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    Friday, February 26, 2010

    FDA Approves New Treatment for Shingles-Related Pain

    The FDA has approved Qutenza, a patch containing 8% capsaicin, to treat postherpetic neuralgia. Qutenza must be applied to the skin by a healthcare professional. It can be used for 60 minutes, as often as once every 3 months, according to the manufacturer.

    Before placing a patch, providers should treat the affected area with a topical anesthetic. In addition, they should monitor patients for at least 1 hour after patch application because of the risk for increased blood pressure. Other side effects may include pain, swelling, itching, redness, and bumps at the application site.Capsaicin, a compound in chili peppers, is available in over-the-counter products in lower concentrations, but this is the first prescription-level formulation approved by the FDA.

    Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
    For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.

    Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

    For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

    Monday, February 22, 2010

    5 Tips on Nutrition and Aging

    1. Nutrition plays a role in cardiovascular disease, some malignancies, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, alcoholism, and recovery from major injury.

    2. Malnutrition can weaken the immune system, impair healing following surgery or injury, lessen mobility, and reduce mental capabilities and function. It is common in older adults.

    3. To maintain good health, total fat intake should be reduced to 30% or less of calories. Saturated fat intake should only account for 10% (one third of fat calories). Salt and alcohol intake also should be limited.

    4. Dietary fat content composed primarily of monounsaturated fat (eg, olive oil) and polyunsaturated fat (eg, canola, corn and fish oils) may be associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease.

    5. Foods to be avoided include whole milk and dairy products (ice cream, cheese, butter); commercially baked goods (cookies and crackers); hot dogs, ham, and cold cuts; and oils, gravies, and salad dressing.

    Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
    For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.


    Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

    For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

    Friday, February 19, 2010

    5 Tips on Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    1. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a digestive problem also known as "spastic colon" or "irritable colon."

    2. IBS symptoms include:
    • Abdominal pain (colicky, periodic or continuous dull pain)
    • Erratic bowel activity; frequent constipation or diarrhea
    • Accompanying symptoms of bloating, nausea, headache, fatigue
    • Sensitivity to intestinal gas (cramping, flatulence)

    3. The cause of IBS is unknown:
    • No evidence of specific disease
    • May be triggered by psychological factors or ingestion of food

    4. IBS is a condition that:
    • Is more common in women
    • Usually starts at an early age (20s and 30s) and recurs from time to time
    • Rarely starts past age 55

    5. Treatment of IBS includes:
    • Careful explanation of the syndrome, including what it is not
    • Better management of key triggers: stress and diet
    • Modification of diet to reduce or exclude foods that promote gas
    • Drug therapy to relieve symptoms (bulk fiber products, antispasmodics, antidiarrheals)
    • Occasionally, psychiatric therapy and medication

    Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
    For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.


    Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

    For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

    Monday, February 15, 2010

    5 Tips on Inflammatory Bowel Disease

    1. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an inflammation of the small or large intestine that may cause these symptoms:

    • Diarrhea
    • Rectal bleeding
    • Sharp abdominal pain or cramping
    • Intestinal obstruction
    • Fever
    See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms

    2. There are two types of IBD:
    • Ulcerative Colitis
    • Starts in rectum and spreads upward
    • Affects men more than women
    • Crohn's Disease
    • More patchy inflammation
    • Can start anywhere in the digestive tract
    • Affects women more than men

    3. The cause of IBD is unknown. What is known about IBD includes the following:
    • IBD is not Contagious.
    • IBD is not caused by diet.
    • IBD is not a form of cancer.
    • IBD affects young and old alike.
    • IBD can usually be treated with medicine but sometimes requires surgery.

    4. Diagnosis of IBD is based on:
    • Family history, travel history, current medications
    • Stool sample to rule out infection
    • Flexible sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy and biopsy to rule out cancer and to identify
    • IBD
    • X-ray studies

    5. Treatment of IBD may include:
    • Medications to reduce or eliminate inflammation
    • Special diet or elemental formula diet
    • Surgery

    Time is critical. If you suspect IBD, call your doctor

    Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
    For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.


    Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

    For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

    Friday, February 12, 2010

    5 Tips on Gallstone Disease

    5 Tips on Gallstone Disease
    1. Gallstones typically develop over many years, although they can form in months. Gallstones are present in about 20% of women and 10% of men over the age of 55.

    2. There are two basic types of gallstones: cholesterol and pigment. Cholesterol gallstones are the most common type in the United States.

    3. About 75% of gallstones do not cause symptoms. The most common symptom caused by gallbladder stones is episodic upper abdominal pain.

    4. For healthy patients who have no symptoms, no therapy or change in diet is needed. Patients with uncomplicated symptomatic gallbladder stones should reduce dietary fat and consider surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy). An alternate approach is oral bile acid therapy. For complicated disease, gallbladder removal is warranted.

    5. Patients who undergo rapid weight loss are at risk for the development of small cholesterol gallstones and may benefit from bile acid therapy. Gallstones can seldom be prevented, although a low-fat diet may provide some protective benefit.

