Mosquito: more than a bug
Anopheles mosquito, a vector of Malaria
In one half of the world, the mosquito is seen to most as a minor annoyance, but for others, mosquitoes are synonymous with disease, pain, and death. Today is the World Mosquito Day and the perfect reminder of the devastating impact of such diseases as Malaria, Zika, and various kinds of Encephalitis for which mosquitoes are a major vector.
Malaria – a headline disease
Malaria is the headline disease associated with mosquitoes and it was on this very day in 1897 that Sir Ronald Ross discovered that female mosquitoes can transmit malaria between humans. This was a major ...
Source: GIDEON blog - August 20, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Source Type: blogs
I Cured My Patient, But What Was His Diagnosis?
By HANS DUVEFELT
He cancelled his followup appointment because he was feeling fine. He didn’t see the point in wasting a Saturday to come to my clinic when he had lawns to mow and chores to do.
Less than two weeks before that he was sitting on the exam table in my office, again and again nodding off, waking up surprised every time his wife prodded him. The stack of printouts from the emergency room illustrated all the normal testing they had done.
He had experienced a brief episode of numbness in the left side of his face and felt tired with just a slight headache. When I saw him the headache was a bit more ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - August 14, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Physicians Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs
Podcast: Stigma in Christian and Asian Communities
If I come forward with my mental illness, will it shame my family? If I go to a psychiatrist, does it mean I don’t have enough faith to heal myself? While these questions might seem odd to some people, these are very real worries for many in the Asian and Christian communities.
In today’s episode, Dr. Esther Park, who is both Korean and Christian, explains the mental health stigma she has seen in both of these circles. Dr. Park helps clarify these issues and encourages people in these groups to understand the importance of seeking professional help.
We want to hear from you — Please fill out our listener survey ...
Source: World of Psychology - August 13, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: The Psych Central Podcast Tags: Disorders General Interview Mental Health and Wellness Podcast Spirituality Stigma The Psych Central Show Source Type: blogs
What is ME – Myalgic Encephalomyelitis?
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is a little-understood, female-biased [1] illness. It is estimated that up to 90% of people with the condition go diagnosed [2] and about 25% of sufferers are severely ill [3]. In recognition of the profound physical and psychological impact this disease has on its victims, August 8th has been designated as a Severe ME Awareness Day.
What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)?
The disease is best known for a state of extreme and unremitting fatigue. A range of additional symptoms may suggest the presence of an infectious disease: myalgia, nausea, cogniti...
Source: GIDEON blog - August 8, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Identify News Source Type: blogs
Post Covid Healthcare is Becoming Like Buying from Amazon Instead of Going to the Mall or Reading an eBook Instead of a Paperback
By HANS DUVEFELT, MD
Now that we are seeing patients via telemedicine or even getting reimbursed for handling their issues over the phone, our existing healthcare institutions are more and more starting to look like shopping malls.
They were once traffic magnets, so large that they created new developments far away from where people lived or worked and big and complex enough that going there became an all day affair for many people.
What this pandemic has brought us is a shift in our view of where you have to be in order to get things done. If you can earn your wage remotely and still buy things online...
Source: The Health Care Blog - August 5, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Medical Practice Source Type: blogs
Vagus Nerve Stimulator Gets FDA Emergency OK for Asthmatics with COVID
People stricken with COVID-19 exhibit a wide range of symptoms. Some are barely affected while others suffer dire consequences. People with asthma are in particular danger, as SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus that can make breathing even more difficult. Now, the FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the gammaCore Sapphire CV non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator (nVNS) to help adult asthmatics with COVID-19 (or those suspected of being infected) overcome difficulties breathing when drugs are not appropriate or are insufficient.
The gammaCore stimulator has been approved as a treatment option for migraines...
Source: Medgadget - July 27, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiology Critical Care Emergency Medicine Neurology Pain Management Public Health Source Type: blogs
The Best Treatment For Migraine Has Been Improved (M)
The technique that reduces the number of headaches people suffer by almost 50 percent.
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Activate: How To Find Joy Again By Changing What You Do (Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog)
Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog - July 14, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jeremy Dean Tags: Migraine subscribers-only Source Type: blogs
Podcast: Debating ‘ Anti-Psychiatry ’ Advocacy
Conclusion, do not visit cardiologists. They will give you heart attacks. No, that’s ridiculous. It’s so mind blowing that anyone even said this, right? It’s just ugh. Obviously, people who are extremely sick and who are at risk of killing themselves get psychiatric care. No kidding. So, yeah, this is, in fact, very dangerous.
Gabe: The word bullshit is not big enough. This is the literal equivalent of me saying that I looked at fifty thousand people who went to the hospital in the last year. And you were much more likely to die if you had a hospital admission. Now, I’m talking physical health now. ...
