Weekend warriors dedicated to fitness for play and performance are beginning to see the signs of aging wear and tear. Osteoarthritis can cause pain to crucial areas like elbows, hips, knees and back. Advances in healthcare are giving new options and alternatives to surgery. This next generation of medicine is integrative bringing all medical modalities to… Continue reading The New Lexicon of Healthcare: Terms for the 21st Century of Wellness
Category: Medical Care
Physicians’ Attitude May Be Driving up Health Care Costs
Both public-health experts and politicians agree we need to deliver cost-effective, high-quality medical care. One of the things experts should be looking at, researchers say in a new paper, is “physicians’ belief that their actions or tools are more effective than they actually are [and that] can perpetuate unnecessary and costly care,” writes David J.… Continue reading Physicians’ Attitude May Be Driving up Health Care Costs
Clinicians Should Avoid Prescribing Compounded Hormones
A new Scientific Statement issued on April 1st 2016 by the Endocrine Society in Boston advises clinicians to avoid using compounded hormone medications to treat menopausal symptoms, female sexual dysfunction, and other hormone conditions. The state was published in the Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. According to a release from the society, these… Continue reading Clinicians Should Avoid Prescribing Compounded Hormones
The 6 Tools of High Performance Medicine You Need to Know About
Anyone who needs to be in peak shape to do their job – whether it’s on a football field, basketball court or in the boardroom takes health seriously. Find out what medical treatments high performers from athletes to celebrities are turning to in order to stay in the game. The doctors at the Los Angeles… Continue reading The 6 Tools of High Performance Medicine You Need to Know About
Discussing Older Adults’ Values & Goals Helps Guide Healthcare Providers
According to he Health in Aging Foundation, person-centered care puts individual values and preferences at the heart of healthcare decisions, measuring success by focusing attention on people’s health and life goals. When you’re an older adult faced with a life-threatening illness — especially if you’re also dealing with other chronic health problems — your expressed… Continue reading Discussing Older Adults’ Values & Goals Helps Guide Healthcare Providers
Well-Known Drug Could Yield New Treatment for Herpes Viruses
Today, there is only one class of antiviral medicines against herpes viruses — a family of viruses that cause mononucleosis, herpes, and shingles, among other illnesses – meaning options for treating these infections are limited. If viruses become resistant to these frontline treatments, a growing problem particularly in clinical settings, there are no alternative drugs… Continue reading Well-Known Drug Could Yield New Treatment for Herpes Viruses
10 Questions to Ask an Emergency Room Physician
Patients often find it difficult to talk to physicians when they don’t particularly feel well. They tend to lack self-respect in these situations, failing to speak up for themselves. Naturally, this sentiment reflects upon physicians who are seen as not treating patients with dignity. Dignity implies self-confidence and certainty, rarely afforded to patients. Patients are… Continue reading 10 Questions to Ask an Emergency Room Physician
Could Customer Loyalty Programs Work in Healthcare?
When you buy a cup of coffee, a load of groceries, an airline ticket or a tank of gas these days, you probably pull out a customer loyalty card without even thinking about it. The card might even be linked to how you pay. You may be thinking mostly about the perks you’re earning. But… Continue reading Could Customer Loyalty Programs Work in Healthcare?
Is Remote Patient Monitoring Worth It?
Although there is increasing interest in remote monitoring of patients, UCLA researchers found that it doesn’t necessarily work better than conventional methods of doctor/patient interaction. The researchers discovered that combined health coaching and remote monitoring did not reduce all-cause 180-day hospital readmissions among heart failure patients, and did not have significant effects on 30-day hospital… Continue reading Is Remote Patient Monitoring Worth It?
Cotton Candy Machines and Artificial Organs
Cotton candy machines may hold the key for making life-sized artificial livers, kidneys, bones and other essential organs, researchers say. For several years, Leon Bellan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University, has been tinkering with cotton candy machines, getting them to spin out networks of tiny threads comparable in size, density and complexity… Continue reading Cotton Candy Machines and Artificial Organs
Allergy Shots Effective for Boomers Who Have Seasonal Allergies
Recent years have seen an increase in those suffering from allergies, including baby boomers. And because older people tend to have additional chronic diseases, diagnosis and management of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) can be a challenge. A new study shows immunotherapy (allergy shots) reduced symptoms by 55 percent after three years of therapy, and decreased… Continue reading Allergy Shots Effective for Boomers Who Have Seasonal Allergies
ACP, CDC Offer Advice on Prescribing Antibiotics
The American College of Physicians an the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise physicians to think twice before prescribing antibiotics for common respiratory infections. Antibiotics are overused for the common cold, bronchitis, sore throat, and sinus infections – illnesses that often resolve on their own In a paper published in January 2016 in Annals… Continue reading ACP, CDC Offer Advice on Prescribing Antibiotics
Hope for Better Knee-Injury Surgery
Researchers have discovered that fibrocartilage tissue in the knee has a more varied molecular structure than previously realized – and that could pave the way for better treatment of injuries. The new study, by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware, has implications for treatment… Continue reading Hope for Better Knee-Injury Surgery
Racial Bias May Be Conveyed by Doctors’ Body Language
When treating seriously ill patients, doctors give less compassionate verbal cues to black patients than to white patients, according to a small University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine trial revealed. It is the first to look at such interactions in a time-pressured, end-of-life situation. The finding, published in the January issue of the Journal of… Continue reading Racial Bias May Be Conveyed by Doctors’ Body Language
Travel Distance Affects Reconstructive Breast-Cancer Surgery
Long travel distances are still a significant obstacle to breast reconstruction after surgery, according to a new study. The research was reported in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). “While greater patient awareness and insurance coverage have contributed to breast reconstruction rates in the United… Continue reading Travel Distance Affects Reconstructive Breast-Cancer Surgery
Music Therapy for COPD Patients
Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other chronic respiratory disorders who received music therapy in conjunction with standard rehabilitation saw an improvement in symptoms, psychological well-being and quality of life compared to patients receiving rehabilitation alone, according to a new study by researchers at The Louis Armstrong Center of Music and Medicine at… Continue reading Music Therapy for COPD Patients
Millions of Women Are Getting Unregulated Hormone-Therapy Treatments
Millions of women are being prescribed hormone therapy with mostly unregulated compounds, according to a new study. The number of prescriptions has reached an estimated 26 to 33 million a year. That approaches the 36 million prescriptions per year for well-regulated and tested FDA-approved hormone therapy, shows an analysis of the market compounded hormone therapy… Continue reading Millions of Women Are Getting Unregulated Hormone-Therapy Treatments
A Clue to Aspirin’s Benefits
Why is aspirin so good at fighting disease? Researchers have found that it targets an inflammatory protein associated with a wide variety of illnesses. The discovery could pave the way for the development of more powerful aspirin-like drugs. Aspirin is one of the oldest and most commonly used medicines, but many of its beneficial health… Continue reading A Clue to Aspirin’s Benefits