    CONTACT
    Web: www.Hookman.com
    Phone: 561.445.0486
    E-Mail: hookman@hookman.com
    Book Website: www.MedMalBook.com


    Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
    For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.


    Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

    For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

    Monday, February 8, 2010

    JAMA-Journal of the American Medical Association -acclaims "MEDICAL EXPERT TESTIMONY." Calls his new book “Crowning achievement” and “Definitive text.

    Washington, D.C., February 2, 2010 --"'MEDICAL EXPERT TESTIMONY' is The Definitive Text for physicians seeking to augment their income as medical expert witnesses or for clinicians forced to participate in the civil litigation arena," according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. The book review is published in JAMA. 2010; 303 (4): 369 by reviewer Alan G. Williams, JD, in the Book and Media Reviews of the Journal of the American Association. Perry Hookman MD, board certified in both Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine, is the author of the new Book II Medical Expert Testimony: Advanced Syllabus for Health Care Professionals (Hardcover) 33 chapters; 936 pages. Publisher: Potomac Press-CRC; ISBN: 978-0-9817570-0-1; ISBN: 10:0-9817570-0-6 - Price $289.95; including CD-ROM.

    This recent JAMA review points out that:

    "Although Perry Hookman has previously written a valuable reference manual regarding medical expert testimony in malpractice cases (Book I Medical Malpractice Expert Witnessing: Introductory Guide for Physicians and Medical Professionals),[his new Book II] -Medical Expert Testimony: Advanced Syllabus for Healthcare Professionals - represents his crowning achievement."

    "The novice medical expert can greatly benefit from the keen observations and astute recommendations in the chapters regarding "Strategies and Tactics Designed to Trick the Expert"; "Questions to Make the Medical Expert Look Biased, Incompetent, Embarrassed"; and "How Attorneys Use Cross-Examination Mishaps, Errors, and Testimony Control for Impeachment of the Medical Expert Witness."

    "Hookman begins by explaining what the particular strategic move by the attorney is and then follows with the recommended counter-move. The advice contained in these chapters alone makes the book well worth reading."

    "The format of Medical Expert Testimony contributes to its appeal; each topic is clearly delineated and interspersed with text boxes of facts and examples. As opposed to page after page of text (the book totals nearly 1000 pages), Medical Expert Testimony succeeds as a reference manual owing in part to its staccato bursts presenting the identified problem, the recommended remedy, and the likely result. Each section is followed by a list of sources to aid the reader in exploring additional references or materials."

    "'Medical Expert Testimony,' written by a veteran expert witness who obviously knows his subject, serves as a thorough explication of serving as an expert witness in a medical malpractice case. Other than omitting few superfluous sections, it is difficult to imagine a better way to meaningfully improve on this textbook. Medical expert witnesses would do well to heed the recommendations and advice presented in this unique and insightful reference."

    CONTACT
    Web: www.Hookman.com
    Phone: 561.445.0486
    E-Mail: hookman@hookman.com
    Book Website: www.MedMalBook.com


    Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
    For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.


    Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

    For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

    Friday, February 5, 2010

    5 Tips on Diverticular Disease

    1. Diverticulosis is a condition with pouch-like protrusions in the colon:
    • Rare before age 30
    • Common after age 60
    • Usually no symptoms

    2. Complications of diverticulosis include:
    • Bright red rectal bleeding with clots
    • Diverticulitis

    3. Ways to prevent and manage diverticular disease include:
    • Increasing dietary fiber to keep bowel movements soft
    • Avoiding stimulant laxatives

    4. Diverticulitis is a serious complication in which pouches become inflamed or infected. Symptoms of diverticulitis include:
    • Pain in left lower abdomen
    • Fever
    • Sudden change in bowel habit
    See your doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms.

    5. Treatment of diverticulitis may include:
    • Antibiotics
    • Special feeding
    • Surgery


    Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
    For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.


    Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

    For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

    Monday, February 1, 2010

    ONE DRUG CAUSES LIFE EXTENSION BY 14%

    The antitumor drug rapamycin targets TOR, a kinase that is part of the PI3K–AKT–mTOR cascade, involved in regulating protein translation, cell growth and autophagy. Reducing TOR function is known to extend the life of yeast, worms and flies.
    Now experiments replicated in three different laboratories demonstrate that rapamycin, fed to male and female mice in a dose that substantially inhibits TOR signalling, can extend their median and maximal lifespan by up to 14%. This life extension was observed in mice fed rapamycin from 270 days of age and also at a late stage in their life, from age 600 days.

    These findings point to the TOR pathway as a critical point in the control of ageing in mammals and in the pathogenesis of late-life illnesses. The small molecule rapamycin, already approved for clinical use for various human disorders, has been found to significantly increase lifespan in mice.

    Is this a step towards an anti-ageing drug for people?
    From Rapamycin fed late in life extends lifespan in genetically heterogeneous mice
    David E. Harrison, et al.doi:10.1038/nature08221


    Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
    For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.


    Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

    For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com