Prescription labels, doctor's cues can trigger symptoms
Wall Street Journal Nov 18, 08 1:59 PM CST
(Newser)
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Ignorance truly is bliss when it comes to prescription drugs. The side effects listed on warning labels have a self-fulfilling quality, researchers tell the Wall Street Journal . People sensitive to this "nocebo effect" should think twice before reading that their pills can cause nausea, vomiting, irritability, or difficulty concentrating. For many, merely knowing about those symptoms can prompt them.
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Health costs, medical errors scare more than in other rich nations
Reuters Nov 13, 08 10:50 AM CST
(Newser)
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Chronically ill Americans are more likely to forgo medical care because of high costs or bad experiences than counterparts in a number of other rich nations, a study finds. Researchers interviewed 7,500 adults with conditions like cancer, arthritis, depression, and diabetes, and the Americans led the complaints. Dutch patients had the fewest qualms, Reuters reports.
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More doctors offer "boutique" care to make ends meet, provide better service
Baltimore Sun Oct 26, 08 3:18 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Increasing numbers of doctors are bagging the insurance model to offer much better service to fewer patients, at a much higher cost, the Baltimore Sun reports. Many doctors are struggling to pay their own bills, and the quality of service they offer patients is suffering. But such “boutique” care threatens to create two separate medical systems. “I just think it’s morally wrong,” says one patient.
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Many physicians believe in psychological impact of prescriptions
Chicago Tribune Oct 24, 08 5:45 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Half of US doctors admit prescribing drugs to patients just for the placebo effect—to make them think they are taking something beneficial, reports the Chicago Tribune. As many as 56% prescribed antibiotics, painkillers, vitamins, and sedatives in cases where they didn't expect them to have any benefit physically, but thought the pills might have a positive psychological impact, according to a survey. "Frankly, I was astonished," said a bioethics expert.
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Harvard researchers fashion a household item into a diagnostic device
Discover Oct 16, 08 4:30 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Centrifuges separate blood from plasma—but at considerable expense, in a bulky package. That leaves them beyond the reach of underfunded medical facilities that could use the help in diagnosing blood-borne ailments, such as hepatitis and other diseases. The solution, Discover reports, could be as close as the nearest kitchen. It's an eggbeater.
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Discoverers of HIV, human papilloma virus win $1.4M award
Associated Press Oct 6, 08 8:52 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded today to three scientists who discovered two of the world's deadliest sexually transmitted viruses. Half the prize goes to Harald zur Hausen, a German who discovered the human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer in women. The other half goes to Françoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier, the two French virologists who discovered HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
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The cheap drugs could halve deaths from
heart attack, stroke
Guardian (UK) Sep 29, 08 8:16 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Trials begin this week in London on a cheap "polypill" that could cut heart attack and stroke deaths in half worldwide, the Guardian reports. The pill combines four drugs—aspirin, a cholesterol-lowering statin, an ACE inhibitor, and thiazine to battle high blood pressure. The aim is to sell it—for about $1 a month—over the counter at pharmacies in the developing world, where cardiovascular disease is soaring.
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Lousy rapport impairs treatment, survey finds
Globe and Mail Sep 27, 08 2:20 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Odds are you're annoying your doctor, according to a Canadian study that asked nearly 300 physicians about their daily frustrations. As the Globe and Mail reports, many had difficulty establishing rapports with patients, who routinely resisted or flouted their advice —which can lead to patient safety problems. “When you have patients that can't communicate, there's going to be a big issue,” said one of the study’s authors.
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Chicago Tribune Sep 9, 08 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The precise application of electricity to certain areas of the brain—the same principles a pacemaker uses for the heart—is showing promise for people with an array of illnesses such as Parkinson's, severe depression, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's, the Chicago Tribune reports. The treatment, called deep brain stimulation, remains in the preliminary stages, but its potential grows as researchers develop ever-more detailed maps of the brain and its circuitry.
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Work paved way for Salk, Sabin vaccines
Boston Globe Aug 25, 08 3:12 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Thomas Weller, whose research on polio won him a share of a Nobel Prize in 1954, died this weekend at 93, the Boston Globe reports. Weller, along with colleagues John Enders and Frederick Robbins, discovered that the polio virus preyed on muscles, not nerve tissue as had been previously thought. Their cultures paved the way for the Salk and Sabin vaccines.
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Only 20% of doctors agree, but many want to relate
Associated Press Aug 18, 08 8:43 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Many Americans believe God can intervene to save dying patients, a new survey shows. More than half say that God can revive a family member declared lost by doctors, and nearly 75% agree that patients are justified in seeking extra treatment. "Sensitivity to this belief will promote development of a trusting relationship" between doctors and families, researchers said.
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OPINION
Growing trend of traveling for health care doesn't have to hurt anyone
Economist Aug 15, 08 2:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The spread of “medical tourism”—uninsured and underinsured patients seeking cheap health care in Southeast Asia or Latin America—has fueled fears that developing nations will divert resources from state health systems caring for their own citizens. But, the Economist argues, “if governments make the best of the boom, then medical tourism should improve the health of rich and poor alike.”
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Ethics panel sees conflict in Coburn's pro-bono work
Politico Aug 12, 08 5:39 PM CDT
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Sen.Tom Coburn, an obstetrician by profession, is a stubborn guy. Known around the cloakroom as Dr. No, he isn't about to let anyone tell him to stop delivering babies when he's at home in Oklahoma at recess. The Senate Ethics Committee insists it's a conflict of interest, even though he does it pro bono, Politico reports.
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