If you have low back pain try these steps first
Low back pain, the scourge of mankind: it is the second leading cause of disability here in the United States, and the fourth worldwide. It’s also one of the top five medical problems for which people see doctors. Almost every day that I see patients, I see someone with back pain. It’s one of the top reasons for lost wages due to missed work, as well as for healthcare dollars spent, hence, a very expensive problem.
Looking at two kinds of back pain
Let’s talk about the most common forms of back pain: acute (which lasts less than four weeks) and subacute (which lasts four to 12 weeks). Most of these cases (approximate...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Back Pain Managing your health care Pain Management Source Type: blogs
Medications that Increase the Risks of Falling
Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don ’t.ByAlzheimer's Reading RoomWhat ’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and DementiaHow to Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's and DementiaHow to Get Answers To Your Questions About Alzheimer's and Dementia“Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don’t – perhap...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - February 1, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer's care care of dementia patients dementia care health help alzheimer's help with dementia care medications falls Prescription Medications Risks risk of falling senior care Source Type: blogs
Make Sleep Meds Work For You
I’ve been busier than I like, and haven’t had as much time for posting. But I spend a lot of time answering emails from my patients, and some of my responses may be useful for others. Below I’ll share my answer to a patient who has been unable to get quality sleep. Next week I’ll find another answer to share with readers.
This patient asked whether her insurance would cover Lunesta. She wrote at 2 AM that she is up most of the night tossing and turning. She now takes 10 mg of Ambien, and wrote that it ‘stopped working’. She doesn’t think 20 mg of Ambien would be covered b...
Source: Suboxone Talk Zone - November 27, 2016 Category: Addiction Authors: Jeffrey Junig MD PhD Tags: pharmacology Research ambien best sleep medication insomnia treatments lunesta sleep medication no working sleeping pills Source Type: blogs
When a cough just won ’t go away
Who has never had a cough? I bet no one can raise their hand. We see this in clinic all the time. But chronic cough— one that lasts at least eight weeks — can be hard for patients to deal with and difficult for doctors to figure out.
In the October 20, 2016 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, lung experts describe a step-by-step approach doctors can use to help treat patients with chronic cough. Most often a prolonged cough is due to one of the “usual suspects.” But when it’s not, we have a long list of increasingly rarer conditions that we should run through and rule out. If it isn’t due to any of th...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - November 7, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Cold and Flu Health Lung disease Source Type: blogs
Dementia Care, Which Drugs Increase the Risk of Falling
Medications can increase the risk of falls and falling; and, are a major cause of injuries and death in older adults.By Bob DeMarcoAlzheimer's Reading RoomDuring the entire 8 and a half years, 3,112 days, that I was taking care of my mother, I worried about her falling.Falls can result in hip injuries, head injuries, or something worse.If you loved one is falling, or complaining of "dizziness" check out the list of medications below; and then, consult with your personal care doctor.Problems with Balance, Walking, Falling an Early Sign of DementiaThe drugs older people take can make them more susceptible to falling.Research...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - September 7, 2016 Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer's care Alzheimer's Dementia dementia care dementia falls dementia help for caregivers family caregiving help alzheimer's help with dementia care memory care searches related to falling Source Type: blogs
CMS Releases New Prescription Drug Cost Data
On August 18, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new prescription drug data, physician-level data on prescriptions for drugs paid for by Medicare Part D in 2014. This new data set “describes the specific medications prescribed for 38 million Medicare Part D enrollees, who represent about 70 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries.” This is the second annual release of the data.
According to Niall Brennan, CMS Chief Data Officer, “With this data release, patients, researchers and providers can access valuable information about the Medicare prescription drug program. Today’s release jo...
Source: Policy and Medicine - September 1, 2016 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
Providing A Safe Space And Medical Monitoring To Prevent Overdose Deaths
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more people died from drug overdoses in 2014 than in any year on record. Most of these deaths—78 every day—involved an opioid. Closer to home in Boston, deaths from opioid overdoses increased by 50 percent from 2014 to 2015 (Note 1). In our practice, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), based on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Albany Street (the epicenter of Boston’s drug activity), opioid overdoses have become the leading cause of death among our patients.
Overdoses were happening multiple times each week in our lobby, ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - August 31, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Jessie Gaeta, Barry Bock and Mary Takach Tags: Featured Innovations in Care Delivery Organization and Delivery Public Health Quality Behavioral Health Massachusetts needle exchange programs opioids Substance Use Disorders Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 86-year-old woman with pain
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
An 86-year-old woman is evaluated in her assisted-living facility for pain. Four weeks ago, she developed herpetic lesions on her right posterior thorax in a T7 distribution. She was treated with acyclovir, and the lesions healed; however, she has persistent severe burning pain. The pain is so severe that she is unable to leave her bed to attend meals. Medical history is remarkable for hypertension, mild cognitive impairment, and osteoporosis. She ambulates short distances but uses a walker for longer distances....
