edwin Leap, Dr. James Amrhein, Greenville Hospital System, Hope, Insulin Pump, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Living With Diabetes, Long-Term Complications, Needle Pain, New Therapy For Diabetes, Renal Failure, Walk for the Cure
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This weekend is the Western Carolina Walk for the Cure for Juvenile Diabetes. Our son Seth is 13, and has been diabetic since age five. The Walk is one of our favorite yearly events. More than that, the idea of a cure is one of our favorite dreams!
Seth has come a long way. He wears an insulin pump, and is now wearing a continuous glucose monitoring system. His chances of long-term complications, such as blindness or renal failure, are remarkably low compared to what kids faced in past decades.
His physician, Dr. James Amrhein of the Greenville Hospital System, is outstanding. He and his outstanding nurse practitioners brought us through the shock and trials of diabetes with great compassion and understanding. He offered us that precious commodity: Hope. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at edwinleap.com*
October 22nd, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research
Tags: Adequate Vaccine Training For Doctors, Anti-Vaccine Movement, Anti-Vaccine Quackery, Autism, Children's Vaccinations, Community Health, Dangers of Not Vaccinating, Dr. Kevin Pho, Dr. Rahul Parikh, Dr. Robert Sears, Family Medicine, General Medicine, immunizations, Immunology, Internal Medicine, Journal of Pediatrics, KevinMD, Misrepresentation of Vaccine Science, More Time With Patients, Overuse of Antibiotics, Patients' False Beliefs, Paul Offit, Pediatric Diseases, Pediatric Medicine, Pediatricians, Primary Care, Public Health Fears, The Vaccine Book, Unvaccinated Children, Vaccine Controversy, Vaccine Development, Vaccine Education, Vaccine-Averse Parents
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Dr. Robert Sears’ The Vaccine Book, is, as Dr. Rahul Parikh puts it, “a nightmare for pediatricians like me.”
In a piece from Salon, Dr. Parikh brings his issues to the author. The controversy of the book is the so-called “alternative vaccine schedule,” which, as vaccine developer Paul Offit puts it:
…is “misrepresentation of vaccine science” that “misinforms parents trying to make the right decision for their children” in the Journal of Pediatrics. And yet, as a pediatrician myself, I have seen an increasing number of caring, reasonable parents hold it up like a bible in my practice (and that of my colleagues).
This post, however, isn’t about the vaccine controversy — I’ll leave you to read Dr. Parikh’s excellent piece for yourself.
What I found interesting was a passage discussing the public health fears stemming from an increasing number of unvaccinated children. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
October 22nd, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
Tags: ACP Internist, American College Of Physicians, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, ASIPP, CDC, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Drug Overdose, Drug Safety, Drug Side Effects, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, Increased Training for Prescribers, Medication Side Effects, Motor Vehicle Accidents, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, Older Adults, Opioid Analgesics, Opioid Dependence, Opioids, Patient Safety, Prescribing Guidelines, Prescription Drug Abuse, Prescription Drug Spending, Prescription Drug Use, Public Awareness, Public Health, Ryan DuBosar, Unused Prescription Medications, Young People
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Eighty eight percent of Americans 60 years or older take at least one prescription drug and more than two-thirds of this age group take five or more, according to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics. Spending for prescription drugs totaled $234.1 billion in 2008 — more than double what was spent in 1999.
The National Center for Health Statistics excerpted elements of its National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys to prepare the report:
Other key findings include:
— Over the last 10 years, the percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased from 44 percent to 48 percent. The use of two or more drugs increased from 25 percent to 31 percent. The use of five or more drugs increased from 6 percent to 11 percent. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
October 22nd, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, Medical Art, Research
Tags: Blood Collection, Blood Donation, Designer Blood Bags, Glam Pack For Blood, Haute Couture Blood Bags, Jihye Lee, Medgadget, Medical Art, Sweet Donation Bag, Yanko Design
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Designer Jihye Lee proposes a different look for blood collection bags featuring a more solid construction, large labeling of blood type, and a look as though it’s meant for sale on 5th Avenue.
From Yanko Design:
The Sweet Donation Bag is an attempt to redesign the blood collection pouch. It features a sleeve with large cut-outs indicating the blood type (A, B, AB & O). The overall design is much more refined than the current bags in use and the packaging looks sturdy.
Link: Glam Pack For Blood…
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
October 21st, 2010 by Stanley Feld, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Complications of Chronic Diseases, Disruptive Physician, Doctors and Social Media, Dr. Stanley Feld, General Medicine, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare reform, Medical Malpractice, Non-Compliant Patients, Patient Lifestyle, Patient Responsibility, Patients Must Own Their Disease, Patients' Central Role In Healthcare, Personal Responsibility For Illness, Physician Frustration, Physician Leadership, Physicians' Social Network, Preventive Care, Preventive Health, Preventive Medicine, Sermo, U.S. Healthcare System
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It is important to listen to what physicians are saying. An article appeared in SERMO, a physicians’ social network, which expressed a physician’s frustration. It is appropriate to publish some of that physician’s thoughts:
“I first heard this statement over twenty years ago, when I was an intern in general surgery, struggling to find my professional self.”
“My chief resident said; “The patient owns the disease,” “You’re not trying to make them suffer, you’re trying to help. They’re sick, you’re not.”
“The human body is unpredictable. Disease complications happen.”
The author thought his chief resident was heartless and callous. In a way, he was but he was getting at the heart of the matter. What is the patient’s responsibility in the evolution of disease? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*
