Conditions and Diseases

Physicians writing on KevinMD about the diseases they treat and the people who have them: cancer and its screening arguments, pain and the drugs that treat it, diabetes and the obesity argument, mental illness and who gets treated for it, and the decisions at the end of a life. Five maintained records draw on this archive: Cancer: what physicians say, in their own words, Opioids: what physicians and pain patients say, in their own words, End of life: what physicians say, in their own words, Diabetes and obesity: what physicians say, in their own words, and Mental health: what psychiatrists and physicians say, in their own words.

Conspiracies against vaccines: Blame the media

Jennifer Gunter, MD

December 1, 2010

How did the idea that vaccines are dangerous, toxin-filled CDC experiments metastasize so quickly from the fringe to the mainstream?

Keep in mind that not only have vaccines been scientifically proven to be safe, but that some of the arguments against vaccines are so scientifically incredulous they are the equivalent of saying there is a UFO sitting in Central Park right now.

So let’s begin at the beginning. In 1998 Andrew Wakefield …

Living with cancer is different from living after cancer

Edward Pullen, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 30, 2010

This is a topic close to home.

My wife was diagnosed with stage 3C cancer of the ovary a bit over a year ago. She was a chemotherapy superstar, had few complications, and has been in remission since her treatment finished last October. Still we know her chances of a cure are fairly low.

Understanding statistics is a mixed blessing. Even though her chances of this cancer never recurring are pretty low, …

Colds teach the immune system how to fight future viruses

Michael Gonzalez, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 27, 2010

Viral upper respiratory illnesses, or common colds, are by far the most frequent illness I see in my office.

It is called the common cold because it is, well, common. I typically can make the diagnosis with a high degree of certainty based on the pattern and the timing of the symptoms. Deciphering cold symptoms and knowing when to worry is what a pediatrician does more often than anything else, and …

Ethics of placebo in cancer treatment clinical trials

Wendy S. Harpham, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 27, 2010

The New York Times recently ran an article tackling a complex ethical dilemma in cancer care: the withholding of treatment in clinical trials. Because I was treated in 3 clinical trials in the 1990s, the topic is close to my heart.

Scientists have advanced the treatment of disease using the scientific method. By that, I mean they have tested a theory using rigorous methods that give a reliable and reproducible answer. This …

Travel tips for a panic free vacation

Kevin

Conditions and Diseases

November 27, 2010

by Stephen R. Blumberg, PhD

If you are like many Americans, you are planning or getting ready to take a summer vacation. Sounds very exciting. Aruba. A cross-country jaunt. Or a short trip overnight to the coast!

What is exciting for the panic-free community can be agony for a panic sufferer. Why?

The core fear is being trapped far from safety

Whether it is traveling on a cruise ship, airplane, highway driving, …

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Travel tips for a panic free vacation

Bedbug rashes, and how to prevent and get rid of bedbugs

Michele R. Berman, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 24, 2010

There’s a new bunch of bloodsuckers running rampant in cities all over the country.

No, they’re not on a new vampire TV show or in a Twilight sequel. They’re bedbugs, and they’ve been showing up in droves in more and more cities across America. And despite what is commonly thought about them, bedbugs do not exist only in the poorest sections of town, they are showing up at 5-star hotels.

That means …

Diabetes and leg amputations in McAllen, Texas

Merrill Goozner

Conditions and Diseases

November 23, 2010

The Dartmouth Atlas of Health is once again throwing a harsh spotlight on McAllen, Texas.

This time the Mexican border town has the highest rate of leg amputations in the nation, a new report released recently showed. McAllen’s rate was ten times the rate of Provo, Utah, which had the lowest rate of leg amputations among the Medicare eligible population. The national average was one-third of McAllen’s rate.

McAllen became notorious earlier …

Noninvasive fat removal in plastic surgery

Anthony Youn, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 23, 2010

One of the hottest things in plastic surgery is noninvasive fat removal.

I’ve mentioned on Rachael Ray Showthat fat removal without any invasiveness is the ‘holy grail’ of plastic surgery, and I still stand by it. I’ve gone over the Zerona a few times, but what about Zeltiq, a.k.a. Cryolipolysis? Does this device actually remove fat without surgery or needles?

Well, let’s review the different fat removing technologies:

1. Diet and exercise. The …

Breast cancer transforms a doctor in training to patient in an instant

Kevin

Conditions and Diseases

November 22, 2010

by Jessica Tekla Les, MD

During my third year of medical school I was performing a routine breast exam, more for practice than anything else. I was trying the concentric-circles-around-the-nipple technique, one of several I’d been taught. About halfway through the right breast I found a lima-bean-sized lump, not far from the breastbone. I took liberties with this particular exam. I poked the lump, tried to …

Depression and whether a behavioral problem is mental illness

Dr. Joe Kosterich

Conditions and Diseases

November 22, 2010

It has been said that depression is the epidemic of the 21^st century. Certainly the rates of diagnosis have increased over the last 10-15 years. Some claim that this is due to better recognition of the issue and that actual rates are unchanged. Others feel that we are collectively more depressed than in years gone by.

