OK, boomer: You ’re not the only one who needs testing for hepatitis C
It turns out that many more people than just boomers can benefit from testing for hepatitis C, a viral infection of the liver that often causes no symptoms. If you’re a member of the baby-boom generation (born between 1946 and 1964), your doctor may have already recommended the test. But those born before or after those years may not have known about the test unless they had a risk factor for hepatitis C, such as a history of intravenous drug use. A new guideline is changing this approach.
Why the different recommendations for baby boomers?
In 2012–2013, the CDC and the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) establ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 31, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Digestive Disorders Health Infectious diseases Men's Health Sexual Conditions Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Why follow a vaccine schedule?
Right now, many people are hoping for a vaccine to protect against the new coronavirus. While that’s still on the horizon, new research suggests that families who do vaccinate their children may not be following the recommended schedule.
Vaccines are given on a schedule for a reason: to protect children from vaccine-preventable disease. Experts designed the schedule so that children get protection when they need it — and the doses are timed so the vaccine itself can have the best effect. When parents don’t follow the schedule, their children may not be protected.
And yet, many parents do not follow the schedule.
A th...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 26, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Parenting Vaccines Source Type: blogs
Alcohol Damage to the Liver – What Happens?
Alcohol use disorder and heavy drinking present many harmful health risks. They can include everything from high blood pressure to fatal seizures. One of the most well-known health risks that come along with prolonged heavy drinking is liver damage. How does alcohol impact the liver, and what types of alcohol damage to the liver are there?
In order to better understand alcohol damage to the liver, it is important to learn how the liver processes alcohol. According to MyDr, there are 2 ways that alcohol can be processed by your liver:
Most alcohol is broken down, or metabolized, by an enzyme in your liver cells known as a...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - March 4, 2020 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Alcohol Alcohol Rehab Information Alcoholism Detox Resources for Alcohol and Drugs/Opiates alcohol abuse alcohol dependence alcohol detox alcohol treatment alcohol treatment center alcohol treatment facility Source Type: blogs
Measure Twice, Cut Once: How Making Mistakes Can Help Us Learn and Grow
I can’t count the number of nights in the late 1980s and early 1990s, my husband and I spent watching one of his favorite shows on PBS called This Old House. A predecessor to the present-day home renovation programs, it offered viewers an inside look at projects with scrupulous attention to details. Bearded Bob Vila and Norm Abram were the host and co-host, builder and master carpenter for this show that exuded a folksy feel. One of the classic lines, courtesy of Norm, was “Measure twice, cut once,” which implied caution and care for outcome.
Sadly, at the time, it was not part of my code of ethics. Often, I rushed t...
Source: World of Psychology - March 4, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW Tags: Personal Self-Help Coping Skills mistakes Perfectionism Resilience Source Type: blogs
Point-of-Care HIV Diagnostics for Low Resource Regions: Interview with Jesse Lehga, VP at Diagnostics for the Real World
DRW (Diagnostics for the Real World), a company with headquarters in San Jose, California, and Cambridge, United Kingdom, has developed the SAMBA II, a point-of-care diagnostic device for the detection of infectious diseases, including HIV and HCV, for use in low-resource and/or remote regions. The system employs nucleic acid amplification to detect viral RNA or DNA in whole blood or plasma samples.
The technology involves easy-to-use test cartridges, containing all the required consumables for each assay, that a user can insert into the portable SAMBA device. The cartridges do not require cold storage, are easy and...
Source: Medgadget - February 27, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Exclusive Medicine Pathology Source Type: blogs
Will Arizona Join The Majority of States (And Developed Countries) That Permit Syringe Services Programs?
Jeffrey A. SingerToday I providedwritten and oral testimony before the Arizona House Health Committee regarding a bill that would allow syringe services programs (SSPs) to operate legally within the state. Arizona is one of20 states that do not explicitly authorize syringe services programs and/ or have drug paraphernalia laws that prevent syringe services programs from operating. More commonly referred to as “needle exchange” programs, these programs have been proven unequivocally, since the 1970s, to reduce the spread of hepatitis, HIV, and other blood‐borne infectious disease s, as well as sof...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - February 6, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Beyond heart health: Could your statin help prevent liver cancer?
Liver cancer is hard to treat. It’s a top-five cause of cancer-related death worldwide and a growing cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Since liver cancer is often found at a late stage, when treatment has limited benefit, there has been increasing interest in prevention. That’s where statin medications might come in.
Liver cancer is usually caused by chronic liver disease, so an important way to prevent liver cancer is to treat the underlying trigger. For example, curing hepatitis C infection — an important cause of chronic liver disease — reduces the risk of liver cancer. However, if the liver d...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 27, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Irun Bhan, MD Tags: Cancer Drugs and Supplements Health Source Type: blogs
The truth about fatty liver
The majority of doctors will tell you that there is nothing you can do to reverse fatty liver and that health problems such as cirrhosis and liver failure may be in your future that they will address with the awful “solution” of liver transplant.
