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 'experts'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:03:57 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139879&cid=t_151400_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F16%2Fis-addiction-simply-a-brain-disease-it-is-now%2F Among addiction experts and researchers, there’s been a long-running debate as to whether drug or alcohol addiction, and even “behavioral addictions” such as compulsive gambling, are actual diseases or not. It’s not just a matter of semantics — if researchers can trace addiction’s root causes to an actual medical malfunction in the brain, perhaps that disease could be directly treated. Who am I to disagree with a “four-year process with more than 80 experts actively working on it?” Their result? Addiction is a “chronic brain disorder and not simply a behavioral problem.” I suppose if we wanted, one could argue that all mental disorders can be viewed as “brain disorders” and not “simply behavioral problems.”... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139879 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:39:38 +0100 5139879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050560&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fmelanoma-on-the-rise-in-latinos.html The number of Latinos with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has increased by nearly 30 percent since 1992, according to a study in the July issue of the Archives of Dermatology. The main reasons? A false sense of security against the cancer, which leads to excessive sun exposure and inadequate use of safe-sun practices. Many of my Latino patients, and even some of my family members, assume that their darker skin will protect them against harmful rays from the sun, and thus fail to take the steps that can prevent excessive sun exposure. The current study noted in particular that Latino’s rarely wore sun-protective clothing, which includes a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and tightly woven long-sleeved pants and shirts. Other important steps include: • Thoroughly ap... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050560 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:02:00 +0100 5050560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984440&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Flawn-mower-injuries-on-the-rise.html On a recent sunny day—the first after a long stretch of rain—Timothy Strobel decided to mow his lawn. Within minutes he was stuck in the mud. Pulling hard while leaning back to gain better leverage, he struck his head so hard on a window air conditioner that he knocked himself out. When he woke up he was unable to move his arms or legs. He’s just one of many who have suffered a mowing-related injury. In 2010, more than 200,000 Americans were treated for a lawn-mower injury, a rising tally, reports the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and three other medical societies. Timothy, a patient of mine, had suffered a spinal cord injury, and a severe concussion. While he’s now feeling much better, he does feel foolish for mowin... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984440 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:00:00 +0100 4984440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960059&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fsay-no-to-fries-and-chips-cheese-and-diet-soda-are-ok.html For several decades now, Harvard researchers have tracked the effect of various “lifestyle factors”—that’s diet and physical activity to you and me—on the health and well-being of more than 120,000 volunteer doctors and nurses from around the U.S. Their latest report is just out in the New England Journal of Medicine and it tells us in no uncertain terms to lay off French fries and potato chips if we don’t want to get fat. But it’s apparently ok to eat cheese and drink diet soda. The researchers determined this by looking at the interaction between diet, exercise, sleep, television watching habits and weight gain (or, occasionally, loss). Discouragingly, they found that the average study participant gained 3.35 pounds over every four-year period. ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960059 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:01:00 +0100 4960059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921411&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fboston-beats-new-york-in-cr-hospital-ratings.html The Boston vs. New York rivalry isn’t just the Red Sox vs. the Yankees. It’s which city, each known for its prestigious hospitals, has better medical care. Well, when it comes to preventing hospital-acquired infections at least, Boston wins, according to our updated hospital Ratings. For this comparison, we looked at hospitals that are members of the Council of Teaching Hospitals (excluding Veteran Administration hospitals) that are in either the Boston hospital-referral region (Boston, Cambridge, and a few neighboring towns); or in the three New York City hospital-referral regions (the five boroughs plus certain neighboring suburbs). We looked at the two most serious kinds of infections: bloodstream infections in intensive-care units that are linked to central-line catheters... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921411 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4921411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911473&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fteaching-hospitals-not-always-best-for-patient-safety.html When you’re really sick you’re best off in a large teaching hospital in a big city, right? Not necessarily, at least when it comes to patient safety, according to our new hospital Ratings. What they found: While many well-established teaching hospitals do well at preventing potentially deadly hospital-acquired infections, others don’t. We looked at bloodstream infections that patients developed in intensive-care units while on central-line catheters, or tubes used to deliver fluids, medication, and nutrition to patients. The data came either from one of the 18 states that publicly report hospital-infection rates, or from The Leapfrog Group a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that focuses on improving health care in hospitals. We focused on hospitals that are... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911473 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:00:00 +0100 4911473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902415&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=39182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcovertrationingblog.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Ffeed%2F1597%2F0%2Fsalt-experts.mp3 Podcast:     Q. What is the difference between a public health expert and Il Duce? A. Mussolini was not nearly as arrogant as a public health expert. In prior posts, DrRich related how two major publc health efforts over the past few decades – the effort to put all of us on low-fat diets, and the effort to reduce everyone’s cholesterol levels – have amounted to massive experiments, based upon insufficiently-tested assumptions and surmises and hypotheses which the experts arrogantly (and incorrectly) determined to be fact, and which were conducted upon the entire American population without its knowledge or consent. These public health experiments cost billions of dollars, needlessly transformed large swatches of American industry, and (at least in the case of ... The Covert Rationing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902415 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:02:25 +0100 4902415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883569&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F05%2Fthe-good-hdl-the-bad-ldl-and-the-ugly-truth.html This study points out at least two shortcoming in medical research: The first is the frequent focus on markers of disease, such as HDL levels, instead of the important stuff: how many lives are saved or heart attacks prevented. That doesn’t just apply to HDL. For example, improving bone density with drugs doesn’t always prevent fractures. And tightly controlling blood sugar levels doesn’t reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes. The second is that we should almost never rely on the results of observational studies, which can only suggest associations with disease but not prove them. Randomized controlled clinical trials, such as the recent HDL study, remain the gold standard. Without it we would still be treating post-menopausal women wi... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883569 Tue, 31 May 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4883569 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862537&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F05%2Fct-angiography-a-treatment-trap.html Many healthy patients undergoing CT angiography—a high-tech and widely advertised test increasingly being used to screen for heart disease—are being lured into a prevention trap. That’s one of the conclusions I draw from a major study and editorial being published online today by the Archives of Internal Medicine. Why? I’m concerned that people who undergo the test, which uses multiple CT scans to produce a three-dimensional image of the heart, often go away thinking either that they are free of the disease or, if the results are worrisome, that it saved their life by identifying heart disease early. But the study published today found that while people who got the test were more likely to be treated aggressively, including with invasive and potentially risky proce... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862537 Mon, 23 May 2011 21:01:00 +0100 4862537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841461&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F05%2Fbeware-of-unregulated-dietary-supplements.html No, Amoxilina is not the antibiotic amoxicillin. It’s a dietary supplement marketed mainly to Hispanics. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration said that four children in Texas were hospitalized after parents mistakenly gave the supplement to their children. While the product has now been recalled, the experience highlights the lax regulation that plagues the supplement industry in this country—and why you need to be vigilant when buying dietary supplements. This particular product was marketed mostly to consumers in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, the FDA said. The product made it onto the market mainly because, unlike prescription drugs, supplements sold in this country aren’t carefully regulated by an... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841461 Thu, 19 May 2011 14:00:00 +0100 4841461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820857&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-industry-largesse-is-a-necessary-part-of-good-healthcare%2F2011.05.12 Largesse: (Form thefreedictionary.com): 1. a. Liberality in bestowing gifts, especially in a lofty or condescending manner. b. Money or gifts bestowed. 2. Generosity of spirit or attitude. Two days into last week’s Heart Rhythm Society meeting, Propublica, an independent online investigative journalism-in-the-public-interest endeavor published a series of high profile articles as part of their Dollars for Docs series. Their marquee piece, published prominently in the USA Today, chronicled the strong financial ties (the ‘largesse’) that bind medical societies to industry. Reporters Charlie Ornstein and Tracy Weber highlighted the meeting’s ‘mansion’-sized exhibits, intense advertising, and the fact that most of the opinion leaders, officers of medical societies and guideline wri... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820857 Thu, 12 May 2011 15:30:02 +0100 4820857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4767987&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F04%2Ftai-chi-helps-heart-failure-patients.html Heart-failure patients who practice tai chi report better mood and overall sense of well being, according to a study published in the April 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. That’s one reason I often recommend it to my patients. Researchers at Boston Deaconess Hospital looked at 50 people who, in addition to standard heart-failure treatment, were taught the basics of tai chi, an ancient Chinese form of exercise. After three months, the tai chi participants reported improved mood and quality of life compared with a group of people who just had standard care. Other research suggests tai chi might also help people suffering from arthritis, brain injury, fibromyalgia, heart disease, high blood pressure, and Parkinson's disease. In my travels throughout China, I often ma... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4767987 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:45:00 +0100 4767987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753691&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbeware-of-fake-social-media-experts-offering-to-help-you-create-an-institutional-policy%2F2011.04.26 They’re here: Creeping researchers who see the opportunity that’s social media.  Publications, position papers, professional guidelines and policies on social media are appearing faster than you can say ‘ARA grant opportunity.’  A simple search will show that some of these authors have little more than a token feel of what its like to be a doctor in the social space.  And they’ve got just enough of a footprint to fool the editors.  “They’ve actually got a Twitter account.  They must know what they’re talking about.” The next time you see a policy or a guideline coming from a society or medical professional organization, deep search its authors.  Look to see if they have the experience and social scars to guide you as a professional.  If you’re a professional soci... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753691 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:00:36 +0100 4753691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709199&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F04%2Fwill-new-push-for-patient-safety-leave-consumers-in-the-dark.html Today the federal government, with much fanfare, unveiled a new plan to make health care safer that could save 60,000 lives and as much as $35 billion over the next three years. One important issue conspicuously missing from the rollout: any mention of letting patients know how things are going. Already, 500 hospitals have signed on to the effort, called Partnership for Patients, and the government is getting ready to hand out $1 billion in grants to health-care organizations to help them figure out the best ways to reduce mistakes like hospital infections, medication errors, or sloppy “discharge planning” that sends patients boomeranging back to the hospital soon after they go home. We talked to Lisa McGiffert, director of Consumer Reports’ Safe Patient Project, about... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709199 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:40:50 +0100 4709199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704646&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F04%2Fwill-new-push-for-patient-safety-leave-consumers-in-the-dark.html Today the federal government, with much fanfare, unveiled a new “Partnership for Patients” that aims to save 60,000 lives and as much as $35 billion over the next three years by making health care safer. Already, 500 hospitals have signed on to the effort, and the government is getting ready to hand out $1 billion in grants to health-care organizations to help them figure out the best ways to reduce mistakes like hospital infections, medication errors, or sloppy “discharge planning” that sends patients boomeranging back to the hospital soon after they go home. One aspect conspicuously missing from the rollout event: any mention of letting patients know how things are going. We talked to Lisa McGiffert, director of Consumer Reports’ Safe Patient Project, about... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704646 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:40:50 +0100 4704646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704648&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F04%2Fwhat-hospitals-can-learn-about-safety-from-southwest-airlines.html When Southwest Airlines recently learned that some of its planes had small cracks that could lead to gaping holes in mid-flight, it grounded the planes and ordered an independent safety review. Not perfect, maybe, but at least fast and transparent. In fact, over the past few decades the airline industry has developed a pretty good reputation for safety. I wish the same could be said for our hospitals. Unfortunately, a recent report in the journal Health Affairs suggests that there are lots of cracks even in good hospitals that can lead to gaping and potentially deadly holes in patient care. And unlike the airline industry, the study suggests that safeguards to detect and correct the cracks are inadequate. The study, by a team of researchers who have spent their careers trying to improv... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704648 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4704648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704650&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F04%2Fwhat-would-you-do-doc.html If you expect an honest answer to that question, think again. Doctors frequently make different choices for themselves than what they recommend to patients, suggests a study in today’s issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers at Duke University in Durham, N.C., presented physicians with one of two scenarios, each with a choice of two treatments. The first was between two surgical approaches to colon cancer. Both cured the cancer in 80 percent of patients, but one had a higher death rate with no adverse effects while the second had a lower death rate but caused side effects—including chronic diarrhea or colostomy (a surgically made opening for the bowel in the abdominal wall)—in 4 percent of patients. While nearly 40 percent of the doctors chose the treat... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704650 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:01:00 +0100 4704650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4677134&cid=t_151400_160_f&fid=36189&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skinmdblog.com%2F514%2Fthe-dirt-on-common-cosmetic-ingredients%2F Have you given up trying to figure out what causes your skin allergies? Unbeknownst to many consumers, we could be spending good money on products that we think are good for our skin but are actually causing allergic reactions, dermatitis, premature aging, and worse.  