What if improving education, income, and housing could reduce the disparities in healthcare outcomes by half? Identifying needs is proving more difficult than we anticipated.
Disease
A retired psychologist attacked an article of mine about deranged Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo's views of public health policies toward the COVID-19 pandemic. His assertions ranged from the preposterous to the merely inaccurate.
This story begins with a simple question: What is the prevalence of substance use disorders in patients surviving cancers? The “substances” in those use disorders can be causes of cancer and, more often, self-treatments for the stress and pain.
U.S. public health officials and the public are underestimating the current threat of the COVID pandemic and failing to take even minimal precautions. We are already seeing the consequences – a surge of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
More than a third of patients with cancer report experiencing "moderate-to-severe cancer-related pain;” 40% of these patients experience “breakthrough pain” on their pain regimens. Opioid analgesics remain the mainstay for the treatment of moderate-to-severe cancer-associated pain. There is a new meta-analysis concerning opioid efficacy in this setting.
Buckle up; it's going to be a rough night.
“Let food be thy medicine, let medicine be thee food” – Hippocrates. That ancient wisdom, in an era where our dietary choices impact metabolic disorders, specifically Type II diabetes, has spawned an interest in food-as-medicine programs. A new study suggests that Hippocrates might have been overselling his dictum.
The pandemic has been with us for nearly four years, and while it is down, it is not yet out. Reactions to it varied across the nation, and looking back now to see how we have dealt with it seems appropriate.
Unlike many colleagues, I did not come from a “medical” family. In my formative years, my father sold appliances and later real estate – he was flipping homes long before it became fashionable or lucrative. In any event, I think watching him sell and going for our Saturday outing to an open house gave me a slightly different view of communication with patients. Like those presidential candidates making the rounds in Iowa, medical communication is all about retail sales.
Most respiratory viral diseases, like influenza, take their greatest toll on the ends of the lifespan, the frail elderly, and the not-quite-as-frail infants and toddlers. But COVID was different and had little impact on the mortality of the very young. A new study sheds some light on why.
Overindulging during holiday festivities can cause more than heartburn. You could end up in the emergency room. Prevention is the best course.
Jerry Rogers, the editor of both RealClearHealth.com and RealClearPolicy.com, moderated a discussion with several experts [1], including me, on various aspects of vaccines.
I spoke recently with John Batchelor (CBS Eye on the World) and Mark Hahn (Drive Time Live, CSCJ Radio) about the recent therapeutic breakthrough in treating Sickle Cell Disease.