I've long been a skeptic of routine testing of the prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, in most men. Yes, it's a simple little blood test, and sometimes an elevated PSA reading shows you have prostate cancer. But PSA screening most often produces a false positive result, leading to a whole host of nasty potential complications including impotence [...]
I often rave about vox.com's superb coverage of health issues. Here's another great Vox article about Dr. Sarno's revolutionary approach to treating low back pain. Highly recommended.
Traditional treatments for low back pain are coming under increasing scientific scrutiny to see if they're safe and effective. They aren't doing well. A New York Times article today describes some of the horrific consequences of poorly trained physicians doing epidural steroid injections ("cortisone shots") into the spine. Millions of these procedures are done every year. Pfizer is the [...]
Previous research was unclear whether acupuncture helps chronic pain. Two new analyses have reviewed new studies demonstrating that acupuncture does indeed relieve chronic pain in many. It may also help with opiate addiction. I've prescribed acupuncture for decades and find that roughly a third to half of my patients find real relief. And the relief can last for weeks. [...]
Vox.com has frequently published terrific articles on medical care. This post is no exception: 100 Million Americans Have Chronic Pain. Very Few Use One of the Best Tools to Treat it. The article describes the proven effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy and other non-drug approaches. These are all coping skills. They work well if you take the [...]
Prostate cancer screening is complicated, mostly still unwise The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) just updated its 2012 recommendation against routine screening for prostate cancer. Previously the USPSTF recommended against routine screening because of the high risk of false positive results that resulted in potentially dangerous medical medical procedures with some gnarly complications. If you find the [...]
In August 2017 vox.com published the best article I've ever seen on current science for treating chronic low back pain. If you're not familiar with what's new, it will stun you. The article reviews in great detail each type of treatment. Bottom line: the traditional medical approaches of surgery, drugs, and injections are of limited benefit in the typical patient with mechanical low [...]
A new study shows opioids are no better than Tylenol for some chronic pain. A recent article in vox.com discusses a new study done on 240 patients in the Veterans Administration who had chronic pain. They compared using potent opioid pain killers like morphine, oxycodone, or Norco with just using regular over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers like Tylenol, Motrin, or Aleve. [...]
On May 9, 2017, then-Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price gave a speech on opioid addiction to a group in West Virginia. He decried the use of Medication Assisted Treatment with methadone maintenance or ongoing Suboxone as "just substituting one opioid for another." But this is a brain-dead statement that flies in the face of scientific reality, much like [...]
Adopting five healthy lifestyle habits increases longevity by more than a decade A major free article in Circulation shows that by avoiding smoking or excessive drinking, maintaining a normal weight, exercising at least half an hour a day, and eating a healthy diet can substantially increase how long you live. At age 50, women without any of these healthy [...]
Today's New York Times has a vital article about heart infections ("endocarditis") caused by injecting drugs intravenously. In the area of Tennessee discussed in the article, some addicts return to the hospital two or more times with new infections. They are deadly. But they present the treating doctors with multiple dilemmas. What do you do if patients shoot up while in the hospital? [...]
A report in Consumer Reports describes a new study shows that many of the top-selling powders and drinks may contain concerning levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead, and toxins like bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in some plastic containers and food can liners. These substances have been linked to cancer, [...]
Opioids after surgery can, paradoxically, prolong pain Giving opioids to animals to quell pain after surgery prolongs pain for more than three weeks and primes specialized immune cells in the spinal cord to be more reactive to pain, according to a new study by CU Boulder. The authors say the paradoxical findings, if replicated in [...]
I attended the American Society of Medicine Annual Conference in San Diego the weekend of April 13, 2018. Much of the focus of the conference was on new information about addiction and its treatment. Here are some tidbits: Drug dealers and addicts can contaminate virtually any substance with dangerous drugs. Commonly adulterated are CBD oil and vape [...]
Heavy drinking linked to worse PMS (Reuters Health) - Women who are heavy drinkers are at increased risk of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), new research shows. “Together with other researchers, we believe that alcohol increases PMS risk by altering the level of hormones, such as gonadotropin, during the menstrual cycle,” Dr. Bahi Takkouche, the study’s senior [...]
A long-form article in the huffingtonpost.com website, "Dying To Be Free" details the brain-dead treatment given to heroin addicts in state-sponsored programs in Kentucky: humiliation, "tear you down so we can build you up," and an exclusive focus on abstinence. People leave with shining faces after months of inpatient care only to drop dead of an [...]
In the 4/1/2018 Wired Magazine article "Addiction Rehab Is Broken. Can Technology Fix It?," author Zachary Siegal complains that the humiliation-based treatment he received is unscientific and ineffective. You bet! He suggests using iPhone apps to resolve this problem. I disagree, even though they may work for some. Zachary was a heroin addict, treated with the old-fashioned, [...]
A gathering storm I've been seeing more stories in the news about problems with primary care. For example, since the new universal health insurance law took effect in Massachusetts, so many new patients are looking for doctors that primary physician shortages have made it impossible to get care. And for physicians who accept managed care, [...]
A story on the Internet describes how a senior IBM executive went straight to a cardiologist to treat his chest pain. Several serious complications and $200,000 later, the cardiologist cleared him of any heart problems. The patient then saw a gastroenterologist, who performed yet another big workup without finding a gastrointestinal cause. Finally he saw [...]
