They’re crazy, right? Or maybe they have a “personality disorder.” Our current political season is raising the issue about how wise it is for commentators and the rest of us to put labels on politicians we don’t like in terms of their mental health. Susan Molchan, a psychiatrist in the Washington, D.C.-area, provides a thought-provoking….
Continue ReadingArchives for August 2016
Olympians pique interest in whether alternative treatments are golden
With fans around the world fixated on the U.S. gold medal-winning Olympic swimming team, curious minds wanted to know: Just what were those circular, purple marks covering the much-bared bodies of athletes like Michael Phelps? To anyone who has spent time in East Asia or who lives in a metropolis (like Washington, D.C.) with sizable….
Continue ReadingFinding out if sales reps and medical students are providing hospital care
If the time in a doctor’s office or the hospital isn’t frightening enough already for most patients, some recent publications by MDs in prominent, peer-reviewed medical journals may ramp up that anxiety to new heights: Just who is skulking around, with institutional blessing, when you’re getting your medical care? And what role are these official-looking….
Continue ReadingKnee-pain surgery, performed 400,000 times a year, deemed ‘useless’
Surgeons’ propensity to perform a common procedure may transfer patients’ knee discomfort to their wallets. The New York Times, in its Upshot column, pulls together a growing body of research that indicates that surgeries for meniscus tears are “useless.” The arthroscopic procedure, however, is popular with the middle-aged and older when afflicted with knee pain,….
Continue ReadingDaily flossing may not be all that important to mouth health
It wasn’t the kind of reporting to force a U.S. president to resign. Still, the Associated Press did cause some red faces among dental and diet experts by exposing a lack of research rigor and a bit of publication sleight-of-hand. This all turned on debunking a bit of oral health dogma: Do we really need….
Continue ReadingExposure to dirt helps kids avoid allergies and asthma
Eat dirt, kids will exclaim, as a taunting insult to each other. Many parents will chase toddlers around the outdoors trying to keep them from doing exactly that. But new research, as published in the highly respected New England Journal of Medicine, offers a new view of the value of kids’ early exposure to certain….
Continue ReadingAre dentists extracting extra revenue with unneeded X-rays?
The cost won’t exactly break the bank. But it might equal what you will pay for the oral health care that prompted the visit. When the dentist starts saying it’s time for partial or “bitewing” X-rays, just say no, a health care economist recommends. Austin Frakt, an expert writing in the paper’s Upshot column, hit a….
Continue ReadingDubious data hyped NFL program to protect kids from head trauma
As a former president used to say with finger pointed and head cocked: Well, there they go again. That same angry but resigned tone should be applied to the National Football League, and its dissembling use of data. The NFL keeps damaging its own reputation as it seeks to persuade the public that it recognizes….
Continue ReadingUncle Sam’s new ratings give poor marks to big D.C. hospitals
More than 3,600 hospitals across the United States have taken a star turn. Many aren’t happy about it, and the same may be true for some members of Congress. Whether patients benefit is still murky. But federal officials, who have been planning a new and expanded hospital rating system for a long time now, have….
Continue ReadingDon’t be fooled by claims about sports drinks or alcohol
With the summer’s sizzle, it’s vital to stay hydrated. But take with a grain of salt the hype that prevails−for athletic “performance” drinks, and about recent reports on cancer risks and alcohol. For those who cut up limes in big quantities for their refreshments, it also may be worth taking note of a quirky health….
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