Mental Illness Deniers Are as Dangerous as Climate Change Deniers
Back in the mid-80’s, I was one of a few, fortunate psychiatrists in Massachusetts in charge of administering the just-released atypical antipsychotic medication clozapine. In our clinic, its use was still limited to a small number of carefully-selected patients with schizophrenia who had not responded to any of the conventional antipsychotic agents.
Harry was one of my first clozapine patients. He had been an inpatient for much of his adult life, and was widely thought to be a “lost cause.” For many years, Harry had been tormented by threatening “voices” urging him to harm either himself or others. He had b...
Source: World of Psychology - May 4, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Ronald Pies, M.D. Tags: Antipsychotic Bipolar Disorders Medications Psychiatry Schizophrenia Stigma Antipsychiatry Denial Hospitalization Mental Health over-prescription Stigmatization Thomas Szasz Source Type: blogs
Chronic Inflammation as Proximate Cause of a Large Fraction of Age-Related Disease
This popular science article discusses at length the chronic inflammation that is characteristic of the old, and its role as a proximate cause of age-related disease. Inflammation is a necessary part of the immune response to injury and pathogens, and when present in the short term it is vital to the proper operation of bodily systems. But when the immune system runs awry in later life, and inflammatory processes are constantly running, then this inflammation corrodes metabolism, tissue function, and health.
The causes of excess, constant inflammation are both internal and external to the immune system. Internally, ...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 30, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Podcast: Bad Habits and Vices Related to Mental Illness
Everyone has bad habits. Even your sainted Granny who seems perfect to you has some bad habit that only your grandfather knows about. Bad habits, like everything, exist on a spectrum, from biting your nails to snorting cocaine – and everything in between.
In this episode, our hosts discuss bad habits that many people with mental illness seem to have – from smoking, to alcoholism, to drug use and, you guessed it, everything in between.
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“90% of people with schizophrenia smoke.”
– Michelle Hammer
Highlights From ‘Bad Habits Mental Illness’’ Episode
[0:...
Source: World of Psychology - April 15, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast Tags: A Bipolar, A Schizophrenic, and a Podcast Addiction Habits Schizophrenia Stress Source Type: blogs
Data Annotators: The Unsung Heroes Of Artificial Intelligence Development
How do you create a smart algorithm? Where and how do you get the data for it? What do you need for a pattern recognizing program to work well and what are the challenges? Nowadays, everyone seems to be building artificial intelligence-based software, also in healthcare, but no one talks about one of the most important aspects of the work: data annotation and the people who are undertaking this time-consuming, rather monotonous task without the flare that usually encircles A.I. Without their dedicated work, it is impossible to develop algorithms, so we thought it is time to sing an ode to the superheroes of algorithm devel...
Source: The Medical Futurist - April 9, 2019 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Future of Medicine AI algorithm annotation data data annotation doctor Health Healthcare physician smart algorithm technology Source Type: blogs
New Jersey Assembly, Senate Pass Aid in Dying Bill After Nearly 7 Years of Debate
New
Jerseyans with terminal or life-shortening diseases and Compassion &
Choices praised the state Assembly and Senate for passing the Aid in Dying for
the Terminally Ill Act (S1072/A1504) after nearly seven years of debate on the
issue and urged Governor Phil Murphy to promptly sign it into law. The Assembly
approved the bill by a 41 to 33 vote and Senate by a 21 to 16 vote.
This bill would allow mentally
capable, terminally ill adults with 6 months or less to live to have the option
to get a doctor’s prescription for medication they can decide to take if their
suffering becomes unbearable and die peacefully in ...
Source: blog.bioethics.net - March 25, 2019 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs
Podcast: The Warning Signs of Bipolar and Schizophrenia
In general, people with mental illness aren’t perfectly fine one day and suddenly symptomatic the next. It often feels that way to people with bipolar, depression, and schizophrenia, but many of us in recovery realize that the warning signs were there all along.
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“If you think there might be something wrong – that is a red flag.”
– Gabe Howard
Highlights From ‘Warning Bipolar Schizophrenia’’ Episode
[1:00] March 30th is World Bipolar Day!
[2:30] What are some of the warning signs of mental illness?
[5:00] Will supplements and exercise fix everything?
[7...
Source: World of Psychology - March 25, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast Tags: A Bipolar, A Schizophrenic, and a Podcast Disorders Schizophrenia Source Type: blogs
It ’s time to change the face of lung cancer
“Please don’t tell my family, ” Mary (identifying information changed) immediately asked me after I disclosed the results of her lymph node biopsy and diagnosis of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. At the time, I was a first-year oncology fellow. Initially, I thought it was a normal reaction (an example of my lack of expe rience). I […]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 - March 24, 2019 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/narjust-duma" rel="tag" > Narjust Duma, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions Oncology/Hematology Source Type: blogs
Eat more eggs
The headlines are once again filled with advice to reduce egg and cholesterol consumption based on a study that found an association of egg and cholesterol consumption with increased risk for cardiovascular events. Sounds scary and persuasive, doesn’t it? After all, nearly 30,000 people were tracked over 17 years and the authors authoritatively declare that this proves that eggs and cholesterol are risk factors for heart disease.
