Low-carb fairy tales
Conclusion: Premarin INCREASED breast cancer, INCREASED endometrial cancer, INCREASED cardiovascular death, even accelerated dementia. And this has been the story over and over again: Conclusions drawn in observational studies have proven to be flat wrong about 4 times out of 5. This hasn’t stopped people like Frank Sacks and Walter Willett, through the observational Physicians’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study to, time and again, declare observational findings as fact. Unfortunately, even the USDA buys this observational fiction, incorporating the findings of observational studies in their dietary guidelines.
S...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - August 24, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates Fat grain-free low-carb saturated wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Do You Have FOMO?
I was an active kid, running at the speed of sound and light, rarely stopping to catch my breath. I attribute part of that to a diagnosis of asthma that I would not allow to slow me down. I felt a need to prove that I could keep up with my peers, not wanting to be thought of as weak. School, swim team, Girl Scouts, Hebrew School, volunteering, youth group as well as time with friends, kept me busy. Seems it was preparation for my current lifestyle.
Nearing 60, I work as a therapist, journalist, minister, editor, teacher, speaker and facilitator. Add to it various volunteer activity, and a full, rich social life with famil...
Source: World of Psychology - August 3, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW Tags: Habits Happiness Health-related Motivation and Inspiration Personal Technology Source Type: blogs
The misguided expectation of eliminating pain
I am against all forms of bodily pain, both foreign and domestic. I wish the world were pain-free. When I am suffering from even a routine headache, I want immediate relief just like everyone else. The medical approach to pain control has changed dramatically even during my own career. When I started practicing a few decades ago, the strategy was pain reduction. We gave narcotics for very few indications such as kidney stones, heart attacks and severe abdominal pain after a surgeon evaluated the patient. (The reason for this was so the surgeon could obtain an accurate assessment of the patient’s belly before pain medicin...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - July 31, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/michael-kirsch" rel="tag" > Michael Kirsch, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Medications Pain Management Source Type: blogs
Tropical Travel Trouble 009 Humongous HIV Extravaganza
LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
aka Tropical Travel Trouble 009
The diagnosis of HIV is no longer fatal and the term AIDS is becoming less frequent. In many countries, people with HIV are living longer than those with diabetes. This post will hopefully teach the basics of a complex disease and demystify some of the potential diseases you need to consider in those who are severely immunosuppressed. While trying to be comprehensive this post can not be exhaustive (as you can imagine any patient with a low ...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - July 7, 2018 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Amanda McConnell Tags: Clinical Cases Tropical Medicine AIDS art cryptococcoma cryptococcus HIV HIV1 HIV2 PEP PrEP TB toxoplasma tuberculoma Source Type: blogs
What Should You Do When Your Hospital Bills You Nearly $4,000 for a CT Scan?
A middle-aged Mississippi man has fallen victim to the trappings of the U.S. ’s overly-complex medical billing system. Jimmie Taggart, a financial consultant, was billed $3,878.25 for a CT scan earlier this year and is now refusing to pay.Taggart ’s doctor at the North Mississippi Medical Center recommended he undergo a CT scan after a urine test indicated he had kidney stones. Before agreeing to the scan, Taggart was assured by the medical center that his insurance would cover the procedure.Later on, a bill came in the mail stating that the scan cost $5,171 but his provider, Aetna, indicated that its in-network negoti...
Source: radRounds - July 7, 2018 Category: Radiology Authors: Julie Morse Source Type: blogs
A physician ’s personal crisis with pain
Six months ago, I had severe right flank pain. In the ER, I had an ultrasound showing a possible kidney stone. I deferred a CT scan and went home with medication. I fit the textbook picture: I had abnormal imaging, and I was given a treatment and discharged. I was advised to return if the pain worsened or failed to resolve. I briefly improved, but then the pain returned much worse. Ten days later, I returned to the ER. I was given ketorolac and had a CT, which showed no stone. The ER attending advised me to go home and take ibuprofen.
At that point, my pain was 8/10, and I was having significant trouble moving despite the ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 24, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/heather-finlay-morreale" rel="tag" > Heather Finlay-Morreale, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Emergency Medicine Nephrology Pain Management Source Type: blogs
A Hippocratic Oath for technology
Modern technology needs to do better. This is the message delivered by every CEO after every Silicon Valley scandal in recent memory. This time, they should really do it. Medicine can show them how.
Let’s have the professionals building our future abide by industry-wide standards, just as doctors do. As both a startup founder and a physician, this idea makes intuitive sense to me. Drawing on my experience treating patients and running a digital platform, here’s what a Hippocratic Oath for tech might look like.
First, it shouldn’t say “first do no harm.” Not that I’m in favor of doing ha...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 22, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/joshua-landy" rel="tag" > Joshua Landy, MD < /a > Tags: Tech Mobile health Primary Care Source Type: blogs
New treatment through stem cell transplant for Sickle cell anemia
Sickle cell anemia is a form of anemia in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry enough oxygen throughout your body. General symptoms include fatigue and joint pain with periods of intense pain that can last either hours or weeks.
