The problem with testing students and doctors is what gets truncated
For me, maybe you too, the best part about science is how it disrupts the status quo. A belief, a way of doing something, a paradigm if you will, becomes entrenched. Humans love patterns. We get attached. I call this the way-it’s-always-been-done philosophy. It’s endemic in medicine, and, from what I can see, in education as well.
Take the notion that SAT and ACT scores are all that. Maybe they are…and maybe they are not. Surely the 2 billion dollar testing industry says their tests are important. Testers even say their tests open doors for the under-privileged. The idea appeals to our intuition. The meri...
Source: Dr John M - February 20, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr John Source Type: blogs
India has been free of polio for three years
Image credit: Jason Roberts
Three years ago today, on 13 January 2011, the last case of poliomyelitis was reported in India. This achievement represents a remarkable turnaround for a country where control of the disease had for years been extremely difficult. As recently as 2009 there were 741 confirmed cases of polio caused by wild-type virus in India. Being polio-free for three years is certainly a cause for celebration, but not for becoming complacent. Immunization efforts in India must not decline, because wild-type and vaccine-derived polioviruses continue to circulate and pose a threat to any unimmunized individual.
...
Source: virology blog - January 13, 2014 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Basic virology Information eradication India poliomyelitis poliovirus Sabin vaccine Salk vaccine vaccine-derived poliovirus viral world health organization Source Type: blogs
Lucky Iron Fish: Low-tech/cost solution to endemic iron-deficiency anemia
(Source: bookofjoe)
Source: bookofjoe - January 3, 2014 Category: Anesthetists Authors: bookofjoe Source Type: blogs
Do You Believe More Vaccines or Better Nutrition Prevents Disease?
Conclusion
Tremendous government financial and medical resources are wasted on the development of more vaccinations to prevent diseases. No research has proven the effectiveness of vaccinations in preventing illness. Overwhelming evidence exists to show vaccines are dangerous to health and contribute to illness, injury and death.
To prevent disease, one should avoid vaccinations, mercury dental fillings and toxic food. Following a nutrient-dense diet of whole, organic foods and removing toxic metals from the body are the best avenues to try and prevent illness and enhance health.
References
http://www.fierce...
Source: vactruth.com - December 20, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Michelle Goldstein Tags: Michelle Goldstein Top Stories Dr. Russell Blaylock National Institutes of Health (NIH) Nutrition truth about vaccines Weston Price Source Type: blogs
Climate Change and Disease: USA Today Gets It Wrong
This report describes statistically significant increases in the incidence rate of reported coccidioidomycosis in endemic states during 1998–2011 after adjusting for changes in population size and in age and sex distribution. Although the number of cases decreased in Arizona during 2007–2008 and in California during 2007–2009, incidence dramatically increased in 2010 and 2011. In 2011, coccidioidomycosis was the second most commonly reported nationally notifiable condition in Arizona and the fourth most commonly reported in California.
The reasons for the increases described in this report are unclear. Coccidioides e...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 16, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Patrick J. Michaels, Paul C. "Chip" Knappenberger Source Type: blogs
Bad Bedside Manners
This article discusses the psychology of dehumanization resulting from inherent features of medical settings, the doctor–patient relationship, and the deployment of routine clinical practices.
First, we identify six major causes of dehumanization in medical settings (deindividuating practices, impaired patient agency, dissimilarity, mechanization, empathy reduction, and moral disengagement).
Next, we propose six fixes for these problems (individuation, agency reorientation, promoting similarity, personification and humanizing procedures, empathic balance and physician selection, and moral engagement).
Finally, we disc...
Source: Twelve Step Facilitation.com - December 15, 2013 Category: Addiction Authors: Sparrow Tags: Addiction Adjunctive therapy Alcoholism Assessment Co-dependency Contrast to other models Doctors Loss of control Policy Relationships Spirituality Stages of Change Bad Bedside Manners Dehumanization doctor–patient relationsh Source Type: blogs
With vaccines…Is there no middle ground, no room for questions?
“We should be as demanding of ourselves as we are of those who challenge us.”
Dr. Jerome Groopman, writing in the New Rupublic
Writing about the medical decision-making surrounding vaccines proved to be sketchy. Yesterday’s post brought stinging criticism from both sides of the debate. A pediatrician felt the structure of the post was patronizing. Just an hour later, a skeptic sent me the same message–patronizing. This was educational.
Criticism is taken seriously here, especially when it comes from both sides of an argument. The reflex: Perhaps its useful to write more on the matter? (It’s f...
Source: Dr John M - December 6, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr John Source Type: blogs
Tough calls in cardiology :Dengue fever in a patient with prosthetic valve and warfarin !
Oral anticoagulant usage has been steadily increasing for variety of indications.Dengue fever is also appearing in different avatars with low platelet counts and bleeding being a primary risk.
I was recently contacted by a physician , regarding a therapeutic dilemma .A young lady with mitral prosthetic valve and a febrile illness diagnosed as dengue . She has a platelet count of 100,000 .She is on regular warfarin and aspirin .The physician wanted to know , should he stop the OAC and aspirin ?
