IVF injections, sore butts and bruised bellies
I've always been very impressed by how motivated, determined, perseverant IVF patients can be. Lots of them are petrified of taking an injection, and have never taken an injection before in their life.However, because they want a baby so desperately , they're willing to take lots of injections during their IVF cycle and they learn to get used to it.Some of these IVF injections can be extremely painful, and these include the progesterone injections, which American doctors love so much. These are given after the embryo transfer , to provide luteal phase support.The other extremely painful injection is Clexane or low-dose Hep...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - September 23, 2018 Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs
A physician with congenital heart disease
Everyone always jokes with doctors, “What happens if you get sick?” Some of us laugh off the question. The busy schedule of health care often means our own health comes last. However, what happens when it’s a chronic disease that requires treatment? Then the answer to this question is a little different.
I am a family medicine physician dealing with congenital heart disease (CHD). Saying that someone has congenital heart disease is a broad statement. CHD affects 40,000 babies born each year, but the severity and complications have a broad range. Some infants may only have a small hole between the two ventricles; othe...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - September 21, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/sweta-shah" rel="tag" > Sweta Shah, DO < /a > Tags: Conditions Cardiology Source Type: blogs
The Digital Health Buzzword Radar
Data-driven haircare, blockchain-enabled long island ice tea or artificially intelligent toilet paper: the buzzwords of our time seem to be everywhere, and digital health is no exception. Sometimes it even seems to be the breeding ground of overhyped technologies and overmarketing. Here, we collected the most often used digital health buzzwords and placed them on our buzzword radar.
Digital health is ripe for hype
As digital health is gaining momentum, more and more companies come forward with their disruptive ideas; or at least with their claims about having built disruptive digital health solutions. For the reason that o...
Source: The Medical Futurist - September 19, 2018 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Bioethics Business Future of Medicine Medical Professionals Patients Policy Makers Researchers AI artificial intelligence big data blockchain buzzword deep learning digital health DTC Genetic testing genetics genomics H Source Type: blogs
Aspirin: Panacea or Piffle?
Aspirin is once again in the headlines, prompted by New England Journal of Medicine reports suggesting that people aged 70 years and older obtain no benefit and perhaps experience harm in the form of increased bleeding and increased death from cancer on low-dose aspirin. This adds to the decades-long debate on whether aspirin is beneficial as a preventive measure against cardiovascular events such as heart attack in which a blood clot forms on top of inflamed atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries. Unlike many other studies that are observational and therefore virtually useless, these studies are prospective and r...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 17, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates aspirin coronary grain-free heart attack heart disease Inflammation platelets Weight Loss wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Affordable Fertility Care from the Glow Fertility Program: Three Perspectives Interview
For couples dealing with infertility, the cost of fertility treatment can be significant. While numerous variables need to be considered when estimating the cost of treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF), estimates put the price on the order of $12,000-$14,000, and sometimes even higher. This does not include the added cost of medications, which themselves range between $3,000-$5,000. While other treatment options exist at a lower cost, such as ovarian stimulation plus intrauterine insemination (IUI), these options are considered less effective. Clinical study results from the University of California published in ...
Source: Medgadget - September 11, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Michael Batista Tags: Exclusive Ob/Gyn Reproductive Medicine Source Type: blogs
Preterm birth and heart disease risk for mom
If you delivered a baby early, you may want to pay closer attention to your heart health. A study published in the journal Hypertension shows that a history of preterm birth (defined as a birth before the 37th week of pregnancy) may bring health risks for not only for baby, but for mom, too.
The study found that women who delivered a baby preterm were more likely to experience rising blood pressures later, compared to women who delivered closer to term. If they had this pattern, they were also more likely to show signs of coronary artery disease, which is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Becaus...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 10, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kelly Bilodeau Tags: Health Heart Health Pregnancy Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Many women carry their losses in their hearts for a lifetime
I understand why J35, the killer whale, carried her dead calf. A member of an Orca pod in the Pacific Northwest, Tahlequah (J35 as she is known to researchers) gave birth to a calf who died a few hours later. For an unprecedented 17 days this summer, J35 carried out an exhausting ritual of pushing it repeatedly to the ocean’s surface. For 17 days, and over 1,000 miles she kept her baby from sinking to the ocean floor. Scientists explain that orcas and other mammals carry out these grieving rituals, but the length of time this mother continued to carry her dead calf was extraordinary.
I suspect many women could relate to ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - September 8, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/sheila-watson" rel="tag" > Sheila Watson, MD < /a > Tags: Physician OB/GYN Source Type: blogs
PCOS: A man-made situation
Most mainstream doctors believe that polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS, is a disease.
