September 12th, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Angioplasty, Best Doctors, Blaming Doctors, Blocked Cardiac Artery, Cardiac Stents, Cardiology, Chest Pain, Denial of the Reality of Death, Doctors' Fault, Dr. Michael Pignone, Dr. Pauline Chen, Evan Falchuk, Everything In Moderation, Final Exam, Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, Heart Disease, Heart Health, Iris Monica Vargas, Misinformed Patients, Uninformed Patients, University of North Carolina School of Medicine
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I have a friend who had a blocked cardiac artery. A couple of years ago he had angioplasty on it, and his doctor inserted stents. The stents got rid of his chest pain and other symptoms, but didn’t do anything to get at the underlying cause of the blockage, which had to do with an unhappy combination of genetics and a –- perfectly admirable –- taste for rich, fatty foods. Like steak. (More on that in a moment.)
Before having the procedure, his doctors spent a lot of time with him explaining what the surgery would and wouldn’t do. In particular, the doctors explained that the stents would do their job, but he had to do his. He needed to eat better, exercise more, and take his medications. He’s followed most of that advice, and is doing well.
Unfortunately, his experience is not typical. A recently published study found that more than 80 percent of patients who had gotten angioplasty and stents thought they were alone a cure for their problems.
These patients are wrong. So how can it be that they are coming to this strange conclusion? According to some, it’s the doctors’ fault. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
September 12th, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
Tags: ACP Internist, American College Of Physicians, Community Medicine, Family Practice, General Medicine, Half-Tuition Scholarships, Home Grown Medical Students, Internal Medicine, Locally Grown Doctors, Medical Residency, Medical School, Medical Shortage, New Medical Residents, Practicing Medicine in Rural Areas, Primary Care, Rural America, Rural Doctors, RuralMed Scholarship, Small Town Doctors, Stay After Graduation, University of North Dakota
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Nearly a third of medical graduates at the University of North Dakota continue in primary care, down from nearly half just two years ago. This is the university that leads the nation for the percentage of students (about 20 percent) choosing family medicine.
North Dakota overall will be short about 160 physicians by 2025, and the need is now affecting urban areas as well as rural ones, said Joshua Wynne, FACP, dean of the university’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Keeping medical students interested in practicing primary care in rural America depends upon whom medical schools choose to admit. For example, one-fourth of the University of North Dakota’s student population hails from small towns, and 80 percent are in-state.
More and more medical schools are looking at locally grown talent to fill their residencies, believing that these students are more likely to stay after graduation. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
September 11th, 2010 by Jeffrey Benabio, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Humor, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research
Tags: Alternative Medicine Nonsense, Caffeine, Cellulite, Dermatology, Dr. Jeff Benabio, Drawing Toxins Out, False Claims, Health Tips in Pursuit of Beauty, Improved Circulation, Medical Quackery, Non-Evidence-Based, Rubbing Coffee Grounds Into Skin, Science Based Medicine, Skin Care
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Last week a popular TV talk show featuring a bunch of doctors (I’m not naming names) discussed how coffee grounds can improve cellulite. They explained how rubbing coffee grounds into your skin imparts caffeine into the cellulite thereby improving the circulation and drawing the toxins out.
This is a great tip, except that rubbing coffee grounds on your skin does not impart any caffeine into it, and there are no toxins in cellulite.
Cellulite is a normal secondary sex characteristic of women. It is the result of thin connective tissue in women’s skin. Massaging the cellulite (with coffee, tea, grapes, cream cheese, or chocolate frosting) pushes the fat back into the skin, temporarly improving the appearance. There is no science behind using coffee to treat this normal condition.
Scientific studies have shown, however, that carrying a wet coffee filter filled with grounds into your bathroom will burn more calories, because you’ll spend 20 minutes later cleaning up the mess in your shower.
*This blog post was originally published at The Dermatology Blog*
September 11th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Cost of Healthcare, ED, Emergency Department, Emergency Medicine, Emergency Room, ER, Family Medicine, Fixing Primary Care, General Medicine, Health Affairs, Healthcare reform, Internal Medicine, National Healthcare Costs, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, Primary Care Crisis, RAND Corporation, Robin Weinick, Routine Care, Shortage of Primary Care Doctors, U.S. Healthcare System, Urgent Care Centers
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (our government’s name for healthcare reform) may make our already crowded emergency rooms swarm with more patients.
A new study from Health Affairs shows that more than a quarter of patients who currently visit emergency departments in the U.S. are there for routine care and not an emergency. New complaints like stomach pain, skin rashes, fever, chest pain, cough or for a flare up of a chronic condition should not be treated in emergency rooms. They are best worked up and treated by an internist or family physician, preferably one who knows the patient. So why are these patients waiting for hours and spending up to 10 times as much money for emergency department care? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
September 11th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Antibacterial War, Antibiotic Overuse, Antibiotic Resistance, Bacteria-Resistant, Bacterial Infections, Cockroach Brains, Filthy Places for Antibiotics, Immunology, John Rennie, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylcoccal Auerus, MRSA, Penicillin, PLoS, The Gleaming Report, UCSD, University of Nottingham, Vancomycin
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Bacteria may be having a renaissance. Back in the days of the discovery of penicillin, doctors gleefully handed out antibiotics like they were candy and patients were more than happy to munch them down. They were quite effective too, but bacteria rapidly became resistant.
Doctors and scientists worry that we are approaching a time where if we don’t come up with novel antibiotic mechanisms, we will face an epidemic of untreatable bacterial infections. MRSA, methicillin-resistant staphylcoccal auerus, is probably one of the biggest fears.
John Rennie wrote about this issue in the PLoS blog The Gleaming Retort. He describes two strategies scientists are using to try to come up with new weapons in the great antibacterial war. So, naturally one of the first things they turned to was cockroach brains. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
