A doctor usually has many patients; however, each of his or her patients has only one life. And then there?s that other familiar way of putting it: ?Your doctor won?t be buried in your casket.? According to recent statistics, 500,000 Americans suffer from preventable medical errors each year. Of these, close to [...]
Inguinal hernia is a very common disorder, affecting millions of people in the United States alone. Considered to be a surgical disease, inguinal hernia accounts for thousands of annual operations worldwide.
Although inguinal hernia can occur in both sexes, the disorder predominantly affects men. Also, this type of hernia has the highest incidence in the elderly, [...]
There are many things that people should know about their colon health. It is not a very great subject to talk about at the dinner table, but it something that you have to think about and take into consideration. There are a lot of people that do have some sort of problem with [...]
Even excellent tools can be mis-used. Here are seven “sins” of medical testing:
1. Ordering the wrong test for the right condition.
If I had a nickel for every time a doctor ordered a carotid artery test in a patient with a fainting spell, I could fund my retirement several times over. And this is despite the [...]
Neil Shulman, MD, has written a book ? Your Body?s Red Light Warning Signals. In it he lists hundreds of medical symptoms that could mean the difference between life, death and a serious disability. Shulman says that too many people are dying because they are not aware that these symptoms can be a tip [...]
There seems to be a common misconception in our country regarding the reception of home health services.
First of all, too many people needing home health are under the impression that if they are to receive home health services, they must accept the ongoing or company assigned to them by the discharging hospital or referring physician. [...]
Dr. Barbara Starfield of the Johns Hopkins School of
Hygiene and Public Health says that 250,000 deaths are
caused each year by ?Iatrogenic? causes ? Iatrogenic
is defined as induced in a patient by a physician?s
activity, manner or therapy. Dr. Starfield cautions
that these estimates are for deaths only and do not
include negative [...]
From generation to generation infertility has been a condition that plagues couples worldwide. It is a condition that transcends race and color. Medically speaking, infertility is a disease of the reproductive system. A couple can be diagnosed with infertility if conception is not achieved after one year of unprotected and well timed [...]
The most common response to a new diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is, “What exactly does this mean? What is IBS?”
Once you’ve seen a gastroenterologist, been through diagnostic tests, and found out your symptoms match the Rome Criteria for IBS, you should finally have a diagnosis you feel is accurate. You’ve got Irritable [...]
?I know what you have,? the neurologist said with certainty. ?Really,? I responded with the ring of a question in my tone. No wonder. I spent years asking every physician I encountered in five different states about the progressive problem of weakness in my left arm, hand and both ankles.
?I?m sure,? Dr. [...]
