Saving money on health care
As I note here from time to time, health care -- which for various reasons I prefer to call medical services -- costs a helluva lot of money. Enough to make you sick. Health care spending grew from about 7% of the economy in 1970 to almost 18% today, about $11,600 per person. That ’s more than any other country. In fact it’s about twice the average of the wealthy countries. But we get less for it. We don’t live as long, and by most indicators we aren’t as healthy, as people in those other countries that spend far less on health care. There are a few reasons for this that I ' ve talked about before and I ...
Source: Stayin' Alive - June 10, 2021 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
“Tell Me More”
By HANS DUVEFELT
Words can be misleading. Medical terms work really well when shared between clinicians. But we can’t assume our patients speak the same language we do. If we “run with” whatever key words we pick up from our patient’s chief complaint, we can easily get lost chasing the wrong target.
Where I work, along the Canadian border, “Valley French” expressions tripped me up when I first arrived. The flu, or in French le flu (if that is how you spell it – I’ve never seen it in writing) is the word people use for diarrhea. Mal au cœur (heart pain) doesn’t mean angina or che...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Patients Physicians Primary Care Hans Duvefelt health communication Source Type: blogs
Understanding the link between reflux and cancer can save lives
People who find themselves reaching for antacid several times a month, might consider reaching out to their doctor instead. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the same condition that causes heartburn, is also linked to a deadly form of esophageal cancer, adenocarcinoma. Lack of awareness about the link between reflux and cancer has contributed to a 733 […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 30, 2021 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/hoag-memorial-hospital-presbyterian" rel="tag" > Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology Oncology/Hematology Source Type: blogs
The Art of Clinical Decision Making: Friday Afternoon Dilemmas
By HANS DUVEFELT
The woman had a bleeding ulcer and required a blood transfusion. The hospital discharge summary said to see me in three days for a repeat CBC. But she had a late Friday appointment and there was no way we would get a result before the end of the day. She also had developed diarrhea on her pantoprazole and had stopped the medication. As if that wasn’t enough, her right lower leg was swollen and painful. She had been bed bound for a couple of days in the hospital and sedentary at home after discharge.
She could still be bleeding and she could have a blood clot. There were no openings for an ultrasoun...
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 22, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Physicians Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs
The Paradigm Shift That Wasn ’ t: The ISCHEMIA Trial
By ANISH KOKA
A recent email that arrived in my in-box a few weeks ago from an academic hailed the latest “paradigm shift” in cardiology as it relates to the management of stable angina. (Stable angina refers to chronic,non-accelerating chest pain with a moderate level of exertion). The points made in the email were as follows (the order of the points made are preserved):
The financial burden of stress testing was significant ( 11 billion dollars per annum in the USA!)For stable CAD, medical treatment is critical. We now have better medical treatments than all prior trials including ischemia. th...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 26, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Physicians Anish Koka cardiology ISCHEMIA trial Source Type: blogs
CBD and other medications: Proceed with caution
Products containing cannabidiol (CBD) seem to be all the rage these days, promising relief from a wide range of maladies, from insomnia and hot flashes to chronic pain and seizures. Some of these claims have merit to them, while some of them are just hype. But it won’t hurt to try, right? Well, not so fast. CBD is a biologically active compound, and as such, it may also have unintended consequences. These include known side effects of CBD, but also unintended interactions with supplements, herbal products, and over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications.
Doubling up on side effects
While generally considered safe...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 11, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Katsiaryna Bykov, PharmD, ScD Tags: Drugs and Supplements Marijuana Medical Research Safety Source Type: blogs
Taiwan May Be More at Ease With the Biden Administration
Joe Biden ' s win in the U.S. presidential election is causing thinly veiled heartburn in Taipei. But concerns that the incoming Biden administration might rethink Taiwan policy in favor of better relations with China are probably misguided. (Source: The RAND Blog)
Source: The RAND Blog - December 15, 2020 Category: Health Management Authors: Derek Grossman Source Type: blogs
Why Taiwan Can Feel at Ease with Joe Biden as U.S. President
Joe Biden ' s win in the U.S. presidential election is causing thinly veiled heartburn in Taipei. But concerns that the incoming Biden administration might rethink Taiwan policy in favor of better relations with China are probably misguided. (Source: The RAND Blog)
Source: The RAND Blog - December 15, 2020 Category: Health Management Authors: Derek Grossman Source Type: blogs
A woman in her 40s with acute chest pain
Case written by Neha Ray MD, Brandon Fetterolf MD, and Pendell Meyers MDA woman in her 40s with a history of rheumatoid arthritis, anemia, and thrombocytopenia presented to the ED with acute onset chest pain starting around 5am on the morning of presentation. It woke her from sleep. The chest pain was midsternal, severe, sharp, and constant. On the previous night she had had a mild version of the same pain that she thought was heartburn (esophageal reflux). She reported some radiation to the left arm. She also reports 3 episodes of non-bloody vomiting over the course of the morning. She had a recent admission fo...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - November 29, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
Fermented Foods and Your Gut: Why They Are So Good for Your Health
Do you have more than the occasional abdominal upset? If you find yourself singing the Pepto-Bismol jingle most days, why not consider adding more fermented foods to your diet.
