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Study Compares Yoga To Traditional Care For Chronic Low Back Pain

November 19th, 2011 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Research

Tags: Annals Of Internal Medicine, Back Pain, Benefits, Chronic Pain, Dr. Timothy McCall, Lower Back, Posture, Recurrent Pain, Research, Strength, Study, Yoga, Yoga as Medicine

Low back pain is one of the most common conditions to affect humans.  More than 80% of Americans experience low back pain at some time in their lives and “chronic” pain is on the rise as people live longer and get heavier.  Numerous studies have shown that doctors and patients underutilized exercise as a treatment for chronic back and neck pain even though it has been shown to be effective.  A new study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine that showed yoga to be an effective treatment for chronic low back pain.

The study authors took two groups of patients and compared yoga to usual care for chronic or recurrent low back pain. All patients received a back pain education booklet, but the study group also received Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*

Many Physicians Don’t Identify Red Flags In Teen Athletes’ Health

November 19th, 2011 by DrWes in Research

Tags: Athletes, Cardiac Arrest, Chest Pain, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Dr. Gaurav Arora, EKG, Electrophysiology, Fainting, Family History, Family practitioner, Guidelines, Heart Health, Pediatrician, Sudden Death, Teen, Teenager

Before reaching for tests like EKGs to screen teen athletes, we should first ask ourselves if we’ve taken a careful history:

The new study consisted of Madsen and his fellow researchers sending out surveys to every pediatrician and family practice doctor in Washington State. They received a good response–surveys were returned by 72 percent of pediatricians and 56 percent of family practitioners.

The results were disheartening:

• 28 percent of doctors surveyed failed to always ask if a teen experienced chest pain during exercise.
• 22 percent of doctors surveyed failed to Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*

Study Looks At The Effectiveness Of Ski Helmets In Preventing Head Injuries

November 18th, 2011 by Paul Auerbach, M.D. in Research

Tags: Austria, Compensatory-Tracking-Test, CTT, Environmental Medicine, Head Inuries, Helmets, Outdoor Medicine, Peripheral Vision, Research, Skiing, Snow Sports, Study, University of Innsbruck

Ski season is upon us. Many experts (including myself) are of the opinion that helmets should be worn by all downhill skiers and snowboarders to help prevent head injuries. One of the “con” arguments proposed by some persons who object to wearing helmets is that they interfere with skiing in such a way as to perhaps make it more dangerous. In their opinion, this might occur by obscuring peripheral vision or diminishing the perception of sound. A very important article entitled “Do Ski Helmets Affect Reaction Time to Peripheral Stimuli?” (Wilderness & Environmental Medicine:22,148-150,2011) has recently been published by Gerhard Ruedl and colleagues from the Department of Sports Science at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.

The investigators sought to determine whether or not ski helmet use affects reaction time to peripheral stimuli. They used the Compensatory-Tracking-Test (CTT) in a laboratory situation to study 10 men and 10 women during four conditions in a randomized order: Read more »

This post, Study Looks At The Effectiveness Of Ski Helmets In Preventing Head Injuries, was originally published on Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..

Earning Patient Trust Through The Power Of Touch

November 18th, 2011 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Opinion, Research

Tags: Contact, Doctor Patient Relationship, Doctor-Patient Communication, Dr. Abraham Verghese, Hospital Visit, Lung Cancer, Med2.0 Conference, Oncologist, Patient Satisfaction, Stanford, Stress, Touch, Trust

Abraham Verghese, MD, Standford University

My wife has two world-class oncologists who help her manage her Stage 4 Lung Cancer.  Both are excellent clinicians.  Yet their skills differ in one very important way.  Her radiation oncologist physically touches her a lot (in a good way of course!).  There are the touches on her arm, a hand on the shoulder, hugs, and of course a thorough hands-on physician exam.  Her medical oncologist not so much.

We all recognize the therapeutic value of touch.  Dr. Abraham Verghese, a Stanford Physician and Professor, at the 2011 Med2.0 Conference, described the power of touch associated with the physical exam.  In the following scenario he describes an interaction with a chronic fatigue patient who came to him after being seen by many other physicians: Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*

Research Looks At Chewing Gum Flavoring For Infection Prevention

November 16th, 2011 by RyanDuBosar in Research

Tags: Acute Otitis Media, Alternative Medicine, Antibiotic, AOM, Birch Sugar, Children, Drug Resistance, Ear Infection, Flavoring, Gum, Infectious Disease, Research, Sweetener, xylitol

A common flavoring of chewing gum was associated with a 25% reduction in acute otitis media (AOM) in a small meta-analysis of children in Finnish day care centers, researchers reported.

Chewing gum has long been touted by gum manufacturers for preventing tooth decay and by frequent flyers for keeping one’s ears from popping during take-offs and landings. It’s been looked at for heartburn from overeating, relief of stress and anxiety and in dieting (although sugar-free gum has no more effect, it’s been recently noted).

Now, one of gum’s common flavorings, xylitol (birch sugar) is being looked at for its antibitoic properties in an age of antibiotic overuse and potential drug resistence. Xylitol has been used for decades as a natural non-sugar sweetener in gum, toothpaste and medicines.

AOM is the most common bacterial infection among young children in the United States. By the age of one, approximately Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*