A special guest editorial cowritten by Despina Walsworth, MD, FACOG, Assistant Program Director at Oakwood Hospital Medical Center in Dearborn, Michigan, and Assistant Clinical Professor at Wayne State University, and Section Chief, Gynecologic Surgery, at John D Dingell Veterans Administration Hospital in Detroit We should be outraged, concerned, even frightened about the rampant rise of […]
Are Health Care Costs a ‘Crime?’ Read More »
On Thursday, June 28, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 – popularly known as “health care reform.” The court upheld the law with a vote of 5 to 4, with four liberal justices and conservative Chief Justice John Roberts voting to uphold
Health Care Reform’s Real Mandate Read More »
Whenever an email with a subject line like, “Coconut oil watch to the end – A Real Eye Opener!” shows up in my inbox, I grimace – especially when it’s sent by a friend. This particular email contained a link to a five-minute video that proposes that coconut oil is a overlooked natural remedy for
Can Coconut Oil Cure Alzheimer’s Disease? Read More »
On Saturday, January 7, 2012, 43-year-old Sherry Arnold left her home in the town of Sidney, Montana (population 5,191) at 6:30 a.m. for her morning run. About a mile away, she was assaulted and killed. As I learned more about Arnold, I was struck by how much she was an “everywoman” among women runners. She
When should doctors stop prescribing chemotherapy for people with cancer who aren’t responding to treatment? With health-care expenditures skyrocketing, how can cancer specialists provide the best cancer care to the greatest number of people? Is it ethical to devote hundreds of thousands of dollars to cancer treatments that might help someone live another week? A
Want the Best in Cancer Care? Cut Cancer Treatment Costs Read More »
As debates rage in Washington about reducing health-care costs, policy makers should sit up and take notice of results of a pilot program involving frequent 911 callers in Baltimore, Maryland. The program paired frequent 911 callers with case workers who helped them access other services, such as a regular doctor, Meals on Wheels, and support
Want to reduce ambulance transport and health care costs? Read More »
Pregnant? Thinking about getting pregnant – tomorrow, next year, or ten years from now? You need to get the lead out — and ask your public health officials to do the same. Doctors have long known that women who are exposed to high levels of lead during pregnancy are more likely to experience miscarriage, stillbirth,
Lead Exposure During Pregnancy – What You Need To Know Read More »
In a piece published October 13 on Salon, pediatrician Rahul Parikh takes on Robert Sears, fellow pediatrician and author of The Vaccine Book. Parikh’s piece is one of the most important articles to show up in the discussion childhood immunizations. Parikh confronts “Dr. Bob” directly in an e-mail exchange, revealing huge gaps in the logic that underlies Sears’ criticism of conventional vaccine schedules — and huge gaps in the scientific literacy of those who believe him.
Children’s vaccines – tapping into the fears Read More »
I’m not sure about the statistics in the U.K., but in the United States, only about 40 percent of health-care personnel get vaccinated against the flu each year. When health-care workers skip their flu vaccines, they are jeopardizing their patients’ well being – who are likely to be at risk of complications – including death – from a flu infection.
Mandatory Flu Vaccine for Health-Care Workers? It’s About Time Read More »
When the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against routine mammograms for women 40 to 49 years of age in its revised guidelines for breast cancer screening in November 2009, clinicians and patients alike squirmed with discomfort, and advocacy groups like The American Cancer Society dug in their heels to reject the recommendations. That’s because USPSTF basically said that less might be more when it comes to screening for breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Screening: Why Less Might Be More Read More »
Taking glucosamine and/or chondroitin for arthritis pain? You’re probably wasting your money. That’s the rather disappointing – although not unexpected – conclusion reached by a team of European investigators who carefully analyzed clinical trials of glucosamine and/or chondroitin and osteoarthritis in the hip or knee. Their results were published September 16 in the British Medical Journal.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Arthritis Pain? Don’t Waste Your Money Read More »
Atul Gawande tackles some of the most difficult questions in health-care in his recent article for the New Yorker titled “Letting Go”: How do we die, and what role should health-care play in the final moments of our lives? When we become terminally ill (as we all will someday), should health-care providers focus on extending
Atul Gawande on End-of-Life Care Read More »
