MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'analysts'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:48:39 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082081&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F10%2Fpropublica-drug-company-payments-to-doctors-disturb-most-of-us-our-poll-finds.html Would you trust a doctor who moonlights for a drug company? Most Americans are skeptical of such financial arrangements, according to a new, nationally representative poll of 1,250 U.S. adults from Consumer Reports National Research Center. Most respondents, 74 percent, disapprove of doctors taking payments from drug companies in exchange for promoting specific drugs to other doctors. And 77 percent would be concerned-–some “very concerned” (37 percent) and others “somewhat concerned” (40 percent)-–about the quality of treatment or advice from a doctor who accepts such payments. Most think doctors should tell patients about the payments they’ve received from a company whose drugs they are about to prescribe.We asked these questions because thousands of U.S. doctors are on dru... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082081 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:02:00 +0100 4082081 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927298&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fthere-really-is-an-app-for-that-health-interestor-will-be.html We recently had a look at the variety of health-related apps available. In our assessment, we looked beyond the iPhone to also include apps for the Blackberry and Android. Below we've listed some that show the diversity of what's available. I confess to being a bit amazed at the variety and interested to see what gets launched as the Blackberry app store gains traction and Android phones are released. Bottom-line:  Some good reference tools and replacements for paper-and-pencil tracking may be helpful.  Health & Wellness  Calorie Tracking/Counting. Diet applications: Diet Tracker for the iPhone . $2.99 Fitness/Exercise Tracking. Pedometer. GPS. Mapping:  Absolute Fitness for Android. $4.99  (Log exercise, weight ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927298 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:36:22 +0100 2927298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2894500&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fadd-adhd-symptoms-in-children-medications-test-treatment-drugs.html An 11-year-old boy I’ll call Joseph was brought to my office by his concerned parents. He was throwing fits every morning because he hated to go to school. As a psychologist with a part-time practice assessing attention and emotional disorders, my first thought was that Joseph’s refusal to go to school might be related to either separation anxiety or a behavior disorder. But as I questioned the parents, I learned that Joseph didn’t have trouble separating from his parents when it was time for his soccer games or to play with his friends. In general he was a well-behaved, compliant boy who, except for school refusal, showed no signs of defiant behavior. On further questioning, the father revealed that he himself had some trouble with reading and often lost interest in activities at ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2894500 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:00:00 +0100 2894500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876030&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fthis-hurts-me-as-much-as-it-hurts-youthats-the-title-of-a-chapter-in-connected-the-surprising-power-of-our-social-network.html "This hurts me as much as it hurts you." That’s the title of a chapter in Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives. The authors, Nicholas Christakis (physician and social scientist) and James Fowler (political scientists) offer some readable, research-based insights on social networks that made me think afresh about their relevance in my daily life now that we're entering flu season. The book talks about six degrees of connection. Remember the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game? Well it's actually a factual analogy for how we really are all connected.  Connection of this sort may seem pretty abstract—good for a job hunt via LinkedIn, but not so meaningful in everyday life.Another concep... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876030 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:37:25 +0100 2876030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871587&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fhealth-care-reform-continuing-the-conversation.html Our new survey on the continuing woes of our health care system has drawn considerable comment from people with passionate views both for and against the reform legislation being debated in Congress. We’re guessing that some of those who have come here are new to Consumer Reports and may not be aware of the work we’ve been doing for years on the U.S. health system, such as the visitor who wrote: Give us reviews of the insurance companies so that we the consumers can make informed decisions. As longtime readers know, we’ve been reporting on health insurance for the past several years. Subscribers can access our Ratings of PPOs and Ratings of HMOs, and all visitors can learn how to select good health plans, avoid bad ones, and make the most of the coverage they h... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871587 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:40:27 +0100 2871587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2691437&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Fyou-never-know-whats-coming-for-ya.html I finally saw the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button this weekend and woke to a bright morning thinking the movie’s refrain “You never know what’s coming for ya.” So I was primed for the unexpected as I read the troubling content on Dead By Mistake, a site that features the results of a Hearst investigative report on medical errors. The site’s most compelling feature is the set of 30 profiles and heart wrenching photos of lives lost unexpectedly under circumstances that certainly seemed preventable. This new content echoes the report we released in May as part of our Safe Patient Project.  