Medical Notes: Week of September 2, 2018
High blood pressure links to dementia, then osteoporosis genetic screening tests, and finally, is friendship timeless?
Electroshock Therapy Today (2018)
Electroconvulsive therapy still has a stigma, with the reputation of being a painful, disturbing procedure that wipes out memories and, if movies are to be believed, even creates zombies. Experts explain the reality—that ECT is a quiet procedure that provokes a short brain seizure, releasing huge amounts of neurotransmitters to reset the brain in what is the quickest and most dependable treatment …
Lisfranc Injuries (2018)
People who injure their foot often think they have a mere sprained foot or ankle when they actually have an injury that is potentially much more severe and disabling if not treated. Experts explain the Lisfranc joint and injuries that can hurt it.
Medical Notes: Week of August 26, 2018
Germs resistant to hand sanitizers, a new study regarding removing children's tonsils and adult health, a report on biological age vs chronological age, and finally, is calorie free sparkling water sabotaging your diet?
Preventing Bullying of Kids with Disabilities
Many children are bullied, especially in the middle school years, and many parents worry about their kids, especially if the parents have experienced this themselves growing up. But kids with disabilities are about twice as likely to be victims as those without disabilities. Experts discuss the problem and provide specific how-to’s to educate parents and schools to work together to prevent …
Baseball Pitchers and Arm Injuries
Major League Baseball teams spend $1.7 billion annually on pitchers, yet it is an extremely risky investment. Teams haven't figured out how to prevent all-too-frequent arm injuries, which are now filtering down to children as well. A journalist who investigated the science of pitching injuries explains.
Medical Notes: Week of August 19, 2018
A study on how stress changes our genes, research on artificially sweetened drinks being beneficial to colon cancer patients, a report on why study drugs don't work, and finally dogs reading human social cues.
Addiction, Relapse and Criminalization
After criminal convictions, many people with substance use disorder are placed on probation with the condition they remain completely drug free. They are often jailed when they relapse, setting back recovery and removing them from treatment that helps keep them clean. Is that fair, when relapse is a common symptom of their disease (and many others)?
Miscommunication and Personality Type
People have different ways to interpret the world around them, and miscommunication is often a result when we assume we see the world similarly. A noted author discusses an innovative way to classify communication styles to avoid clashes.
Medical Notes: Week of August 12, 2018
A new study about colonoscopies and bacterial infections, then research on how a glass of wine can ward off PMS, and finally how concern about future stress can make the concern become a reality.
Lonely College Students
Studies show that college students are America’s loneliest people—even more so than the elderly—even though they’re surrounded by people and activities. The role of technology is discussed in isolating students, and the role of changing culture toward children and adolescents having a constantly structured schedule with few breaks for downtime or spontaneity. Experts also discuss how parents, …
Trigeminal Neuralgia-Searing Pain in the Face (2018)
A searing, stabbing pain on one side of the face can be so severe it’s sometimes called “the suicide disease,” and may evade diagnosis for some time. The cause of trigeminal neuralgia is often a throbbing artery in contact with nerves at the base of the brain, and while treatment can be difficult it is often ultimately successful. Two experts discuss diagnosis and treatment.
Medical Notes: Week of August 5, 2018
A new drug to help with excessive sweating which impacts 15 millions Americans. The FDA has approved a new epilepsy drug derived from marijuana. And a new study shows having the same doctor for awhile can extend your life.
An Unusual Court Challenge to Obamacare
A number of court cases have challenged the Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, and the federal government has always defended the law—until now, and a Federal Court case brought by the State of Texas. With the stakes increased, experts discuss what the government’s reversal means to consumers.
Tick Paralysis (2018)
Summer is tick season, and tick bites are common. However, bites from a couple of types of ticks can produce paralysis and even death if the tick is not removed quickly. An expert discusses.
Medical Notes: Week of July 29, 2018
A new app in California to review doctors, a study on bacteria in surgical implants, the role obesity plays, before and after menopause, in a woman's risk of contracting breast cancer, a non-invasive blood glucose monitoring device being developed, and research on how drinking coffee may help people live longer.
Increasing Osteoporosis (2018)
Osteoporosis is increasing as America ages. However, fewer people are being tested for bone density and are agreeing to treatment because of side effects of osteoporosis medications. Experts discuss the devastating effects of increased broken bones and what can now be done to prevent them.
PTSD in Kids (2018)
Mental health experts once believed that children were too young to remember traumas well enough to suffer much from post-traumatic stress disorder. Now they know that children as young as 2 or 3 can be affected, often for the rest of their lives. An expert discusses PTSD in children and its treatment.
Medical Notes: Week of July 22, 2018
Some of the studies and surveys covered this week include an alarming study showing an increase in suicide rates. Two surveys, one that polled parents and one that polled pediatricians, revealing very different ideas about spanking. And on a lighter note, tricks your favorite restaurant might be using to get you to order more.
Is Sex Addiction Real?
The authoritative DSM-5 manual used by psychiatrists does not accept sex addiction as a real addiction, yet many doctors insist it’s as real as any other compulsion. Experts and an admitted former sex addict discuss the disorder, its treatment, and the wreckage it leaves behind.
Vitamin D and Preterm Births
Premature births are increasing in the US, but a new study shows they could be cut drastically if pregnant women increased blood levels of vitamin D. An expert discusses misconceptions about the vitamin, how it works and how it could be used to reduce infant mortality.
Medical Notes: Week of July 15, 2018
Everybody loves a home-cooked meal, but what if your stove was slowly poisoning you? Then, the average human life expectancy has increased dramatically. Plus, researchers have cured diabetes in mice by putting insulin-producing cells into a tiny device. Also, older people who have trouble falling asleep are more likely to have cognitive troubles later. Then, a study showing that smartphones should …
The Shrinking Human Jaw (2018)
Over the last 8,000 years, the human jaw has been getting smaller due to an increasingly soft diet and a lack of jaw exercise. The result is an epidemic of crooked teeth and serious health consequences, as two experts explain.
Medical Uncertainty (2018)
Many patients want certainty in diagnoses, especially when they've had expensive diagnostic tests. However, those tests are often less certain in their results than people think, making patients sometimes doubt doctors' competence.