The truth is the opposite: fatty liver is easily and readily reversible in virtually everybody, provided you take action before irreversible changes take place and are given the right information and tools. In this video, I discuss the three basic phenomena that drive fat deposition, liver damage, and inflammation that lead to this condition:
Carbohydrate consumption ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - January 23, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Open bowel flora carbohydrates carbs Inflammation NAFLD nash triglycerides undoctored wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Long-Term Effect of Binge Drinking on the Body
Most people know about the damaging effects that binge drinking can bring to someone’s life. Loss of enjoyment of life, losing family relationships, financial and career struggles, homelessness, and legal consequences are just the tip of the iceberg. However, it can be more difficult to realize the long-term effect of binge drinking on the body, because you cannot always see it. Frequent binge drinking poses many dangerous health risks, and many of them can lead to death.
Facts on Long-Term Effect of Binge Drinking on the Body
For men, binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks within about two hours, a...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - January 17, 2020 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Alcohol Alcohol Rehab Information Alcoholism alcohol abuse alcohol dependence alcohol treatment alcohol treatment center binge binge drinking Source Type: blogs
“I Want Complete Labs Ordered Before My Physical”
By HANS DUVEFELT, MD
Many patients make this or similar requests, especially in January it seems.
This phenomenon has its roots in two things. The first is the common misconception that random blood test abnormalities are more likely early warning signs of disease than statistical or biochemical aberrances and false alarms. The other is the perverse policy of many insurance companies to cover physicals and screening tests with zero copay but to apply deductibles and copays for people who need tests or services because they are sick.
It is crazy to financially penalize a person with chest pain for going to the ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - January 14, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Education Medical Practice Physicians Primary Care blood tests Hans Duvefelt Labs Source Type: blogs
Vaccines for women: Before conception, during pregnancy, and after a birth
The rise of vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as measles and hepatitis, in the United States and around the globe has been alarming in recent years. For women — especially those hoping to become pregnant, as well as women who are pregnant or have recently had a baby — vaccines can be a worrisome topic. There are many misconceptions about vaccine safety in and around pregnancy that can lead to confusion and unnecessary fear of a lifesaving medical tool. As a practicing ob/gyn, I often discuss vaccines with my patients and help them sort out fears versus facts.
Which vaccines should you consider before conception?
The ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 10, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ilona T. Goldfarb, MD, MPH Tags: Health Parenting Pregnancy Vaccines Women's Health Source Type: blogs
What is an Opioid?
Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and many others. All individuals who take opioids run the risk of addiction. As such, when asking “what is an opioid?” it is important to know the different types, the signs of addiction, and the signs of an overdose.
Prescription Opioids
Opioids interact with the opioid receptors on nerve cells in the body and brain. This interaction interferes with communication between the body’s nerves and the brain. For ind...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 27, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Detox Resources for Alcohol and Drugs/Opiates Heroin Painkiller fentanyl opioid opioid crisis opioids prescription drug addiction Source Type: blogs
All About Blood Alcohol Levels
Blood alcohol levels, also known as blood alcohol content, is a way to measure an individual’s level of alcohol intoxication. It represents the percentage of alcohol that is concentrated in the bloodstream. Blood alcohol levels are used for legal purposes, such as measuring individuals for drunk driving incidents, and for medical purposes, such as testing patients who enter the hospital for alcohol-related health issues.
What Are The Different Blood Alcohol Levels?
There are many factors that influence a person’s blood alcohol levels. They can include body weight, gender, genetics, tolerance to alcohol, drinking patte...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 11, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Alcohol Alcoholism alcohol abuse alcohol dependence alcohol dependency alcohol detox alcohol treatment alcohol treatment center alcohol treatment facility alcohol use Alcoholics Anonymous Source Type: blogs
Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise: Should you worry?
In 2018, the number of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) reported in the United States reached an all-time high. This is worrisome for many reasons. Having an STI can raise risks for HIV, infertility, pregnancy complications, and infant death. Fortunately, all of these outcomes can be avoided if people receive appropriate treatment.
What are STIs?
STIs are illnesses caused by microorganisms passed between people during sex. An STI can affect anyone who is exposed to it. Syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia are the most common bacterial infections. Trichomoniasis, a protozoan infection, is also diagnosed freque...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 11, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Eric A. Meyerowitz, MD Tags: Adolescent health HIV Men's Health Relationships Sexual Conditions Women's Health Source Type: blogs
HPV and cancer: The underappreciated connection
Did you know that a viral infection can lead to a number of different types of cancer? If that comes as a surprise to you, you’re not alone. In fact, according to a new study, many people have no idea that a common viral infection called human papilloma virus (HPV) can cause cancer of the genitals, anus, mouth, and throat, as well as cervical cancer.
Viral infections and cancer
The connection between certain viral infections and cancer has been recognized for many years. Some of the most well-established examples include hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and human papillomavirus (HPV). One thing these viru...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - November 8, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Adolescent health Cancer Infectious diseases Men's Health Sexual Conditions Vaccines Women's Health Source Type: blogs
