Gulf War Illness 25 Years After Desert Storm
In the 25 years since Desert Storm, about 250,000 of the almost 700,000 involved in the Gulf War 1 theater have suffered from some version of the complex of symptoms now called Gulf War Illness. This illness was discussed in a recent symposium co-hosted by the Brookings Institution and Georgetown University Medical Center.
While Desert Storm battle casualties were light, military personnel were exposed to various chemical and biological agents. These included Pyridostigmine Bromide, to prevent the effects of nerve gases which had been used previously by Iraq; organophosphate pesticides (such as DEET) which were embedded in...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - August 4, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Joel Kupersmith and Michael O'Hanlon Tags: Featured Organization and Delivery Public Health Quality Department of Defense desert storm Gulf War Illness Research Veterans Veterans Administration Source Type: blogs
A guide to surviving chronic disease
For many people with chronic disease, the toughest thing is convincing themselves they’re not crazy. This is especially true for those with an illness with no clear etiology.
For millions of people around the world suffering from multiple sclerosis, lupus, fibromyalgia, chronic abdominal pain, ALS, rheumatoid arthritis, certain types of cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and hundreds of other illnesses, just making it through the day is overwhelming. Not only do many of these individuals have to endure a life of constant pain, but they also have to struggle with the unrelenting anxiety inherent with their conditions. Not...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 3, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/alberto-hazan-and-jordana-haber" rel="tag" > Alberto Hazan, MD and Jordana Haber, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions Emergency Primary care Source Type: blogs
A Hangover
We all have had a hangover or few in our lives. Admit it, unless you are a lifetime non-drinker you have had a hangover. Alcoholic hangovers happen. We all know the feelings - dehydrated, headache, general crappy feeling.But with RA and fibromyalgia there are other hangovers - activity hangovers. This happens when I, or anyone with these diseases, attempts to be a normal person. You act normal for one day and then spend three days paying the piper, so to speak.Someone else wrote about activity hangovers the other day which made me feel like I am not alone. She writes about going to a party and then feeling the pain. I, on ...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - July 20, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: doing too much nap normal Source Type: blogs
FDA Sanctions Off-Label Drug Promotion
Physicians have the authority to prescribe drugs for any reason they believe will benefit the patient, regardless of whether the use is on- or off-label. Off-label prescription is neither illegal nor unethical when based on the best available evidence.
By contrast, off-label promotion—unlike off-label use—has heretofore invited legal liability including criminal charges, penalties under the False Claims Act, and misbranding actions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Opponents of off-label promotion argue that the off-label uses have not passed scrutiny by the FDA, the chief regulatory body charged with ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - July 19, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Deborah Mazer and Gregory Curfman Tags: Drugs and Medical Technology Featured Health Professionals Public Health Quality Amarin Big Pharma false claims act FDA First Amendment off-label drugs Supreme Court Source Type: blogs
Colleen and DIY Wheat Belly
Colleen shared photos of the progress she has made living the Wheat Belly lifestyle. I share her story because it makes so many of the essential points that we talk about in living the Wheat Belly lifestyle: the reversal of body-wide inflammation, the agony of re-exposure, the need to manage net carbs and use safe natural sweeteners, and the need to not count calories. Colleen also learned that, despite choosing more organic, whole foods on this lifestyle, it is not more expensive, and that exercise is not an effective means of controlling weight.
“Today is a day of celebration for me. July 14, 2015 was the da...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - July 16, 2016 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Success Stories calories fibromyalgia gluten grains headaches Inflammation joint pain skin rash Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
I'm Aggravated
I have decided I am very aggravated with my health. It drives me crazy. I would be lying if I didn't say that.I would be much happier if I didn't have so many issues. I would be happier if I wasn't in pain. I would be happier if I was able to sleep better. I would be happier if I could do everything that I used to be able to do. I would be happier if I had never had cancer, twice. Or RA or fibromyalgia.Did you know having any one of these cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, can cause depression along with everything else? Many people who have a single one of these diseases get diagnosed with depression. So yes, ...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - July 12, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: aggravation ailments coping depression Source Type: blogs
I'm Aggravated
I have decided I am very aggravated with my health. It drives me crazy. I would be lying if I didn ' t say that. < br / > < br / > I would be much happier if I didn ' t have so many issues. I would be happier if I wasn ' t in pain. I would be happier if I was able to sleep better. I would be happier if I could do everything that I used to be able to do. I would be happier if I had never had cancer, twice. Or RA or fibromyalgia. < br / > < br / > Did you know having any one of these cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, can cause depression along with everything else? Many people who have a single one of these dise...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - July 12, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: aggravation ailments coping depression Source Type: blogs
Changing Stressors
As life goes on, my stressors have changed. Or maybe just the list gets rearranged. When I first started blogging, breast cancer was my primary concern. But then my health started to fall apart and things have changed.At my breast cancer diagnosis, I quickly prepared myself to cope with breast cancer and I came up with a plan - support groups, etc. And I dealt with it. Then I got gall stones and had my gall bladder out. Then I found out I should be seeing an endocrinologist about my thyroid cancer which made it harder for me to ignore it. When I went to one she sent me for an ultrasound which found some thing on the t...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - July 7, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: cancer bonds stress support Source Type: blogs
Drama - I Hate You, But Come Closer
Mark's parents visited and have now gone. I guess the trip was a "success", as much as it can be. I see now why I get so upset after being with them, even though they appear to be friendly towards me. I am treated like an outsider, yet in a polite way, if that makes any sense. I suppose that is natural - I am not their child, but for me it is a bit different. I do not have my own side of the family with connections. My expectations from them are too high I am sure. I told my sister in law that we are not the In-Laws, we are the Out-Laws. She loved it and feels the same.I talked about it ...