The following are the cosmetic industry’s dirtiest ingredients, rated according to Environmental Working Group’s cosmetics database Skin Deep, which references the American Cancer Society and other reliable organizations.  Skin Deep rates specific ingredients on a hazard scale from 0 to 10, the latter being the most harmful. Petrochemicals Petroleum jelly, isopropyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, ethanol Found in skin astringents, perfumes Petrolatum (petroleum jelly) rates a low 2 on Skin Deep’s hazard scal... Skin MD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4677134 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:16:43 +0100 4677134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676778&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F04%2Fheart-guidelines-often-show-conflict-of-interest.html Most guidelines on treating heart disease are written by doctors with a financial interest in companies that sell heart-related drugs or technologies, according to an analysis published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. No wonder some people see those documents not as guidelines but as advertisements. That’s too bad, because treatment guidelines done right can identify what works and what doesn’t, and reduce variation in care based on region or economic status. It’s possible that the guidelines still offer useful advice. But the conflict of interest—real or otherwise—undermines their value, making it less likely that they’ll be adopted by health-care providers and benefit patients. And it’s not just guideline authors who sometimes ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676778 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:08:46 +0100 4676778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653325&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F03%2Fsocial-media-can-up-depression-in-kids.html This report validates what I’ve experienced, both as a doctor and a parent. So I welcome these new guidelines, as well as the advice they offer, including: • Talk with your children about their online use and the specific issues they face, such as cyber bullying, sexting, and difficulty managing time. • Learn as much as you can about the technologies your kids use. • Develop a plan for the use of technology in the house, and define what is acceptable and what is not. • Supervise your children’s online activities through active participation and communication, not just software that monitors their use. See more on cyberbullying. And for more news and discussion on child and teen health, sign up for our free Child & Teen e-newsletter and "like" us on Facebook. So... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653325 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:51:29 +0100 4653325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636433&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F03%2Fthe-dangers-of-teens-in-spanx.html A 15-year-old high school soccer player was recently referred to me because of numbness, tingling, and discomfort in her left thigh that had bothered her for a few weeks. My diagnosis: a compressed nerve in her pelvis. The likely cause: Spanx, clothing typically meant to squeeze middle-aged bodies into trimmer form. I'd seen the nerve problem before in patients wearing tight pants, like skinny jeans. But it didn't occur to me that a girl so young and fit would wear Spanx. It turns out that her entire team now wears them under their soccer uniforms. It appears that body slimmers like these are the latest fad to hit the athletic fields. Sold in a rainbow assortment of bright colors, they seem to appeal to teenage girls who play a variety of sports including soccer, lacrosse, and softball. ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636433 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4636433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626814&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F03%2Fhormone-replacement-therapy-some-docs-say-one-thing-but-do-another.html  A study out this week in the online journal PloS Medicine exposes what might be a common way drug companies try to influence doctors. The authors, from Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., looked at articles about hormone-replacement therapy in post-menopausal women that were written by doctors with financial relationships with the manufacturers of those hormones. All of the articles were written after 2004, when a large and authoritative study concluded that supplemental estrogen increased the risk of breast cancer and had little benefit. What they found makes me squirm. The physician authors were careful to make accurate scientific statements, but then tended to still cast doubt on the link between estrogen and breast cancer, and often ended up encouraging oth... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626814 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:20:25 +0100 4626814 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605983&cid=t_151400_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FhON9jyw5YTc%2F Dr. Ruth Westheimer This afternoon I rode the elevator with Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Our brief encounter (if you can call it that) only lasted a minute, because I was riding up to the 9th floor, while Dr. Ruth got off on the second with a gentleman who appeared to be her assistant. (She’s almost 83, so I’ll give her a pass for skipping the one flight of stairs.) I grew up listening to the distinctive voice of this seminal sex therapist (no pun intended) on her radio show Sexually Speaking in my parents’ car (not sure how my conservative folks allowed that), and, more likely, on the portable stereo in my room — probably as I was wearing a Swatch watch and a Forenza sweater over a pair of Bongo jeans. At 4’7″, this German-born orphan (her parents were murdered... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605983 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:15:28 +0100 4605983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626825&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F03%2Fheart-imaging-tests-when-a-picture-isnt-worth-a-thousand-words.html Two studies published online this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggest that some medical "pictures" may not be worth as much as we would like to think. In one study, Canadian researchers compared CT scans of the coronary arteries, which use multiple X-rays to create three dimensional images of the heart, to the "gold standard," coronary angiograms, in which doctors thread a tube from the groin into the coronary arteries and inject a dye to make blockages visible on an X-ray. They found that the CT scans were reasonably accurate but there was significant variation in accuracy across centers. The second study looked at what difference CT heart scans made in how physicians treated healthy patients trying to prevent heart problems. It turns out not much--there was little change... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626825 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:29:25 +0100 4626825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592382&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F03%2Fheart-imaging-tests-when-a-picture-isnt-worth-a-thousand-words.html Two studies published online this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggest that some medical “pictures” may not be worth as much as we would like to think. In one study, Canadian researchers compared CT scans of the coronary arteries, which use multiple X-rays to create three dimensional images of the heart, to the “gold standard,” coronary angiograms, in which doctors thread a tube from the groin into the coronary arteries and inject a dye to make blockages visible on an X-ray. They found that the CT scans were reasonably accurate but there was significant variation in accuracy across centers. The second study looked at what difference CT heart scans made in how physicians treated healthy patients trying to prevent heart problems. It turns out not much—there was ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592382 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:29:25 +0100 4592382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570541&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F03%2Fcobra-information-ask-nancy-im-56-have-diabetes-and-my-cobra-is-about-to-run-out-help.html Q. I’m 56, have three pre-existing conditions (Hodgkin’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease), and a teenage son with ADHD. I’ve been on COBRA since my husband died last March, paying about $1,000 a month, which I can barely afford. But my coverage expires in October and an insurance agent I talked to isn’t calling me back. What do you suggest? I live in North Carolina, by the way.  A. What a cruel health-care system we have, to burden you with these worries when you’re struggling with personal loss.  Your question deserves a long answer because it covers several important issues, especially the frustrating fact that while the health-reform law will eventually solve all of your problems, that won’t happen until Jan. 1, 2014. That’s when the Affordable... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570541 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4570541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489663&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F02%2Fwhy-an-ekg-is-not-a-good-screening-test-for-heart-disease.html Our recent Ratings of screening tests for heart disease have attracted some praise, such as from health-care blogger Gary Schwitzer, but some criticism, too. Most of the latter has focused on the negative Rating we gave to an electrocardiogram (EKG) as a screening test for heart disease. Here’s when we think an EKG is appropriate, and why we think it’s not a great way to screen healthy people for heart disease. An EKG, which measures electrical activity in the heart, is clearly warranted for anyone who has symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain. In fact, we say it’s usually the first test such people should have, typically combined with an exercise stress test. We also say it might make sense for certain other people, such as middle-aged people who are just starting to ex... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489663 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:48:59 +0100 4489663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489665&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F02%2F5-safer-beauty-trends-for-2011.html Women have a long history of risking health for beauty. But several developments over the past few months suggest they might be starting to choose safer options.  1. Temporary tattoos The latest trend on the runway and in the beauty isle is temporary tattoos, according to the advertising firm JWT. Chanel now offers limited-edition skin art, and Beyoncé has signed up to help sell Temptu’s product. Permanent tattoos not only cost more than temporary ones, but also pose a risk of infection and allergic reaction. And the inks used in some permanent tattoos contain pigments that can break down into cancer-causing compounds. Finally, if you have a change of heart, removing a permanent tattoo is often difficult and expensive. Temporary ones scrub right off. 2. Airbrushed tans M... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489665 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4489665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445794&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F02%2Fhigh-blood-pressure-still-tough-to-control-managing-high-blood-pressure.html Nearly a third of U.S. adults have hypertension, about the same proportion as a decade ago, according to a report released this month from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And less than half of people with the problem have it under control. "Detecting and treating high blood pressure is perhaps the single most important thing you can do to protect your heart," says John Santa, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center. "Unfortunately, not everyone gets tested as often as they should. And when it [high blood pressure] is detected, people may not be prescribed the right drugs, or be given the support they need to make effective lifestyle changes." Our recent Ratings of heart-screening t... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445794 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:25:00 +0100 4445794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4429010&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F02%2Fus-department-of-justice-reaches-agreement-with-maker-of-heart-devices-on-illegal-kickbacks.html The U.S. Department of Justice announced last month yet another agreement with a health-care company concerning alleged fraud. The settlement of $16 million with St. Jude Medical, a multi-billion dollar company in St. Paul, Minn. that makes medical devices, is small compared with some previous settlements. And the company said that it didn’t admit liability or wrongdoing by settling allegations of illegal kickbacks to doctors for using the company’s heart defibrillators and pacemakers. Still, I’m concerned, for several reasons. First, the way those kickbacks were allegedly offered—through post-market studies and a product registry—undermines mechanisms established by the Food and Drug Administration to ensure patient safety. Post-market studies may be required by the FDA to as... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4429010 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:02:55 +0100 4429010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4424228&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F02%2Fvitamin-d-recommendations-can-vitamin-d-supplements-prevent-respiratory-infections-.html Vitamin D clearly helps build and maintain strong bones. And in recent years a number of articles have suggested, though not proved, that insufficient levels of the vitamin are also linked to everything from breast cancer and tuberculosis to depression and multiple sclerosis. Now a new study adds some more evidence for the vitamin’s role in preventing respiratory infections such as sinusitis and pneumonia to the list.  In the study, published this month in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Finnish researchers divided a group of 164 young male military recruits into two groups. Half received a placebo and half got 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D. After six months, there was no difference between the groups in the percentage of people who reported symptoms, such as a coug... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4424228 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:02:39 +0100 4424228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349508&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F01%2Fgabrielle-giffords-brain-injury-congresswomans-recovery-wont-be-as-simple-as-lisbeth-salanders.html The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest—the third book in the Stieg Larsson trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo—left many readers believing that you can survive a bullet wound to the head without any residual neurological damage. According to the story, a small-caliber bullet entered Lisbeth Salander’s brain at the temple, and then stopped about 4 centimeters into the brain. In addition to bleeding, there were all sorts of bone fragments near the heroine’s entry wound and some were embedded in brain tissue. Her physical and cognitive recovery, subsequent to surgery, and near-immediate ability to go out and fight bad guys, was nothing short of, well, fictional.   That depiction is pure rubbish, but it left the public with a glib impression of neurologic recove... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349508 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:36:04 +0100 4349508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4314000&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F01%2Fcontaminated-food-obama-signs-new-law-on-food-safety-we-say-just-in-time.html President Obama yesterday signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act, which will shift the regulatory focus of the Food and Drug Administration from responding to food contamination outbreaks to preventing them. The bill, which won bipartisan support from Congress, will require more frequent inspections of food facilities and, for the first time, also give the FDA the authority to order recalls of tainted food. "It's a great day for consumers,” said Jean Halloran, the director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine and ConsumerReportsHealth.org. “When common foods like spinach and peanut products have to be pulled from stores because people are dying, clearly, there's a problem. This legislation will go a long way toward making our ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4314000 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:55:20 +0100 4314000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309603&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F01%2Fneed-diet-advice-dont-expect-much-from-your-doctor.html If you made a New Year's resolution to lose weight and are thinking about calling your doctor for advice, hold the phone. Diet and nutrition are among the weakest areas of most doctors’ education in medical school, and few of us pursue further training on our own. So unless your doctor has made a commitment to living a healthy lifestyle, he or she might not have much to offer. I’m often amazed by how little some of my colleagues know about nutrition. I’ve had dinner with some otherwise brilliant physician friends and colleagues who confess that they can’t distinguish between a carbohydrate and a protein, much less say how many calories are in their dessert or which entrée makes a healthier choice. Although over the past three decades there have been repeated calls for more... