_ Mental & Emotional Health Improving How Docs Manage Depression By Sondra Forsyth article A performance improvement initiative for physicians can significantly increase their use of evidence-based practices in screening for and treating depression, according to a study published in the July 2014 issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice.
_ Medical Care Update on Telehealth By Sondra Forsyth article By Miles E. Drake, Jr., MD ΓÇ£TelehealthΓÇ¥ or ΓÇ£telemedicineΓÇ¥ have been used more or less interchangeably over the past 50 years to describe the provision of health care services and exchange of health information by electronic means. The initial concept of telephonic and later computer-based medical interaction and education was defined by the Institute of Medicine as ΓÇ£the use of electronic information and communications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates participantsΓÇ¥.
_ Senior Health Stroke Stroke Rates Have Dropped 40% for People 65+ By Sondra Forsyth article A new analysis of data from 1988-2008 by researchers at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine has revealed a 40% decrease in the incidence of stroke in Medicare patients 65 years of age and older. The decline is greater than anticipated considering this population's risk factors for stroke. Not only that, but the drop applies to both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. The team also found that deaths resulting from stroke declined during the same period. The findings are published in the July 2014 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
Medical Care Senior Health Orthopedic Surgery Safe at 80+ By Sondra Forsyth article Over the past decade, a greater number of patients age 80 and older have been undergoing elective orthopedic surgery. A study published in July 2014 in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) found that these surgeries are generally safe with mortality rates decreasing for total hip (THR) and total knee (TKR) replacement and spinal fusion surgeries, and complication rates decreasing for total knee replacement and spinal fusion in patients with few or no comorbidities (other conditions or diseases).
The Foods That Can Make You Less Anxious By Jane Farrell article Coping with anxiety can be a challenge and often requires making lifestyle changes. There aren't any diet changes that can cure anxiety, but watching what you eat may help. Try these steps: Eat a breakfast that includes some protein. Eating protein at breakfast can help you feel fuller longer and help keep your blood sugar steady so that you have more energy as you start your day.
_ Heart Health Potassium May Save Lives for Heart Patients on Diuretics By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that patients taking prescription potassium supplements together with loop diuretics for heart failure have better survival rates than patients taking diuretics without the potassium. The degree of benefit increases with higher diuretic doses. The team, including senior author Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology in PennΓÇÖs Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB), report their findings in a study published online July 16th 2014 in PLoS ONE.
_ Breast Cancer Breast Ca Screening for Older Women = High Cost But No Benefit By Sondra Forsyth article Medicare spending on breast cancer screening increased substantially between 2001 and 2009 but the detection rates of early stage tumors were unchanged, according to a study done at Yale and published July 16th 2014 in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
_ Heart Health Niacin Linked to Death Risk By Sondra Forsyth article Niacin has been a mainstay of cholesterol therapy for 50 years, but Northwestern Medicine preventive cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D. maintains that the drug should no longer be prescribed for most patients due to potential increased risk of death, dangerous side effects, and no benefit in reducing heart attacks and strokes. His editorial was published in the July 17th 2014 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Coming Next Week! July 21st to July 25th 2014 By Sondra Forsyth article Monday, July 21st Can certain foods make you less anxious? The experts at the Mayo Clinic say the answer is yes! The gym can be a very germy place. HereΓÇÖs how to avoid the bugs. ThereΓÇÖs no place like home for living independently as you age. Learn how to adapt your house or apartment so youΓÇÖll stay safe as the years go by. Our video shows the nano laser peel treatment. Blogger Nancy Anderson asks whether you see others as they are or as you want them to be. Tuesday, July 22nd
_ Cancer Center 12 Things To Do after Your Cancer Diagnosis By Sondra Forsyth article By James Tamkin M.D. and Dave Visel This article originally appeared on DemosHealth.com. It is adapted from The Myeloma Survival Guide. As a newly diagnosed cancer patient, you are beginning a long, complicated, physically and mentally taxing journey. Here are twelve things to start doing now to make your journey a little easier.
_ Losing Your Sense of Smell By Jane Farrell article Many older people are not even aware that they have a problem with their sense of smell because the changes occur gradually over several years. They may not even notice that they are experiencing a loss of smell until there is an incident in which they don't detect food that has spoiled or the presence of dangerous smoke.
_ Stroke Fewer Stroke Deaths Over Past 2 Decades By Sondra Forsyth article Fewer Americans are having strokes and those who do have a lower risk of dying from them according to a a study led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers and is published in the July 16th 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Pets Fight Fleas And Ticks The Right Way By Jane Farrell article Fleas and ticks can be real problems for pets ΓÇô and for their owners. In animals, according to the federal Food and Drug Administration, flea bites can cause flea allergy dermatitis , an allergic reaction to proteins in flea saliva.
_ Medical Care Antibiotic Use Prevalent in Hospices By Sondra Forsyth article The use of antibiotics is still prevalent among terminal patients who have chosen hospice care as an end-of-life option, despite little evidence that the medications improve symptoms or quality of life, and sometimes may cause unwanted side effects. That is the finding of a study done at Oregon State University and the Oregon Health & Science University and published on July 14th 2014 in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
_ Exercise Exercise: The Newest "Prescription" By Jane Farrell article The newest ΓÇ£medicineΓÇ¥ that should be prescribed? Exercise, according to a study. Researchers from the Queensland Institute of Technology (QUT), in Australia, reached that conclusion after looking for five years at the impact of mental and physical health in women over 50. Professor Debra Anderson , from QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation , said that the research indicated that in addition to conventional treatments for physical and mental health, health professionals should be prescribing tailored exercise programs for older women.
_ Skin Skin Health Help for Eczema Sufferers By Jane Farrell article Scientists have developed a new medicine that may eventually give significant relief to people who suffer from eczema, the most common skin disorder. The study was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
_ 6 Reasons Your Hypertension Meds Might Not Be Working By Jane Farrell article From the Cleveland Clinic A hypertension specialist looks at potential causes. Usually, itΓÇÖs not just one single issue but various factors that contribute to the problem. Your doctor will work to figure out why ΓÇô and from there, create a new plan of attack. ΓÇ£Finding the right combination of medications for uncontrolled hypertension may require some trial and error,ΓÇ¥ says hypertension specialist George Thomas, MD. In his work with patients, Thomas investigates possible explanations for difficulty in controlling blood pressures. These can include:
_ Heart Health Cheaper & Better Drug for Heart Attack Procedure By Sondra Forsyth article A study done in the UK and published in The Lancet on July 4th 2014 compares outcomes for two drugs used to prevent blood clot formation during emergency heart attack treatment. The study suggests that use of one of the drugs, heparin, could result in improved outcomes such as a reduced rate of repeat heart attacks, compared to the other drug tested, bivalirudin, which is in widespread use in high-income countries and is around 400 times more expensive than heparin.