Source: World of Psychology - July 14, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Not Crazy Podcast Tags: General Mental Health and Wellness Not Crazy Podcast Psychiatry Treatment Source Type: blogs
Nurtec – Novel New Migraine Treatment
Nurtec (rimagepant) is the newest migraine abortive treatment approved by the FDA. It has been almost 30 years since we have had anything new to stop a migraine attack. Imitrex (sumatriptan) was the first triptan FDA approved for the treatment of acute migraines in 1992. Since that time, several other similar triptans were approved but they all had the same mechanism to stop migraines. In early 2020, the FDA approved an entirely new class of migraine attack medications called “gepants.” Gepants work by an entirely different way than the triptans. Nurtec is the newest gepant and has some unique features to stop ...
Source: Sarasota Neurology - July 2, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: admindan Tags: Migraines / Headache Uncategorized gepant Imitrex Nurtec triptan Source Type: blogs
FDA clears first videogame to be prescribed to kids with ADHD: EndeavorRx by Akili Interactive Labs
Screenshot of EndeavorRx
In a landmark decision, FDA greenlights a video game for kids with ADHD (STAT):
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday for the first time gave a green light to a game-based therapeutic: a video game meant to be prescribed to kids with ADHD.
The game, known as EndeavorRx and developed by Boston-based Akili Interactive Labs, can now be marketed as a way to improve attention function in kids with ADHD as measured by computerized testing. Physicians can prescribe it to children between the ages of 8 and 12 who have an ADHD diagnosis and have demonstrated an issue with attention.
The FDA’s move is...
Source: SharpBrains - June 18, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness Professional Development Technology 510(k) Adam Gazzaley adhd Akili Interactive Labs computerized testing De Novo digital therapeutics EndeavorRx FDA game-based therapeutic TOVA videog Source Type: blogs
Allergies, Colds and COVID: How to Tell the Difference
What follows is a breakdown of the symptoms of allergies, cold and flu, along with what we know so far about COVID. My hope is that this will provide parents with a quick checklist that can help assess what their child may be experiencing so they can then pursue the appropriate treatment.
Allergies
Allergies occur when the body perceives certain particles, like dust or pollen, as foreign invaders. Allergies often arise if a child did not experience much exposure (say, to pets or pollen) growing up, or the predisposition can be passed down genetically. While these tiny particles are not necessarily a threat to health, the b...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - June 17, 2020 Category: Child Development Authors: Alan Greene MD Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Allergies Colds Colds & Flu COVID-19 Source Type: blogs
The Itchy, Bumpy Blues: How to Treat and Prevent Mosquito Bites and Related Conditions
Mosquito bites may be a nuisance, but fortunately, in the U.S., they tend to amount to nothing more than that. Upon being bitten, most Americans experience a bit of swelling and itchiness, and nothing more. However, there are exceptions to this, including stronger allergic reactions to bites and cases of mosquito-borne illness.
Insect and arachnid bites, including ticks, account for approximately 2,000 cases of malaria and 30,000 cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. annually. In addition, millions of people worldwide die of malaria each year. It is helpful to protect yourself against insect bites, not only to avoid pesk...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - June 7, 2020 Category: Child Development Authors: Alan Greene MD Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Environmental Health Insect Bites & Stings Insects & Animals Outdoor Safety Source Type: blogs
Healthcare vs. Health Care
Well, it’s finally happened. Mr. HisTalk and I violently disagree. His note today includes:
Re: journalistic style. Is it ‘health care’ or ‘healthcare?’” I use the rules of the “AP Stylebook” for journalists with few exceptions, but one of those is that I write “healthcare” as a single word. I don’t have a strong feeling either way , but the one-word variant saves space without sacrificing (although I acknowledge that (“medicalcare” or “hospitalcare” don’t work).
For reference – see the HHS web Style Guide:
Health CareNot healthcare, except on an agenc...
Source: Docnotes - May 31, 2020 Category: Primary Care Authors: Jacob Tags: Uncategorized health care healthcare Source Type: blogs
We Should “Confront” China by Liberalizing Chinese Immigration
Alex NowrastehThe Chinese government ’s crackdown on dissidents in Hong Kong is just another indication of that government ’s rising totalitarianism. Vox’s Matt Yglesiaswrote that the United States should let in any Hongkonger who wishes to leave – a proposal I agree with. However, the U.S. government is moving in the opposite direction. Not only has it virtually ended all immigration, including for those seeking refuge and asylum, but it will soon go further to limit the migration of Chinese students.Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) recently introduced theSecure Campus Act that...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - May 29, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Alex Nowrasteh Source Type: blogs