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309603 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:00:00 +0100 4309603 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302119&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fdr-santas-12-tips-for-a-healthy-holiday-2.html Yes, my name really is Dr. Santa. (It’s Hungarian.) I like doctoring around the holidays—my name makes it fun, and a lot of important health issues come up then, too. I hope this series helps you navigate the season. TIP 12 Dr. Santa’s New Year smoothie There are few perfect things in life, but one is drinking a fruit smoothie. While you can buy ready-made smoothies, I think homemade are better. They’re easy to make, nutritious, and oh so tasty. Having one is a great way to start the first day of the New Year—or any day. 1. Gather a combination of your favorite fruits. It’s good if at least one is frozen, since that gives the smoothie a nice slushy feel. (And frozen fruits can be just as nutritious as fresh ones.) I like frozen strawberries, mixed with fresh bananas. But gro... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302119 Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0100 4302119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245295&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fjohn-mellencamp-quit-smoking-note-to-john-mellencamp-from-a-fan-no-its-not-too-late-to-stop-smoking.html Rocker John Mellencamp was quoted this week as saying he was resigned to live the rest of his life as a smoker because he's smoked for so long his health is “toast” anyway. Well, Mellencamp’s image as a tough-guy might be reinforced by that declaration, but he’s wrong about his self-prognosis. It’s never too late to stop smoking. For example, the risks of heart attack moderate once smoking stops, and the threat of lung cancer drops significantly after a couple of years without tobacco. And while Mellencamp’s husky voice might stem in part from years of smoking, it will eventually destroy his singing career. After all, it’s hard to belt out tunes when you’re coughing, wheezing, and on oxygen. His family has reportedly tried to get him to stop, but have now stepped back... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245295 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:52:44 +0100 4245295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245298&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fcold-flu-prevention-supplements-vaccine-mask-dr-santas-12-tips-for-a-healthy-holiday.html Yes, my name really is Dr. Santa. (It’s Hungarian.) I like doctoring around the holidays—my name makes it fun, and a lot of important health issues come up then, too. I hope this series helps you navigate the season. TIP 4 What not to get for the holidays this year: the cold and the flu The holidays are a great time for sharing—germs for colds and the flu. Here are some ways to make that less likely. 1. Get the flu shot. That’s especially important if you’re going to be traveling or visiting older or younger relatives. Read more about our advice on who needs the flu vaccine. 2. Avoid crowds. Close proximity to people, especially in tight places, makes it easier to pass germs around. So shop early or late. Ride escalators rather than elev... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245298 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:47:00 +0100 4245298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241714&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fhigh-heels-martha-stewart-victoria-beckham-heels-today-bunions-tomorrow.html I was surprised to recently come across a photo of entertainment guru Martha Stewart and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, both wearing 5½-inch heels. After all, the more years women spend in high heels, the more likely they are to suffer foot deformities and arthritic changes that make wearing the shoes painful and sometimes impossible. “It’s like a ticking time bomb,” says Judith F. Baumhauer, M.D., incoming president of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS). “By the time you’re 40, you’ve worn out your forefoot padding and your feet just can’t take the abuse anymore.”  Joel S. Buchalter, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Hospital for Joint Diseases, and co-director of the Orthopaedic Institute at Putnam ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241714 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0100 4241714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233176&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fstiletto-heels-and-booze-just-dont-mix.html As 30-year-old New Yorker Carrie Donnelly began her bachelorette party in her new black open-toe five-inch heels, she fell, her foot going one way and her ankle the other. “When I woke up the next day, my ankle was throbbing and had become extremely swollen,” she said. It was a month before her wedding—the last thing she wanted to do was to walk down the aisle in a cast.   Super-high heels like Carrie’s are all the rage. Fashion magazines tout them. Stars like Lady Gaga and Victoria Beckham wear them. The surgeon who treated Carrie’s injuries (fractures to the 4th and 5th metatarsals), Judith F. Baumhauer, M.D., incoming president of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, has seen plenty of ankle sprains and a variety of fractures in women who fall off their... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233176 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:55:15 +0100 4233176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233177&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fask-nancy-do-i-really-need-health-insurance-if-im-young-and-healthy.html Q. I’m 26, just completed a master’s degree, and plan on spending a year having outdoor adventures before starting a career. My friends say I should get “catastrophic” health insurance but I’m in excellent health and wonder if I need insurance at all. Do I? A. Yes! Your biggest risk may be breaking a leg on a mountain somewhere, but something as commonplace as an appendectomy could cost you $10,000 or more, and something as dire as leukemia could cost hundreds of thousands. By not having insurance, you’re threatening not only your own financial future but also that of your parents, who might have to raid their retirement savings to pay your medical bills. Unfortunately, you are slightly too old to benefit from the part of the health-reform law that allows adult children to ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233177 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0100 4233177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233178&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fdr-santas-12-tips-for-a-healthy-holiday.html  Yes, my name really is Dr. Santa. (It’s Hungarian.) I like doctoring around the holidays—my name makes it fun, and a lot of important health issues come up then, too. I hope this series helps you navigate the season. TIP 3 Dr. Santa’s stocking stuffers Good gifts don’t have to come in big packages. And the best are those that are good for you, your family, or your friends. Here are nine to tuck into someone’s stocking or gift basket this year. 1. Good fats. Think extra-virgin olive oil, walnuts, or smoked salmon—choose Nova Scotia style for less salt. (Fresh salmon, especially wild, is also healthful, because it’s high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury. But Santa wouldn’t put a fresh fish in your stocking—unless you’d been naughty.) &#... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233178 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0100 4233178 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233179&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fpreventing-breast-cancer-dr-loves-army-of-a-million-women-to-stop-breast-cancer-before-it-starts.html Breast cancer specialist Susan Love, M.D., captured my attention at the Cochrane Collaboration meeting in Keystone, Colorado last month. She’s a physician with a business degree, a combination I’m usually wary of. But she has a talent for provocative thinking. And she’s the first to admit that like many surgeons she is action-oriented—“ready, fire, aim.” Love established her reputation with her 2005 bestseller Breast Book. Now in its fifth edition, it guides women through the complex waters of breast disease. But treating cancer isn’t enough for Love—her aim is to “stop it.” Often we focus on early detection (like mammograms) or treatment (like new chemotherapy drugs), but not enough on prevention. In pursuit of that goal, Love now concentrates her efforts on resear... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233179 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:00:00 +0100 4233179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225237&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fpreventing-holiday-accidents-preventing-holiday-home-fires-dr-santas-12-tips-for-a-healthy-holiday.html   Yes, my name really is Dr. Santa. (It’s Hungarian.) I like doctoring around the holidays—my name makes it fun, and a lot of important health issues come up then, too. I hope this series helps you navigate the season. TIP 2: Lights, ladders, and candles: Avoid holiday accidents It was a cozy holiday evening, our infrequently used wood stove was fired up, and I was relaxed and comfortable when a friend stopped by to say hello. Instead, she pointed to the woodstove and yelled "Fire!" I had ignored the unused candles sitting on top. They had melted, dripped down the front, and caught ablaze from the heat and flame at the air intake. While quickly extinguished, a large (and expensive) plastic toy nearby was now a completely different shape. Accidents often happe... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225237 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0100 4225237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214192&cid=t_151400_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F30%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-november-30-2010%2F I caught the movie Love and Other Drugs over the weekend. Did you see it? I have to say it surprised me by it’s uncharacteristically non-romantic romantic comedy. Although it was funny and about love, it broached the topic in such a poignant and refreshing way, I was taken aback. There was something Jake Gyllenhaal’s character Jamie said towards the end of the movie that really stuck with me. He said that in a parallel universe the two of them would be healthy and perfect and would worry about superficial things like feeling guilty about hiring someone to clean their house. (Not to spoil it for you if you haven’t seen the movie, but it is mentioned in the movie’s description that one of them is ill.) Yet, he said he would rather be the couple they were now. As I get... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214192 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:27:07 +0100 4214192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4200556&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F11%2Ftoo-many-cancers-diagnosed-at-a-late-stage-research-finds.html The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released results today of a cancer prevention analysis that should cause many of us to pause as we sit around the Thanksgiving table tomorrow. Many of us will be sitting next to folks whose lives have been saved by screening, and also sitting near folks who have not been screened and need to be. According to the CDC, millions of Americans are not getting screened for cancers that if caught early can be cured. Only about 60 percent of those over 50 are getting screened for colorectal cancer--the fourth most common cancer in the U.S. and second most common cause of cancer death. Yes, screening for colon cancer (colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy or testing stool samples for blood) involves tests that are done in a part of your body you don’t like to... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4200556 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:07:43 +0100 4200556 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4155232&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F11%2Ffour-loko-risks-alcohol-energy-drinks-risks-four-loko-drink-not-worth-the-risk.html Teens report drinking Four Loko, a mix of malt liquorand caffeine, because it's cheap and potent. On Halloween weekend, several Skidmore College students ended up in the emergency room, reportedly after drinking the latest rage in alcoholic beverages: Four Loko. My son, a Skidmore junior,  told me about the trend a few weeks ago. Indeed, college kids across the country seem to like the stuff despite recent headlines that some are ending up in the hospital after consuming it. I spoke with two college students who tried the drink for the first time last week and got their take on the "blackout-in-a-can." Four Loko, a potent mix of malt liquor and caffeine, is one of several so-called alcohol energy drinks favored by many teens because it's inexpensive (approximate... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4155232 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:13:00 +0100 4155232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151780&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F11%2Fflu-season-how-to-prevent-the-flu-be-a-sensible-germophobe-avoid-the-flu-germophobia.html Achoo! Your workplace might be a breeding groundfor cold and flu germs. Sitting on a cross-country flight next to a guy having "sneezures" last weekend, my germophobia was at an all-time high. It wasn’t a question of will I get sick, just when. Sure enough, when I flew home three days later, I was sneezing and coughing—and the lady next to me was worrying. Of course, you don't have to be on a plane to catch a cold or the flu. Microorganisms thrive just about anywhere. In fact, I could have easily picked up my infection, a cold, in my hotel room, according to a 2007 study in the Journal of Medical Virology. It found the cold virus on hotel door handles, pens, light switches, TV remote controls, faucets, and telephones. Or I could have gotten the bugs from my iPad. Stan... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151780 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:01:00 +0100 4151780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097921&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F10%2Fevidence-based-medicine-cochrane-collaboration-evidence-guidelines-and-consumers-can-the-dots-be-con.html Up-to-date guidelines, backed by scientific evidence,can reduce errors and improve outcomes. For medical researchers and health care consumers, the Cochrane Collaboration is like a wonderful, slow cooking stew. Hundreds are here in Keystone, Colorado talking about scientific evidence and what to do with it once you have it. Among the challenges: It takes our health care systems many years to implement approaches to diagnosis and treatment that are strongly supported by evidence. We don't do a particularly good job of translating evidence into clear directions, or guidelines, that help practitioners and patients to move step-by-step through the process of screening, diagnosis and treatment. Even when guidelines are in place, they can be confusing. For example, there are many sets of guid... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097921 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:43:34 +0100 4097921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097925&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F10%2Fpermanent-makeup-risks-cosmetic-tattooing-micropigmentation-dermal-pigmentation-vanity-insanity.html "She just got permanent eye liner and eyebrow augmentation—looks fab" emailed one of my closest friends last month, about her coworker. "I am seriously considering permanent liner/eyelash augmentation. Do you have any interest in doing this with me?" I understood the appeal… I'd never have to reapply makeup after showering at the gym, save time on my morning routine and enhance features like thinning lashes and brows. Although we had gone together for facials, brow waxings, and a variety of hair and nail treatments, and teamed up for several ridiculous diets and exercise fads over the years, this one scared me. "It's permanent, basically, a tattoo, right? Hold off until I review the literature…" I wrote back. And what I found out was enough to c... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097925 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:20:01 +0100 4097925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082080&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F10%2F-cochrane-colloquium-ccckeystone-getting-mad-about-health-at-the-cochrane-colloquium.html I'm in the Colorado Rockies this week with several hundred researchers and consumers trying to figure out how to better talk and write about science in health care. The aspen trees are golden now and that crisp smell of first snow is in the air. We are here for the Cochrane Colloquium—an annual get together of the Cochrane Collaboration. The Cochrane Collaboration, established in 1993, is an independent and non-profit international network of people helping doctors, nurses, policy makers and patients/consumers make fully-informed medical and health care policy decisions. The Collaboration does that primarily by preparing and updating detailed assessments of the medical literature on hundreds of diseases and conditions and medical issues. There are now more than 4,000 "Cochrane Reviews,"... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082080 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:30:28 +0100 4082080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082081&cid=t_151400_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=4082082&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F10%2Fpropublica-report-outs-doctors-on-pharmas-payroll-doctors-and-payments-from-pharmaceutical-companies.html “Tens of thousands of U.S. physicians are paid to spread the word about pharma’s favored pills and to advise the companies about research and marketing,” reports a new investigation from ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit newsroom for investigative journalism. Consumer Reports, along with NPR, PBS Nightly Business Report, Boston Globe, and the Chicago Tribune, have joined with ProPublica to help inform the public about its report on these financial arrangements.  ProPublica has identified more than 17,000 health-care providers (mostly doctors) who have accepted payments from pharmaceutical companies dating back to 2009; 384 collected more than $100,000 in 2009 and 2010 (aside from doctors, they included a handful of pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and dietitians). Forty-th... