Kindness a Key Component of Treating Pregnant Patients With SUD, Experts Say
“Don’t be mean.” That advice might be seen as unnecessary for most doctor-patient relationships, but not for treating patients with substance use disorder (SUD), especially pregnant patients, according to Cara Poland, MD, MEd, of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in East Lansing. “The bar is really low in addiction,” she said Wednesday during […]
Reliable research and evidence-based recommendations scarce for women who exercise according to menstrual cycle
There is no shortage of advice for women on what to eat, how to train, or what supplements to take during their menstrual cycles, but a new review by an international team of scientists has found little evidence to support such recommendations. In fact, they found sparse research on women and exercise at all, and […]
‘Alexa, Titrate My Insulin’: AI App Boosts Glycemic Control in Randomized Trial
A custom artificial intelligence (AI) app for insulin management advice helped patients with type 2 diabetes gain rapid glycemic control, a small randomized clinical trial found. In titrating basal insulin, those who used a voice-based conversational AI application — delivered over Amazon’s Alexa at home — more quickly achieved optimal insulin dosing (median 15 days […]
Chatbots Not Always Reliable for Cancer Treatment Advice
Chatbots had mixed results when it came to providing direct-to-patient cancer-related advice and treatment strategies for a wide variety of cancers, according to two studies in JAMA Oncology. When testing GPT-3.5 (OpenAI) with prompts designed to obtain treatment strategies for different kinds of cancers, they found that while most answers were in accordance with National […]
Evaluating and Treating Children With Long COVID
Experts shared advice on diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents showing signs of post-COVID conditions — also known as long COVID — during a CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) webinar. “Post-COVID conditions” is the preferred term of the CDC and is defined as “the wide range of physical and mental health consequences […]
Weight Loss Advice From GPs Falls Flat for Patients With Obesity
Weight loss advice given by general practitioners (GPs) to patients with obesity appeared to be lacking, one U.K.-based qualitative study suggested. In an analysis of 159 audio recordings of patient consultations from the Brief Interventions for Weight Loss trial, the most common advice was diet and exercise, typically following an “eat less and do more” […]
Opinion | Are Omicron-Targeted Boosters Worth It?
The FDA, following the advice of its advisory committee, is advising COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to reformulate future booster shots to include protection against the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2. While this decision was not surprising and may have seemed perfunctory to many people, it is worth thinking about the wider context that undergirds […]
Are ultra-processed foods harmful? Experts weigh the evidence
Dietary guidelines form the basis for nutrition advice and regulations around the world. While there is strong scientific consensus around most existing guidelines, one question has recently stirred debate: Should consumers be warned to avoid ultra-processed foods? Two papers published today in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) outline the case for and against […]
Automated nutrition app can help people follow healthier diet
People could benefit from fully automated personal nutritional advice, as a new research paper shows that an app improved healthy diet in clinical trials. A paper published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research today (Mon 25 April 22) shows how the eNutri app developed by researchers in human nutrition and biomedical engineering at the […]
4 Trendy TikTok Dental Hacks That Are Actually Pretty Dangerous
Let’s face it: It’s way easier (and more fun) to get oral health advice from social media rather than your dentist. A dental visit can seem annoying, expensive and potentially painful; combine that with the rise of information on platforms like TikTok and you’ve got a quick fix. “TikTok is not my first place to […]