Surviving AmericanSurviving
American Medicine
Alcohol abuse has always been common. Now new information has discovered how frequently this occurs in young high school students as discussed in this CDC report http://1.usa.gov/VNlAGA. Binge drinking occurs in 17.1% of Americans, 11% of women and 23% of men. But in high school girls, 20% are binge drinkers (4 drinks per occasion or more at least once in the last 30 days). In high school girls 54% report using alcohol, and 50% of…
A friend who works as an actor in health dramas is also a patient and a caregiver for an ill parent. We discussed the relevance of TV depictions of medical care and real-life health care issues.
TV programs are presenting issues that people are dealing with every day. Although TV scripts tend to over-dramatize the emotional consequences of problems in medical care (e.g. too little time for doctors and nurses to provide adequate care, insensitivity…
Healthcare reforms are already taking place every day. ObamaCare regulations should prompt you to ask some questions and explore some options so you are prepared and confident about your medical care.
The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is resulting in higher premiums for private insurance and for Medicare fees. These added costs are necessary to achieve widely supported goals of healthcare reform: more coverage for the uninsured; payments for preventive medicine; and elimination of pre-existing conditions, arbitrary insurance…
Celebrities get diseases all the time. The news reports announce them as sensational events. But each celebrity who allows the media to report their illness and treatment actually helps each of us to improve our own health care. And we should never let their crisis and their lessons go unheeded by us personally.
Let’s go down the list and see the tips that their stories tell us:
Amy Weinhouse died of alcohol intoxication, possibly due…
There is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in the United States. Sun exposure increases the vitamin D levels in the body, but that not by enough for optimal health. Today, not only are vitamin D levels low in the northern half of the country (where sun exposure is particularly reduced in the winter time – where we’re heading now), but more individuals throughout the country are avoiding sun exposure in order to prevent skin…
You can find out what is in your doctor’s medical notes about you, and reading it can save your life. In a recent study by Dr. Tom Delbanco and coauthors, patients were invited to see their doctor’s record of a recent office visit. About 80% of patients looked at the notes. Compared to patients who did not look at…
Every patient has experienced this, leaving a message at the doctor’s office, expecting the doctor to call back. They never do, or worse, they call much too late. You’re frustrated, stressed, angry and just confused. Really, how hard is it to call back with an answer?
Responding to you calls, questions and concerns is part of…
Sandy has hit the east and life as well as health care has been disrupted. While we all hope all is ok with our friends and family affected by the storm, we all should realize the impact of an emergency could have on our own health care.
First, you should always have an emergency plan in place for you and for your family. Who is a contact person? Where should you go if evacuated? Do…
The cost of prescription medications have been rising at an alarming rate. Many patients now refuse to take their medications, or are unable to because of costs. They delay reordering their medicines or cut down on the amounts of medicines that they are taking, putting their health…
The other day, a patient came to see me and complained about breast imaging center in the Los Angeles area. “You sent me to have a biopsy of an abnormality that was found on a breast MRI scan, and they told me that they would not do it because I had not had my first scan at their facility. They actually wanted me to completely repeat the previous scan, even though I had a DVD…