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082082 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:01:00 +0100 4082082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4065416&cid=t_151400_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F13%2F3-danger-signs-your-partner-may-be-having-an-affair%2F Mira Kirshenbaum is one of my favorite relationship experts. She has written two books that I often recommend to my clients: Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay and Women and Love. They are easy reads, full of compassion and insight. As I contemplated writing a post about how couples become vulnerable to affairs I read this interview of Ms. Kirshenbaum where she really says it all: Is Your Partner Cheating on You? on Mira’s blog. Here she talks not only about real risk factors, she also rules out signs that could be misread. In other words, not all suspicious signs point to an affair. “…it’s not so much about warning signs. It’s about risk factors. And if you know what the risk factors are, you can do something about them and have a better relationship to boot…&#... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4065416 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:02:28 +0100 4065416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3998970&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F09%2Fhealth-insurance-for-young-people-under-age-26-in-the-nick-of-time-health-reform-.html I knew something was seriously wrong the moment the 22-year old walked into my office. The area around his left eye was unusually prominent, and his complaints of headache and left-sided forehead numbness for the past two weeks troubled me. It was August 2nd; my patient had just gotten health insurance benefits on July 1st. I sent him for an emergency MRI, and unfortunately, my fears were confirmed. He had a brain tumor. One of the first changes the new health reform law has made—effective yesterday—is to allow young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans until age 26 instead of being taken off when they graduate from high school or college. My patient was fortunate; his mother’s employer’s insurance consortium had unanimously voted to enact this change six months so... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3998970 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:53:23 +0100 3998970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993880&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FVF6VJhoSXUA%2F By Tad DeHavenAn essay from economist Arnold Kling in the latest Cato Policy Report discusses what Kling calls the “knowledge-discrepancy problem.” This occurs when knowledge is dispersed but power is concentrated, and it is particularly acute in government. In short, it’s impossible for government “experts” to aggregate the vast amount of knowledge that is dispersed throughout the economy in order to optimally direct economic activity. And as Kling notes, concentrating power over the economy in the hands of experts leads to ever more undesirable government interventions: As we have seen, the expectations placed on government experts tend to be unrealistically high. This selects for experts with unusual hubris. The authority of the state gives government experts a dangerous level... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993880 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:02:30 +0100 3993880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3969005&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F09%2Fnational-institutes-of-health-association-of-health-care-journalists-fellowship-live-from-bethesda.html This week I’m in health journalist heaven, on the sprawling campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md, just outside the nation’s capital, instead of at my desk at Consumer Reports headquarters in Yonkers, N.Y. I was lucky enough to receive a fellowship for health reporters sponsored by the Association of Health Care Journalists and the U.S. National Library of Medicine—one of NIH’s 27 institutes and the largest medical library in the world. Here’s a sample of what myself and five other reporters are learning about NIH’s vast health-information resources and how best to mine them for the news, research findings, statistics, and practical advice that can most benefit consumers: *  Did you know that NLM’s massive archives of medical literature... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3969005 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:07:55 +0100 3969005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3907595&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F08%2Fask-president-obama-what-does-health-reform-mean-for-me.html Exciting news! We’ve just received an invitation from the White House to sit down next week for an in-person conversation with the President about the new law. But the invitation, we’re quite sure, is really meant for you, the American consumer. So here’s your chance to give us the questions you’d like President Obama to answer about the new law. Is there something you still don’t understand? Wondering when or whether your own health coverage might be affected? We’re interested in any and all suggestions. Obviously the President is a busy guy and our time with him is limited, so we probably won’t be able to make it through the whole list.  But we’ll do our best to get follow-up answers from the White House about questions that we don’t get to ask in the interview.... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3907595 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:49:18 +0100 3907595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3868729&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F08%2Flady-gaga-contact-lenses-vampire-movement-teen-safety-warn-your-teens-dont-take-this-back-to-school.html Parents like me, who are also neurologists, tend to have pretty strict rules for their kids—and gory stories to go along with them. After years seeing too many preventable tragedies in too many emergency rooms, we talk to our own children about drug overdoses, alcohol poisoning, brain trauma, spinal cord injuries, and not diving into shallow bodies of water, and make them promise to always wear a seatbelt and put on a helmet when they bike or skateboard. So imagine my horror when, during a recent sleepover at my house, a fourteen-year old guest (and the quietest child of all) decided to climb on top of the second floor balcony rail at 4 a.m. and leap down into the living room, while friends filmed it. I learned about it the next day when I was called by a parent who saw it posted on ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3868729 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100 3868729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3827061&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F08%2Fskechers-shape-ups-a-wobbly-experience-best-walking-shoes.html Grandmother Pat LaColla, 82, was lured by the hype—"get in shape without setting foot in a gym"*—when she bought a pair of Skechers last year, wincing at the $100 price tag. Toning shoes like those she bought are the newest craze in athletic footwear, projected to grow 500 percent to become a $1.5 billion market this year. Although the designs vary, toners typically have strongly curved, thickened soles. From the moment Pat laced them up, she began to feel off-balance and was afraid she’d take a tumble. Going down stairs was terrifying, even when gripping the banister, and she tried going to the store once and didn’t dare leave the house again in them. “I was reeling back and forth so badly, I was sure I’d take a fall,” she said.It’s not just the elderly who are... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3827061 Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100 3827061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3822915&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F08%2Fdietary-supplement-risks-dangerous-supplements-if-youre-taking-a-supplement-tell-your-doctor.html About a month ago, a 44-year-old insurance executive came to see me with complaints of headaches and muscle cramps. His pain was caused by the typical cluster headache located behind one eye, accompanied by one-sided tearing and nasal congestion, and often triggered by occasional wine or chocolate. The muscle cramps mainly affected the legs and seemed to worsen after exercise. When I got the results of his lab work, I was surprised to see an elevated muscle enzyme level (creatine phosphokinase or CPK). When I called my patient with the result, he admitted that he had been taking creatine supplements a few times a week to improve his workout and help him increase his weightlifting. He said the product promised that his exercise recovery time would be shortened as well, so he was willing t... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3822915 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100 3822915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790743&cid=t_151400_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fheadhunting-recruitment-expert.html Very few people work alone in the so-called knowledge economy. Even a lowly freelance science writer has a network of editors, publishers and other associates on which they rely to get their words out to an audience. The point is even more apparent in the world of research where often vast teams of experts must pull together to generate a result. Just look at the author list on almost any genomics or post-genomics research paper from the past decade or so to see just how true that is. Neil Rubens, Mikko Vilenius, and Toshio Okamoto of the Graduate School of Information Systems, at the University of Electro-Communications, in Tokyo, Japan, and Dain Kaplan of the Department of Computer Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, certainly recognise this fact. They have, however, spotted the obvi... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790743 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:42 +0100 3790743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3772234&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F07%2Fadhd-treatments-adhd-survey-adhd-the-stigma-is-gone.html There was a time when the label of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) carried a stigma. Parents didn’t talk much about it, and kids didn’t want their classmates to know that they were taking medication. But there seems to have been a shift in acceptance over the past few years, almost a complete about-face. Celebrities such as Olympic Gold Medal winner Michael Phelps, Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel, and Extreme Makeover’s Ty Pennington speak out about their condition. And just last week, the popular website Jezebel posted a blog that begins with the confession: "Because I have raging ADHD…"Even the treatment has gone mainstream. The same drugs prescribed for ADHD are being sought for their brain-boosting capacity and are believed to enhance memory and concentration ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3772234 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +0100 3772234 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648685&cid=t_151400_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fpeople-say-the-stupidist-things-about-ms%2F While , “But you look so good…” may be intended as a compliment (or at least a deflector) coming from someone talking about your multiple sclerosis, there are other things that people say that is downright mean.  Whether or not it is intended, people can say some pretty hurtful things about (or actually TO) those of us living with MS. While I must admit that the most offensive thing anyone has ever said to me was along the line of, “You don’t really need that cane; do you?”; in a recent article in the National MS Society’s Momentum magazine I read evidence of some pretty awful stuff that people can say. Sure, we could chalk some of it up to ignorance, some comments up to fear and some a deflection device for their own “stuff”.  Some of it, however, is nothin... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648685 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:26:29 +0100 3648685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3607490&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F05%2Fsciatica-check-your-rear-pocket-treatments-for-back-pain-.html John, a 44-year old court officer referred to my office for nerve testing, had suffered leg pain for about a year. It radiated from the left buttock down the back and side of his thigh to just above the knee, and flared up when he sat for long periods of time. Every time he wore his gun belt at work, it got worse. An MRI of the lumbar spine showed only some mild degenerative changes, so I suspected sciatica. Often caused by a slipped disc in the spine, sciatica can have a number of origins. One of my friends got it by carrying a big wallet in his back pocket, a cause that’s relatively common. John’s cause was the gun belt, complete with a formidable night stick, he wears as a court officer. It wasn’t the first time that he had a pinched nerve, either. He had similar symptoms in the... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3607490 Fri, 28 May 2010 15:10:41 +0100 3607490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595580&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F05%2Fwomen-love-your-hearts-preventing-heart-disease-heart-health-tips.html The leading cause of death for women in the U.S. is not breast, colon, or lung cancer, but heart disease. Each year, more than 400,000 women have heart attacks and, alarmingly, the majority (64%) never experience the classic symptoms. In the movies and on TV, heart attacks tend to be sudden and intense, but in real life they usually start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Women in particular often delay getting help because they are less likely than men to experience the typical chest-clutching pain. While smokers and women with diabetes are at especially high risk, heart attacks also occur in women without any traditional risk factors. The good news is that myself and many experts, like Walter Willett M.D., Dr.P.H, a nutrition expert and professor at the Harvard School of Public Hea... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595580 Mon, 24 May 2010 20:51:42 +0100 3595580 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595543&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fwomen-and-sex-hypoactive-sexual-desire-disorder%2F photo: Thinkstock According to a recent survey by the Society for Women’s Health Research, both men and women agree that sexual health is vital for a woman’s health and well being. But do all women know that a decrease in sexual desire could be a sign that their sexual health is suffering? Many people write off low libido as the result of stress at work or at home, but if it happens repeatedly, it could be because of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD). A new initiative called “Sex Brain Body,” spearheaded by actress Lisa Rinna and sex and relationship expert Dr. Laura Berman, focuses on educating women about their sexual health, which includes HSDD. Though surveys show that women are concerned about low libido, very few actually bring it up to either their p... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595543 Mon, 24 May 2010 20:48:56 +0100 3595543 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595581&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F05%2Fwhen-a-hiccup-is-more-than-just-a-hiccup.html Several years ago I faced a despondent and very tired college student in my office. Her story was punctuated every few seconds with loud hiccups. They had been present off and on for two weeks. Her life was miserable. She was unable to eat except during brief periods of respite and had lost a lot of weight. She slept in snatches, and her roommate said that the hiccups continued even during her short naps. She was too tired and too embarrassed to attend class. She had tried everything that she and those close to her could think of, without success. The mysterious hiccupJust about everybody hiccups, at least now and then. Even fetuses and animals hiccup. Usually it’s a nuisance, an embarrassment, but little more. It lasts for a few moments, rarely longer than an hour or two, and then dis... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595581 Mon, 24 May 2010 15:48:31 +0100 3595581 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3533832&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F05%2Fmoving-to-the-next-round-of-health-reform-national-partnership-for-women-and-families-study.html This study should be required reading for those people involved in the next phase of health reform. I suspect a well-deserved prize will be awarded to those clinician and consumer organizations who figure out how to hold hands and together tell the health care industry what we all want, and what we will give up to get it. For those folks redesigning primary care: Start here. —John Santa, M.D., M.P.H., director, Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3533832 Tue, 04 May 2010 20:14:59 +0100 3533832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511535&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F04%2Fmanicures-the-price-may-be-higher-than-it-seems-risks-of-gel-nail-manicures-.html "I’m in agony," the woman told my secretary last week, pleading to be seen for an emergency appointment. "Every time my thumb touches anything I get a severe electric shock, occasionally running through to my elbow," she explained. She had gone to six doctors in the past month since her injury, including two primary care physicians, two orthopedic specialists, a dermatologist and, a chiropractor and none of them could find a cause. She was at the end of her rope—her right thumb was still clearly swollen and there was a yellow, mottled, dimpled abrasion on her fingerpad. When I touched the tip of it, she cried out in pain and pulled away. My patient’s thumb undoubtedly had nerve damage. The day before her symptoms began she had what she was told was a gel manicur... