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A Window Into Cancer Research

January 20th, 2011 by AndrewSchorr in Research, Video

Tags: Andrew Schorr, Cancer Research, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, CLL, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Oncology, Patient Empowerment, Patient Power

Exciting Time with World Renowned Experts from Patient Power® on Vimeo.

*This blog post was originally published at Andrew's Blog*

Why A Song Can Get You High

January 18th, 2011 by Berci in Research, Video

Tags: Adagio For Strings, Berci, Brain Chemicals, Dopamine, Dr. Bertalan Mesko, Emotional Health, Emotional Response, Euphoria, Hedonic States, Music and Feelings, Music and Medicine, Music and Pleasure, Music Therapy, Music-Induced Emotion, Nature Neuroscience, Neurochemicals, Robert Zatorre, Striatum

According to a new study in Nature Neuroscience, there are songs that can arouse feelings of euphoria and craving by endogenous dopamine release in the striatum:

If music-induced emotional states can lead to dopamine release, as our findings indicate, it may begin to explain why musical experiences are so valued. These results further speak to why music can be effectively used in rituals, marketing or film to manipulate hedonic states. Our findings provide neurochemical evidence that intense emotional responses to music involve ancient reward circuitry and serve as a starting point for more detailed investigations of the biological substrates that underlie abstract forms of pleasure.

According to study author Robert Zatorre, one of those songs is “Adagio For Strings” by DJ Tiesto:

(Hat Tip: In and Around the Lab)

*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*

FDA Restricts Acetaminophen In Popular Pain Medications

January 14th, 2011 by admin in Health Tips, News, Video

Tags: Accidental Overdose, Acetaminophen, APAP, Chronic Pain, Dr. Mary Lynn McPherson, Drug Safety, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, Liver Damage, Liver Failure, Liver Transplant, Medication Safety, Opioid Pain Relievers, Over-The-Counter Medications, Pain Medication, Pain Relievers, Painkillers, Patient Safety, Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy, Prescription Pain Medication, Public Health, Regular-Strength Tylenol, Team-Based Patient Care, Uncontrolled Pain, University of Maryland, Your Pharmacist

This is a guest post from Dr. Mary Lynn McPherson.

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FDA Restricts Acetaminophen In Popular Pain Medications

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made an announcement yesterday that affects one of the most common pain medications on the market, and as a consequence may affect countless numbers of the 75 million Americans who experience chronic pain (for perspective, that’s more than the number of people suffering from cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined.) The FDA has asked manufacturers of popular prescription pain medications like Vicodin or Percocet to limit the amount of acetaminophen (also known as Tylenol, or APAP) used in these drugs to no more than 325 milligrams per tablet — the equivalent of one regular-strength Tylenol tablet.

The move came because research has shown that acetaminophen can cause liver damage when taken in higher than recommended doses. The problem is that many over-the-counter medications ALSO contain acetaminophen, and patients may take one or more of these common products (like Tylenol) to reduce their fever or get rid of a headache along with their prescription pain relievers.

Before you know it, you could be taking more than the maximum daily dose of acetaminophen which is 4,000 milligrams. I go out of my way to advise people I work with of this warning, but not everyone takes time to talk to the pharmacist and not all pharmacists make themselves readily available. That is why it is critically important that you talk to your pharmacist to make sure that you are not taking more than this amount. The pharmacist is the last stop between you and medication misuse — you could be taking a medication that contains acetaminophen and not even know it. Read more »

What If All Patients Were This Engaged In Their Health?

January 12th, 2011 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Health Tips, Video

Tags: Chronic Disease Management, Diabetes, Doctor-Patient Communication, Empowered Patient, Endocrinology, Mayo Clinic, Medical Video, Mind The Gap, Patient Engagement, Patient-Centered Care, Patient-Centered Medicine, Patient-Centered Physician, Primary Care, Shared Decision-Making, Steven Wilkins MPH

This video is an excellent testimony of what a truly engaged and knowledgable patient with diabetes looks and sounds like. Kudos to the Mayo Clinic for sharing this wonderful piece about shared decision making.

Pay particular attention to the fact that the patient in the video was treated for diabetes by her primary care physician for eight years before being referred to a clearly “patient-centered” endocrinologist. Also note her belief that a patient-centered approach to chronic disease management probably results in shorter, more productive visits in the long run.

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

Komen, Cancer, And Colbert: “Lawsuits For The Cure”

January 12th, 2011 by GarySchwitzer in Health Policy, Video

Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Charity Organizations, Charity Work, Cure Slogans, For The Cure, Gary Schwitzer, HealthNewsReview.org, Huffington Post, Lawsuits, Legal Battle, Medical Humor, Medicine and Legal Issues, Stephen Colbert, Susan G. Komen, Wall Street Journal

Comedian Stephen Colbert, who says he is “a huge supporter of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation,” nonetheless took a sarcastic swing at the organization this week “for spending almost a million dollars a year in donor funds to sue…other groups” for using the phrase “for the Cure” in their promotions.

We blogged, “Who owns pink ideas or cure slogans? Welcome to the Charity Brawl” back in August after the Wall Street Journal (to our knowledge) first reported the story.

Then in December, the Huffington Post reported that “Komen has identified and filed legal trademark oppositions against more than a hundred of these Mom and Pop charities, including Kites for a Cure, Par for The Cure, Surfing for a Cure and Cupcakes for a Cure — and many of the organizations are too small and underfunded to hold their ground.”

Colbert said: “If they don’t own the phrase ‘for the Cure,’ then people might donate money thinking it’s going to an organization dedicated to curing cancer, when instead it’s wasted on organizations dedicated to curing cancer.”

*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*