Why Do I Need to Do This Stuff, Anyway?
By Jan Chait
It was the day I fired my primary-care physician (PCP). He was going over my vital signs with me and noted my blood pressure as being 140/90 (or something like that). "That's good," he said.
"No," I responded — I never could keep my mouth shut — "that's too high for somebody who has diabetes."
And that's when the tirade began, beginning with my audacity in talking back to him and then going into I needed to fire my endocrinologist, who never should have let me have an insulin pump, they're dangerous, yada, yada, yada.
That was 13 or so years and 4 pumps ago. I still have the endocrinologist.
Becau...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - September 4, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for diabetic foot ulcers
(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)
Source: Notes from Dr. RW - September 4, 2013 Category: Internists and Doctors of Medicine Tags: dermatology endocrinology Source Type: blogs
Stress and Health in Recovery
Keep an eye on stress levels
What are the long-term effects of stress?
The stress response of the body is meant to protect and support us. When faced with a threat, whether it be to our physical safety or emotional equilibrium, the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a process known as the “fight or flight” response. The sympathetic nervous system pumps out adrenaline, preparing us for emergency action. Our heart rate and blood flow to the large muscles increase, the blood vessels under the skin constrict to prevent blood loss in case of injury, the pupils dilate so we can see better, and our blood sugar r...
Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com - August 30, 2013 Category: Addiction Authors: Sparrow Tags: Addictions Alcoholism Codependency Disease effects of stress fight or flight psychological stress and health Source Type: blogs
Doctors, Doctors Everywhere — and We Need Them
By Jan Chait
Now that I'm pretty much recovered from my hospital ordeal (I still have some lingering problems getting onto the scooter from my desk chair), it's time to continue filling out my doctor dance card.
Most importantly, I need to reschedule my ophthalmologist appointment. I have two tiny little pinpoints of retinopathy — one in each eye — that don't need treatment and I don't want them to get any worse. If they do anyway, it's best to take care of the situation early.
My dentist just retired, so I need to make an appointment with my new one, as soon as I figure out who that will be.
And, thanks to my...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - August 20, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
A Jilted Shire Exec, Age Discrimination And A Federal Probe?
Was the head of regenerative medicine at Shire Pharmaceuticals fooled into accepting a promotion? Jeff Jonas claims in a lawsuit that the biotech failed to disclose the unit faced declining sales, a probe by the feds into illegal marketing and that a new Shire ceo was about to be named right after he began his new job. Had he known all this, Jones maintains he would have instead taken another job offer.
The mess began last fall, when Jonas approached former Shire ceo Angus Russell about his desire for a position with added responsibilities since he was being offered such opportunity elsewhere. And so, last November he was ...
Source: Pharmalot - May 30, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: esilverman Source Type: blogs
Another BI "Educational" Game That I Don't Get -- Literally!
Have you heard that Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) and Lilly have "stepped up their joint efforts to raise awareness of diabetes, launching the new educational game Complications Combat?" (see here).Of course, I had to be the first kid on the block to try it out. OK, maybe not the first ... according to the Leaderboard on the browser version, at least 4 people have tried it. The top 7 scores are owned by "SAI," whoever that is.The goal of the game or "task" you must perform is to "effectively manage Type 2 Diabetes and its complications before your patient's health level deteriorates. The longer your patient stays healthy, the ...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - May 28, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: gamification Boehringer Ingelheim Games Lilly diabetes Source Type: blogs
A Step Back in Time
By Nathan Ramsey, MD
I traveled to Ghana, West Africa, during the fall of 2010 with the sidHARTe program (www.sidharte.org) sponsored by the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University. I spent six weeks at a district hospital participating in an educational program, the goal of which was to develop a curriculum and to focus on training midlevel providers in the basics of emergency medicine. Emergency medicine is a developing specialty in Ghana. Most emergency care is provided in ill-equipped casualty units in district hospitals. The units are rarely staffed by physicians and the first-line provid...
Source: Going Global - May 16, 2013 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
A Step Back in Time
By Nathan Ramsey, MD
I traveled to Ghana, West Africa, during the fall of 2010 with the sidHARTe program (www.sidharte.org) sponsored by the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University. I spent six weeks at a district hospital participating in an educational program, the goal of which was to develop a curriculum and to focus on training midlevel providers in the basics of emergency medicine. Emergency medicine is a developing specialty in Ghana. Most emergency care is provided in ill-equipped casualty units in district hospitals. The units are rarely staffed by physicians and the first-line provider...
