_ Video-Game Technique May Help Avoid Patients' Falls By Jane Farrell article A device using technology similar to that found in video games may eventually help health care practitioners monitor and even prevent falls among hospital patients. Between 700,000 and 1 million people each year fall in U.S. hospitals, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. All patients are at higher risk of falls because they are sick or injured. Falls are especially serious for older patients.
_ Honey as an Antibiotic By article Honey could be a solution to the problem of bacterial resistance to, to research done at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I and presented in March 2014 at the 247th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Dallas. A release from the society noted that medical professionals sometimes use honey successfully as a topical dressing but that the researchers predicted it could play a larger role in fighting infections..
How to Love an Angry Man: Part 2 ΓÇô Dealing with Anger vs. Rage By blog Dear Dr. Jed, I’m worried about my husband. He’s angry all the time and blames me for everything that is wrong. He calls me names, yells at me, looks at me with such hatred, I want to disappear. He’s never hit me, but I’m afraid of him. He totally denies that there are any problems with him. When he gets mad he calls me a bitch and a lot worse and tells me I’m crazy and should be hospitalized.
_ Avoiding Hospital Readmission After Surgery By Jane Farrell article Patients with post-surgical complications are likelier to be readmitted within 30 days than are those that don’t have the complications, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery. The research also found that using a simple online tool can help health-care practitioners predict which patients are at high risk of readmission.
_ Sleep Health Restless Legs May Signal Heart Problems By article A nationally recognized sleep expert has published an editorial describing Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) as a possible biomarker for underlying disease. The editorial appears in the March 5th 2014 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and was written by Boston Medical Center neurologist Sanford H. Auerbach, MD. RLS is a disorder of the nervous system. Patients with RLS have uncomfortable sensations in their legs that lead to an overwhelming urge to move them – most often at night or whenever the patient is resting.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Diagnosing Borderline Personality Disorder By Jane Farrell article Borderline personality disorder, a serious mental illness, affects six to ten million Americans, according to statistics from New York-Presbyterian Hospital. That’s more than twice the number of people affected by bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. And up to 90 percent of those diagnosed are women; while that may be because women seek treatment more often than men, it’s still a substantial number. Despite its prevalence, borderline personality disorder less widely known than other conditions such as depression.
_ Study: A Flu "Patch" May Be Alternative To The Needle By Jane Farrell article Instead of going to the doctor’s office for an annual flu shot, patients may eventually give themselves the same treatment via a painless patch. A study by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine gave the “microneedle patch” to nearly 100 people in the metropolitan Atlanta area. The investigators found that the subjects could successfully apply the patch. If the treatment becomes feasible, it could reduce health care costs and increase the number of people who are vaccinated.
The Fat ThatΓÇÖs Ruining Your Body from the Inside By Jane Farrell article By Dr. Victor Marchione Obesity is a topic very much on the radar of health professionals across North American. Combating this grave health condition could mean saving millions of dollars in health care costs, never mind improving the lives of those who find themselves carrying around too many extra pounds.
The Myth of Mental Illness By Jane Farrell blog A new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is due out next year and there is renewed discussion about what constitutes a “mental illness.” One of the world’s leading psychiatrists is questioning the very concept of mental illness. “In non-psychiatric circles mental illness all too often is considered to be whatever psychiatrists say it is,” Dr. Z tells us. “The need to re-examine the problem of mental illness is both timely and pressing.
_ Your Right to Your Lab Reports By article As part of an ongoing effort to empower patients to be informed partners with their health care providers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken action to give patients or a person designated by the patient a means of direct access to the patient’s completed laboratory test reports.
Watch Out for These Destructive Types By blog Like so many Americans, we changed health care plans this past month. Mike and I shared a terrible experience this week when we went to meet a new doctor It was truly the worst behavior I have ever witnessed from a trained professional.
Mental & Emotional Health Mental Health Care Scarce for Rural Women By article Women living in rural communities are less likely than urban-dwelling women to receive sufficient mental health care, in large part due to limited access to services and societal stigma, according to a study dome at Penn State College of Medicine and published in the journal Mental Health in Family Medicine.
_ Tablets in the Exam Room: Benefit or Annoyance? By article By Brok Vandersteen The last time I visited my doctor, I asked him how much my prescription would cost. “Well, it depends on how much your insurance covers,” he answered. I asked him if he knew how much that was. He pulled out his tablet and did the calculation, finding the pharmacy cost of my medication and comparing it to my insurance coverage. It was amazing: I knew right away what I would have to pay — and whether I could afford it.
Living in Place May Just Get Easier By Jane Farrell blog The business of aging is growing up. What is today a $2 billion aging in place technology and longevity industry is projected to reach $20 billion by 2020. Entrepreneurs, many just in their 20s and 30s, are scrambling to develop products and services that allow older adults to be independent and safe — and give their adult children peace of mind.
_ New Features on MyDiabetes.com By article Registration is free on the site called MyDiabetes.com, an online community for patients, friends, families, and healthcare professionals. In addition to sharing personal stories and getting access the latest information on the disease, members can use a diabetes management dashboard to keep track of important personal information such as blood sugar levels, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and medications. Now, for 2014, the site has added new features:
_ What it Really Means to ΓÇ£Just Do Your BestΓÇ¥ By Jane Farrell article By Cindy Laverty When I was fully immersed in my first caregiving journey, one of the things that used to drive me to distraction was when people (who, by the way, had never cared for anyone) told me to relax and "just do my best."
7 Surprising Ways Sex Can Save You By blog Like most living things, I’m interested in sex. By sex I mean both the pleasurable act of sensual engagement as well as the reality that men are one sex and women are the other. Vive La Différence! As important as sex is in our lives, new findings from the emerging field of Gender-Specific Medicine (GSM) are changing our view of sex and health. What Is Gender-Specific Medicine?