Why I ’ m not fazed by unremarkable results in therapy trials
Remember the old ‘pareto principle’? 80% of the results come from 20% of the input, or as Wikipedia informs me, “the principle of factor sparsity”
I think we’ve got there with musculoskeletal pain, especially low back pain.
The other ‘law’ that might apply is that of diminishing returns.
We’ve learned a great deal about low back pain over my clinical career. We’ve essentially learned what not do to. In the name of progress, thousands of people have put their pain (their bodies) on the line. And progress has not exactly been great right? We’ve learned tha...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - May 7, 2023 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Back pain Low back pain Occupational therapy Pain conditions Physiotherapy Professional topics Research Science in practice healthcare Therapeutic approaches Source Type: blogs
CBG Oil ’ s Impact on Blood Pressure: Risks, Benefits, and Future Potential
Uncover the fascinating findings of a recent study on CBG oil and its effects on blood pressure, the potential dangers for those with normal levels, and the promising avenues for further research and therapeutic applications in the realm of cannabinoids.
Quick Summary
CBG oil, a lesser-known cannabinoid, has been found to significantly decrease blood pressure in healthy mice, according to a study conducted at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine.
While CBG oil has potential as a treatment for high blood pressure, it could be dangerous for individuals with normal blood pressure levels due to the r...
Source: The EMT Spot - May 7, 2023 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Michael Rotman, MD, FRCPC, PhD Tags: News Source Type: blogs
Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color
Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden created a wound dressing that can provide a visual indication if the underlying wound is infected. Chronic wounds are difficult to manage, and presently healthcare staff must remove the dressing regularly to check if an infection is developing. However, this can disrupt the wound by damaging the scab, impairing healing, and may even introduce pathogens in the process. This latest technology takes advantage of the tendency of infected wounds to show a reduction in acidity and become more basic. It consists of a nitrocellulose dressing that contains mesoporous silica nanoparticl...
Source: Medgadget - May 1, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Dermatology Materials Military Medicine Surgery liu_universitet Source Type: blogs
The cannabis education gap: Why patients are left in the dark
Imagine that you are suffering from chronic pain. The pain keeps you awake at night so you don’t get much sleep. Lack of sleep most nights and the ensuing chronic fatigue causes you some anxiety during the day. Your primary care physician suggests that she is concerned with the increasing amount of aspirin and ibuprofen
Read more…
The cannabis education gap: Why patients are left in the dark originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 1, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Timothy Byars Tags: Meds Hospital-Based Medicine Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
A woman in her 60s with large T-waves. Are they hyperacute, hyperkalemic, or something else?
Case written by Brandon Friedman M.D., edits by MeyersA woman in her 60s with a history of chronic atrial fibrillation on Eliquis, ESRD on hemodialysis, type-II diabetes mellitus, prior CVA, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia presented to the emergency department with multiple complaints after missing dialysis. She described a feeling of general unwellness, diarrhea, right-sided abdominal pain, bilateral leg pain, bilateral leg swelling, and diffuse itching. She missed her last two dialysis appointments, with her last session occurring one week prior to presentation. On initial assessment, she was found to be tachycard...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - May 1, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
“ … someone needs to find the cause of my pain, then fix it. ” What to do with sticky beliefs
I think most clinicians, and certainly a lot of people living with pain, want to know ‘what’s going on’ – with the hope that, once identified, ‘something’ can be done. Tricky stuff to navigate both as a person living with pain, and as a clinician – because for so many chronic pains, a diagnosis does very little.
Having a label has some benefits, for sure: it acts as a short-hand when talking about what’s going on with others; it can validate that the mysterious problems a person has been having are ‘real’ (though I could say more about that!); it can help peop...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - April 30, 2023 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: ACT - Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Coping strategies Occupational therapy Physiotherapy Professional topics Psychology Research Science in practice biopsychosocial pain management Therapeutic appr Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, May 1st 2023
In conclusion, frailty progression accelerates in males with one LTCs and females with two LTCs or more. Health providers should be aware of planning a suitable intervention once the elderly have two or more health conditions.
Plasma Transfer Lowers Epigenetic Age and Mortality in Rats
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2023/04/plasma-transfer-lowers-epigenetic-age-and-mortality-in-rats/
Plasma transfer from young to old individuals has produced mixed results in animals and little to no benefit in humans where assessed rigorously. These studies were driven by the hypothesis that young plasma contains m...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 30, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Teaching Wound Care at the American College of Physicians Annual Meeting
I recently had the honor of teaching a section entitled “Wound Care for the Internist.” at the annual meeting of the American College of Physicians (ACP) in San Diego. ACP is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members that include internal medicine physicians, subspecialists, and medical students. My session was well attended by caregivers from across the healthcare continuum including hospitalists, doctors in outpatient practices, and long-term care providers.
In my introductory remarks I asked the question, “How many of you have had a lecture on wound care in medical school....