The number of Americans prescribed an antidepressant doubled between 1996 and 2005 and those being …

Teaching Dr. Oz about nosebleeds

Christopher Chang, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 18, 2010

A reader informed me that Dr. Oz did a TV show recently on nosebleeds.

I took a look at the video clip and it is my opinion that some information Dr. Oz conveyed is not entirely correct. Again, I should stress that this is just my opinion and I’m sure there will be many who may feel differently.

Error #1:
Contrary to what was said on the show, ice packs do …

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Teaching Dr. Oz about nosebleeds

Taking a multivitamin, vitamin D and fish oil every day

Mary L. Brandt, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 17, 2010

There is very little doubt that if we eat the diet we were designed to eat and spend adequate time in the sun that we will get most if not all the nutrients we need.

That’s the ideal, but not the reality for a lot of us. I was recently advised by a group of physicians who are experts in the area that it is reasonable, and probably preferable, for adults …

How to create your medical family tree

Karen Lu, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 16, 2010

The holidays are a great opportunity to ask family members about their health history.

Learning about your family’s health history can help you answer your doctor’s medical history questions. It can even help your doctor determine if you may be at risk for an inherited cancer like breast, colorectal, ovarian, prostate or endometrial cancer, which sometimes run in the family.

Keep in mind that just a small portion of cancers – about 5 …

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How to create your medical family tree

Neoplastic epidural spinal cord compression is an oncologic emergency

Ralph Gordon, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 15, 2010

There are very few oncologic emergencies. Neoplastic epidural spinal cord compression is one of them. The delay in diagnosis and treatment is often explained by the non-specific nature of the presenting signs and symptoms.

The patient developed urinary retention a couple of weeks prior to presentation. On the morning of admission he was fully functional. Later he sat down to have a cup of coffee and boom – he couldn’t feel …

MKSAP: 44-year-old man with chronic joint pain

mksap

Conditions and Diseases

November 10, 2010

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 44-year-old man is evaluated for a 2-year history of joint pain in the wrists, hands, knees, ankles, and feet. He also has a 12-year history of plaque psoriasis. His current medications include acetaminophen for joint pain, topical hydrocortisone and calcipotriene ointments, and a …

Is your child’s behavior due to ADHD?

Orly Avitzur, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 8, 2010

When my oldest son was 13 he began to do poorly in school. He often forgot to do his homework, or he did it but forgot to hand it in. He had difficulty paying attention during tasks, was extremely disorganized, and his teachers said he was easily distracted. They suggested that his behavior fit with many of the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but since this was mostly …

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Is your child’s behavior due to ADHD?

Coping with frightening circumstances after a cancer diagnosis

Bruce Campbell, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 8, 2010

For myself I am an optimist — it does not seem to be much use being anything else.
-Winston Churchill

Even before I met him, I could tell that his cancer was extensive. His problems had started several months before with a cough, a voice change, and some trouble swallowing. His primary doctor had not spotted anything but had kept an eye on him. Antibiotics and cough medicine had not helped. After …

Alzheimer’s disease: 5 reasons why awareness matters

Kevin

Conditions and Diseases

November 8, 2010

by Dennis Fortier

More so than with any other major disease, our near-term progress in the battle against Alzheimer’s will be determined largely by our ability to improve awareness about several aspects of this encroaching threat.

Summarized here are five reasons why greater awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, and a deeper public understanding of risks and prevention strategies, will play a key role in the nation’s ability to triumph against the prospect of …

Questions about the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

Juliet K. Mavromatis, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 8, 2010

Alzheimer’s disease made headlines recently, first with news about a new biomarker test that is able to diagnose the disease with increased accuracy, then with a follow-up story detailing the collaborative model of data-sharing that contributed to the success of recent research.

As I read the news with interest I couldn’t help but feel that in our current climate, the manner in which it was reported was …

Why total body scans are a scam

Michael Kirsch, MD

Conditions and Diseases

November 7, 2010

Folks across the country are paying hard cash for total body scans, abdominal aortic aneurysm testing, CAT coronary artery scans and carotid artery evaluations to prevent disease or find important lesions early. It’s a seductive argument, and it’s a scam.

Ordinary patients don’t understand about pre-test probability and positive and negative predictive values. Indeed, all physicians were taught to consider Bayesian theory when ordering diagnostic tests. This is very tough concept for …

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Why total body scans are a scam