July 4th, 2002, 10:57
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Join Date: 2001
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June 9 - June 15, 2002
Friday, June 21, 2002
"Mad Cow" Disease Found in New Mexican DeerChronic wasting disease has been found in a deer in New Mexico. When this disease affects cows, it's called "mad cow" disease. Since last fall, the disease appears to be spreading, with cases as far east as Wisconsin and up into Canada. Comment: regular readers of the Internet Medical Journal will remember comments made by health officials in the US that we don't need to worry about mad cow disease in the US. My response at the time was that it is very likely to spread into the US. This prediction appears to be coming true as the disease is starting to spread among our deer population. (in cows called "mad cow" disease) [ article ] posted at 20:01
Thursday, June 20, 2002
Weight Training Helps Trim Fat -- But Women Lose More From Their WaistThis 12 week study of 12 women and 14 men, aged 61 to 77 years old, found that women are more likely to lose fat from their waist as compared to men. However, both groups lost a similar amount of body fat--about 2 kilograms (4.4 lbs). Comment: weight training is beneficial for people of all ages. [ article ] posted at 21:47
Wednesday, June 19, 2002
Dr. Heston's Book Review Published in JAMACheck out my review of a couple of textbooks of primary care medicine that was recently published in JAMA. The bottom line: primary care in the big city is viewed quite differently than primary care in rural settings (I practice in rural Idaho, the authors of the books I reviewed primarily practiced in large metropolitan areas). Nonetheless, the books reviewed are of outstanding quality and highly recommended. [ article ] posted at 17:36
Botox Wrinkle Treatments Also Help Treat HeadachesThis study of 112 patients with chronic migraines found that Botox--a treatment for wrinkles--resulted in a 75% reduction in migraine-associated disability. [ article ] posted at 17:21
Daily Multivitamin RecommendedDoctors from Harvard are now recommending that Americans take a daily multivitamin. They recommend low-cost generic brands. Comment: this demonstrates how isolated academics are from the rest of us. I remember selling Shaklee vitamins when I was a teenager (25 years ago) and at that time all the academics were saying "don't take vitamins." But now we are learning that a daily multivitamin has substantial health benefits, such as a reduced rates of colon cancer. Furthermore, in general it is absurd to opt for low-cost, generic vitamins. These are generally poorly digested, and the vitamins & mineral content poorly balanced (check out the content of calcium and biotin in the cheap vitamins). There are several good multivitamin brands; the ones I recommend are the Amway and Shaklee products. [ article ] posted at 04:24
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
ABC Method for DiabeticsMany diabetics are not fully aware of the greatly increased risk they face from heart disease, according to research presented at the American Diabetic Association meeting. Diabetics should focus on their ABC's: a) control their Hemoglobin A1C, b) control their Blood pressure, and c) control their Cholesterol (especially their LDL, i.e. bad cholesterol). Comment: this ABC method of monitoring diabetics is very useful for both patients and doctors. [ article ] posted at 20:36
Urine Test Helps Predict Alzheimer's DiseaseUrine testing for isoprostane was shown in a recent research article to be linked with mild congnitive impairment, an early sign of Alzheimer's Disease. Comment: if this research is confirmed, simple urine testing would be helpful in identifying individuals that are at a high risk of Alzheimers. Several medications currently available can help slow down or delay the onset of Alzheimers. [ article ] posted at 20:30
Monday, June 17, 2002
Medication Error ReportingThe National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) has released a medication error reporting form that will assist in identifying and learning from mistakes. Comment: the NCC MERP recommends that facilities have a formal reporting system in place to help improve care and lessen medical mistakes. This form is a useful starting point. [ article ] posted at 19:10
Death of a ChildThis article is a poignant story about how medical errors can cause death. This viewpoint, from one of the doctors involved, is an excellent, touching commentary. Of note, the author makes important recommendations on how to prevent similar errors in the future. [ article ] posted at 19:02
Sunday, June 16, 2002
Screening Teens for Substance AbuseResearchers from Boston have developed and validated a screening tool for teen substance abuse, similar to the CAGE questionairre for alcoholism. The research found that 17% of the routine primary care teenaged patients had a diagnosis of either abuse or dependence. The questions can be found online at the following link ->> [ article ] posted at 20:57
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