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511535 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:25:56 +0100 3511535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3479668&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F04%2Fzapping-migraines-treating-migraine-headaches-transcranial-magnetic-stimulator.html When a migraine hits I usually reach for a drug to stop it like sumatriptan (Imitrex) or rizatriptan (Maxalt). I know that if I wait too long my day will be shot and I’ll end up in bed. But the medications often make me sleepy and I end up wanting to go lie down anyway. Neither of these scenarios is ideal for me because as a neurologist, I can’t just leave an office full of patients. So when I read about a new non-drug therapy that looks promising according to a study published in the April issue of Lancet Neurology, I decided to find out more. The study involved a handheld device called a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator, a non-invasive, portable machine that delivers brief, individual, magnetic pulses to the back of the head. In the randomized, double-blind trial that took place ac... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3479668 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:43:34 +0100 3479668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3467710&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fself-help-test-drive-my-holosync-semi-solution%2F photo: Thinkstock This is the final post in a four-part series by contributor Carole Braden about her experiences with meditation CDs from Centerpointe Research Institute. Click to read parts one, two, and three of her series. How many Awakening Prologue listens does it take before you lasso your ultimate life? I couldn’t say. I’ve mainlined my Centerpointe sound files for an hour nearly every morning for exactly ten months. And while the effort has not brought me an all-new existence – or a gurgling set of twins in pink and blue Pampers – I do feel it’s helped push me through some productive, if not always enjoyable, phases. There was what I’ll call my “WTF?” period, during which I experienced vivid and often unsettling dreams about fictional cat fights among girlfriends a... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3467710 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:04:45 +0100 3467710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3448851&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F04%2Fskinny-jeans-men-feel-the-squeeze-too-mens-sexual-health-infertility.html Women have been feeling the pinch of fashion ever since the early 1800’s when corsets were used to slenderize the female silhouette. And today’s no different—it took just as long for Scarlett O’Hara to squeeze into her corset as it takes women today to wriggle into a body slimmer. So, it’s no surprise that ladies have taken to wearing skinny jeans without batting a Latisse-enhanced eyelash, often paring them with tumble-inducing four-inch stilettos. Besides sacrificing both stride and pride, fashion-driven women are also risking a troubling mix of health dangers. Nevertheless, as long as trend-setters like Jennifer Lopez perform in teetering heels and body-hugging cat suits, and Today Show host Kathy Lee Gifford admits to sleeping in her Spanx, mere mortal women will be willing t... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3448851 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:57:36 +0100 3448851 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3440935&cid=t_151400_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fnew-webcasttelecast-ms-and-employment%2F Multiple Sclerosis is a disease which affects our lives in so many different ways; employment being one of them. Many of us have, for much of our adult lives, associated our identities with our careers.  Many of us derive great satisfaction and meaning from the work we do or from the independence our work (or at least our paycheck) affords. Many of us living with Multiple Sclerosis are struggling to say employed. Tomorrow (Tuesday, April 6th) night, I’ll be hosting a 2-hour live telecast/webcast entitled “Staying In The Employment Game”. The program will air live, with a studio audience at 8:00pm (PDT) on the stations of the University of Washington.  If you don’t live in the Seattle area, you can watch live via webcast on either the University website or Research Channel on the ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3440935 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:59:00 +0100 3440935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3435047&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F04%2Ftanning-salon-dangers-reality-tv-glorifies-dangerous-tanning-skin-cancer-risks.html Last year, four of the top five programs ranked by Nielsen were reality shows. It seems no topic is too crass or mundane in m any of them, which has led some critics to argue that reality TV has ruined America. I agree that reality TV has incited some really bad conduct (remember the White House gate crashers, and the Balloon Boy Hoax?). But my greater concern is that in some instances it seems to glamorize risky behaviors. Teens are particularly impressionable given that young cast members are viewed as celebrities, even when shown as 16 and Pregnant, or 16 and wasted as in NYC Prep. I’m especially concerned about the potentially dangerous health consequences from activities in tattoo parlors on TLC’s Miami Ink (or their LA, Rio, London counterparts) and the tanning salons like thos... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3435047 Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:52:03 +0100 3435047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3385460&cid=t_151400_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-at-work-thrive-to-survive%2F Last week I was “workshopping” some of the topics for the upcoming “Staying in the Employment Game” MS TV program.  We sat, a group of about a dozen of us, talking about issues with staying employed after diagnosis. My full-time work experience ended abruptly within 4 months of Dx.  Most of the people in our group were still employed with the same employers (if not in the exact same jobs) as they were when they learned of their multiple sclerosis.  For this reason, I wanted to learn more about the nuts and bolts of their experiences. I was a little surprised at the universality of one of the sentiments I heard that night… “I’ve gone from thrive to survive,” said one man; EVERYONE chimed in with the same feeling.  The conversation that ensued about promotion, income, sta... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3385460 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:46:28 +0100 3385460 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378491&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F03%2Fdoctor-patient-relationship-six-things-to-do-in-a-doctors-waiting-room-things-to-ask-your-doctor-.html This article first appeared in our January 2010 issue of Consumer Reports on Health. Get tips on how to talk to your doctor and how to frame your health concerns. (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378491 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:30:00 +0100 3378491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3346453&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F03%2Fonline-quiz-or-deceptive-advertising.html We all know there is suspect information floating around the Internet. But when you look for medical information from a major health website, you expect it to be above board, don’t you? Unfortunately, that may not always be true. Take the case of a recent WebMD depression quiz. The business site, BNET, noticed recently that no matter how you answered a 10 question quiz on depression, you’d be told you “may be at risk for major depression” – even if you answered “no” to each of the screening questions. The quiz is funded by Eli Lilly (and was clearly marked as such), and along side it ran an advertisement promoting Lilly’s drug Cymbalta, which, you guessed it, is approved to treat depression. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also noticed the quiz and sent a letter (via Pharma... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3346453 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3346453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3311652&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmALQ7TiE9tE%2F By Chris Moody Republicans and Democrats are both missing the point of true health care reform: “Health care reform cannot just be about giving more stuff to more people. It should be about actually ‘reforming’ the system. That means scrapping the current bills, and crafting the type of reform that makes consumers responsible for their health care decisions.” Alan Reynolds: If people looking for individual health insurance policies were allowed to shop in any state, the number of uninsured could drop by 11.1 million … or more. And the winner for the worst idea for health care reform goes to… Something you might want to brush up on: The Reconciliation Rulebook. In case you missed it, Cato health policy experts live-blogged part of Thursday&#821... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3311652 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:20:08 +0100 3311652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3290807&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F02%2Fnow-its-getting-interestingis-more-health-care-always-better.html We welcome the controversy sparked by this week’s New England Journal of Medicine article and reported by the New York Times regarding the hospital intensity data published by the Dartmouth Atlas and used in Consumer Reports hospital ratings. It is our hope that this encourages U.S. hospitals and doctors to make better information available on the quality, costs, and results of various types of medical treatments so that consumers can make better choices. For decades the independent studies conducted by the Dartmouth Atlas have been raising concerns that hospitals in some regions of the country used two or three times the medical and financial resources than those in other regions on treating Medicare patients with chronic diseases, with no noticeable increase in life span or qual... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3290807 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:32:00 +0100 3290807 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3287731&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F02%2Fa-few-bumps-on-the-road-to-better-health-preventative-measures-that-improve-health.html While gulping down my coffee and finishing my whole-wheat muffin, I heard on National Public Radio about a new invention that might be making the round of London pubs in the near future. It was all about beer mugs lined with a clear plastic film so that when two drunks clobbered each other and the glasses broke, the sharp chards would be encased and prevent serious injury. I almost choked on that last gulp and thought how typically British to try and prevent the harmful outcome, while seemingly paying little attention to primary prevention by stopping the fight between the two drunks and, even more basic to the situation, by deterring the excessive consumption of alcohol that caused the belligerent behavior in the first place. Such reasoning is not at all unheard of in this count... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3287731 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:50:29 +0100 3287731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262760&cid=t_151400_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fstaying-employed-with-multiple-sclerosis%2F A topic which seems to thread itself into the tapestry of nearly all of our conversations at our Life with MS blog is employment. In these economic times, finding and/or keeping a job is difficult for “typical” people.  For we of the compromised myelin, the idea of finding new employment is daunting, while the thought of losing our jobs (and oft, thus our health insurance) is downright frightening! There are so many questions we have about MS and employment: Who do we tell and when?  How much do we disclose?  What are reasonable accommodations to request?  What does discrimination look like?  When do we say when? There is no shortage of questions…the problem is: Who do we ask? That one, I can answer! I am in the process of writing a two-hour television program/webcast which I’... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262760 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:12:11 +0100 3262760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3246880&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F02%2Fsuper-bowl-football-injuries-when-it-comes-to-head-injuries-football-still-has-a-long-way-to-go.html The first time I looked at a skull X-ray from a professional hockey player, I cried. The athlete had sustained so many facial-bone fractures over time that the normal bony features were a massive white blur. It was 1990. I had just begun to see patients as a neurology consultant for the New York Rangers.But the National Hockey League sharpened its performance in 1997. Since then, every time a player gets a concussion, doctors conduct a battery of neuropsychological tests. Later, the team’s medical professionals give the player follow-up memory and motor-skill tests to make sure that he is back to his pre-injury level of mental performance before returning to the ice. The league has also made safety adjustments, such as installing more flexible glass around the rink. In December the Nat... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3246880 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:41:49 +0100 3246880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3239563&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F02%2Fsports-and-head-injuries-when-is-it-serious-preventing-and-treating-a-head-injury.html The 17-year-old high-school soccer player who came to my office a few months ago had experienced a head-to-head collision with a teammate several days earlier that left him with 10 stitches. Immediately after the injury he had a headache and dizziness and was taken to the emergency room. His examination and CT scan were normal, and after getting stitched up, he was discharged. He felt much better by the next morning and decided to drive to school and stay for soccer practice. But he became dizzy and was driven home by two friends, who left him at his doorstep, parking his car in the driveway. Instead of going inside his house, he got in his car, backed it down the driveway, and continued to back down the street until his car hit a telephone pole and flipped over. His friends heard the cr... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3239563 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:09:31 +0100 3239563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3220511&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaCkqZa3u09U%2F By Chris Moody Cato experts give Obama’s State of the Union a video fisking. Are we watching the History Channel or something?  Because this new president sure does sound a lot like the old one. Time for the SOTU fact check:  Cato experts put some of President Obama’s core State of the Union claims to the test. Here’s what they found. Flashback to February 2009: Gene Healy on how “the president talks too much.“ During this year’s SOTU, President Obama criticized the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case. Today’s podcast examines the Court’s ruling. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3220511 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:44:38 +0100 3220511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3220515&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FdC1O9e04uXY%2F By Cato EditorsCato experts put some of President Obama’s core State of the Union claims to the test. Here’s what they found. THE STIMULUS Obama’s claim: The plan that has made all of this possible, from the tax cuts to the jobs, is the Recovery Act. That’s right — the Recovery Act, also known as the Stimulus Bill. Economists on the left and the right say that this bill has helped saved jobs and avert disaster. Back in reality: At the outset of the economic downturn, Cato ran an ad in the nation’s largest newspapers in which more than 300 economists (Nobel laureates among them) signed a statement saying a massive government spending package was among the worst available options. Since then, Cato economists have published dozens of op-eds in major news outlets poking hol... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3220515 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:54:17 +0100 3220515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3216562&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FeGNsm0O3g-E%2F By Chris MoodyAfter live-blogging Obama’s State of the Union Address Wednesday night, Cato experts fact checked the speech, subject by subject. Cato produced a short video that cuts through the rhetoric and explains what the president really meant: Video produced by Caleb Brown and Austin Bragg. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3216562 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:23:15 +0100 3216562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3129500&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F12%2Fconflicts-of-interest-trust-scientific-evidence.html The idea of science is that it gives us impartial answers to important questions. Doctors and patients can look at scientific evidence to help them decide what a healthy diet is, or whether a drug can treat a particular condition. Scientific journals take care to publish detailed reports of research, allowing readers to see for themselves that the studies were unbiased. Even so, sometimes you can’t help but wonder about whose interests are served by research. Earlier this year, research from the University of Illinois reported that a high-protein diet helped improve cholesterol levels and reduce body fat. Funding came partly from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. An organization called the CRA publicized research showing that there’s “no meaningful difference in how th... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3129500 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:47:16 +0100 3129500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092688&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F12%2Fdont-forget-a-flu-shot-for-the-holidays.html Holiday gatherings can be an ideal place to catch an infection.  