You don’t have to go to a fancy health food store to buy exotic-sounding ingredients. You probably have many staples in your pantry and fridge. Here’s the skinny on fermented foods and your gut and how they benefit your overall health.
What Is Fermentation?
You might think of the term “fermentation” in association with beer or wine. However, this food preparation method goes back thousands of years — as far as 60...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - October 13, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jennifer Landis Tags: diet featured health and fitness self-improvement fermented foods gut health self improvement Source Type: blogs
A middle aged female with " heartburn " and a " normal ECG " per the computer
This is a re-posting of a Tweet by Robert Jones (@RJonesSonoEM), reproduced with permission, written by Pendell MeyersA middle aged female with history of smoking presented to the ED with " bad heartburn. "Here is her prior baseline ECG (first), and her ED ECG (second):Baseline:ED ECG:What do you think? Do you agree with the computer ' s interpretation of " Normal ECG " ?This was posted on Twitter and Dr. Smith (and several others) replied that it shows OMI. Dr. Smith said " No " (meaning " No, I do not agree with the computer " ). " New ST elevation in V4-V6. New distortion of S wave in V4 - OMI - distal LAD likely. "The ...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - August 7, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
Wheat Belly Lost and Found
Gail initiated an enlightening string on the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Facebook page in which she shared something she lost on the program, then something she gained while following the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox and lifestyle. Here is how it unfolded in the first few hours:
“I could easily post a ‘before’ and ‘now’ picture. However, I find that most of us have so many more NSV than scale victories.
“So, on that note, to encourage newbies to keep on keeping on, let’s all post at least one thing that we’ve lost and one thing that we’ve gained on this journey to health. I’...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - July 19, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Open Detox Inflammation joint pain wheat belly Source Type: blogs
IVF patients, the Lockdown and patience
The one thing IVF patients learn is patience !No matter what you do, you seem to have to keep on waiting !You have to wait for your cycle to start.You have to wait till you find the right doctor.You have to find a clinic which offer s a high success rate.You have to plan your finances.You have to convince your family members.You have to take leave from work.Because there are so many balls you need to juggle, you need a lot of patience !And even when you do start the treatment, you need patience because you don't know whether the cycle is going to work or not.And even if the cycle works and you get pregnant, you still ...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - June 11, 2020 Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs
If cannabis becomes a problem: How to manage withdrawal
This study is a meta-analysis — a study which includes many studies that are deemed similar enough to lump together, in order to increase the numerical power of the study and, ideally, the strength of the conclusions. The authors included studies that go all the way back to the mid-1990s — a time when cannabis was illegal in the US, different in potency, and when there was no choice or control over strains or cannabinoid compositions, as there is now. One of the studies in the meta-analysis included “cannabis dependent inpatients” in a German psychiatric hospital in which 118 patients were being detoxified from can...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 26, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Peter Grinspoon, MD Tags: Addiction Marijuana Mental Health Source Type: blogs
Ranitidine (Zantac) recall expanded, many questions remain
Update: On April 1, 2020, the FDA requested manufacturers to withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs (Zantac, others) from the market immediately, due to the presence of a contaminant known as N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Although the FDA did not observe unacceptable levels of NDMA in many of the samples they tested, they have determined that the impurity in some ranitidine products increases over time and when stored at higher than room temperatures. As a result of this recall, ranitidine products will no longer be available for prescription or OTC use in the US.
The FDA is also advising co...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 2, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Joshua Gagne, PharmD, ScD Tags: Digestive Disorders Drugs and Supplements Source Type: blogs