PCOS is, after all, associated with markedly increased risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, endometrial cancer, and heart disease, in addition to outward signs that include excessive facial and body hair, tendency to being overweight or obese, irregular menstrual cycles, infertility. A crisis of self esteem commonly and understandably results. Mainstream doctors tell you to not worry because they have plenty of prescription drugs to “treat” it, not to mention various hormones, fertility procedures, and gastric bypass.
PCOS is a situa...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 6, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates acne facial change facial hair gluten-free grain-free grains Inflammation pcos polycystic ovary testosterone undoctored Weight Loss wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Digital Tattoos Make Healthcare More Invisible
What if markings on your skin could unlock your phone or get you access to entrance doors? And what if they could also measure your blood pressure or hydration level constantly in the background only alerting you in case of values out of the normal range? Digital tattoos could act as minilabs rendering our skin an interactive display and making healthcare more invisible at the same time. Here’s our summary of the latest trends and research efforts to make it happen.
Our bodies are the next frontier for technology
In the course of the development of medical devices, a general trend has emerged: tools are getting more min...
Source: The Medical Futurist - September 4, 2018 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Business Health Sensors & Trackers Healthcare Design Medical Professionals Patients digital digital health digital tattoo digital tattoos future Innovation Personalized medicine technology wearables Source Type: blogs
Digital Tattoos Make Healthcare More Invisible
What if markings on your skin could unlock your phone or get you access to entrance doors? And what if they could also measure your blood pressure or hydration level constantly in the background only alerting you in case of values out of the normal range? Digital tattoos could act as minilabs rendering our skin an interactive display and making healthcare more invisible at the same time. Here’s our summary of the latest trends and research efforts to make it happen.
Our bodies are the next frontier for technology
In the course of the development of medical devices, a general trend has emerged: tools are getting more min...
Source: The Medical Futurist - September 4, 2018 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Business Health Sensors & Trackers Healthcare Design Medical Professionals Patients digital digital health digital tattoo digital tattoos future Innovation Personalized medicine technology wearables Source Type: blogs
How many bones in the human body? It ’s not what you think.
If somebody asks you how many bones there are in a human body, please do not blurt out, “206.” The correct answer is nuanced. To respond accurately to the query, you have to address five questions. Who? What? When? Where? Why?
Consider first that humans vary from one another in facial features, hair color, height, and shoe size. Unknown to nearly everybody except anatomists, surgeons, and radiologists, variety continues beneath the skin. Nerves, tendons, arteries all have their unique features, and their precise arrangement in me says little about their precise arrangements in you. True, you can generalize and be right...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 28, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/roy-a-meals" rel="tag" > Roy A. Meals, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions Orthopedics Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 27th 2018
Fight Aging! provides a weekly digest of news and commentary for thousands of subscribers interested in the latest longevity science: progress towards the medical control of aging in order to prevent age-related frailty, suffering, and disease, as well as improvements in the present understanding of what works and what doesn't work when it comes to extending healthy life. Expect to see summaries of recent advances in medical research, news from the scientific community, advocacy and fundraising initiatives to help speed work on the repair and reversal of aging, links to online resources, and much more.
This content is...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 26, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Patient preferences in IVF treatment
Infertility treatment is always elective, which is why I try to offer as many treatment options as possible to patients, so they can pick and choose which the right one is for themselves .For example, patients with unexplained infertility can choose to do either IUI or IVF. Now, when I offer the patient a choice, they get very confused , because they don't know what they should do . They want a doctor who will make the decision for them.While I'm happy to offer guidance, I don't want to be paternalistic , and I remind them that I'm not a mind reader – I don’t know what your personal preferences are.The truth is th...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - August 22, 2018 Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs
Why is test tube baby treatment so expensive?
Many infertile patients get major heartburn when they realize that they aren't able to afford test tube baby treatments because they are so expensive. They can't understand why IVF doctors charge so much, and lots of patients end up thinking of IVF clinics as being greedy.Patients need to understand that part of test tube baby treatment is clinical – and this is what the patient sees. This includes: consultations, blood tests, ultrasound scans, egg collection, and embryo transfer.However, the heart of the IVF treatment is the IVF laboratory, and the patient doesn ’t get to see what goes on behind the scenes in the IVF ...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - August 18, 2018 Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs
Don ’t throw the E & M baby out with the bath water: the proposed CMS changes
By now everyone has heard that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed to dramatically change the way physicians get paid for evaluation and management (E&M) services in the office as part of the proposed 2019 Physician Fee Schedule Rule. In fact, as of the end of July, CMS has received over 600 comments on the proposed rule, with virtually all of them criticizing the proposal. I suspect very few physicians have read the 55 pages describing CMS’ proposal and basing their comments on reporting by various agencies. I don’t fault anyone for not reading it; understanding CMS regulations is not...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 11, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/ronald-hirsch" rel="tag" > Ronald Hirsch, MD < /a > Tags: Policy Practice Management Primary Care Source Type: blogs