Folks may have flown or driven in from diverse areas, bringing who knows what germs with them. Then there's the kissing, hugging, food sharing--all part of having a good time, of course, but also great ways for germs to spread. So now's not the time to be complacent about the H1N1, even though government stats show it may be on the wane. Here are three good reasons to get an H1N1 and seasonal flu shot (or nose spray) right now. 1. Had trouble finding the vaccine? It’s easier now... Despite yesterday's voluntary recall of some batches due to potential potency issues, H1N1 vaccine supplies continue to grow—85 million doses have now been made available since October. That means it’s getting easier than ev... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092688 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:00:00 +0100 3092688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3015280&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F11%2Fmammogram-age-for-women-breast-cancer-screening-preventative-care-for-breast-cancer-.html This week’s news from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on routine breast cancer screening has caused quite the stir. The USPSTF shared their new ratings of preventive services for breast cancer: Mammograms work really well in women in their 60s, pretty well in women in their 50s and not so well in their 40s. If you want to have mammograms in your 40s prepare for more confusing results including additional imaging to clarify and in some cases, a biopsy to be certain. And their recommendations included a couple of small but important points: breast self exam doesn’t lead to early detection of breast cancer nor do breast exams by doctors (remember we are only talking about women who have NO symptoms). The big news: Doctors and patients in their 40s should talk to each othe... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3015280 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:17:04 +0100 3015280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012386&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F11%2Fpartners-in-crime-diabetes-and-obesity.html The number of Americans with type 2 diabetes has almost doubled in the past decade, to an estimated 24 million. That includes the one in four who don’t even know they have the disease. And some experts believe it won't be long before that number exceeds 30 million. Why the explosion? Obesity. Up to a third of us are now clinically obese. And since the vast majority of people with type 2 diabetes are also overweight, it's no wonder those two disorders are often referred to as twin epidemics. Indeed, three out of four respondents to a Consumer Reports survey of 5,012 people with type 2 diabetes said they were overweight. And overweight respondents were more than twice as likely to say that they were unsuccessful at managing their diabetes. The good news is that efforts to... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012386 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0100 3012386 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2973919&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F11%2Ffind-swine-flu-vaccine-h1n1-vaccine-swine-flu-wherefore-art-thou-vaccine.html With the swine (H1N1) vaccine production and distribution slower than expected, many Americans are having trouble finding vaccine, according to a new poll. And the trickle of vaccine has caused problems for mandatory vaccination programs for health care workers, as well as some public health officials when it was reported that Wall Street firms were delivered vaccines while hospitals continue to struggle with a shortage of supply.Public having difficulty finding vaccine A poll from the Harvard School of Public Health conducted October 30th through November 1st found that 21 percent of high-priority adults, and 41 percent of all parents tried to get the H1N1 vaccine, but 66 percent of both populations were unsuccessful. In response to the Harvard poll, the Centers for Disease Control and P... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2973919 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:33:47 +0100 2973919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2950730&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F11%2Fvideo-of-flu-shot-cheerleader-is-misleading-.html "Dad, have you seen the video of this cheerleader? All of my friends have and they don’t want to get vaccinated if this could happen to them. It seems strange that she can do some things and not other things.  Is this for real?" That’s the response John Santa, M.D. and Director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center, got from his 23-year old son recently after being reminded to get the two (seasonal and H1N1) flu vaccines.  The concern echoed those expressed by many others after the story was released by FoxNews in mid-October. It reported that a Washington Redskins cheerleader, Desiree Jennings, was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called dystonia alleged to be caused by a severe reaction to the seasonal flu shot.  The online ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2950730 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:13:25 +0100 2950730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2943783&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Finformation-on-neuroenhancement-drugs-ritalin-adderall-adhd-drugs-for-adults-and-children.html They’re all the buzz, and more of my patients seem to be asking for them: Drugs that can improve attention span and memory and help them be more productive at work. That may explain why the demand for neuroenhancement medication seems to be gaining steam. Prescriptions for the 18-year-old-and-older age group have been steadily rising, with 3.2 million recorded between November 2006 and October 2007. In one survey conducted in 2008 by the scientific journal Nature, 20 percent of respondents admitted to using neurocognitive-enhancing drugs, mostly to improve concentration. Examples include stimulants such as Ritalin (methylphenidate) and Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine combination)—the drugs used for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—to improve per... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2943783 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:15:33 +0100 2943783 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927288&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjOO2iJQRRsE%2F President Obama and his congressional allies want to create yet another government-run health insurance program (call it Fannie Med) to cover yet another segment of the American public (the non-elderly non-poor). The whole idea that Fannie Med would be an “option” is a ruse. Like the three “public options” we’ve already got – Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program – Fannie Med would drag down the quality of care for publicly and privately insured patients alike.  Yet despite offering an inferior product, Fannie Med would still drive private insurers out of business because it would exploit implicit and explicit government subsidies.  Pretty soon, Fannie Med will be the only game in town – just ask its architect, Jacob Hacker. Now the quest... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927288 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:35:10 +0100 2927288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2912160&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHOoufWaiZ4k%2F I cannot disagree with Uwe Reinhardt’s response to my previous post at National Journal’s Health Care Experts blog. But his response bears clarification and emphasis. Improving “population health” generally means “helping people live longer.” To paraphrase, Reinhardt then writes: If helping people live longer were our objective in health reform, we could do better than universal coverage. But health reform is not (solely or primarily) about helping people live longer. It is (also or primarily) about other things, like relieving the anxiety of the uninsured. I applaud Reinhardt for acknowledging a reality that most advocates of universal coverage avoid: that universal coverage is not solely or primarily about improving health. Will Reinhardt go further an... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2912160 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:24:51 +0100 2912160 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890625&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMnmE0GBdNoI%2F The Senate Finance Committee votes today on Senator Max Baucus’ version of the health care bill. Cato health care experts have analyzed the bill thoroughly, and point out three vital components to the cost and reach of the legislation: 1) The real cost of the bill is in excess of $2 trillion. Chairman Max Baucus hoodwinked the CBO with a number of clever budgetary gimmicks, most notably by keeping about half of the cost off the federal books. The bill also assumes Congress will make cuts to Medicare payments, which has never once happened before. 2) The bill contains an enormous middle-class tax hike. The bill imposes a 40 percent excise tax on health insurance plans that offer benefits in excess of $8,000 for an individual plan and $21,000 for a family plan. Insurers would almost ce... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890625 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:57:40 +0100 2890625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879397&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fswine-flu-facts-and-fiction-myths-and-rumors-about-h1n1-swine-flu-prevention-.html It seems that swine flu has infected YouTube. When I was on the Brian Lehrer Show recently, a caller claiming he was a pediatrician announced that the H1N1 (swine flu) virus was "man-made" and another caller urged me to look into this on YouTube because "college students are all over it...". Dangerous rumors like this outlandish conspiracy theory are causing concern all over the country and may be one reason that our swine flu poll found that 43 percent of Americans are on the fence about getting the vaccine. Other ridiculous notions floating around cyberspace include: "there is no swine flu", "a girl got the swine flu vaccine last month and died an hour later", "and you’ll be fine if you don’t eat bacon".To clear up the misconceptions ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879397 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:47:47 +0100 2879397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871588&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fcatch-flu-influenza-mask-contamination-sneeze-cough-h1n1.html Hate it when somebody coughs right into your face and eyes? You're not just germ-phobic, that may be the most likely way to transmit influenza, according to a newly published study. Researchers from UC-Berkley’s School of Public Health and the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Public Health concluded that close contact spraying of respiratory droplets with the influenza virus carried the greatest risk of infection, followed by hand contact with contaminated surfaces, and inhaling particles carrying the virus. The study was published in Risk Analysis: An International Journal published by the nonprofit Society for Risk Analysis, and used mathematical modeling to examine the theoretical risk of catching an influenza A virus—a type of influenza virus that includes the n... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871588 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:39:41 +0100 2871588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2782011&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FpchSQtigQgA%2F Cato health care experts dissected President Obama’s address Wednesday night, providing live commentary throughout the speech. Overall impressions: Michael D. Tanner:  Can’t see this as a game-changer. I would give him an ‘A’ on delivery, but at best a ‘C’ on substance.   There were surprisingly few details and very little new. Patrick Basham:  Strikingly political/partisan rather than statesmanlike speech. Obama chose to pressure Republicans to support his plan rather than attempt to persuade them to do so. He risks a another wave of (effective) opposition from conservative talk radio  & cable TV. Michael F. Cannon:  Translation: My health plan cannot work if you are free to make your own decisions. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2782011 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:15:20 +0100 2782011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2751875&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Fpreventing-ear-lob-tears-preventing-keloids-earring-infections-.html No, despite the title, this is not another noise blog. Last month I wrote about the health risks of skinny jeans after I saw a magazine ad for a "Skinny jeans challenge" while waiting to see a surgeon for a torn earlobe. Ironically, I, too, had sacrificed my better judgment for the sake of fashion. After years of wearing heavy gold and silver earrings, gravity had caused a split in the piercing that needed to be surgically repaired. So as I wait for my incision to heal and sit out the three-month period before I can get my ear lobe re-pierced, I did some investigating. Ear piercing has been around for centuries and practiced in many cultures. Over time the custom has grown in the Western world with around 90% of women currently adorning at least one ear with jewelry. Along with... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2751875 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:01:47 +0100 2751875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2752046&cid=t_151400_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator%2Fosap-announces-call-for-abstracts%2F Annapolis, MD: August 27, 2009 - The Organization for Safety & Asepsis Procedures (OSAP) has announced a call for abstracts for their 2010 Annual Symposium, which will be held June 10-13, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. The Symposium will feature leading experts on infection control and occupational health and safety sharing information of critical concern to dental professionals and others involved in dentistry. Abstracts may be submitted in the categories of Infection Control, Occupational Safety and Health, Environmental Science, and Other (a category that includes analysis of policy development and implementation, new analysis of existing research, meta-analysis or synthesis from existing studies of the above, and behavioral studies [including intervention studies] of utilization or adopti... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2752046 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:33:17 +0100 2752046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737689&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Flasik-surgery-survey-laser-eye-surgery-reviews-of-lasik-should-you-have-lasik-eye-surgery-.html My wife recently expressed frustration that she can no longer see the bedroom clock without putting on her glasses. Knowing the time is important when you wake up in the morning. It can mean the difference between grabbing another hour’s sleep or needing to bounce out of bed and get going. Seeing the alarm clock is apparently a crucial eye test for many folks. In our recent survey of people who had Lasik and other types of laser vision correction, those who were better able to see the alarm clock were among those most satisfied with their results. Interestingly, although people said they underwent laser vision correction to get rid of their glasses, 55 percent said they still needed to use glasses or contact lenses, at least sometimes, even after the surgery. But this still didn’t in... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737689 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:05:00 +0100 2737689 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2734201&cid=t_151400_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FnMGlv0o1OWA%2F I know other families whose kids have autism. Yes, sometimes more than one child in the family with autism, and I really don’t know how they keep it together. I have to admit I think we’re doing a fairly terrible job a lot of the time with just one. photo courtesy of r0Kk (flickr.com) We haven’t done ABA with Alex (long story and not interesting, so I’m not going to go into it). I used to feel bad; then I recalled children I know who have had years of ABA and whose behavior is not so very different from Alex’s. And if you look online there is plenty of criticism about ABA being too rigid or too target-specific rather than behavior general. (Of course there is good ABA, too.) But still. If Alex had had years of ABA would he be functioning at a higher level? Ale... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2734201 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:16:51 +0100 2734201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712165&cid=t_151400_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F08%2F19%2Fis-my-child-a-kleptomaniac%2F In an article about apologizing, I confessed to stealing a friend’s hair brush when I was six. That brush burned a hole in the back of my closet until the unbearable guilt ratted me out to my Mom. She marched me over to my friend’s house and stood at a supervisory distance while I did the death walk of the condemned up to the door. The brush was returned together with a shaky, sincere apology. I never felt so bad, before or since. Thus ended my career in petty crime. When I read Perri Klass’s article in the New York Times Health section, Stealing in Childhood Does Not a Criminal Make, it rang so true. Dr. Klass is a pediatrician/writer whose career I’ve followed since my graduate school, her medical school days back in the ’80s. Like me, she is now a seasoned professional wit... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712165 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:00:57 +0100 2712165 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702551&cid=t_151400_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F14%2Fthe-price-of-misinformation-in-the-media%2F Misinformation in the media can be dangerous. It breeds confusion, frustration, and even fear. Just last week I posted some tips for spotting nutrition misinformation on the internet.  