March 27th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Quackery Exposed
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In my roaming around the blogosphere I found some fairly humorous tidbits. It’s amazing what people will believe, or what crazy “cures” are being sold on the Internet. I thought you enjoy some choice samples:
1. Demi Moore uses leeches to “detoxify her blood.” Dr. Ramona Bates offers a great summary of the potential medical uses of leeches along with some caveats (like a 20% chance of infection with leeches… and a way to keep them from wandering too far afield. Tie a string to their tails? Yikes.) If blood letting is good for detoxification, why not donate blood instead?
2. One snake oil site promises to cure “shock” and cardiac arrests with an herbal liquid that turns out to be mostly brandy. This cure is “also helpful for animals who have experienced mild trauma.” Funny stuff.
3. An Indian magician who claimed to be able to kill people with a magic incantation was unable to do so during a TV show segment. The host of the show offered to be killed though the incantation was unsuccessful. Reminds me of the guy who swore he could make his arm impervious to harm by a sharp sword. That didn’t work either.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
March 25th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Expert Interviews
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Women in their 40’s are at an advantage when it comes to weight control and fitness. How so? I asked three of my favorite medical experts to explain what it means to be fit and forty, and how you can get there.
Myth-busting With Dr. Dickerson
Dr. Val: I know that many women in their 40’s complain of having gained weight. What causes that weight gain? Is it inevitable?
Dr. Dickerson: Many women don’t gain weight in their 40’s so it’s certainly not inevitable. There are a few common misconceptions about weight gain and aging that I’d like to address.
First, hormone supplements don’t cause weight gain – menopause, in general, with or without hormones, is associated with about a 10 pound gain. This often starts in perimenopause so it could occur as early as the 40’s.
Second, lean muscle mass decreases slowly from mid-30’s probably until menopause when it decreases more steeply. So women in their 40’s don’t experience too large a change in their metabolism.
Third, the weight that women have in their 40’s is often about how many babies they have had. Data show us that women retain about 10 pounds per pregnancy. Weight begins to shift as the perimenopause era begins – more towards the abdomen and the hips and thighs.
And finally, weight gain is not due to hormonal or metabolic changes, but may be more about emotional eating. Women often experience the empty nest syndrome in their late 40’s and change their eating habits to constant “snacking” – they tend not to count these calories when adding things up
Dr. Vivian Dickerson, Past President of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Medical Director, women’s health programs and care, Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach, CA.
Increasing physical activity is the key to success
Dr. Val: How can women in their 40’s counteract potential weight gain? What’s the most effective strategy to stay trim and fit?
Dr. Hall: While it is true that body remodeling and loss of muscle mass probably starts in the late 30’s it is almost completely a matter of now much physical activity is taking place. Much of the perceived change in body image, (gravity-dependent “sagging”) is also accentuated with decreased muscle tone in the sedentary woman. Weight gain, on the other hand is quite related to caloric intake. It is greatly modulated by the degree of physical activity as well.
My general feeling is that most diets do not work, and the older you are, the truer that is. After age 40 women cannot consistently lose weight and keep it off without a plan of regular physical activity (aerobic) plus some resistance work (weights, bands) to improve body tone.
Dr. Bill Hall, Past President of the American College of Physicians and Director of the Center for Healthy Aging, Rochester, NY.
The 40’s: no better time to get trim and fit
Dr. Val: Do women in their 40’s have an advantage in losing weight?
Dr. Dansinger: Your 40’s are a great time to take lifestyle changes to new heights. Whether for weight loss, or prevention of diabetes or other related medical problems, many women who struggled in their 20’s and 30’s finally find success in their 40’s. For many women at this age, previously insurmountable logistical barriers such as raising preschool age children, or inflexible work schedules, often improve somewhat. Such expertise in schedule-juggling, when combined with a renewed commitment toward preventing health problems, often gives such ambitious women the strength and experience to finally achieve consistency with an effective exercise and healthy eating routine that produces long-lasting results.
Although the metabolism slows gradually throughout adulthood, the effectiveness of lifestyle changes for health improvements remains strong throughout life, and may actually become most beneficial as we grow older. Gaining muscle and bone strength through weight-lifting type exercise may help a woman in her 40’s reduce the risk of muscle and bone loss that typically affected women of her mother’s generation.
Dr. Michael Dansinger, Lifestyle Medicine Physician/Researcher, Tufts Medical Center, Boston. Nutrition and fitness advisor to NBC’s Biggest Loser.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
March 21st, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Uncategorized
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This week I was honored to be featured as the first post in the line up at Polite Dissent’s Grand Rounds. Over the past couple of weeks Revolution Health’s bloggers have been doing their part to contribute to health knowledge. Here’s my round up of the best of their recent posts:
Health tips
Spring break is coming up for millions of children and teens. Dr. Stacy Stryer has some health tips for sun and water safety.
Stretching is an important healing technique for some injuries and conditions. Dr. Jim Herndon explains what we know about the use and value of stretching exercises.
Does an affair mean your marriage is over? Mira Kirshenbaum has some suggestions for healing after infidelity, and a group to help you do it.
