As cardiologists and oncologists swap cross-fire about the conditions they treat and how they do so, here’s hoping that, above all, their female patients end up helped and not harmed, getting vital information about risks and benefits of therapies for two of the leading killers of women: heart disease and breast cancer. What’s behind the….
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Seven words that federal scientists are no longer supposed to use (one is “science-based”)
What’s going on at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? It’s a federal agency with a $7 billion budget and more than 12,000 employees working across the nation and around the globe on everything from food and water safety, to heart disease and cancer, to infectious disease outbreak prevention. Its work and guidance on health….
Continue ReadingFor holidays, consider helping others and yourself with gifts of life and health
Looking for a gift with more meaning for a holiday season of higher purpose and lasting impact? Here are some ideas: Protect yourself and your loved ones. Pronto. If you qualify for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, sign up, immediately. Go to healthcare.gov to learn more and to launch the process. The….
Continue ReadingFor the holidays, consider the best gift ever
IN THIS ISSUE The need is great, the supply is poor: Organ donation is easy but few sign up When life-and-death decisions get made, controversies follow Can porcine pals, stem cells provide new organ sources? Key rights and valuables BY THE NUMBERS 116,000 Number of men, women, and children officially awaiting transplant organs as of….
Continue ReadingAs breast cancer patients know, over-testing and over-treatment are big woes
Up to a third of medical spending goes for over-treatment and over-testing, with an estimated $200 billion in the U.S. expended on medical services with little benefit to patients. But getting doctors and hospitals to stop this waste isn’t easy, nor is it a snap to get patients to understand what this problem’s all about….
Continue ReadingPlastic surgery patients don’t need surgeons who are social media clowns
Social media have become a “circus” for some plastic and cosmetic surgeons to clown around in unprofessional ways, including: videos in which one doctor has cradled fat removed from a tummy-tuck like an infant and put a baby face on it using a Snapchat filter. Other costumed surgeons have posted visual displays of themselves dancing….
Continue ReadingDisasters prove that now is the time to research good nursing home care
IN THIS ISSUE Need for nursing care may arise suddenly Research, visit, consult. Repeat. And take all the time you can. Make a decision, then make sure to stay engaged. Care giving at home: It’s a tough option Get these documents in order BY THE NUMBERS 1.4 million Number of Americans in nursing homes (2015)….
Continue ReadingDeflating the hype and exposing the risks of stem-cell treatments
IN THIS ISSUE Big bills and big harms in therapeutic ‘Wild, Wild West’ Regenerative medicine holds great promise still. But not yet. Why skepticism is smart A caution on the placebo effect Stop following celebrity trends BY THE NUMBERS 570+ Number of ‘clinics’uncovered in a nationwide online 2016 study and purporting to provide stem cell treatments….
Continue ReadingSunday pro football games aren’t the place to serve up genetic screening malarkey
Let’s give a hurrah for Maryland health officials — they threw a red flag at a high-tech startup that planned with the Baltimore Ravens football team to serve up a mass genetic screening test at a recent game. The blunt reality is this would have been genetic malarkey. This incident should serve as a reminder, caveat emptor,….
Continue ReadingAre local TV news broadcasts selling out to wealthy medical interests?
Just under half of American adults get their news mostly from local television, and this is especially true for the older among us who also happen to be the heaviest users of medical services. But with local TV content hitting new highs for sheer volume—an average of 5.7 hours every day—watchdog groups are expressing a….
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