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 'elimination'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:55:08 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125740&cid=t_224130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fphysician-compares-ablation-techniques-for-barretts-esophagus%2F2011.08.12 The first cases of Barrett esophagus (BE) ablation in the late 1980s used YAG and Argon laser. Since then, a myriad of ablation techniques have been described, including multipolar electrocautery (MPEC), argon plasma coagulation (APC), cryotherapy, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). Each technique has had its advocates, and some of the techniques appear to have certain advantages in certain types of BE: e.g., long segment, nodular, etc. Most cases of BE are short segment, and most neoplastic cases do not have nodules or erosions. So the question I would like to see discussed is: In a patient with 1–2 cm of otherwise featureless flat but neoplastic BE: What ablation technique would you use, and what do you feel makes this technique advantageous? (more&#... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125740 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:00:10 +0100 5125740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3197596&cid=t_224130_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fbreastfeeding123%2Fpotty-training-the-easy-way%2F In addition to making progress with my toddler on sleeping through the night, we are making progress with potty training. We call it “toilet learning” because our informal method has nothing to do with “training” in the traditional sense. We don’t take our toddler to the bathroom on a set schedule (that’s too much work and a lot of pressure for everyone.) We try very hard to keep it an upbeat, positive process. We do not do elimination communication (EC) although the idea intrigues me and my American friend living in Shanghai swears she is going to set up seminars on EC in the United States after watching how the Chinese handle their diaper-free babies. So what do we do about doo-doo (sorry, couldn’t help myself!)? I’m far from an expert but... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3197596 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:17:57 +0100 3197596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2150763&cid=t_224130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F02%2F01%2Fcutting-mental-illness-services-at-what-cost%2F When budgets start getting slashed in a recession, sometimes the poorest, neediest people are hit the hardest. In Massachusetts, this has meant the closing of mental health clinics that serve the poor: When Governor Deval Patrick stood before cameras on Beacon Hill in October to announce the elimination of 1,000 jobs and scores of state services, he solemnly warned, “People will feel these cuts.” Five miles away, at this mental health clinic that served some 370 poor and mentally ill patients last year alone, Jepson and Thiboult would feel the truth of those words. The Boston Globe’s front-page story about this topic was a good read, detailing the difficulty many people with mental illness will have now that one of their treatment supports is being removed. The heart-... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2150763 Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:34:30 +0100 2150763 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478812&cid=t_224130_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Ffood-intolerance-testing-and-migraine.html I have seen some extravagant claims about the value of food intolerance testing in reducing migraines, e.g., An appetite for migraine?. Barbara Lantin sums up the findings of a (then) recently released study by Rees, Watson, Lipscombe, Speight, Cousins, Hardman and Dowson:In the first study of its kind, 61 people with moderate to severe migraines were given a food intolerance test. Only one patient had no intolerances at all and the average participant had 5.3. Of those who eliminated the named foods from their diets, 80 per cent reported some improvement in their migraines and more than a third reported significant relief. More than 60 per cent of patients who reintroduced the suspect foods into their diets reported the return of their migraine symptoms.That is one interpretation of the p... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478812 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 10:52:00 +0100 478812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478818&cid=t_224130_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Ftruthiness-and-referenciness-make-case.html And please let Shinga read some decent research papers before she explodes*.Prof. Ernst has frequently and elegantly rebutted the claim that CAM treatments and therapies are not amenable to standard forms of scientific investigation. However, hand in hand with the claims that CAM is not suited to scrutiny, it seems that there is a certain truthiness and referenciness that predominates in the claims of scientific support for some of these treatments.Dr Ben Goldacre, used this word to suggest a supposed scholarly reference that wasn't a real one: "The scholarliness of her work is a thing to behold: she produces lengthy documents that have an air of 'referenciness' ... but when you follow the numbers, and check the references, it's shocking how often they aren't what she claimed them to be." ... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478818 Sat, 03 Mar 2007 12:22:00 +0100 478818 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478820&cid=t_224130_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fmore-allergy-and-intolerance-testing_01.html Allergy Magazine has recently published a feature on DIY Diagnosis. There is a reasonable introductory summary about the difficulties of gaining access to allergy diagnosis and management on the NHS. There is the usual sloppiness about referring to allergies and intolerance as if they are synonymous. The author uncritically reproduces a number of claims that are frequently repeated but I have yet to see substantiated:[h]aving an allergy is now one of the most common health complaints in the UK, affecting an estimated 23 million people and four out of ten school children. Up to 40 per cent of the population are sensitive to the three most common allergens: dust mites, pollen and pets. Millions more are intolerant to certain foods, most commonly wheat and dairy.There is the usual pop quiz wh... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478820 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 17:13:00 +0100 478820 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478821&cid=t_224130_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fmore-allergy-and-intolerance-testing.html Recently, I commented on Hardman and Hart's recently published audit of YorkTest's IgG-guided food elimination diets and chronic medical conditions. Although the survey was sponsored by Allergy UK it is a poor study that does not provide enough detail to be able to evaluate either its conclusions or its publicity. I had hoped that the study was so self-evidently incapable of supporting swashbuckling or grandiose claims that people who profess an interest in decent science or a reputable evidence base would not over-state its significance.YorkTest has published a summary of some of the paper's findings that make substantial claims about its significance and criticises the NHS: 10 Years of NHS treatment and still we're ill says study. I must reiterate at this point that the survey does not i... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478821 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 13:42:00 +0100 478821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478813&cid=t_224130_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Fquote-mining-and-misrepresentation-poor.html This study is very poor; the claims being made for it are over-blown and disproportionate. Readers can not possibly assess these claims of NHS mis-treatment or mis-guided treatment if we have no way of discovering which treatment modalities were attempted.YorkTest also has the chutzpah to promote an obscure petition to provide free food intolerance tests on the NHS. Their pious hope is that the petition:re-enforces the view that the NHS should put peoples health at the forefront of its health service strategy. If the petition takes off, then it could make the health minister sit up and take action in saving the health service thousands of pounds whilst freeing up doctors valuable time. At best this petition might make the stakeholders of the health service to look at what is best for the p... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478813 Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:15:00 +0100 478813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478814&cid=t_224130_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Fwhat-is-significance-of-igg-antibodies.html I recently highlighted my misgivings about the claims of sound science or clinical validation for IgG testing for food intolerance. Dr. de Asis gives a very helpful and clear overview of food allergy, intolerance and testing. Similarly, Dr. Minocha offers an fine overview of food allergy and tolerance.I thought that it might be helpful to quote the position of some professional organisations on the topic of IgG significance and testing.The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology commented on the significance of IgG anti-allergen antibodies in September 2006. They observed that a number of commercial labs claim to be able to measure IgG antibodies against common substances: they questioned the clinical significance of the findings. Although this piece probably refers to labs in t... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478814 Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:41:00 +0100 478814 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478823&cid=t_224130_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Fwhy-igg-testing-for-food-intolerance-is.html What I know about the scientific validity of IgG testing to diagnose food intolerance could be written on a postcard leaving plenty of room for the address and stamp. I'm just mentioning this because it may be time for authors' competing interest declarations to be supplemented with a statement of scope of knowledge/ignorance/belief. I've been prompted to consider the need for this statement by Patrick Holford's theatrical outrage about BBC Watchdog's Dirty Allergy Trick* (NB, the original article has been removed, I shall do my best to keep up with other links to it). A healthy volunteer participated in three food allergy/intolerance tests – two VEGA tests (conducted at different times and with different operators), a hair test, and two YorkTest IgG Food Intolerance tests (he submitted ... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478823 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:18:00 +0100 478823