Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, known as JONAH, ordered to cease operations within 30 days
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-orders-new-jersey-gay-conversion-therapy-nonprofit-to-close/
Friday, December 18, 2015
Natural Family Planning
How does natural family planning work? Is it right for you?
From: http://www.webmd.com/women/features/todays_natural_family_planning?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Bizarre cravings during pregnancy can be treated
A surprising number of pregnant women develop cravings for things that aren't meant to be eaten
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bizarre-cravings-during-pregnancy-can-be-treated/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bizarre-cravings-during-pregnancy-can-be-treated/
ADHD and Video Games: Is There a Link?
Kids with ADHD can have a hard time focusing on tasks -- unless it involves video games. But does playing games make ADHD symptoms worse? WebMD investigates.
From: http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/features/adhd-and-video-games-is-there-a-link?src=RSS_PUBLIC
FDA Moves to Keep Teens Out of Tanning Beds
Citing a rise in skin cancer among young people, the FDA proposed rules Friday that would keep anyone under the age of 18 from using high-powered UV sunlamps, such as those in tanning beds. WebMD has the details
From: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20151218/fda-teens-tanning-beds?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the Country of Origin Labeling Requirements for Beef and Pork
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released the following statement regarding the language in the omnibus bill repealing the country of origin labeling requirements for beef and pork products.
From: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2015/12/0345.xml&contentidonly=true
From: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2015/12/0345.xml&contentidonly=true
Understanding and Managing Risky Behavior in Kids with ADHD
Kids with ADHD are more likely to engage in risky behavior. WebMD explains why this is and how to manage them.
From: http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/features/kids-with-adhd-at-risk-for-risky-behavior?src=RSS_PUBLIC
FDA proposes tanning bed ban for children under 18
Tanning beds may be one of the factors behind a spike in skin cancer rates in teens and 20-somethings
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-proposes-tanning-bed-ban-for-children-under-18/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-proposes-tanning-bed-ban-for-children-under-18/
Could laser-light baseball cap help regrow hair?
The FDA recently approved the LaserCap LCPro to help women with hair loss
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/could-laser-light-baseball-cap-help-regrow-hair/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/could-laser-light-baseball-cap-help-regrow-hair/
For women with hair loss, a promising option
Laser light technology built into a baseball cap was recently approved by the FDA
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/for-women-with-hair-loss-another-option/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/for-women-with-hair-loss-another-option/
Mysterious death halts living-donor transplant program
Major transplant center suspends certain operations after a kidney donor died due to an unexplained cause
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ucsf-suspends-living-donor-kidney-transplant-after-donor-death/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ucsf-suspends-living-donor-kidney-transplant-after-donor-death/
Mayo Clinic Minute: Assume Positive Intent
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDIXardWUAk
Help for IBS: A Mix of Meds, Diet, and More
Your best bet for IBS may involve a special diet, medicine, supplements, stress relief, and alternative treatments, or all of the above. WebMD explains.
From: http://www.webmd.com/ibs/features/combination-of-therapies-offers-help-for-ibs?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Nasal Spray May Treat Diabetics' Low Blood Sugar
Trial found it easier to use than current remedy, an injection
From: http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20151218/nasal-spray-may-give-diabetics-faster-treatment-for-low-blood-sugar?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Top 20 most livable countries
If you don't live one in these 20 countries you may want to consider moving...
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/top-20-most-liveable-countries-un-human-development-index-2015/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/top-20-most-liveable-countries-un-human-development-index-2015/
Mayo Clinic Minute: Rotator Cuff Repair
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XywhqLYSOdE
If I Have a Weak Immune System, How Can I Take Care of Myself?
If your immune system is weak due to illness, chemotherapy, HIV, or for other reasons, use these tips to take care of yourself so you stay as healthy as possible. WebMD tells you how.
From: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/weakened-immune-system?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Hormones Tied to Uterine Fibroid Risk in Study
High levels of testosterone, estrogen in middle age linked to raised odds of benign tumors in uterus
From: http://www.webmd.com/women/uterine-fibroids/news/20151218/hormones-tied-to-uterine-fibroid-risk-in-study?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Obama Administration Announces Competition to Designate the Third and Final Round of Promise Zones
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that communities may now apply to be designated a Promise Zone under the third and final round competition. Read the new notice seeking Promise Zone applications.
