Exercise can help treat fibromyalgia

Conditions and Diseases
September 20, 2011

What is fibromyalgia and what exactly what does exercise have to do with the treatment and long-term outcome of the condition?  A recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise is helpful in understanding the relationship between fibromyalgia and exercise and how clinicians (and patients) might find better strategies for treatment.

Fibromyalgia is a clinically defined pain syndrome estimated to affect about 5 per cent of the general population with criteria for …

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Exercise can help treat fibromyalgia

How autism affects social interaction

Conditions and Diseases
June 29, 2011

One of the problems with understanding the natural history of autism is the lack of well-designed outcome studies in the disorder.  Outcome studies tend to be expensive and grant agencies commonly do not fund studies longer than a few years. However, given the increased interest and funding in autism, I suspect there will be more research in this area.

An example of how outcome studies help in understanding the natural …

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How autism affects social interaction

Google affects how clinicians and the public collect diagnostic information

Conditions and Diseases
April 12, 2011

My Google Reader accidentally picked up an intriguing abstract that examined a research study of resources that medical students use in solving diagnostic cases.

The abstract was picked up because it contained the word “exercise” that is one of my PubMed filter queries.  Although we often think that most diagnostic decision-making occurs from learned information stored in physician’s brains, information resources can …

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Google affects how clinicians and the public collect diagnostic information

Stressful life events in suicide attempts and completed suicides

Conditions and Diseases
February 5, 2011

The role of stressful life events in suicide attempts and completed suicides has been a key area of study in the epidemiology of mental disorders.  Although suicidal behavior often occurs in the context of acute and chronic stressor, this does not prove a causal link.  We all could probably report serious life stressors throughout out lives and these could be interpreted as a reason for suicidal behavior.  So these associations …

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Stressful life events in suicide attempts and completed suicides

Temperament of perfectionism in anorexia nervosa

Conditions and Diseases
December 6, 2010

Temperament is generally defined as innate early emotional and behavioral characteristics that precede puberty and adult development.  Felt to have significant genetic components, temperament is also potentially influenced by environmental factors.

There are a variety of temperament domains that have received significant attention in childhood, adolescent and adult populations.

Some of the most commonly studied domains include:

  • neuroticism
  • harm avoidance
  • novelty seeking
  • reward dependence
  • perfectionism (subdomains have included: concern about mistakes, personal standards, doubts about actions, organization

The …

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Temperament of perfectionism in anorexia nervosa

Drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease can worsen impulsivity

Medications
October 19, 2010

Parkinson’s disease (PD) commonly includes a variety of behavioral disturbances related to impulsivity.  Impulse control problems noted in PD includes hypersexuality, compulsive shopping, compulsive eating and pathological gambling.

These behavioral problems may be related to the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease.  However, drugs commonly used in Parkinson’s disease appear to increase the risk for impulsive behavioral problems.

Clinicians face a dilemma in drug-induced behavioral disturbances.  The drugs that may be effective for treating …

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Drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease can worsen impulsivity

Alzheimer’s disease needs better preventive strategies and treatments

Conditions and Diseases
September 8, 2010

The Alzheimer’s Association sponsors a journal titled Alzheimer’s & Dementia.  In the March 2010 issue, they provide a report on facts and figures related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

I’m a sucker for data so I spent some time going through the manuscript and here are some of the things that stood out to me:

Ninety (90) drugs are under investigation using human volunteers in the U.S. to slow or stop the …

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Alzheimer’s disease needs better preventive strategies and treatments

Testosterone and when should low levels be treated in older men

Conditions and Diseases
August 6, 2010

I’ve been interested in the role of testosterone in physical performance, depression and aging for many years. While at the University of Iowa, I was involved in research to detect testosterone doping, the psychological effects of testosterone and the potential for testosterone to alleviate depression in older men.

One of the difficult questions facing clinicians is when is testosterone too low in older men.

One problem with answering this question is the …

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Testosterone and when should low levels be treated in older men

Physical features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Conditions and Diseases
July 6, 2010

Social and language issues dominate most of the discussion about the features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

A neglected area of study are the physical feature characteristics that have been known to be associated with ASD. Unlike some of the diagnostic physical changes in disorders such as Down Syndrome, physical features found in ASD are often subtle and missed by most clinicians.

Ozgen and colleagues from the Netherlands, UCLA and the UK …

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Physical features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Wii Sports and Wii Fit Plus exercise equivalents

Conditions and Diseases
June 11, 2010

Regular exercise has been shown to be helpful in the prevention and management of a variety of clinical neuroscience conditions including: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, major depression and anxiety disorders. However, motivating people to get involved in a regular exercise program is a significant challenge. Wii Sports and Wii Fit Plus may provide the motivation edge for some patients to start and maintain an exercise program.

The Wii video game system …

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Wii Sports and Wii Fit Plus exercise equivalents

Patients with dementia and when they should stop driving

Conditions and Diseases
May 20, 2010

A common clinical problem in aging is when should driving a motor vehicle be discontinued. When does driving become a significant safety hazard as cognition and motor skills decline?

The American Academy of Neurology recently published a Practice Parameter update: Evaluation and management of driving risk in dementia. This important review provides clinicians and family members with assistance in making an accurate and timely decision.

The authors of the guideline review research …

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Patients with dementia and when they should stop driving

Physician supply trends for primary care doctors and specialists

Health Policy
April 30, 2010

Health care reform continues to be a key political topic of discussion in the U.S. Physician supply and specialty training are important elements in designing an efficient system that provides the highest quality of care.

To understand where U.S. physician supply and specialty training is headed, I examined the U.S. trends from 1990 to 2007 (latest year data is available).

Physician supply has been growing during this period. In 1990, there were …

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Physician supply trends for primary care doctors and specialists