October 3rd, 2009 by David Kroll, Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Expert Interviews
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This morning, I once again get to join in with a group of noted journalists, authors, educators, and all-around people-who-do-things-I-can’t for the annual advisory board meeting of the M.S. in Medical and Science Journalism Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Program founder and current director, Tom Linden, MD, is a Yale- and UCSF-trained physician-journalist with extensive broadcast experience across a series of California television stations. Dr Linden also recognized very early the potential value and pitfalls of the web for communicating health information and published in 1995, with Michelle Kienholz, one of the first consumer guides to medical information on the internet. I also featured Tom here in December 2007 when he launched his own blog.
So today, Dr Linden has asked me to speak to about science and medical blogging but with respect to how it has augmented my own professional career. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Terra Sigillata*
October 2nd, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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I was reading my daily MedPage Today news, when I came across this amusing example of regulatory unintended consequences. As we all know, pharmaceutical companies are not allowed to promote off-label uses of their medications – doing so is punishable with billions of dollars in fines (just ask Pfizer). But a new set of rules created by the FDA’s Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) program essentially requires Allergan to provide safety information about off-label uses of the drug — uses that are illegal for them to discuss.
So Allergan has to file a law suit to resolve the issue of being required (by the government) to do something the government considers criminal.
And the winner is?
Lawyers!
October 2nd, 2009 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Opinion
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“Psychiatrists may be the last batch of physicians who are still granted a luxurious amount of time with patients.”
So says Maria, a psychiatrist who blogs over at intueri.
And because time is so undervalued in our health system, some doctors are relying on psychiatrists to counsel patients in the hospital. She cites an example with surgeons, saying that “it is entirely unfair to both the patient and the psychiatrist for the surgeon to completely emotionally ‘turf’ the patient.”
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
October 2nd, 2009 by Paul Auerbach, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa) is an affliction that affects scuba divers, swimmers, windsurfers, surfers, kayakers and many others who spend considerable time in the water. The prevailing opinion is that the most effective measure to prevent swimmer’s ear is to dry out the ears after each entry into the water, to eliminate the moisture that promotes maceration of skin and proliferation of infection-causing bacteria. This can be done mechanically by blowing warm air into the external ear canal, or by instilling liquid drops (such as a combination of vinegar and rubbing alcohol) that change the pH within the ear canal and evaporate readily, leaving behind a relatively dry environment. It is generally advised to not stick any foreign object, such as a cotton-tipped swab, into the ear, avoid traumatizing the external ear canal or, worse yet, the eardrum.
Read more »
This post, How To Remove Water From Your Ears Safely, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..
October 2nd, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Expert Interviews, News, Video
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We’ve all heard about the importance of getting our flu shots this season, but did you know that there are 10 vaccines commonly recommended for adults? I spoke with Dave Lucas at ABC News about the low rates of adult vaccinations in the US, and encouraged people to ask their doctors if they’re up to date with their vaccinations.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi6HnmHIHCA
On September 30th I participated in a social media event with the Immunization Action Coalition and learned from Executive Director, Dr. Deborah Wexler that: Read more »