Some people feel regret after prostate cancer surgery. Dr. David Penson offers some empathy and advice.
What’s new in prostate cancer treatment? Dr. Mike Glode give a short synopsis.
Meditation might decrease your sleep requirements. Dr. Steve Poceta reviews this claim.
Did you know?
Men hate to apologize. Relationship expert Mira Kirshenbaum has some ideas as to why that might be.
Teen scientists are contributing to colon cancer research. Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz discusses what his daughter and a Junior Nobel Science Award-winning teen have in common.
Toenail fungus is very common in the elderly. Dr. Joe Scherger explains why this is so, and why it’s so difficult to treat.
Overweight menopausal women may suffer more severe hot flashes. Dr. Vivian Dickerson explains why.
An anti-snoring shirt has been developed to help people remain on their sides while asleep. Dr. Steve Poceta explains how sleep position is related to snoring.
Human growth hormone doesn’t actually strengthen your muscles, it just makes you retain water. Dr. Jim Herndon reviews the latest research.
There’s a new clinical trial designed for women with metastatic colon cancer. Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz explains what the scientists are hoping to learn from the research study.
Baby-naming is an art. Dr. Stacy Stryer discusses the history of finding just the right name for your child.
Patient advocate Robin Morris discusses her opinion of Larry King’s recent autism-focused show.
How should a doctor share bad news with a patient? Neurologist Larry Leavitt explains.
***
Happy Easter weekend everyone!
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
March 18th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Policy
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As you may have heard, the City of San Francisco has decided to provide access to healthcare for all its inhabitants, including about 82,000 uninsured and undocumented workers. How will they pay for this? Time magazine reports:
Annual funding for the $203 million program will come from re-routed city funds (including $104 million that now goes toward uninsured care via emergency rooms and clinics), business contributions and individual enrollment fees, which will be income-adjusted.
Businesses with more than 20 employees are required by law to pay for health coverage for employees. This has hit the restaurant industry hard, and the fallout is reported in a recent article in an AHIP newsletter:
Phan pays as much as half the cost of health insurance for about 100 full-time employees. Another 100 part-timers get no coverage. He estimates that his healthcare costs will jump by 67% to $500,000 this year with the new program.
Such “a constant assault” makes “every chef I talk to not want to open another restaurant in San Francisco,” he said.
And owners of smaller places, with fewer than 20 employees and exempt from the healthcare requirement, say that it’s become too costly to expand in the city, even when business is booming.
“We will always have 18 [employees] now,” vowed Anna Weinberg, a co-owner of South, a 50-seat restaurant featuring Australian cuisine that opened in October. Weinberg plans to open her next eatery on the Westside of Los Angeles.
In order to comply with the new ordinance (which is being appealed and may even go to the Supreme Court), employers may do any of the following:
There are essentially five ways to satisfy the health care expenditure requirement of the ordinance: (1) make a contribution on behalf of the employee to a health savings account; (2) reimburse an employee directly for his or her out-of-pocket expenses; (3) purchase health care coverage for an employee through a third party; (4) directly provide health coverage to an employee by means of a self-insured program; or (5) make a payment to the City of San Francisco, which will then, in turn, use the payments to fund a program for all uninsured City residents.
While I sympathize with the concept of having healthcare for all, I wonder if San Francisco’s approach will backfire? When businesses can no longer afford to employ workers, unemployment skyrockets, industries leave town, and those who are left will have to pay even more to shoulder the burden. San Francisco is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States, and may survive longer than other cities with these new laws, but in the end I think we might see a mass exodus and the beginning of a local economic depression.
Are the restaurant owners a collective “canary in a coal mine,” or do you think the San Francisco healthcare solution is the lesser of the evils? Will the nation learn something important from this bold initiative?This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
March 13th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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There have been some recent news stories about a new type of identity theft – people (presumably without health insurance) are able to get coverage by stealing your insurance information and posing as you during hospital visits. Alternatively, hospital employees can steal your information and sell it on the black market. Some people estimate that medical identity theft may account for up to 3% of all identity theft in the US. Yikes! I even blogged about an infuriating previous encounter I had with a medical identity thief in the inner city.
I had my identity stolen once about 7 years ago – it was a very sobering experience. One day my credit card company called me to ask about some suspicious activity… which led to tracing events and purchases with eventual police involvement, further investigations, culminating in a Nigerian crime ring apprehended in upstate New York. Wild stuff. But I still use credit cards.
I would hate to think that medical identify theft could stall our good faith efforts at streamlining the healthcare experience. Sharing information securely and safely is a critical piece of the continuity of care and quality puzzle. Will there be hackers? Probably. Will some people be victimized? No doubt. But the vast majority of folks (if appropriate precautions are taken) will benefit from having all their providers on the same page, their medications, tests and procedures de-duped, and accurate records available for loved ones in emergencies.
The elephant in the room is whether or not people will be excluded from insurance coverage based on their electronic health records. To me, that’s scarier than potential medical identity theft, and probably the largest reason why patients are hesitant to digitize their health information (i.e. use PHRs).
What do you think about this elephant? Is there anything that can be done about him?This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
