Monthly Archive for July, 2008
The Lighter Side of Medicine
With healthcare being the stressful and serious environment it is, sometimes we can lose the lighter side of medicine. I wanted to share a few funny stories that have arisen from my training, in hopes that other professionals can get a chuckle, and share their own tales.1. When I was a medical student rotating at Moss Rehab in Philadelphia, we had a long term patient who had been there for over a year. He was a happily demented gentleman, but he suffered from psoriasis on the backs of his arms and fronts of his knees which were very bothersome. We saw him on rounds, and he inquired about something to help out his condition. We told him we would prescribe some cream for him to use.
Viruses Cause Cancer?
In the 11th Report on Carcinogens, the US government added Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, and certain papilloma viruses to their list of substances known to be carcinogenic. This represented the first time ever that viruses were included.At the sixth annual International Conference of the American Association for Cancer Research, Dr. Andrew J. Dannenberg stated, "I believe that, conservatively, 15 to 20% of all cancer is caused by infections, however, the number could be larger, maybe double."
There Is No Sham In Acupuncture
The randomized controlled trial (RCT) is the gold standard for evaluating whether or not a therapeutic modality works. In RCTs testing the effect of acupuncture to improve symptoms, researchers often use "sham acupuncture" as a control procedure, on the theory that sticking needles into points that are not on acupuncture meridians should have no effect.The problem with this approach is that there is really no such thing as sham acupuncture.
Finding New Ways to Treat Depression
I think it's good to think outside the box. Especially when it comes to finding solutions to some pretty major problems. Let's take depression for example.Starting in May 2007, the FDA started requiring that a warning be posted on antidepressant drugs. The warning was about the increased risk of suicide for patients in the 18-24 age range. This warning was the result of a FDA analysis of patient data.So it seems to me that depressed young people need more options besides medication. Of course, all people who suffer from depression need options but for this age group, in light of this study, it seems necessary.
Popular Posts
- The Love Drug
- Women After Sex
- Fatty Acids and Suicide Risk
- Mind Games - Science's Attempts at Thought Control
- Risks of Personalized Medicine
- Mental Health Disorders Prevalent Among Youth Worldwide
- Is Giftedness Nothing More than Good Genes?
- The Many Emerging Roles of Astrocytes
- Behind the Masks - The Mysteries of Dissociative Identity Disorder
- The NeuroSocial Network
Future Posts
- The Brain’s Buying Power
Latest Posts
- Aging Intelligently
- A Nicotine Patch a Day Keeps the Cognitive Impairment Away
- The Many Emerging Roles of Astrocytes
- Diabetes Impairs Cognition
- Media Violence Leads to Real Violence
- Intelligence – Are You Holding Back Your Brain?
- Childhood Aggression Predicts Health Care Use Later in Life
- The Brain’s Border Patrol – Blood Brain Barrier
- Risks of Personalized Medicine
- BED-head and Obesity – Food for Thought
Comments
- Sandi Sarabia: Definitely, what a splendid we
- : This article had great info on
- peter: I also see things the same way
- Scapadas Amorosas: Lets patent it, package, marke
- Emily Haines, MSc, PhD student: Thanks for your comments, Matt
- Emily Haines, MSc, PhD student: Thanks for your comments and s
- Alex: While we have our eyes glued t
- Richard Kensinger, MSW: Carla,You are absolutely c
- Soraya L. Valles: I'm interested in astrocytes.
- Raymond Tallis: Dear Kitty, I have come to you
- Steven: After smoking for 17 years dai
- Matt: I'm just interested in hearing