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - July 2, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: mksap Tags: Conditions Neurology Source Type: blogs
Orthostatic tremor - pearls
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3639768-12"); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview(); Hassan A, Ahlskog AE, Matsumotos JY. Orthostatic tremor: clinical, electrophysiologic and treatment findings in 184 patients. Neurology 2016; 86: 458-464.The article is a Mayo series of 184 patients seen over 37 years. Definition: lower body tremor activated on standing, absent when s...
Source: neurologyminutiae - February 23, 2016 Category: Neurology Source Type: blogs
Their Cheating Hearts - Latest Allergan Settlement Is a Reminder of Merger Participants' Sketchy Pasts
A Huge, but Sketchy Merger The announced merger and "tax inversion" of Pfizer and Allergan would be one of the largest corporate marriages in US history. It has drawn more than its share of criticism. For example, per the Los Angeles Times, former US Senator and Secretary of State, and current presidential candidate Hilary Clinton said "this proposed merger, and so-called inversions by other companies, will leave U.S. taxpayers holding the bag." By creating the world's largest drug company, it could certainly further consolidate the US and global pharmaceutical market and raise already high drug prices. W...
Source: Health Care Renewal - November 24, 2015 Category: Health Management Tags: Allergan crime deception fraud impunity kickbacks legal settlements obstruction of justice Pfizer RICO Source Type: blogs
What medications have you been able to stop on the Wheat Belly lifestyle?
I posed this question on the Wheat Belly Facebook page recently and received an overwhelming response. Here, I share a partial list of the responses: medications people have been able to stop by following the Wheat Belly lifestyle.
Just take a look at this incredible list: these represent medications prescribed by doctors to, in effect, “treat” the consequences of consuming wheat and grains. They prescribe drugs to treat the inflammation, swelling, skin rashes, gastrointestinal irritation, high blood sugars, airway allergy, and other abnormal effects all caused by wheat and grains.
The list includes anti-inf...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - October 6, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle asthma cholesterol diabetes drugs gluten grains hypertension prescription medication reflux Source Type: blogs
Turn That Door Around - A Physician Substantially Tied to the Pharmaceutical Industry Nominated to Run the FDA
It seems to be the season of the revolving door in health care. The latest version got some media attention, because it involves one of the most important health care leadership positions in the US government, the Director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, the case actually seems much more serious than what the media has recently reported.The BasicsFor an introduction, we turn to the Wall Street Journal from September 15, 2015:President Barack Obama plans to nominate the prominent cardiologist and medical researcher Robert Califf as the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, th...
Source: Health Care Renewal - September 24, 2015 Category: Health Management Tags: boards of directors CME conflicts of interest FDA key opinion leaders logical fallacies revolving doors Source Type: blogs
Pfizer's Latest International Pfiascos - Charges of Anti-Competitive Practices, Inflated Prices, Deception and Secrecy
Many big health care organizations seem to just be unable to keep out of trouble, and the bigger they are, the more kinds of trouble. Pfizer Inc, considered to be one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, has supplied us with plenty of stories. Enough new stories about Pfizer have accumulated since last year to do a roundup. Presented in chronological order....Italy Demands Damages from Pfizer for Anti-Trust ViolationsThis story came out in May, 2014, via Reuters,Italy said on Wednesday it was seeking more than a billion euros in damages from multinational drug companies following a...
Source: Health Care Renewal - September 13, 2015 Category: Health Management Tags: adverse effects antitrust deception executive compensation health care prices legal settlements marketing Pfizer suppression of medical research vaccines Source Type: blogs
Acupuncture bait and switch: Electrified hot flash edition
It’s always disappointing to see a good journal fall for bad medicine, particularly when it’s in your field. For example, the Journal of Clinical Oncology (affectionately referred to by its abbreviation JCO) is the official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and probably the most read clinical journal by those involved in… (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 26, 2015 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Quackery acupuncture breast cancer electroacupuncture gabapentin hot flashes menopause placebo Source Type: blogs
Acupuncture bait and switch: Hot flash edition
It’s always disappointing to see a good journal fall for bad medicine, particularly when it’s in your field. For example, the Journal of Clinical Oncology (affectionately referred to by its abbreviation JCO) is the official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and probably the most read clinical journal by those involved in… (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 26, 2015 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Quackery acupuncture breast cancer electroacupuncture gabapentin hot flashes menopause placebo Source Type: blogs