Little did I know there would be two national media outlets in print and television (Time and Good Morning America) that would produce misleading stories in nutrition and exercise with potentially damaging effects. It’s one thing when people hear new information and share it with others (there’s a reason they call it a “rumormill” and “myths”), but when the media are behind the misinformation it helps no one. People trust the media and they assume that the stories are well-researched. But that’s not always the case in this day and age of a small news hole and the fi... Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702551 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:50:09 +0100 2702551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653651&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F07%2Fdangers-of-hookah-smoking-hookah-with-lollipop-flavors-snus-kids-and-smoking-tobacco-free-kids-.html This week I spoke on Good Morning America about the dangers of hookah smoking (also called waterpipe, shisha (sheesha), goza, or hubble bubble) for teens. I blogged about the subject last year after my son—then only fifteen years old—told me how easy it was to get served at hookah bars in New York City. Like many adolescents, he was convinced that, unlike cigarettes, it was not harmful. In fact, hookahs do use tobacco (referred to as Massel) which comes in a wide variety of flavors— including apple, strawberry, cappuccino, coconut and mango—intended to provide smokers with a pleasant smoking experience. Because it provides a much less irritating smoking experience, hookahs are considered more pleasant by many smokers, and as a result, they may smoke for longer durations and ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653651 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:14:01 +0100 2653651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630043&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F07%2Fskinny-jeans-trend-dangers-of-skinny-jeans-nerve-damage-from-skinny-jeans-meralgia-paresthetica-.html Squeezing into skinny jeans can put you at risk for nerve damage, fertility problems, bladder infections, and even blood clots, according to Consumer Reports' medical adviser Dr. Orly Avitzur.  On the Today show today, Dr. Avitzur weighed in on this potentially dangerous trend, popular with men and women alike, and spoke on why trying to be more "skinny jeans confident" might not be such a good idea. Take a look (right), and for more on the risks, read the "The dangers of squeezing into skinny jeans."  —Ginger Skinner (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630043 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:25:30 +0100 2630043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556072&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Flower-back-pain-readers-weigh-in-osteopathic-manipulative-treatment-opioid-medications-narcotics-.html Readers who have lower-back pain have written us a lot since the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center Survey results were released in April. We’ve heard from chiropractic fans and chiropractic detractors, readers who have problems with opioid medications and readers who use such narcotics without a problem. Many writers remarked that our coverage had failed to mention treatments that worked well for them. There was a spinal decompression success story as well as a "compression shirt" success story. There were those who were helped by a therapy called the Feldenkrais Method® and those who swore by another called the Alexander Technique. There was a reader who touted the book "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection," by John E. Sarno, M.D., and another who tout... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556072 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:15:00 +0100 2556072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441113&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Fanswers-about-the-risks-benefits-of-medical-care-lower-back-pain-survey-informed-medical-decision-sh.html Patients who come to my office for lower-back pain are often seeking a second opinion because they’ve been told they need surgery. And as it turns out, many get better by waiting it out, which may explain why 35 percent of our Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center survey of more than 14,000 people with lower-back pain said they never consulted a professional at all. Others improve with a variety of treatments, especially hands-on therapies. Patient preference plays a big role in healing, regardless of the treatment chosen. If a person is not keen on taking medications, the drugs are not likely to be effective (and prescriptions may not even be filled), and likewise, if someone doesn’t want to make the time for regular physical therapy, its benefits are bound to be limited. The decisio... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441113 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:39:08 +0100 2441113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414730&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Fconflict-of-interest-psychiatry-guidelines-health-ratings-center-health-reform.html Quick, answer this question: Who writes the guidelines for physicians on how to treat mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression?  A) Psychiatrists interested in the welfare of patients with these terrible and debilitating diseases?B) Academic researchers who are willing to lend their expert opinion to help fellow doctors?C) People financed by drug companies who can be counted on to write the guidelines in a way that serves the company’s interests?D.) All of the above. If you answered D, you’re on the money. In fact, being “on the money” is the operative phrase here, because a recent report on the conflicts of interest in psychiatric guidelines committees reveal some shocking facts about the financial entanglements ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414730 Fri, 15 May 2009 21:03:33 +0100 2414730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2404993&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Ffree-drug-samples-could-cost-you-more-in-the-long-run-starter-packs-free-prescription-drugs-.html Everyone likes freebies. Eighty percent of respondents in our recent drug survey said they had accepted free drug samples from their doctors. But while those freebies might sound like a great deal, particularly if you’re having a hard time affording your prescriptions, they could cost you more in the long run. According to a study published this week in PLoS Medicine, free samples, also referred to as “starter packs,” actually increase the cost of health care, and do little to promote safe, rational prescription drug use. So what questions should you ask before taking free drug samples from your doctor? Watch our video with Dr. John Santa, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center, to find out. —Ginger Skinner We’d like to hear from you: Have you accepted free drug... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2404993 Tue, 12 May 2009 21:14:39 +0100 2404993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2404994&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Ftoothpicks-an-effective-treatment-for-lower-back-pain-treating-back-pain-with-placebos-fake-acupunct.html This study "raises important questions about acupuncture’s mechanisms of action," says lead researcher Daniel Cherkin, Ph.D. of Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle. And Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) says "This adds to the growing body of evidence that there is something meaningful taking place during acupuncture treatments outside of actual needling. Future research is needed to delve deeper into what is evoking these responses." But why did the patients in this study respond so well to toothpicks? "Touch is a complex interaction that involves a completely different approach to a person," says John Santa, M,D, M.P.H., director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2404994 Tue, 12 May 2009 20:47:46 +0100 2404994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389664&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4OyzVrtztoU%2F With the economy in a deep recession and policymakers turning to massive government intervention in an attempt to create jobs and bolster the financial system—it feels like the 1930s all over again.  Today’s new New Deal is rapidly unfolding, with the Obama administration and many lawmakers making it clear that any question of the success of FDR’s New Deal policies was resolved long ago: government intervention worked, and history bears repeating.   However, there are deep disagreements about the New Deal, and whether Roosevelt’s policies deepened the depression and delayed recovery.  Join us at the Cato Institute on June 1 to be a part of a highly informative half-day conference. Recognized national experts will discuss the economic and legal impact of the New Deal, and how i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389664 Tue, 05 May 2009 15:11:37 +0100 2389664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2386822&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYhi6yWYuuqY%2F Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, Lawrence Lessig’s seminal work on Internet law, turns ten this year. To mark the occasion, Cato Unbound has invited a distinguished panel of Internet law experts to discuss the book’s enduring significance: What did it get right? What did it get wrong? And where do we go from here? Joining us will be Adam Thierer, Jonathan Zittrain, and Lawrence Lessig himself. The lead essay, up this morning, is by Declan McCullagh. Readers of Code will recall that McCullagh was called out by name in the book’s final chapter, and his “do-nothing” cyberlibertarian views were criticized at length. Ten years later, is it time to reconsider? Join us and find out. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2386822 Mon, 04 May 2009 15:21:03 +0100 2386822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382242&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Ffor-iraq-veterans-headaches-continue-following-traumatic-brain-injury-soldiers-mild-head-trauma-or-b.html A study conducted at Fort Lewis, WA, and presented this week at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st annual meeting in Seattle reports that many soldiers who experienced mild head trauma or blast exposure while serving in active combat are returning to the United States with headaches. The study involved 978 US Army soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan in 2008 who had experienced a concussion, head injury or blast exposure while deployed. Nearly 98 percent of the soldiers reported having headaches during the last three months of their service. Thirty-seven percent of the soldiers stated that their headaches began within one week of the traumatic brain injury (TBI); of these 60 percent had migraine-like headaches and 40 percent had headaches which interfered with their ability ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382242 Fri, 01 May 2009 23:11:46 +0100 2382242 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382246&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Fhpv-vaccine-does-not-increase-the-risks-of-guillainbarr%25C3%25A9-syndrome-american-academy-of-neurology-gard.html A study presented this week at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st annual meeting in Seattle supports last year’s blog cautioning against making cause-effect conclusions from anecdotal reports and tragic patient stories linking the HPV vaccine (Gardasil) with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). In the report, researchers examined data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in which 36 cases of GBS were reported to have occurred after vaccination in the United States from 2006 to 2008. The University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey study reports that the disorder occurred within six weeks after vaccination in 75 percent of the people, and in 60 percent, HPV was the only vaccine administered at the time (the remaining 40 percent received the HPV vaccine along wi... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382246 Fri, 01 May 2009 17:41:10 +0100 2382246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2364885&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F04%2Fone-step-closer-to-personal-health-records-electronic-health-records-health-it-health-information-te.html No more mixing up prescriptions, racking your brain about a previous doctor’s diagnosis or treatment, or scrambling to find lab results from months back. This is the promise we’ve been hearing about electronic health records for years. But now it looks like we’re getting a big step closer. President Obama and Congress made a substantial investment—$19 billion—in what is broadly called “health information technology” (HIT) in the economic stimulus bill signed into law in February. Some hospitals and doctors aren’t wasting any time. Mayo Clinic this month became the latest to jump on the HIT bandwagon in a partnership with Microsoft to launch Mayo Clinic Health Manager, an online personal health record (PHR) that allows you to store all your medical records and results (those... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2364885 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:14:30 +0100 2364885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347709&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F04%2Fnarcotic-medicine-can-be-deadly-after-spinalfusion-surgery-opioids-back-pain.html A new study in the April issue of Spine underscores our concerns about taking narcotics for back pain. The study looked at nearly 2,400 patients who had undergone lumbar-fusion surgery for lower-back pain, usually from degenerative disk disease. After about six and a half years, 103 had died. Of those deaths, 21 percent were linked to pain relievers, especially narcotic ones such as codeine, morphine, and oxycodone. Spinal fusion was the most common surgery in our April 2009 back-pain poll. While satisfaction with the procedure varied according to diagnosis and type of surgery, those with degenerative disk disease were far less likely to be highly satisfied (54 percent) than were those with a herniated disk (73 percent). Spine-surgery rates in the U.S. have skyrocketed over the past two de... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347709 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:05:41 +0100 2347709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2284305&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F03%2Fcomparative-effectiveness-better-care-lower-costs.html Congress recently approved $1.1 billion in the stimulus package to fund more comparative research, so we can know just how well medications stack up against each other, as well as other treatments and surgeries (important note: the government-funded research only compares effectiveness, not cost. Pricing information is what groups like ours can do, to help doctors and their patients find more affordable alternatives). This type of unbiased, scientific information helps level the playing field for consumers in a medical game where all the cards have been held by the drug companies. But as the Washington Post reports, some are waging a not-so-subtle campaign against this type of research, claiming that if we know what medications works best, we’ll end up with our care rationed. But Dr. San... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2284305 Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:34:00 +0100 2284305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2249493&cid=t_151400_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fa-new-multiple-sclerosis-webcast%2F MS community you asked for it, now you’ve got it.  Everyday Health has posted our latest webcast about multiple sclerosis titled, “Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Trials and Research.” Unlike our previous webcasts this one was not broadcast live.  Still, we used many of your questions that you submitted here on the “Life with MS” blog and I hope you’ll continue to do so in the future. Yes, the future!  We happily have another MS webcast scheduled for May. I encourage you to grab a cup of coffee (or be like me and pour yourself something a little stronger) and login for an hour of really interesting information.  Our panel included prominent researchers from the US and Canada as well as a person living with multiple sclerosis who has been participating in an oral MS drug trial. ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2249493 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:09:36 +0100 2249493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2236130&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F03%2Four-experts-comment-on-patient-gag-orders.html Yesterday we reported on news that some physicians are starting to ask patients to sign waivers that say they will not post negative comments on rating Web sites. We asked for your thoughts, and you said it was a bad idea. Our doctors here on staff agreed: "I often counsel friends and family that if a doctor tries to talk you out of getting a second opinion or acts in a defensive or arrogant manner, it is time to get a new doctor. Similarly, if a doctor tries to get you to sign such a waiver you should run the other way. Patient centered care requires that physicians put the patient first – long waits, gruff demeanor, being treated like a statistic rather than a person, etc. are all unacceptable. While we all have bad days, I find it hard to believe that a doctor with m... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2236130 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:30:24 +0100 2236130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2196348&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F02%2Fpeanut-problems-in-a-nutshell.html For the last few weeks we’ve kept you posted on the ongoing peanut-butter recalls. Earlier last week the FBI raided the Peanut Butter Corp. of America, the Georgia company implicated in the outbreak of Salmonella that is now linked to 637 illnesses and 9 deaths in 44 states and that has led to the recall of more than 2,200 products. Some experts now think that the bacteria may have been spread by the birds that often roost on peanut-butter processing plants. Water contaminated with salmonella-infested feces may have leaked through the roof and into the peanut butter, where the bacteria could thrive and multiply. While this is the most serious problem ever linked to peanuts or peanut butter, it’s not the first. Here are a few other potential risks posed by peanuts—along with some of t... