ASSOCIATION IS NOT CAUSATION. Now that I’ve cleared that up, let us examine the paper causing the headlines today . “Over 65s who take more than one medicine should consult their doctors. Taking some commonly used medications in combination leads to an increased risk of death or brain impairments in over 65s” says the Guardian. […]
Continue Reading →“It is time to stop this screening nonsense”
North America is not catching up: I think they are getting ahead in terms of sense about screening. PSA screening in the UK is available, and meant to be about ‘choice’, even then health charities say they “Supports the right of every man over 50 – and younger men at higher risk – to make an […]
Continue Reading →Older people and alcohol: Royal College of Psychiatrists gets screening wrong
Much ado about the RCPsych report out today on ‘Our invisible addicts’; supposedly, older people addicted to drugs or alcohol. I don’t think this is a new concern. Part of the ‘problem’ is that the care of people with addictions has slowly got better and people are living longer. Northern Doctor has written very well […]
Continue Reading →Sleeves, ties, MRSA and politicians
in the Daily Mail.
Continue Reading →An early test for Alzheimer’s?
Medicine in the media piece in the BMJ. As a follow up to this Daily Mail article, and the Food for the Brain enterprise.
Continue Reading →Is the US waking up to the harms of screening?
Thanks to Joe Stirt for this. This Washington Post article seems to suggest that there is at least a little bit of light emerging in the debate about breast screening. But they don’t go far enough – breast screening causes harm, tangible, real harm, to women who are diagnosed with tumours that would never have […]
Continue Reading →Osteopathy in the Guardian….
“Asthma is a good example of the kind of condition we can help with….I use my hands to try to find and work on any tensions or misalignments that might be compromising normal motion. In asthma I may use gentle stretches to release the ribs and the soft tissues that are restricting them, or I might […]
Continue Reading →Bayesian and needles in haystacks: why medicine is difficult to do well
and why protocols are not the answer to good diagnosis and risk management. Excellent BMJ editorial telling it like it is. “identifying those febrile young children with the greatest risk for serious infection at the time of clinical presentation is like looking for a needle in a haystack.” Essentially, if you have a child with […]
Continue Reading →If your kids haven’t had your MMR…
now is the time. 330 cases in England in last 4 months. 4,000 cases so far this year in France. Some have died. The WHO says that 18 children die hourly from this preventable illness. MMR is free from your local NHS surgery.
Continue Reading →Easy NHS reforms of evidence lacking and expensive healthcare items
Hospital food initiatives Choose and Book Connecting for Health / National Programme for IT http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=17511 Wash your hands campaigns, and associated badges, cut out cardboard nurses, nurses carrying clipboards to see if you washed your hands Management consultants Walk in centres ISTCs and take or pay contracts 4hour waits and associated management to enforce Homeopathic hospitals […]
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