Source: Going Global - May 16, 2013 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Dying For Caffeine
It’s not the coffee, it’s everything else.
Late last year, coffee drinkers were buoyed by the release of a massive study in the New England Journal of Medicine that “did not support a positive association between coffee drinking and mortality.” In fact, the analysis by Neal D. Freedman and associates showed that even at the level of 6 or more cups per day, coffee consumption appeared to be mildly protective against diabetes, stroke, and death due to inflammatory diseases. Men who drank that much coffee had a 10% lower risk of death, and women in this category show a 15% lower death risk. Coffee, it seemed, was goo...
Source: Addiction Inbox - March 13, 2013 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Fast track for a foot attack: reducing amputations
This report recommends the promotion of the commissioning of an
integrated footcare pathway through the Putting Feet First campaign. It
also sets out recommendations for Clinical Commissioning Groups and
Health and Wellbeing Boards on how to achieve this.
Report
Diabetes UK - publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - February 28, 2013 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Library Service Source Type: blogs
Shire to pay $57.5 million over marketing of five drugs
David Sell, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: Saturday, February 2, 2013, 3:01 AM
Shire P.L.C. said Friday that it would pay $57.5 million as part of a tentative agreement with the Justice Department to settle an investigation related to marketing practices of five drugs.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia, which handled the investigation, declined comment.
Shire has its headquarters in Ireland, but its main office is in Wayne, Delaware County. Shire said the drugs involved are Adderall XR, Vyvanse, Daytrana, Lialda, and Pentasa.
Some companies will announce such tentative agreements because the...
Source: PharmaGossip - February 2, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
Simple Steps Can Reduce Amputation Rate by Half
By Diane Fennell
Foot complications that lead to amputation are among the most feared consequences of uncontrolled diabetes. But according to researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, shoe inserts, podiatry (foot treatment), regular foot checkups, and information can reduce the number of amputations due to diabetes by 50%. More than half of all amputations in the United States are caused by diabetes complications.
The researchers have been studying diabetic foot complications since 2008, with a focus on protecting the foot sole from being overloaded in order to reduce the risk of ulcers, which can lead to a...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - February 1, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
Integra Flowable Wound Matrix for Diabetic Foot and Leg Ulcers Finally Gets European Approval
Integra LifeSciences has received the CE Mark and is launching its Integra Flowable Wound Matrix for treating deep soft tissue or tunneling wounds common in diabetic foot and leg ulcers. The product, made of granulated cross-linked bovine tendon collagen and glycosaminoglycan, is based on Integra’s wound matrix and has already been used in the U.S. for a number of years.The material is first mixed with saline to hydrate it and it can then be injected into wound sites to create a scaffold within which healthy tissue can grow.Read More (Source: Medgadget)
Source: Medgadget - January 23, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Gene Ostrovsky Tags: Surgery Source Type: blogs
USMLE Questions – Characteristic Disease Findings
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is designed to emphasize knowledge of clinical scenarios and clinical pearls, even on Step I. Listed below are some commonly encountered disease findings and characteristics.
Feature
Disease
45, X chromosome
Turner’s syndrome
5-HIAA increased in urine
Carcinoid syndrome
Aganglionic rectum
Hirschsrpung’s disease
Apple-core sign on barium enema
Colon cancer
Arched back (opisthotonos)
Tetanus
Argyll-Robertson pupil
Syphilis
Ash leaf on forehead
Tuberous sclerosis
Auer rods
Acute myelogenous leukemia
Austin Flint murmur
Aortic regurgitation...
Source: Inside Surgery - January 18, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Editor Tags: Surgpedia USMLE diseases findings VMA water hammer pulse Source Type: blogs
Is Obesity An Infectious Disease?
Like many people, I have a weakness for "We've had it all wrong!" explanations. Here's another one, or part of one: is obesity an infectious disease?
During our clinical studies, we found that Enterobacter, a genus of opportunistic, endotoxin-producing pathogens, made up 35% of the gut bacteria in a morbidly obese volunteer (weight 174.8 kg, body mass index 58.8 kg m−2) suffering from diabetes, hypertension and other serious metabolic deteriorations. . .
. . .After 9 weeks on (a special diet), this Enterobacter population in the volunteer's gut reduced to 1.8%, and became undetectable by the end of the 23-week tr...
Source: In the Pipeline - January 15, 2013 Category: Chemists Tags: Diabetes and Obesity Source Type: blogs
