Monday, January 30, 2017

Eating breakfast may boost heart health

The American Heart Association says people who eat more of their calories earlier in the day have a lower risk of heart disease. Brook Silva-Braga reports.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/eating-breakfast-may-boost-heart-health/

For heart health, it's not just what you eat, but when

Eating more of your calories earlier in the day may help keep the heart healthy, according to the American Heart Association

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/breakfast-heart-health-diet-when-you-eat-matters/

Study Suggests Newer Cholesterol Drugs Are Safe

Whether taking them results in fewer heart attacks and strokes isn't yet known, researcher says



From: http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/news/20170130/study-suggests-newer-cholesterol-drugs-are-safe?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Bone and joint problems associated with diabetes



From: http://www.mayoclinic.com/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes/art-20049314

Germs: Understand and protect against bacteria, viruses and infection



From: http://www.mayoclinic.com/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/in-depth/germs/art-20045289

Healthy breakfast: Quick, flexible options



From: http://www.mayoclinic.com/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/food-and-nutrition/art-20048294

Stretching: Focus on flexibility

Stretching may benefit your exercise routine. Here's how to do it safely.



From: http://www.mayoclinic.com/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/stretching/art-20047931

Chronic pain can interfere with sexuality



From: http://www.mayoclinic.com/chronic-pain/art-20044369

Busy minds may be better at fighting dementia

Computer use, crafting, social activities and games all seem to boost brain health, a new study finds

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/busy-minds-may-be-better-at-fighting-dementia/

Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez - enfermedad del corazón



From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcAoqxGHCZ4

Busy Minds May Be Better at Fighting Dementia

Computer use, crafting, social activities and games all seem to boost brain health, study finds



From: http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20170130/busy-minds-may-be-better-at-fighting-dementia?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Stretches for Runners



From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPwGCJinqwI

CMS updates Open Payments data

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated the Open Payments system to reflect changes since the data was last published on June 30, 2016. The updated dataset is now available for viewing at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/january/cms-updates-open-payments-data

Many U.S. children suffer from low back pain

The prevalence only increases the older children get, a new study finds; here's what parents need to know

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/many-u-s-children-suffer-from-low-back-pain/

#MyPlateMyWins at Dinner



From: USDA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArSnyWaOAmQ

Low Back Pain Common Among Kids

Sports injuries are just one frequent cause, study finds



From: http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/news/20170130/low-back-pain-common-among-kids?src=RSS_PUBLIC

SCAD: The Heart Attack That's Striking Young Women

human heart illustration

SCAD: The Heart Attack That's Striking Young Women



From: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20170130/scad-heart-attacks?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Bone and joint problems associated with diabetes



From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes/art-20049314

Germs: Understand and protect against bacteria, viruses and infection



From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/in-depth/germs/art-20045289

Healthy breakfast: Quick, flexible options



From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/food-and-nutrition/art-20048294

Chronic pain can interfere with sexuality



From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/chronic-pain/art-20044369

Stretching: Focus on flexibility

Stretching may benefit your exercise routine. Here's how to do it safely.



From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/stretching/art-20047931

Free refills from soda fountains no longer on tap in France

The ban on free refills is part of a sweeping public health law to help combat obesity

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/free-refills-from-soda-fountains-no-longer-on-tap-in-france/

Baby boxes: N.J. promotes cardboard cribs

With the U.S. way behind other countries in reducing infant morality, an unusual idea to keep babies safe is spreading

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/baby-boxes-nj-promotes-cardboard-cribs/

Linda Hindle discusses AHPs into Action



From: BritishDietetic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VlA5PyRBKg

Infectious Diseases A-Z: HPV infection rates among men



From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8DiTpLkifU

Mayo Clinic Minute: Cold, flu, superbug



From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OvW7hkVvm8

Taking medications correctly requires clear communication

Follow me on Twitter @DavidAScales

Early in December, Ms. Silva (not her real name) came to the hospital for a bladder infection that just kept getting worse. She’d been having symptoms — pain when she urinated, feeling constantly like she had to go to the bathroom — for about a week. She did all the right things. She called her doctor, picked up her prescriptions at the pharmacy, saw her doctor for a follow up appointment soon after, and swore that she was taking her antibiotic. But the pain got worse and she started having fevers. She needed to be admitted to the hospital.

