Hospital Delirium and the Elderly
“Thousands of tiny little creatures,” he said, “some on horseback, waving arms, carrying weapons like some grand Renaissance battle,” were trying to turn people “into zombies.” Their leader was a woman “with no mouth but a very precisely cut hole in her throat.” No one who knows Justin Kaplan would ever have expected this. A […]
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – C.O.P.D.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – C.O.P.D. Understanding the issues faced by someone suffering from COPD. Knowing that 16 million Americans suffer from diagnosed Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and an estimated 16 million more have yet to be diagnosed. To understand that this is one of the most preventable illnesses. Dr. Alan Radin of the Arbor […]
Women aren’t properly represented in scientific studies
Women aren’t properly represented in scientific studies With all the hype about personalized medicine one day, doctors will use patients’ genomes to tailor treatment. One would hope that the medical community already had a decent grip on differences between the sexes…Yet scientists and clinicians often ignore sex differences, if they are even aware of them. […]
Testosterone & Trust
Testosterone & Trust Too Much Trust and distrust are crucial components of human society. Hormones play a role in inducing feelings of trust and distrust. Oxytocin is responsible for the feeling of trust, while testosterone suppresses trust and increases skepticism. The article, “She Doesn’t Trust You? Blame the Testosterone“, reports on a study by researchers […]
Understanding Concussions
CONCUSSIONSMore and more, the issue of head trauma is being reported and the long term effects are better understood. Once brushed aside as a mere bump on the head, the cumulative effect of this injury has the potential of being truly life changing. Football is the first thing most of us think of, but many […]
Alzheimer’s Research – Clinical Studies
More and more, researchers are making discoveries that are bringing us closer to finally combating this most insidious of diseases. Sometimes termed a disease of the caregiver, Alzheimer’s continues to ravage the memories of it’s victims. Dr. Danillo de la Pena, Director of the Research Center for Clinical Studies in Norwalk CT, pharmaceutical-sponsored clinical research in […]
Fairfield County Woman Magazine
FAIRFIELD COUNTY WOMAN More and more women are taking on roles and tasks that enable them to be both supportive and independent. The need for information on finance, law, health and even construction and home repair is growing. Finding resources that address this is the job of publications like Fairfield County Woman. Part of a 300 […]
Hospital Pricing Roulette
“Study Finds Huge Variations in Hospital Charges for Appendectomy” Hospital charges appear on patients bills, but they often bear no relation to the discounted fees that an insurer will end up paying. Still, some patients do get stuck paying the retail price. They include the uninsured, those with bare-bones or high-deductible plans, and even some […]
Why Drug Companies Are Making Common Drugs up to 100 Times More Expensive
From Ten Cents Then; Now Five Dollars A drug called colchicine is all that keeps some 2 million American gout patients from suffering debilitating pain in their toes, elbows, wrists, and fingers. Doctors have prescribed the compound, derived from the seeds of the autumn crocus, for centuries. But patients who take colchicine woke up with […]
Unrealistic Optimism in Early-Phase Cancer Trials: Ethical Implications
When Optimism Is Unrealistic“But despite clearly understanding the purpose, and limits, of early-phase (Drug) trials, the patients were also blinded by what researchers called an unrealistic optimism, or an optimistic bias, when it came to applying that knowledge to their own particular situations. A majority of patients assumed that the experimental drugs would control their […]
