Big Data in Medicine (2020)
Big data is changing the world, but it’s been slow in coming to healthcare. An expert in healthcare IT explains how that’s changing and what it could mean to treatment.
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Medical Child Abuse
Parents who have a mental illness known as factitious disorder may fake or induce illness in their children to get attention, sometimes taking kids to hundreds of medical visits and deceiving doctors into performing numerous procedures and surgeries. Experts …
Coronavirus: What Does It Mean To Us?
Experts explain exactly what this Coronavirus is and the relative danger it poses compared to more familiar diseases such as influenza.
A Moral Question: Dementia, Spouses, and “Close Friends”
Spouses of Alzheimer’s disease patients often struggle with depression while caregiving and are desperate for support. Some have started new relationships while their loved one is still alive but no longer recognizes them. Acceptance of such infidelity is …
Needle Phobia
Untold millions of people are afraid of needles. Most manage by looking the other way when they’re facing an injection, but many may avoid the doctor as a result of their fear. The problem is increasingly dangerous for the rising number of people with …
Music and Medicine
Pre-medical students have typically majored in science, but some medical schools are finding that liberal arts and even music majors with no science background can do well. Some admissions officers and doctors believe they may even have advantages, given the …
Germs, Double-Dipping and the Five-Second Rule (2020)
Super Bowl party snacks are prime territory for contamination via cross contamination and being dropped on the floor. A scientist who has studied both phenomena discusses the truth (or lack of truth) in two old myths.
ADHD and Sleep Disorders
New research shows that most people with ADHD have a disordered body clock, prompting disturbed sleep, sleep deprivation, and a worsening of ADHD symptoms. Experts discuss how fixing the body clock could lessen the impact of both ADHD and physical diseases …
Working While Sick
Surveys show the vast majority of employees go to work when they’re sick, risking fellow workers and slowing their own healing. Experts discuss the maladjusted workplace culture that promotes this, how to know when you really should stay home, and ways to …
Crushing Medical Debt
Nearly a quarter of us owe past due medical debt, and hospitals are moving more aggressively to collect. The rise is the result of a tradeoff--Americans have avoided higher health insurance premiums only to be jeopardized by extremely high deductibles and …
Smoldering Concussions
Doctors are realizing that concussions can smolder in the brain for years with symptoms that are missed, making diagnosis at the time of occurrence all the more important. Yet a new study shows that protocols affecting the most vulnerable—young athletes—often …
Hand Washing and Handshake Bans (2020)
Some hospital units have set up handshake bans because too few healthcare workers wash hands well enough to keep from spreading germs. The general public is even worse at washing hands, which has caused spread of serious disease. Some experts say handshakes …