Revee Agyepong, a 17-year-old from Edmonton, Canada, suffered from sickle cell anemia with symptoms of chronic bone and joint pain, irregular heartbeat, kidney stones and shortness of breath.
“I thought that everyone would go out for recess and play, then come back with a terrible headache and body pain, couldn’t breathe … eventually I realized it was j...
Source: Cord Blood News - April 30, 2018 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: blood disorder Cord Blood medical research stem cells Source Type: blogs
5 things that can help you take a pass on kidney stones
If you’ve ever passed a kidney stone, you probably would not wish it on your worst enemy, and you’ll do anything to avoid it again. “Kidney stones are more common in men than in women, and in about half of people who have had one, kidney stones strike again within 10 to 15 years without preventive measures,” says Dr. Brian Eisner, co-director of the Kidney Stone Program at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
Where do kidney stones come from?
Kidney stones form develop when certain substances, such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid, become concentrated enough to form crystals in your kidneys. The cry...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 8, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Matthew Solan Tags: Health Kidney and urinary tract Source Type: blogs
How to use the Wheat Belly and Undoctored books for maximum benefit
There are 6 books in the entire Wheat Belly series dating back to September, 2011. It’s been a glorious few years watching so many people experience spectacular health and weight transformations doing the opposite of conventional dietary advice, with many of their stories highlighted here on the pages of the Wheat Belly Blog, as well as the Official Wheat Belly Facebook page.
Seasoned Wheat Belliers already know a lot about navigating the different content of the Wheat Belly books. But we’ve had so many newcomers that I thought it would be helpful to discuss how and when each of the Wheat Belly books can be use...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - March 5, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Undoctored Wheat Belly Lifestyle autoimmune blood sugar cholesterol diabetes edema grain-free grains Weight Loss Wheat Belly Total Health Source Type: blogs
5 must-haves for great physician online profiles
Patients have a lot of choices when it comes to physicians. Making sure your online profile is up to date, complete, and contains these five items will improve the chances that a website visitor will become a patient.
Create a personal connection. Having good rapport with patients is important, and that process starts before patients ever walk in the door.
How often have you seen a physician bio that only contains a single, humanizing detail in the last sentence: “Dr. John lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Karen.” Some physicians may be hesitant to provide personal info, that shouldn’t stop you from soundin...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - March 4, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/brian-r-dooley" rel="tag" > Brian R. Dooley < /a > Tags: Social media Practice Management Source Type: blogs
Dr. Google: The top 10 health searches in 2017
Follow me on Twitter @RobShmerling
Ever wonder what other people are wondering about? I know I do.
So, here are the top 10 health searches in Google for 2017. And just so you don’t have to look each one up, I’ve provided a brief answer. You’re welcome.
1. What causes hiccups?
I was surprised this one made it to the top 10 list of health searches. Maybe this search is common because hiccups are as mysterious as they are universal. I’ve written about hiccups before, but let’s just say the cause in any individual person is rarely known or knowable. Then again, the reason hiccups stop is also unknown.
Some triggers...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 21, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Source Type: blogs
Be ketotic . . . but only sometime
Achieving ketosis by engaging in a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat lifestyle is an effective means of losing weight, breaking insulin and leptin resistance, reversing type 2 diabetes and fatty liver, reducing blood pressure, reversing the inflammation of visceral fat, and may even cause partial or total remission of selected cancers.
So what’s the problem?
The problem comes when people remain ketotic for extended periods. We know with confidence that long-term ketosis poses substantial risk for health complications because thousands of children have followed ketogenic diets over the years as a means of suppressing in...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - February 2, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Undoctored Wheat Belly Lifestyle Source Type: blogs
A story of 2 torsions
The kids were asleep, and I could hear a muted, distant moaning coming from our bedroom. It reminded me of labor pains, but there were three things making labor unlikely: my wife’s IUD, the absence of a gravid abdomen and the kind of unintentional celibacy that occurs between working parents raising two toddlers. I tried to ignore the moaning. In part, because it was a Sunday night, and the sound was disrupting the golden hour (the 60 minutes between the kid’s bedtime and my own), and because I could immediately recognize this was something potentially very bad. If I didn’t acknowledge it, perhaps, it wouldn’t beco...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - January 14, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/ronald-zacker" rel="tag" > Ronald Zacker, PA-C < /a > Tags: Conditions Emergency Medicine Source Type: blogs
Health Care Needs Its Rosa Parks Moment
BY SHANNON BROWNLEE
On Wednesday, October 25, 2017 I was at the inaugural Society for Participatory Medicine conference. It was a fantastic day and the ending keynote was the superb Shannon Brownlee. It was great to catch up with her and I’m grateful that she agreed to let THCB publish her speech. Settle back with a cup of coffee (or as it’s Thanksgiving, perhaps something stronger), and enjoy–Matthew Holt
George Burns once said, the secret to a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending—and to have the two as close together as possible. I think the same is true of final keynotes after a...
Source: The Health Care Blog - November 22, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Matthew Holt Tags: OP-ED Patients Physicians Lown Institute Overtreatment Right Choice Alliance Shannon Brownlee Society for Participatory Medicine Source Type: blogs
