Leana Wen Skips APHA Talk Following Threats Against Her
Public health expert Leana Wen, MD, didn’t speak at the American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting in Boston this week because of credible threats against her, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Wen was slated to speak at a panel discussion that focused on countering backlash against public health. Groups reportedly planned […]
Everyone Says Don’t Google For Medical Advice. I Did Anyway, And It Might Have Saved My Vision.
I first felt the dull pang in my head on a Wednesday in mid-July 2021. I didn’t think much of it, because like most people, I’m used to having the occasional headache ― usually from PMS or not drinking enough water. I popped an Advil, took a test to rule out COVID, and continued about […]
Can Lower Gestational Diabetes Cutoff Improve Outcomes in Kids?
Using a lower threshold for diagnosing gestational diabetes in mothers didn’t reduce the risk of large-for-gestational-age infants, according to the GEMS trial. After randomizing over 4,000 pregnant women, 15.3% were diagnosed with gestational diabetes using lower, and commonly recommended, glycemic criteria versus 6.1% using a higher threshold, Caroline Crowther, MD, of the University of Auckland […]
I Spoke To Over 40 Women About Their Medical Experiences. They Offered A Disturbing Warning.
Years ago, I had exploratory gynecology surgery that I was sure I didn’t need. I was scared to death, attached to tubes, and as hospital orderlies wheeled me into the freezing cold operating room, I thought, Why did I ever agree to do this? I was in my forties and had been taking hormones that […]
Less Fluid Not Better for Septic Shock
A more restrictive protocol for IV fluids didn’t reduce mortality for adults in the ICU receiving treatment for septic shock, the CLASSIC trial showed. Restricting IV crystalloid fluids to small boluses only for severe hypoperfusion, to replace documented fluid losses, or for dehydration and electrolyte deficiency for patients who couldn’t take fluids enterally yielded a […]
Opinion | ‘Well Vanilla Didn’t Work; We’ll Try French Vanilla’: What We Heard This Week
“That’s sort of going, ‘Well vanilla didn’t work; we’ll try French vanilla.’” — Gary Sachs, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, on the benefits of adjunctive cariprazine (Vraylar) for patients who have failed on multiple first-line antidepressants. “Here we are, waking up in yet another scenario where we have, in this case, children that […]
Most COVID Long-Haulers Still Having Symptoms 15 Months Later
Latest Coronavirus News WEDNESDAY, May 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) Many COVID-19 patients who didn’t wind up in the hospital continue to battle lingering health issues more than a year later, a new study finds. These long-haulers continue to suffer neurologic symptoms, fatigue and a compromised quality of life long after their initial infection. “We were […]
Who Heals Ukrainian Refugees’ Mental Health Wounds?
They didn’t know what to do for the woman who couldn’t stop shaking. The aid workers wanted to help, but couldn’t agree on what approach to take: just let the shaking go? Maybe the woman was expressing emotion safely? Or should they intervene to ease her visible anxiety? That was the dilemma described by a […]
Healthcare a Major Player in State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON — President Biden didn’t skimp on discussing healthcare in Tuesday night’s State of the Union speech — although he took a little while to get there. His first mention of healthcare didn’t come until about 25 minutes into his speech of a little more than an hour, after he talked about the Russian incursion […]
Does Grandma Need Surgery for That Broken Wrist?
Patient-reported outcomes 2 years after treatment for distal wrist fractures didn’t differ significantly in older patients irrespective of the therapy chosen, including simple casting, a randomized trial showed. That was true even for participants who chose casting and experienced malunion during recovery with visible, permanent deformity, according to Kevin C. Chung, MD, MS, of the […]