Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia have long been associated with mostly female patients, but research presented at the recent American Psychological Association (APA) convention suggests a certain well-defined, largely male population also might be at risk. Some men who engage in bodybuilding take legal, over-the-counter dietary supplements to such an extreme degree that….
Continue ReadingArchives for August 2015
Providers Remain Too Much in Love with Angioplasty and Stents
Although some people in cardiac distress need invasive procedures to survive, some heart treatments are overused, and the cost continues to mount. As explained by patient safety advocate John James in his August newsletter, performing angiography on and inserting stents in patients with stable heart disease not only wastes money, but can be unsafe. An….
Continue ReadingFDA to Revisit Safety of Essure
Essure is the only nonsurgical permanent birth control option approved by the FDA. And thousands of women are wondering why it’s still on the market. Many women who have undergone the procedure to implant Essure have had it removed after experiencing a range of side effects, including chronic fatigue, migraines, joint pain, digestive issues, back….
Continue ReadingBlood Thinners Are Widely Misused in Nursing Homes
Coumadin is a commonly prescribed drug for treating blood clots and reducing the risk of developing them. It helps reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack and embolisms (clots) forming in the legs or lungs. Using it requires exact dosing and regular testing of its effects – too little won’t protect you against life-threatening clots,….
Continue ReadingHospitals Still Lag in Meeting Medicare’s Bounceback Standards
Bouncebacks are patients who get readmitted to the hospital less than a month after they’ve been sent home. You want to keep the rate low, because too many bounceback admissions means the hospital is discharging patients too soon. One element of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”) now in its fourth year is a….
Continue ReadingWhen Chemotherapy Makes You Feel Worse
Chemotherapy is a common treatment at many stages and kinds of cancer. Although it has been proved to prolong life significantly and sometimes cure the disease, sometimes, according to a study published last month in JAMA Oncology, it does more harm than good. The study, which was accompanied by an editorial, called into question the….
Continue ReadingMany Meds Can Increase Your Risk of Falling
The older we get, the frailer we get. We also lose strength and our sense of balance. All of those contribute to a greater likelihood that we’ll fall, which can be a life-ending event for many elderly people. Although fitness training can help older people maintain some strength and balance, certain medications can offset our….
Continue ReadingSorting the Treasure from the Junk in Medical Science News
There’s a lot of health news noise out there, as we regularly point out (for example, here and here). Readers of HealthNewsReview.org (HNR) have a leg up on everyone else when it comes to sorting the noise from the news about medicine and health. The site’s mission is to improve the public dialogue “about health….
Continue ReadingStudy Shows Big Pharma Is Lax About Reporting Adverse Drug Events
If someone takes a drug and experiences a side effect noted on its label, it’s time to discuss it with the prescribing doctor. But any side effect not noted on the label, and any serious adverse drug event, such as one requiring hospital admission, according to regulations, must be reported by the drug’s manufacturer to….
Continue ReadingPanel Recommends Routine Adult Screening for Depression
Last week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that primary care doctors should screen their adult patients for depression. The USPSTF is composed of government-sponsored experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine who help shape best health practices. The panel said screening would be adequate via the nine-question Patient Health Questionnaire. A story on….
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