There are several problems with this assessment. It is emblematic of the studies that confuse people, yield wildly conflicting conclusions, are used to craft absurd and ineffective dietary g...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - March 16, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates cholesterol eggs grain-free saturated fat undoctored wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Mauna Kea ’s Cellvizio AQ-Flex 19 Miniprobe FDA Cleared for Analyzing Lung Nodules
Mauna Kea Technologies, based in Paris, France, won clearance from the FDA for its Cellvizio needle-based AQ-Flex 19 confocal miniprobe for use in sampling and imaging of peripheral lung nodules.
The product allows physicians to image lung nodules directly through existing bronchoscopes and accompanying accessories. Additionally, in some markets, it can be used to analyze other internal tissues such as within the GI tract.
“Our pioneering team has demonstrated that real-time imaging and identification of benign and malignant cellular structures inside pulmonary nodules and lymph nodes with needle-based Confocal Laser En...
Source: Medgadget - February 27, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: GI Medicine Pathology Radiology Surgery Thoracic Surgery Source Type: blogs
Microfluidic Device Separates Circulating Tumor Cells by Size to Help Spot Cancer
Tumors tend to shed cells that travel down the bloodstream, spreading the disease wherever they end up landing. Though these circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are the reason that cancers metastasize to distant places in the body, they’re also a great biomarker for spotting the existence of tumors. The extreme rarity of CTCs, though, makes detecting these cells, a process called liquid biopsy, extremely difficult.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Queensland University of Technology of Australia have collaborated to create a microfluidic device that can separate the cells found in whole blood by ...
Source: Medgadget - February 27, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Materials Nanomedicine Oncology Pathology Source Type: blogs
Graphene Biosensors to Detect Lung Cancer
Exhaled breath is rich in biomarkers that can point to the presence of disease. In particular, ethanol, acetone, and isopropanol can point to the presence of lung cancer, so having a way of measuring these chemicals in breath might provide a way to diagnose lung cancers or to screen for them.
Current methods of measuring exhaled biomarkers are prone to inaccuracies due to the humidity of exhaled breath, difficulty of calibrating such systems, and the presence of multiple analytes within breath.
Researchers at University of Exeter have now shown that bare multi-layer graphene, a material one carbon atom thick, can in princi...
Source: Medgadget - February 15, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Materials Nanomedicine Source Type: blogs
Medicinal Mushrooms: Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) and Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus)
There some evidence in PubMed than medicinal mushrooms may play a role in treatment of some cancers. Most of the claims of medical benefits are bot backed up by high quality studies as of 2019. References are below.---What is turkey tail?Turkey tail is a type of mushroom that grows on dead logs worldwide. It's named turkey tail because its rings of brown and tan look like the tail feathers of a turkey. Its scientific name is Trametes versicolor or Coriolus versicolor. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is known as Yun Zhi. In Japan, it is known as kawaratake (roof tile fungus). Turkey tail has been used in traditional Chi...
Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog - February 13, 2019 Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: Medicinal Mushrooms Oncology Source Type: blogs
Radiation oncologists aren ’t just strangers in the basement
“We have a consult for radiation oncology regarding a 60-year-old gentleman with a history of lung cancer and is currently admitted. His oncologist is Dr. Heme Onc.” As a new radiation oncology resident, I was surprised to hear the consulting physician refer to the patient’s medical oncologist as “his oncologist.” What about the patient’s radiation […]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 - February 7, 2019 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mudit-chowdhary" rel="tag" > Mudit Chowdhary, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Physician Oncology/Hematology Radiology Source Type: blogs
Cigarette Packaging in Italy
On a recent trip to Italy I was amazed when I saw these pictures on packs of cigarettes. If this isn’t enough to scare a smoker away from these nicotine delivery devices, I don’t know what will. For the benefit of my readers I am reproducing what I think is the best of them on my blog.
I made a point to go into a tobacco store and photograph as many as I could. They reminded me of the bubble gum trading cards from the 1960’s that featured Wacky Packages which were not much different from these. The ads said, “Swap ‘em, trade ‘em, collect ’em!”
New smoking laws went into effect in 2016 whi...
Source: Jeffrey M. Levine MD | Geriatric Specialist | Wound Care | Pressure Ulcers - February 3, 2019 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Jeffrey Levine Tags: Featured Medical Articles Travel cigarettes; cigarette smoking; public health; lung cancer; cardiovascular disease; heart disease emphysema gory pictures; italy lung disease Source Type: blogs
