January 2004

On pain control

January 31, 2004

I often rant about the dilemma of pain control. We (physicians) often receive criticism for inadequate pain control. We clearly have risk for overprescribing narcotics. This article discusses hospitalized patients and pain control – Pain Common and Often Undertreated in Hospitalized Patients Altogether, 18% of patients with pain reported inadequate pain control while in the [...]

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On academic salaries

January 30, 2004

Our favorite surgeon – Bard Parker (A chance to cut is a chance to cure) – blogs on this subject (unfortunately his links do not take you right to the story – therefore, scroll down to Thursday, Jan 29 and read – Those that can, do). Here is the question – Do academicians get paid [...]

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How dangerous is cannabis?

January 29, 2004

Long time readers know that I favor legalizing drugs, especially marijuana. As penalties for marijuana decrease in GB, they are having a heated debate about the wisdom of that policy. Is cannabis a risk to health? Professor John Henry, a toxicologist at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, grabbed headlines last year when he warned about [...]

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The anti-Atkins Diet

January 28, 2004

I might love this diet. Can a high-carb diet help you lose weight? American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Cindy Moore agreed and said with low-carb diets hogging the spotlight, “it may be a reminder that we can lose weight in a variety of different ways.” Foods on the successful diets included high-fiber cereal, vegetarian chili, whole-wheat [...]

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Inflammatory markers and coronary artery disease

January 28, 2004

About 15 years ago, I first heard that we would focus CHF treatment on the neurohormonal response. The first time I heard this concept, I had a paradigm shift which has continued to this day. We improve quantity and quality of life now that we understand how decreased ejection fractions lead to progressive heart failure [...]

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On panic attacks

January 27, 2004

True panic attacks are hard for us to understand. I found this description on a web site: A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming fear that that comes without warning and without any obvious reason. It is far more intense than the feeling of being ‘stressed out’ that most people experience. One out [...]

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ACE-I preferred over Calcium Channel Blockers

January 26, 2004

I preach this, but until this review I did not have a great reference. Now I do – The Differences Between ACE Inhibitor-Treated and Calcium Channel Blocker-Treated Hypertensive Patients Abstract Large-scale outcome trials have demonstrated that blood pressure reduction with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or calcium channel blockers (CCBs) is associated with reduced cardiovascular complications [...]

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An interesting study

January 26, 2004

Tennessee doctors to get paid for “doing the right thing” Health care quality improvement advocates believe that following evidenced-based guidelines, spending more time with patients and making better use of electronic medical databases will lead to better patient outcomes and lower costs. A new study led by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and BlueCross BlueShield [...]

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What does being a physician require?

January 26, 2004

Generation gripe: Young doctors less dedicated, hardworking? In a survey of physicians ages 50 to 65, 64% said doctors trained today are “less dedicated and hardworking” than physicians who entered medicine 20 to 30 years ago. But younger doctors say that’s not true. They say lifestyle considerations are shaping how they approach their practices and [...]

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Commonsense concerning malpractice

January 25, 2004

Fixing American health care requires a basic shift in approach in the system of justice. What’s needed is fundamental: deliberate standards that everyone can rely upon — standards governing not just the amount of damages but what is good care and what is not. A growing consensus among patient safety advocates and other credible health [...]

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