From: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2015/12/0344.xml&contentidonly=true
From: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2015/12/0344.xml&contentidonly=true
Singing May Help Those With Early Dementia
Study finds that mood improves, too
From: http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20151217/singing-hits-a-high-note-for-folks-with-early-dementia?src=RSS_PUBLIC
The “right” goal when managing pain
It makes sense that the primary goal of pain treatment should be to reduce pain. However, a recent editorial in The New England Journal of Medicine makes a strong case for looking beyond pain intensity when evaluating what is “successful” pain management.
The “balancing act” of managing chronic pain
Here is the problem: For people with chronic pain, the pain affects nearly all aspects of their lives. But at the same time, treatments to relieve chronic pain also have the potential to influence many aspects of a person’s life. Our best pain-relieving drugs have lots of unpleasant side effects. Even non-drug interventions (like physical therapy) and complementary therapies (such as acupuncture) usually don’t have just one single effect.
This means that, if we prioritize pain reduction over every other outcome, we may wind up doing as much harm as we do good. In particular, the authors of the editorial suggest that focusing only on lowering pain intensity, and creating a moral mandate to relieve pain, have contributed to the opioid crisis in this country. Over the past few decades, we have seen steady increases in opioid prescriptions, cases of opioid misuse and abuse, and related overdose deaths.
Patient surveys also show that people with chronic pain care about more than just experiencing less pain. They care about enjoying life more, having a strong sense of emotional well-being, increasing their physical activity, improving sleep and reducing fatigue, and participating in social and recreational activities. These goals need to be balanced against the downsides of pain treatment.
For example, opioid medications like oxycodone (Oxycontin) may reduce pain intensity and make it easier to fall asleep. But they also make people tired, cause constipation and memory problems, and carry the risk of abuse and overdose. How the benefits and harms stack up is entirely personal and will vary from patient to patient. For some people, the risk of abuse is small, the side effects are minor, and the drug reduces their pain by a lot. For others, these drugs reduce pain only a little, while the fatigue and cognitive side effects are so bad that it is hard to carry out routine activities like driving or going to work.
The future of pain management
The editorial’s authors also suggest that pain-management treatments that are not just individualized but also multimodal (that is, they combine several different therapies) may produce the largest benefits with the fewest harms. A strong foundation of scientific research supports this position. For example, a person with chronic low back pain, a recent history of alcohol abuse, and depression and insomnia might do best with a combination of non-opioid pain relievers, cognitive behavioral therapy, and an antidepressant, while another person, also with chronic low back pain, may get the best results with a combination of daily low-dose opioids and weekly acupuncture. Dr. Robert Jamison at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital showed that a behavioral treatment to improve opioid adherence among chronic pain patients actually reduced rates of medication misuse among patients most likely to misuse these drugs.
The “success” of pain treatment is very individual. So you can’t assume that what you read online or hear from other people (for example, “drug X is great, you should try it” or “drug Y is terrible, why would anyone prescribe this”) will represent how a drug will work for you. The field of pain management needs a lot more research to determine which patients are more likely to benefit from a given treatment. Perhaps, for example, younger patients with migraine headaches may get more benefit from drug A, while older patients with tension-type headaches may do best with drug B. This kind of categorizing, known as “phenotyping,” would provide a foundation for personalized pain management that, ideally, would improve the clinical care of people with pain and minimize treatment-related harms.
Over all, I believe that combined therapies that not only reduce pain but help meet quality-of-life goals—along with a renewed focus on individualized treatment—represent important advances for the field of pain management and are critical steps toward more effectively fulfilling our duties to suffering patients.
Related Posts:
The post The “right” goal when managing pain appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
From: Robert T. Edwards, Ph.D. http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-right-goal-when-managing-pain-201512188865
Many new parents misuse car seats, endangering babies
Study finds a huge number of children at risk; here's what to look out for
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/many-new-parents-misuse-car-seats-endanger-babies/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/many-new-parents-misuse-car-seats-endanger-babies/
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