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2196348 Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:54:55 +0100 2196348 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2195329&cid=t_151400_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FKQVixe099Ug%2F A question from a reader: I have been taking oxycontin 40mg 4 years and want to quit so went to dr and gave me 12 suboxone 8mg took one 8mg yesterday at 3pm which would be 20 hrs after last oxy i was having serious withdrawals 10minutes after taking the suboxone i felt so nice freezing cold went away and so pleased, it is 10am and still no chills, is it possible the suboxone is out of my system now? should i still follow the dr’s calender? My Response: There are at least two points I want to make.  The first is a direct answer to your question:  no, the Suboxone is not out of your system.  You still have considerable withdrawal in front of you, and you are being kept from withdrawal by the long duration of action of the buprenorphine in Suboxone. You are used to taking 40 mg of Oxycod... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2195329 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:04:14 +0100 2195329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2178654&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F02%2Fdrug-industry-fights-stimulus-provision.html According to a report in the The Wall Street Journal yesterday, the drug industry is gearing up to fight a provision in the stimulus bill. The provision will spend $1.1 billion on research that compares medical treatments on effectiveness and cost, also known as comparative effectiveness. Since the 90s, the federal government has allowed pharmaceutical companies to dominate drug information to consumers by allowing direct-to-consumer advertising and generally loosening FDA regulations on the boundaries about what pharma companies can say to consumers. At the same time the federal government rarely funded any research that compared one drug to another. To no ones surprise, given the pharmaceutical industry's obligation to generate profits, the industry rarely funded comparison studies a... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2178654 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:49:21 +0100 2178654 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2175258&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F02%2Fviagra-for-women.html The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study last summer that found that some women who take certain antidepressants, and who also suffer from sexual dysfunction issues as a side effect, might be helped by taking Viagra. Is it a good idea? Is it safe? Dr. Marvin Lipman explains when—or even if—a women should consider using Viagra. Watch our video (right), read more on viagra and women, and see our new survey on Americans' sex lives. And we'd like to hear from you. Given Dr. Lipman's advice, do you think women should take Viagra? Why or why not? (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2175258 Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:45:34 +0100 2175258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2164666&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F02%2Fdoctor-privacy.html An appeals court ruled earlier this week to keep Medicare data on individual doctors out of the public's eye in a court case where Consumers' Checkbook, a ratings group, sued to have access to the data to use as a basis for doctors ratings. Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, supported the Consumers' Checkbook suit. While we disagree with the court decision, it should reinforce the responsibility physicians have to patients and consumers that goes beyond just their medical care. The government has often come down on the side of doctors, citing their professional obligations to patients as a rationale for less oversight. Given the excesses of the current market, including soaring health-care costs, doctors shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that consumers e... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2164666 Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:51:27 +0100 2164666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2156533&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F530773433%2Finteracting-with-experts.html Every so often, you get a really fun opportunity to interact with experts in a field at a casual level. I've had the pleasure of having several of these random moments, and one of my first involved neuroethics, an article by Danniell Dennett, the 2005 National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference, and some professor by the name of Paul Root Wolpe. Of course, it wasn't until later that I realized precisely who Dr. Wolpe was, at which point I promptly suffered from extreme mortification at my casual level of arguing - but I think that's half the fun of those hindsight situations.I had the privilege of getting to know and occasionally work with Dr. Wolpe after that first random meeting, and my impression of him hasn't changed. He's extremely fun to talk to about a wide range of subjects, still ... Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2156533 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:54:21 +0100 2156533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2112485&cid=t_151400_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fms-and-clinical-trials-a-call-for-questions%2F I am preparing for a multiple sclerosis webcast that will happen in early February.  The topic for this conversation will be phase III clinical trials and I’ll have guests from around the country join us to talk about many aspects of this subject. As always, I want to make sure that “real” questions and concerns are addressed during the webcast and I’d like to know your questions about clinical trials. What would you like to know?  Let me put that another way: If you were sitting in a room with two well renowned MS researchers and a person living with MS who has been in a phase III clinical trial, what would you ask them? Some of my questions are: How do you get into a trial?  What are the risks?  Do I have to stop using my current drugs? What would you ask? Thi... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2112485 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:17:44 +0100 2112485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2102478&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F01%2Fdartmouth-hospitals.html More hospital and doctor services do not mean better outcomes or more positive experiences for patients. This is according to an analysis of patient experiences by the Dartmouth Institute in the current issue of Health Affairs. Why? One possibility is that more health care can be less effective (and could harm you) if it is not well coordinated. Unlike other industries, hospitals and doctors haven’t been able to keep pace with information technology that would help doctors keep tabs on each others’ tests and medications. Doctors are trained to work independently, and they are usually paid to do more, not less. Hospitals struggle to impose guidelines and other processes on doctors. This can lead to uncoordinated care, putting patients at risk. Only rarely do doctors and hospitals tell u... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2102478 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:50:11 +0100 2102478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2093728&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F01%2Ffree-antibiotic.html More than a few grocery store chains have recently announced that they would provide free generic antibiotics to their customers who present a prescription. Normally Consumer Reports would applaud this kind of price competition, but not in this case. Inappropriate use of antibiotics in viral infections such as the common cold, bronchitis, and run-of-the-mill sore throat is still much too common. Antibiotics not only don't help those viral infections but can cause serious side effects. In addition, every antibiotic prescribed unnecessarily increases the risk of a future infection from a bacterial mutation that is resistant to antibiotics. Consumer activists supported by Consumers Union have long led a national campaign to raise awareness of deadly health-care acquired infections, such a... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2093728 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:54:31 +0100 2093728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2080986&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F01%2Fis-everything-cause-for-experts-to.html So, a study shows that girls play less energetically than boys. Big whup and, as they say, vive la difference. But some find even this innocuous information a cause for hand wringing. From the story:Girls tend to play less energetically than boys, because they are more interested in chatting, a new study shows. Researchers found the girls spent six per cent less time in vigorous physical activity than the boys Even at the age of 10, girls are more likely to stand around gossiping than playing games or sports like their male classmates, the research found. And here's the kicker:Researchers warn that the trends last a lifetime and could lead to obesity.Please. But, don't worry "experts:" the men catch up by drinking more beer. And I am sure you are all worried about that, too. (Source: Secon... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2080986 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:49:00 +0100 2080986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2068168&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2008%2F12%2Fmercury-fish.html Recent news stories have suggested that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering relaxing its fish-consumption advice for vulnerable populations, such as women of child-bearing age, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children. The stories are based on a leaked internal draft report, which has been posted on the website of the Environmental Working Group. The FDA told us that the reports aren't accurate, and the guidelines won't be changed in the near future. Currently, the FDA advises these populations to avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish (all contain high levels of mercury), to eat only 12 ounces (about 2 average meals) a week of lower-mercury fish, and to reduce albacore tuna consumption to 6 ounces a week. Consumers Union believes that the mercury... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2068168 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:52:43 +0100 2068168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2052533&cid=t_151400_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2008%2F12%2F19%2Fthank-you-emr-and-hipaa-sponsors%2F As EMR and HIPAA passes our 3 year anniversary, I thought I’d take a moment to thank the sponsors of this blog. Their sponsorship makes this website possible. This is especially true at Christmas time. So, thanks to both EMR Choice and EMR Experts for your sponsorship and advertising on EMR and HIPAA. Our relationship with EMR Experts goes back almost 2 years and so hopefully they’ve found our relationship as beneficial as I have found it. EMR Choice is a new sponsor that’s really trying to do some good things in the EMR market. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 3 years since I started this blog. I first started out just wanting to document my experience with EMR. I still do that to a large extent, but it’s grown to a lot of other things includin... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2052533 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:12:57 +0100 2052533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1985917&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2008%2F11%2Ftattoos-and-tee.html My friend's daughter, Becky (not her real name), is a radiant, outgoing high school senior who is planning to go to nursing school like her mom. Over the years I've watched her grow into a strikingly beautiful young woman with a flair for style and fashion. So when she recently traded in her braces for nasal piercings and a tattoo, I was taken aback. But perhaps it should have come as no surprise. Tattoos have gone mainstream. Recent data suggest that more than one-third of adults in the U.S. under the age of 35 and about one-quarter of those ages 18 to 50 now sport at least one tattoo. State and local authorities oversee tattoo practices, which vary across the country. There is no standard regulation for training or licensing, no requirements for inspection, record-keeping, informed con... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1985917 Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:03:39 +0100 1985917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1962648&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2008%2F11%2Fheart-attack-pr.html I started getting phone calls from my patients almost as soon as the headlines starting appearing last week. All the media were trumpeting the results of a new study showing that rosuvastatin (Crestor), a powerful cholesterol-lowering statin drug, slashed the risk of heart attack and stroke even in people with normal—that’s right, normal—cholesterol levels who also had high blood levels of a substance called C-reactive protein. CRP rises when the arteries are inflamed, and, as we’ve previously reported, growing research has linked such inflammation with an increased risk of heart attack. All of those callers wanted to know the same thing: Should they start taking the drug? Here’s my answer to that and two related questions. Should I immediately start taking a statin? Probably ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1962648 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:33:53 +0100 1962648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1961439&cid=t_151400_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2F452534491%2F Every day I receive several comments from self-identified ‘Suboxone experts’ who repeat the same comments over and over again. I am tempted to post a few here, and then pick them apart piece-by-piece, but I am afraid that somebody will pop in, read them out of context, and think that I am agreeing with something that I actually take issue with. The comments are generally something like this: You are wrong. You are replacing one drug for another. Suboxone is the same as methadone. Suboxone is the worst thing in the world to get off of. You should check your facts. Trust me doc—you don’t know what you are talking about.’ Then they often add something like ‘have a nice recovery’, or ‘may you rot in hell’, or ‘if you get defensive that only proves that you are wrong’ (my ... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1961439 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:18:48 +0100 1961439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1877276&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2008%2F10%2Fmaternity-care.html My cousin's wife is expecting a baby next week. She wants to have a natural childbirth, and her birth plan includes requests to allow spontaneous rupture of membranes, to avoid pain relief/epidural unless she asks, to steer clear of the labor-inducing drug oxytocin, to avoid episiotomy, and also to only have intermittent fetal monitoring. For expectant mothers like her, the recent report, Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve, is welcome news. It sheds light on several overused maternity practices, including labor induction, epidurals for pain, and Cesarean section. It points out that such practices can lead to a host of additional interventions, are associated with risk of maternal and newborn harm, and add considerable costs to patient care. The report confi... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1877276 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:22:55 +0100 1877276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1857438&cid=t_151400_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2008%2F10%2Fraking-leaves-a.html My patient, a 54-year-old dentist, was mowing the lawn one recent September when he ran over a nest of yellow jackets, causing them to swarm. He ran to escape but slipped on wet leaves. He fell with his arm outstretched, dislocated his shoulder, and suffered nerve damage. Although it took a year and a half, he ultimately recovered. While winter may be the season most people consider risky for slips and falls, autumn can be equally dangerous.  Accidents sustained in autumn clean-up work keeps emergency rooms hopping and orthopedists busy until spring. If you're not careful, injuries can occur from cleaning the gutters, operating lawn mowers, raking leaves, and hoisting them into bags.  Falls off ladders, foot injuries from mowers, and low back pain from strenuous twisting and lif... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1857438 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:24:15 +0100 1857438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2513536&cid=t_151400_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FMkXXqcLrQRY%2Fmomzilla-reveals-her-true-identitymommy.html Momzilla, as she is well known on the Tubal Reversal Message Board, is actually Tracy, a 43 year-old married, mother of three who is employed as a Senior Human Resource Manager. Tracy has described her symptoms of Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome (PTLS) on the Tubal Reversal Blog, and now, four months after her tubal ligation reversal surgery, she and her husband Glenn describe her recovery from PTLS. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2513536 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:07:17 +0100 2513536 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2513540&cid=t_151400_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2F2lJECZlzM7A%2Ftubes-tied-regret-guil.html The decision to have one's tubes tied (tubal ligation) is often made under stressful circumstances. This can lead to regret and guilt over the decision. Some women choose to have their tubes untied to relieve the burdens of regret or guilt as well as to be able to have another child after a tubal ligation. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2513540 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:18:38 +0100 2513540