Source: bipolar.and.me - July 3, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
Perkiness and fatigue
Sometimes I wake up and am very perky. This annoys my husband to no end so that if I feel the least bit perky I make sure he knows (I love aggravating him sometimes - part of a happy marriage is being able to annoy your spouse).Recently I have been dealing with fatigue. I have no idea why I have so much fatigue but I do. I have had three two hour plus naps in the past five days. This includes sleeping fairly well at night. If this keeps up maybe I should go to the doctor... No wait a minute, I have enough doctor appointments these days. If I make another doctor appointment it will be because I am dripping blood or in so mu...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - June 23, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: being a patient fibromyalgia nap pain levels perkiness Source Type: blogs
Smoke low-tar cigarettes? The fatal flaw in logic of nutritional studies
Just because something bad is reduced or eliminated in cigarettes, it should not logically follow that cigarettes must now be good, right? Low-tar, filtered cigarettes may be less harmful than full-tar, unfiltered cigarettes, but still contain heavy metals like mercury, lead, and cadmium, as well as nicotine, naphthalene, arsenic, formaldehyde, ammonia and other toxic compounds. Low- or no-tar does NOT mean healthy. This may seem obvious, but it is surprising how many people—physicians and dietitians included—fall for such flawed logic when applied to nutrition.
We saw this play out in yet another flawed analys...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - June 16, 2016 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle barley corn epidemiological gluten longevity rye white flour whole grains Source Type: blogs
This Is How Prince’s Death Begins Conversation About Addiction
Myra ChristopherINTRODUCTORY NOTE FROM MYRA CHRISTOPHERLynn Webster, author of the blog below, is a member of Pain Action Alliance to Implement a National Strategy (PAINS) Steering Committee. He is also one of the most authoritative and committed experts in the United States working on both pain and addition. PAINS has been benefitted tremendously from his involvement in our efforts to “transform the way pain is perceived, judged and treated.” Over the last couple of years, PAINS has come to understand the importance of embracing the need for dramatic change in the way two diseases – chronic pain and...
Source: blog.bioethics.net - April 28, 2016 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Practical Bioethics Tags: Health Care chronic pain prescription drug addiction substance abuse disorders syndicated Source Type: blogs
Self-managing chronic pain
I have long been a proponent of helping people who live with pain to take control of their situation and actively self-manage as much as possible. My rationale has been that people who feel they are in control of some parts of their life are more likely to feel confident when their pain flares up, or when they have a life set-back. Today I took a second look at some of the papers on self-management published over the past few years, and I think it’s time to be a little critical.
The first issue to deal with is defining self-management. To me, self-management means knowing as much as possible about the health conditio...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - April 24, 2016 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Coping Skills Coping strategies Research disability Health pain management self management Source Type: blogs
Is Your Antacid Medication Ruining Your Gut?
Proton Pump Inhibitors are a class of Antacid Medication that are so common and considered to be so safe that they were even declassified as prescription drugs and are now available over-the-counter so that anyone can use them if they happen to have heartburn. With names like Omeprazole, Nexium, and Prilosec, the ‘little purple pill’ is advertised everywhere on billboards and TV ads with barely a mention that their might be consequences to suppressing stomach acid.
There are consequences of any Acid Reflux Medication, however, like the Side Effects of Omeprazole and other proton pump inhibitors can lead to osteoporosis...
Source: Immune Health Blog - March 2, 2016 Category: Nutrition Authors: Kerri Knox, RN Tags: Digestive Health Infections Source Type: blogs