What are the options ?
Confirm if it is really dengue.
Look for clinical bleeding.INR, platelet function tests are not...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - December 5, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: dr s venkatesan Tags: Cardiology -guidelines Cardiology -Mechnisms of disease Cardiology -Therapeutic dilemma cardiology -Therapeutics Cardiology -unresolved questions Cardiology-Statistics dengue and coronary stent des and dengue falling platlets and coroanry Source Type: blogs
Tough calls in cardiology :Dengue fever in a patient with prosthetic valve and warfarin !
Oral anticoagulant usage has been steadily increasing for variety of indications.Dengue fever is also appearing in different avatars with low platelet counts and bleeding being a primary risk.
I was recently contacted by a physician , regarding a therapeutic dilemma .A young lady with mitral prosthetic valve and a febrile illness diagnosed as dengue . She has a platelet count of 100,000 .She is on regular warfarin and aspirin .The physician wanted to know , should he stop the OAC and aspirin ?
What are the options ?
Confirm if it is really dengue.
Look for clinical bleeding.INR, platelet function tests are not...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - December 5, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: dr s venkatesan Tags: Cardiology -guidelines Cardiology -Mechnisms of disease Cardiology -Therapeutic dilemma cardiology -Therapeutics Cardiology -unresolved questions Cardiology-Statistics dengue and coronary stent des and dengue falling platlets and coroanry Source Type: blogs
Risk vs Benifit Analysis – An Apology to Melissa
I belong to several EMS groups on social media. Recently one of the boards got rolling on the topic of active shooter scenarios and some systems that are integrating non-tactical EMS into their active shooter scene management. The idea is to teach EMS personnel how to enter an active killer scene and assist with care and evacuation of areas that have already been cleared by the first wave of law enforcement. EMS personnel are shielded by multiple law enforcement officers who protect the EMS crews while they perform critical interventions and evacuate the wounded.
This system is designed to bring care to victims on scene fa...
Source: The EMT Spot - November 24, 2013 Category: Ambulance Crew Authors: administrator Tags: Knowledge Source Type: blogs
Risk vs Benifit Analysis – An Apology to Hannah
I belong to several EMS groups on social media. They all have their individual personalities and nuances. Lately, I’ve encountered some great discussions on a members-only board that I’ll call The Secret Society of Facebook EMS. Don’t get too jealous. It isn’t as exclusive as the name implies. And it isn’t all that secret. But it is full of some smart cats who like to challenge each other on EMS related issues.
Recently the board got rolling on the topic of active shooter scenarios and some systems that are integrating non-tactical EMS into their active shooter scene management. The idea is to...
Source: The EMT Spot - November 24, 2013 Category: Ambulance Crew Authors: administrator Tags: Knowledge Source Type: blogs
World Polio Day
Image credit: Jason Roberts
As a virologist who has worked on poliovirus since 1979, I would be remiss if I did not note that today, 24 October, is World Polio Day. World Polio Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis.
The polio eradication effort has made impressive progress towards eliminating polio from the planet. In 1988 it was estimated that there were a total of 350,000 cases of poliomyelitis (probably an underestimate); as of this writing there have been 301 cases in 2013, which is unfortu...
Source: virology blog - October 24, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Basic virology Information eradication IPV Israel OPV poliovirus Sabin Salk Syria viral world polio day Source Type: blogs
One incompetent regulator, the Professional Standards Authority, approves another, the CNHC
Jump to follow-up
The consistent failure of ‘regulators’ to do their job has been a constant theme on this blog. There is a synopsis of dozens of them at Regulation of alternative medicine: why it doesn’t work, and never can. And it isn’t only quackery where this happens. The ineptitude (and extravagance) of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) was revealed starkly when the University of Wales’ accreditation of external degrees was revealed (by me and by BBC TV Wales, not by the QAA) to be so bad that the University had to shut down.
Here is another example that you couldn’t make up.
...
Source: DC's goodscience - October 13, 2013 Category: Professors and Educators Authors: David Colquhoun Tags: Anti-science antiscience badscience CNHC NOS Professional Standards Authority Quality assessment regulation alternative medicine CAM Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council Harry Cayton National Occupational Stardards Ofquac Source Type: blogs
Infertility is a Growing Social Problem in Sub-Saharan Africa
When most people think of the problems endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, infertility does not come to mind. Poverty, disease, war, and drugs, yes. But not infertility. It is a growing problem, with as many as 32 percent of people in some regions affected.Contributor: Tavia Fuller ArmstrongPublished: Oct 10, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - October 10, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs
NIH and Other Public Private Partnerships to Research Treatments for Multiple Diseases
Over the past few weeks, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made a number of important announcements regarding collaborations with industry as well as the funding of several new research initiatives. Below is a summary of these stories.
NIH Partners With Eli Lilly and Others on Rare Diseases
FierceBiotechResearch reported that NIH selected four (4) new preclinical drug development studies to uncover new therapies for rare diseases. The projects will be funded through the Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) program under NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NCATS, whic...
Source: Policy and Medicine - October 4, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
