July 26th, 2011 by HarvardHealth in Health Tips, Research
Tags: Aleve, Alternative drugs, American Journal of Medicine, Arthritis, Aspirin, Blood Pressure, Cardiac Health, Cardiology, Celebrex, Health, Heart Disease, Heart Health, Ibuprofen, INVEST, Motrin, Naprosyn, Naproxen, NSAIDs, Pain Killers
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As if people with the combination of high blood pressure and heart disease don’t already have enough to worry about, a new study suggests that common painkillers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) pose special problems for them.
Among participants of an international trial called INVEST, those who often used NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and others), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, and others), or celecoxib (Celebrex) were 47% more likely to have had a heart attack or stroke or to have died for any reason over three years of follow-up than those who used the drugs less, or not at all. The results were published in the July issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
Millions of people take NSAIDs to relieve pain and inflammation. They are generally safe and effective. The main worry with NSAIDs has always been upset stomach or gastrointestinal bleeding. During the last few years, researchers have raised concerns that Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog*
July 25th, 2011 by ChristopherChangMD in Research, Video
Tags: Antibiotics, Asthma, ceftazidime, Delivery Method, Device, Ear Nose and Throat, ENT, Infection, Nasal Passage, Nebulizer, Sinus Cavity, Sinus Dynamics, Sinus Infection, Sinusitis, Steroids, tetracycline, Topical Treatment, Treatment
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Many people are already aware of nebulizer treatments to help with breathing during asthma attacks and other pulmonary conditions.
What many people may not be aware of is that such nebulizer treatments can also potentially be used for chronic sinus infections. One of the best known companies offering such treatment is Sinus Dynamics.
Using one of several different nebulizers, compounded liquid medications (antibiotics and/or steroids) selected by the physician are nebulized/atomized which the patient then breathes into the nasal passages. The small size of the particles allow medication to theoretically move through the tiniest of sinus openings directly onto the infected tissue. Treatments are quick generally lasting 3 – 5 minutes (depending on medication and device). Here’s a video demonstrating how it is used.
Sinus Dynamics™ specifically is contracted by over 14,000 insurance companies across the nation, which means that most patients are able to receive their treatment for little to no cost out of pocket.
Most ENT doctors are already familiar with this product.
Personally, I prescribe Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog*
July 25th, 2011 by RyanDuBosar in Research
Tags: Age, Clinical Work, Demographic, Diagnosis, Doctors, Electronic Medical Records, Experienced Physicians, Health Information Technology, Medical Education, Medical Testing, Mobile Devices, Mobile Technology, Physicians, QuantiaMd, Reference Information, Research, Smartphones, Tablets
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Smartphones and tablets have reached 80% of physicians across all practice types, locations and years in practice, and 25% of users are “Super Mobile” physicians who use both types of mobile devices. This is far beyond the general population’s 50% adoption of smartphones and 5% adoption of tablets.
QuantiaMd, a free, online learning collaborative, released survey results that showed 44% of physicians who do not yet have a mobile device intend to buy one this year.
While younger physicians have higher adoption rates than older ones, current use of mobile devices by physicians longest in practice is above 60%, the survey showed. Among physicians with 30 years or more of practice, almost 20% already use a tablet device for work, and another 25% say they are extremely likely to do so. Physicians in their second decade of practice use Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
July 24th, 2011 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Opinion, Research
Tags: Apixaban, Atrial Fibrillation, Blood Thinners, Cardiology, Cardioversion, Compliance, Dabigatran, Doctor Responsibility, Dr. Melissa Walton-Shirley, Non-Warfarin Blood Thinners, Patient Responsinility, Pradaxa, Rivaroxaban, Stroke, Stroke Prevention, Warfarin
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I recently came across a very important blog post on the use of the novel new blood-thinner, dabigatran (Pradaxa).
Fellow Kentucky cardiologist, and frequent TheHeart.org contributor, Dr. Melissa Walton-Shirley wrote this very detailed case presentation involving a cantankerous non-compliant rural patient with AF (atrial fibrillation) that sustained a stroke while “taking” dabigatran.
Dr. Walton-Shirley details the very commonly done procedure of cardioversion (shock) for AF. As she clearly points out, the most important safety feature of shocking AF back to regular rhythm entails adequate blood thinning before and after the procedure. Thin blood prevents the possibility of clots dislodging after restoring normal contraction to the top chambers of the heart (atria).
Herein lies the rub with dabigatran, and the two soon-to-be-approved non-warfarin blood-thinning agents, apixaban and rivaroxaban. In the past, Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
July 24th, 2011 by Harriet Hall, M.D. in Opinion, Research
Tags: Antidepressants, Clinical Trial, Depression, Efficacy, Efficiency, Erick Turner, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, Oregon Health and Science University, Over-prescribed, Over-used, Pharmaceuticals, Placebo, Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Psychiastrist, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Risk Benefit Ratio
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Antidepressant drugs have been getting a bad rap in the media. I’ll just give 3 examples:
- On the Today show, prominent medical expert
Tom Cruise told us Brooke Shields shouldn’t have taken these drugs for her postpartum depression.
- In Natural News, “Health Ranger” Mike Adams accused pharmaceutical companies and the FDA of covering up negative information about antidepressants, saying it would be considered criminal activity in any other industry.
- And an article in Newsweek said “Studies suggest that the popular drugs are no more effective than a placebo. In fact, they may be worse.”
Yet psychiatrists are convinced that antidepressants work and are still routinely prescribing them for their patients. Is it all a Big Pharma plot? Who ya gonna believe? Inquiring minds want to know:
- Are antidepressants more effective than placebo?
- Has the efficacy of antidepressants been exaggerated?
- Is psychotherapy a better treatment choice?
The science-based answers to the first two questions are Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