Our report, To Err is Human—To Delay is Deadly, looks at specific infection-preventing practices state by state and the status of legislation to make hospital ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2691437 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:21:19 +0100 2691437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2584128&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F07%2Fthe-power-of-stories-listen-carefully.html I am a librarian by training. That means I read and digest information for a living, all the while making sure I know the authority of my sources. Most of what I ingest is the printed word, but increasingly there’s video. Thanks to internet stations for news and radio (and bandwidth here in Yonkers) I usually multi-task to radio and video broadcasts. The Associated Press reports that I am not alone. If you are tracking the debate over health care reform you are likely to encounter video as "... thousands of people [are] now telling their stories on videos, ads and Web sites on both sides of the health care debate." Our own Cover America Tour added dozens of compelling videos to this mix as we strove to put faces to the challenges in our health care sys... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2584128 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:27:59 +0100 2584128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2576526&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F07%2Fboth-too-much-and-too-little-obesity-and-malnutrition-in-america.html Two weeks ago Dr. Joe Coughlin from MIT’s Age Lab came to Consumers Union to talk about usability of products for an older population.  I was struck by the description of the microwave oven as a key assistive technology. This ubiquitous appliance is a valuable tool in combating a growing problem of malnutrition among the elderly, serving up prepared nutritious meals for those with a diminished appetite and dietary restrictions in just minutes and a few taps on a key pad.  So the microwave is a caregiver's best friend.  We routinely packaged "extra" meals for my mother-in-law to store in her freezer and reheat, minus anything spicy that she wouldn't like.  That kept her home at least an extra year until assisted living became the best option... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2576526 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:34:21 +0100 2576526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510217&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Ftake-two-helpings-of-health-information-.html The Social Life of Health Information, a new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, has examined the health research behaviors of Americans, finding that 57% of adults that use the internet to find health information.  It was interesting to note that half of that activity was related to looking up guidance for someone else, which is a reminder of how many of us play the role of carer when it comes to health.  But if you want to think about how to address health before it becomes something you need to research and fix, take a look at this report by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America (April 2009):  Beyond Health Care: New Directions to a Healthier America.  The executive summary starts ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510217 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:03:22 +0100 2510217 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=485339&cid=t_104330_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F03%2F20%2Fthought-for-the-day-it-all-seems-so-wrong%2F Filed under: Lung Cancer, Pink products, Smoking, Daily news, Thought for the DayBusiness is business. Maybe it's about making a difference in the world of consumers but mostly, it's about making money. I get that -- and if I owned my own company and offered some sort of product, surely my goal would be to reap a financial reward. And if I wanted to increase my reward, I guess I would consider new markets, new advertising, and new techniques for hauling in loads of cash.So I see what's going on with the new Camel No. 9 cigarettes, in their hot-pink fuscia and minty-teal green packages with the slogan Light and Luscious. I understand this brand is targeting female smokers with enticing wording that Camel maker R.J. Reynolds executives say is meant to suggest dressed to the nines, putting on... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=485339 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0100 485339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=495757&cid=t_104330_135_f&fid=35272&url=http%3A%2F%2Fslimconomy.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Frapid-hiv-tests-going-otc-business.html I'm slipping on my marketing hat today. It's cold outside today anyway, so a hat is necessary. Amidst the arguments on should rapid HIV tests be available OTC (Over-The-Counter) or not, often missed is the financial interests at stake. I marketed a rapid HIV test for near 3 years, so I'm coming from the business angle in my personal interest in this new plague we are doing such a wonderful job of doing very little about. But in fact, business is doing very well with HIV thank-you very much.Why is business so interested in a rapid HIV test going retail? At the most basic level, it is economics. As a marketer, the first priority for a sustainable business is "where is the market going?" and don't ever think HIV is not a market, it is, very much so. It's worth billions globally, and its becom... Slimconomy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=495757 Sun, 04 Feb 2007 17:32:00 +0100 495757