New research says that early childhood exposure to tablets has become nearly universal
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/how-young-is-too-young-to-be-using-tablets/
Monday, November 2, 2015
Medicare to pay for end of life care
In a major change in policy, Medicare will now pay for end of life counseling
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/medicare-to-pay-for-end-of-life-care/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/medicare-to-pay-for-end-of-life-care/
For some, Obamacare does not seem so affordable
For one millennial living in Washington, D.C., the hefty healthcare price tag comes at a shock
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/for-some-obamacare-does-not-seem-so-affordable/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/for-some-obamacare-does-not-seem-so-affordable/
Affordable Care Act not so affordable
The third year of open enrollment for Obamacare began this week and premiums are up, too; far up for some
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/affordable-care-act-not-so-affordable/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/affordable-care-act-not-so-affordable/
Medicare to pay for end-of-life counseling for terminally ill
Discussion of end-of-life care is particularly personal for a former nurse diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medicare-to-now-pay-for-end-of-life-counseling-for-terminally-ill/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medicare-to-now-pay-for-end-of-life-counseling-for-terminally-ill/
2 million gallons of raw sewage causes a foul situation in Houston
Severe flooding in Houston has caused a stinky situation -- nearly 2 million gallons of raw sewage are filling the city's streets
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/2-million-gallons-of-raw-sewage-causes-a-foul-situation-in-houston/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/2-million-gallons-of-raw-sewage-causes-a-foul-situation-in-houston/
Death rates ticking up for middle-aged whites
Why are white Americans in their mid-40s and 50s dying at a faster pace? Researchers zero in on the culprits
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/death-rates-ticking-up-for-middle-aged-whites/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/death-rates-ticking-up-for-middle-aged-whites/
Why Am I So Tired? Conditions That Cause Fatigue
WebMD explains conditions that might cause you to feel sluggish during the day, such as anemia, thyroid trouble, sleep apnea, diabetes, heart disease, depression, and menopause.
From: http://www.webmd.com/women/guide/why-so-tired-10-causes-fatigue?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Are Feminine Hygiene Products Safe?
A typical woman goes through more than 12,000 sanitary pads or tampons over the decades that she has her period. But is long-term use of sanitary protection safe? WebMD has the details.
From: http://www.webmd.com/women/news/20151102/tampons-sanitary-pads-safety?src=RSS_PUBLIC
How growing up with a dog affects kids' asthma risk
Researchers say exposure to animals early in life may affect the likelihood of developing the chronic condition
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/growing-up-with-a-pet-dog-may-lower-asthma-risk/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/growing-up-with-a-pet-dog-may-lower-asthma-risk/
What women need to know about dense breast tissue
Should you ask your doctor about getting more than a mammogram?
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-women-need-to-know-about-dense-breast-tissue/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-women-need-to-know-about-dense-breast-tissue/
Adult Epilepsy: Common Clinical Issues and New Therapies
From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjeALXKKG1w
The placebo effect: Amazing and real
The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would.
Studies use placebos — an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill — in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.
The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many people who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.
The placebo effect is for real
Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be — and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.
Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.
Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin
The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.
Is the power of the placebo effect rising?
A fascinating new study examined the impact of the placebo effect in 84 trials of nerve pain treatments that took place over the last 23 years. The researchers found that the placebo effect has become remarkably stronger, but this observation was only noted in U.S. studies. Why? One theory is that the flood of direct-to-consumer drug advertising in the U.S. (which is not allowed in most other countries) increases patients’ expectations that a medication will help them. Stronger and higher expectations of a drug’s effectiveness may translate into a bigger placebo effect.
Another theory links the rising effectiveness of placebos to the research trials themselves: the larger, more expensive, and more elaborate the trial, the higher the expectations of the study participants. Trials of this type tend to be more common in the U.S. than elsewhere.
Whatever the reason, there is a downside to this trend. A powerful placebo effect makes it harder for researchers to prove that a new medication is effective. The stronger the placebo effect, the more difficult it becomes to demonstrate a significant difference between a placebo and an active drug — even if the active drug is pretty good. As a result, some effective drugs might “fail” in clinical trials. And that could drive researchers to move their studies outside the U.S.
What’s next?
Research into the pros and cons of the placebo effect has changed how many people think about this phenomenon. We used to think the placebo effect was limited to suggestible people without “real” disease; we now know better. But there is plenty that remains mysterious. We don’t know how to predict who will respond well to a placebo or how to reliably harness its power. And it’s important to note that even though “feeling better” is important, it does not always come with genuine health benefits. For example, some study subjects taking a placebo for asthma reported improvement in their symptoms, but their measures of lung function were not actually any better.
Still, the day may come when the placebo effect is better understood and, under the right circumstances, used effectively in clinical practice. Given that many people either don’t improve with standard medications or have bothersome side effects, that day can’t come soon enough.
Related Posts:
The post The placebo effect: Amazing and real appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
From: Robert Shmerling, M.D. http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-placebo-effect-amazing-and-real-201511028544
Ground Beef Recalled Due to Possible E. Coli
Ground Beef Recalled Due to Possible E. Coli
From: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/20151102/ground-beef-recall?src=RSS_PUBLIC
More cases likely in Chipotle's E. coli outbreak
Health officials expect more cases to emerge as they investigate the restaurant chain's third E. coli outbreak this year
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-cases-likely-in-chipotles-e-coli-outbreak/
From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-cases-likely-in-chipotles-e-coli-outbreak/
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