Ms. Silva was an elderly lady in her 60s from Brazil. Without much grey hair, she looked much younger than her 60 years, yet the infection had wiped her out. She looked exhausted. As she returned from the bathroom, she tried to contort her hospital gown in a futile attempt to get it to cover more of her body. “Why wasn’t the antibiotic working?” she asked, stating the question on everyone’s mind that night.

At first I was worried about drug-resistant bacteria.  The bacteria causing her infection should have been killed by the antibiotic that she was given. If she had taken them as prescribed, then drug-resistant bacteria would be the only explanation for why she was getting worse.

So, we chatted about the antibiotic. She said she took every pill and was also taking something for the pain, that unrelenting, squeezing feeling of urgency. She took the pill bottles out of her purse, saying, “see, this was the bottle of the antibiotics,” showing me an empty bottle of pyridium (phenazopyridine). “And this bottle is the medication for the urinary pain,” she said, showing me a bottle still full of antibiotic pills.

This solved the mystery. She didn’t have resistant bacteria. Ms. Silva’s infection worsened because she had confused the antibiotic pills for the pills for pain, taking the latter with regularity while the infection continued to rage.

Doctors and patients are not always on the same page when it comes to which medications are important

Ms. Silva’s story reminded me of an article published this past fall in the Annals of Family Medicine that showed a large difference between patient and physician perceptions about which medications are important. The study found that up to 20% of medications considered important by doctors were not correctly taken by patients. Taking medications as prescribed is called medication adherence, as this is adhering to the doctor’s recommendations that are trying to maximize the drugs’ benefit while minimizing its side effects. About half the time, patients forgot, ran out of medication, or were careless about when they took the medication, a situation the study authors called unintentional non-adherence. The other half of the time, the patients deliberately chose not to take the medication correctly.

The study authors point out that this discrepancy between patients and doctors is a symptom of a larger problem in healthcare. It stems from challenging clinic environments that make it difficult for patients and doctors to partner together in shared decision making. They point out that good doctor-patient communication requires a good doctor-patient relationship, but some studies show that as a physician’s responsibilities increase through medical school, residency and on to practice, that their communication skills decline. So does their empathy.

Differences in gender, race, or socioeconomic class can also influence doctor-patient communication. Sometimes patients are bashful about telling their doctor they don’t understand or that they can’t read. Plus, it’s hard for anyone to think about and ask all the important questions when a rushed doctor has his or her hand on the doorknob.

Still, it’s hard to say exactly why the misunderstanding occurred in Ms. Silva’s case. While she speaks Portuguese, the nurse Ms. Silva spoke to on the phone documented that an interpreter was used. The doctor she saw in the office speaks Portuguese.

At the same time, Ms. Silva had never finished elementary school. It wasn’t clear that she could read, and even if she could, her pill bottle was labeled with neither the name of the medication, nor its purpose. Without knowing a lot about medications, she wouldn’t know which drug was the antibiotic. It also isn’t clear what she was told and what she understood at that critical moment when she picked up the medications at the pharmacy.

How to fix communication gaps

It would be ideal if we could solve all of the myriad factors leading to communication problems in one doctor visit. But that’s wishful thinking. So, the study authors suggest engaging with other health professionals, like pharmacists, nurses, and physician assistants, to help bridge these communication gaps by checking a patient’s understanding of their medications and filling in knowledge gaps when they arise.

Engaging other health professionals may have helped Ms. Silva. Her experience shows that between the doctor’s office and the pharmacy, there were a number of missed opportunities to make sure she understood which medication was the antibiotic. Working with family members may have helped as well. Ms. Silva’s daughter brought her to the hospital and may have been a useful partner to avoid misunderstandings.

Thankfully, after a short stay in the hospital (being sure she was taking the right medicine), Ms. Silva improved and went home. But her delay in getting well is an unfortunate example of just how much can go wrong between a doctor’s prescription and a patient getting better, especially when there are misunderstandings about medications.

The post Taking medications correctly requires clear communication appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.



From: David Scales, MPhil, MD, PhD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/taking-medications-correctly-requires-clear-communication-2017013011043

Could the 'Mediterranean' Diet Help Prevent ADHD?

There's no solid proof, but encouraging healthy eating is a wise move, specialist says



From: http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/news/20170130/could-the-mediterranean-diet-help-prevent-adhd?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Making Mayo's Recipes: Caramelized Onion Chicken Pizza



From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqSVHxgTE-s