Source: Jeffrey M. Levine MD | Geriatric Specialist | Wound Care | Pressure Ulcers - April 29, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Jeffrey M Levine Tags: Featured Medical Articles Geriatric Medicine Pressure Injuries & Wound Care arterial ulcer bedsores burns chronic wounds decubitus ulcer end-of-life care Jeff Levine MD medical education pressure sores pressure ulcers venous ulce Source Type: blogs
How Your Brain Is Connected to Your Gut: 7 Facts About Gut Health
We've all had a "gut feeling," or someone has told us to "follow our gut." It's that feeling that we may know something just by knowing—our intuition telling us something. It turns out that this feeling is more than just a feeling. The human body is an intricate series of systems, each individually playing a vital role in our overall health and well-being, and at the same time, they are all connected to make our whole body work.
One of these systems is the gut, also known as the gastrointestinal tract, which is responsible for digesting food and absorbing nutrients. When we combine its superpowers with the brain...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - April 28, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Irene Rondom Tags: health and fitness self-improvement brain health gut health Source Type: blogs
Stimulating Wounds with Electricity for Rapid Healing
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed a microfluidic system to test the effects of electrical stimulation in wound healing. The researchers hope that their experiments might lead to new medical devices that can assist with chronic wounds. Their microfluidic chip contains artificial skin that contains a layer of cells which the researchers can ‘wound’ and then apply an electrical charge to. So far, they have shown that stimulating the wound with electricity allowed it to heal three times faster than a non-stimulated control wound. The team hopes to develop the approach further to crea...
Source: Medgadget - April 25, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Medicine Surgery Source Type: blogs
‘ Women ’ s pain ’ – not just ‘ women ’ s pain ’
Women really do get a rough deal when it comes to pain. We live with the myth that because women experience pain in childbirth and (often) with periods of course women can ‘deal with it.’
Until recently women and female animals haven’t been included in pain research, and guess what? Women and female animals don’t have the same biological system for processing nociception.
Men are told ‘don’t be a girl’ about their pain.
Women are told they ‘look too good’ to be experiencing pain.
Women don’t get taken seriously when they ask for help with their pain &#...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - April 20, 2023 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Pain Pain conditions Chronic pain gender gender disparity Health healthcare Research sex women Source Type: blogs
XRHealth and Amelia Virtual Care Announce Merger, Creating the Largest XR Therapeutics Platform in the World
Both Companies will Be merged Under the XRHealth Brand Name and By the End of the Year Are Forecasted to Have over 500K VR Treatments, Exceed 25K Patients Treated, and Be Deployed by Over 2500 Clinicians
XRHealth, a Boston-based developer and operator of virtual treatment rooms, and Amelia Virtual Care, a global leading virtual reality platform for mental health professionals based in Barcelona, Spain, today announced their intention to merge into one company, which will remain called XRHealth. The union aims to create an XR therapeutic powerhouse, uniquely capable of addressing both physical and mental health issues. The...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - April 18, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Healthcare IT News Tags: Health IT Company Healthcare IT 2023 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition Amelia Virtual Care Amelia VR Asabys Asabys Partners Augmented Reality CBT Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Cognitive-Behavioral VR Therapy Eran Orr Guill Source Type: blogs
Compare these two ECGs. Do either, neither, or both show anything important?
One case sent by Dr. Sean Rees MD, written by Pendell Meyers, other case by Sam Ghali and Steve SmithTake a look at these two ECGs below from two patients in the ED, first without any clinical context. Full case details and outcomes are below.Case 1:Case 2: Case 1:What do you think?This was sent to Dr. Smith by SamGhali (@EM_RESUS) with zero other info. Smith ' s response was: " OMI Mimic. "Later, this info was supplied by Sam:This
ECG was recorded in a 23-year-old African American man with a history
of psychiatric illness, acute alcohol/drug intoxication, brought in by
police officers status post being ...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - April 17, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
When life happens … .
Most of my writing comes from mulling over recent events as played out either in social media or research findings. Today’s post is a little different. It’s no secret that I live with persistent pain, fibromyalgia to be exact. I’ve found that being open about my diagnosis, and that all the strategies I advise to others are also strategies I employ, and that none of them are ‘the secret.’
I posted recently about a struggle I have dealing with reviewer’s comments on papers I submit for publication. Now peer review is a thing, I think it’s a good thing though somewhat exploitative ...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - April 16, 2023 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Wellth Announces $20M Series B for Continued Growth of Behavioral Science-Based Platform
Why don’t we do what we’re “supposed to do” when it comes to our health?
Written by Matt Loper, Co-Founder and CEO at Wellth and originally posted on Wellth’s website.
I’ve seen so much unnecessary pain caused simply because we often don’t do the things we know we “should”. In my own family, my Uncle Roy struggled to manage his type 2 diabetes—he constantly missed doctor appointments, failed to take his medications, and never checked his blood sugars. He knew he should do all of these things—he even wanted and intended to—but he seemingly never could follow through. Uncle Roy spent years on di...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - April 10, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Healthcare IT News Tags: AI/Machine Learning Communication and Patient Experience Health IT Company Healthcare IT Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring Alec Zopf Artificial Intelligence At Home Care Behavioral Economics behavioral health CD Venture Chronic Cond Source Type: blogs
