The cost of treating multiple sclerosis (MS) with a certain class of drugs is significantly higher than the cost of addressing the symptoms of MS with other therapies, according to a study in the journal Neurology. Analyzing data from 844 individuals with early-stage MS and projecting health-care costs, including the cost of the drugs and….
Continue ReadingArchives for August 2011
Unsafe Medical Devices: The Problem Isn’t “Over-Regulation”
The latest report from the prestigious Institute of Medicine — about the nonsensicality of the current system where dangerous medical devices can get approved for sale with a grandfathering process called 510-k — prompted this letter to the editor that summed it all up: The problems are not new. They reflect an underfinanced and underpowered….
Continue Reading10 Weird Health Theories That Just Won’t Go Away
Blogger Jim Edwards has a list of “10 Weird Health Theories That Just Won’t Go Away.” Many of them flower from the backlash to the medical industrial complex’s desire to medicalize, and provide a pill for, all slightly different human behaviors. Others underscore how appropriate skepticism about modern medicine can lead to an over-correction and….
Continue ReadingTylenol Lowers Dosage to Protect the Liver
As of this autumn, Tylenol is losing part of its punch. Manufacturer Johnson & Johnson is reducing the maximum recommended dosage on products containing acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol. The risk of liver damage from too much acetaminophen has long been a problem. Most cases of liver damage occur when consumers take more than….
Continue ReadingSafely Handling the Transition from Hospital to Home
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again — being released is only the halfway point of a successful hospital experience. The shift from in- to out-patient status is known as “care transition,” and it must be managed carefully to ensure the patient recovers fully. Two new studies in the Archives of Internal Medicine….
Continue ReadingYour Medicare Rights at Skilled Nursing Facilities
A woman on Medicare who lives in a nursing home is visited by relatives. They are told by facility staff that the resident isn’t allowed to leave without her doctor’s permission. If she does, she must sign a statement releasing the facility from liability, and that her departure will result in her losing her health-care….
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