There is an interesting study this week in the BMJ. The study was a mailed survey to US internists and rheumatologists about their use of placebo treatments. The response rate wasn’t great (57%) but about half said they regularly prescribed placebo treatments. Most also said they thought it was ethically permissible. Placebos do work and the […]
Continue Reading →Vaginal cosmetic surgery
Hail the designer vagina. While I was busy thinking that cosmetic surgeons were still sucking fat from hips and erasing bags from under eyes, I have missed the latest money-making trend. Two professors of uro-gynaecology at King’s College London recently observed that women are seeking surgical procedures to improve their intimate aesthetic appearances. Writing in […]
Continue Reading →Shared experiences
I had been meaning to mention Dipex for ages, but I was recently told that it had just changed its name to Healthtalkonline , which seems a good opportunity to write about it. It’s a compilation of interviews with people describing their experiences with illness. I think it’s a fabulous resource for patients, and for also friends and relatives. No […]
Continue Reading →How should GPs be paid?
The dirty semi-secret that GPs get paid per item of what they do – for example, immunisations, cervical smears, blood pressure checks – has been making me uncomfortable for years. I still do not know what the best way of paying GPs is. The Sunday papers this weekend are full of stories about GPs being paid […]
Continue Reading →Second Opinion: Rehabilitation through exercise
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a blight on British health, estimated to cause 20 per cent of medical hospital admissions. Primarily caused by cigarette smoking, it is a condition that damages the airways and obstructs the flow of air from the lungs, leading to breathlessness, a chronic cough and wheezing. The symptoms are distressing and, […]
Continue Reading →The “arrogance” of hospitals
The Healthcare Commission have published a report today about the state of the NHS. On Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, they had Dr Michael Dixon speaking. He is a GP and chair of the NHS Alliance, as well as being a Trustee of Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health. Dr Dixon took issue with the charge […]
Continue Reading →Walk while you work
There is pressure being placed on employers to make their workplaces “healthier”. NICE released documents on this earlier this year, and this week the Scottish Executive have published their take on matters. What is the good employer to do? The recommendations focus on employers increasing the amount of exercise that employees take in the course of their […]
Continue Reading →Second Opinion: No easy hypertension treatment
The more one learns, the less one is certain of. This is as true in medicine as in life. Thousands of clinical studies have investigated the effects of hypertension treatments, yet there is still considerable uncertainty about which drugs are most effective. Meanwhile, many people with no history of cardiovascular disease are being diagnosed with […]
Continue Reading →The dinner party consultation
It is reported that Peter Mandelson recently ended up in hospital to be treated for a kidney stone. It is also reported that Lord Darzi, the health minister who believes polyclinics are the future, dined with Mr Mandelson, and was later called upon to see him professionally. Who knows what actually happened, but ‘dinner party’ consultations are an overwhelmingly […]
Continue Reading →Screening complications
Regular readers will know that I have concerns about many tests used in the UK for screening. Screening tests are used when people are well, with no symptoms of disease. The aim of screening is to pick up a disease process at an early, pre-symptomatic stage such that an effective intervention can be used to prevent complications. […]
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