Month: October 2014

‘Instagram for doctors’ to be launched in Europe

An app which enables healthcare professionals to share photos is to be rolled out across western Europe by the end of the year. The app was designed to enable doctors to share pictures of their patients, both with each other and with medical students.

So far, more than 150,000 doctors have uploaded case photos with the patient’s identity obscured. 'Instagram for doctors' to be launched in EuropeHowever, some experts have expressed concern about patient confidentiality. Patients’ faces are automatically obscured by the app but users must manually block identifying marks like tattoos.

Each photo is reviewed by moderators before it is added to the database.

No secrets

Founder Dr Josh Landy told the BBC that the Figure 1 service did not access any patient records. “We do not possess any personal medical data at all. The best way to keep a secret is not to have it. We are not an organisation that delivers healthcare,” he told .

But doctors must provide identifying credentials and are also advised to notify their employees and patients to find out about consent policies. “Legally, we found that identifying the doctor does not identify the patient,” said Dr Landy.

“However some [medical] conditions are so rare that they can’t be posted. One user wanted to post something but there are only seven cases of it in the US and they had all been reportable because they are rare, so the patient could have been identified.” Anybody can download the app for free, but only verified healthcare professionals can upload photos or comment on them, he added.

‘Colourful’
“We reject sensationalistic images,” said Dr Landy. “Everything is there for educational purposes. That said, there are very colourful images – things medics see every day. It’s a transparent view into a world you rarely get to see.” The app is already available in North America, the UK and Ireland.

While digital services such as UpToDate and DynaMed – both requiring a subscription – are already widely used within the healthcare community as clinical knowledge databases, they are not rivals to Figure 1, said Dr Landy. “UpToDate is an app I love, and have used for years. However, they have a highly curated repository of articles written and edited by experts in the field.

“What our app does is provide the opportunity to contribute any case no matter how classic or unusual. Ours is all image-based and totally crowdsourced.” The app has received $6m (£3.75m) in investment in the last year. British GP and author Dr Ellie Cannon gave it a cautious welcome.

“I think it’s potentially really useful to share photos with medical students and other doctors,” she said. “Obviously the potential pitfall is the confidentiality. Of course, they are anonymised but even uploading from a certain doctor may go some way to identify a patient,” she added.

“And can a patient later opt out? We’ve seen with other sites the downsides of sharing too much.”

Source: bbc news

Endoscopists recommend frequent colonoscopies, leading to its overuse

A retrospective study led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), has found an overuse of colonoscopies for colorectal cancer screening and surveillance. The study demonstrated that endoscopists commonly recommended shorter follow-up intervals than established guidelines support, and these recommendations were strongly correlated with subsequent colonoscopy overuse

Endoscopists recommend frequent colonoscopies, leading to its overuse

“Our study shows that a high percentage of follow-up colonoscopies are being performed too early, resulting in use of scarce health care resources with potentially limited clinical benefit,” said Thomas D. Sequist MD, MPH, BWH Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, senior study author.

The study is published online September 30, 2014 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

In the retrospective cohort study, researchers combed electronic health record data of primary care patients at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, a multispecialty physician group practice in Massachusetts. The study included 1,429 patients 50 to 65 years old who underwent their first screening colonoscopy between 2001 and 2010; and underwent an additional 871 follow-up colonoscopies during a median follow-up of six years.

According to the researchers, 88 percent of follow-up screening colonoscopies and 49 percent of surveillance colonoscopies repeated during the study represented overuse—meaning they were performed more than one year early, and often times over three to four years earlier than is recommended by national guidelines. At the same time, one-quarter of study patients identified as higher risk based on initial colonoscopy findings failed to receive follow-up colonoscopy within the recommended three or five year time period.

Early colonoscopy was recommended by endoscopists following more than one-half of the initial colonoscopies. Colonoscopy overuse was strongly associated with these early follow-up recommendations by endoscopists; patients were up to 13 times more likely to undergo an early colonoscopy when their endoscopist recommended such follow up.

“Previous research has shown that most endoscopists do not consistently agree with the follow-up intervals recommended in national guidelines and report preferences for shorter screening and surveillance intervals,” said Sequist. “Examining practice variation and establishing locally endorsed standards among endoscopists may be a way to target interventions to reduce overuse.”

Added Sequist: “There are likely multiple drivers of recommendations for early colonoscopy, including disagreement with current guidelines, fear of poor patient outcomes or malpractice, or misaligned financial incentives.”

“The overused colonoscopies on the patients in this study alone represent a potential excess of over $1 million in health care spending—resources that might benefit those who are overdue for colon cancer screening,” said Gina Kruse, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, lead study author.

Overuse of screening exams has become a focus of national efforts, such as the Choosing Wisely campaign by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association, which are jointly encouraging physicians to cut back on colorectal cancer screening exams of uncertain value.

Source: medical xpress

Developing countries should enroll medical and nursing students from rural areas

Nearly one third of medical and nursing students in developing countries may have no intention of working in their own countries after graduation, while less than one fifth of them intend to work in rural areas where they are needed most, according to a new study.

Developing countries should enroll medical and nursing students from rural areas

Health workforce shortages have been a major factor driving the current outbreak of Ebola in western Africa. The disease initially spread rapidly in rural parts of three of the world’s poorest countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia), where health workers are scarcest.

The study, which was published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization today, provides new evidence supporting World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on recruiting and retaining health workers in rural areas, including the targeted admission of medical and nursing students with rural backgrounds.

“Considerable investment has been made in recent years to expand health workforce training in low- and middle-income countries,” said lead author Dr David Silvestri from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, United States of America.

“Unfortunately, insufficient attention has been given to ensuring that the students who are enrolled are those most likely to work in rural areas, where health needs are greatest. As a result, a significant proportion of these increased investments may be spent training individuals who only aspire to emigrate after training.”

From 2011 to 2012, Silvestri and his colleagues surveyed 3199 first- and final-year medical and nursing students at 16 leading government-run medical and nursing schools in eight countries: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

The study is important because it is a multi-country study (one for which data was collected and analyzed in several diverse countries) that suggests that there might be a similar pattern in the future career intentions of medical and nursing students across countries in more than one region for the first time.

When asked where they intended to work within five years of graduation, 28% of surveyed students expected to seek employment abroad, while only 18% anticipated choosing a career in rural areas.

“We found that students raised in rural areas were most likely to want to pursue rural careers, and were least likely to want to move abroad,” Silvestri said. “Our data suggest that students’ career intentions may be identified before matriculation, which means that countries could selectively admit those most likely to work in high-need areas.”

The severity of health workforce shortages in developing countries is a major barrier to global health advances, and was first identified by the World Health Report 2006. Sub-Saharan African countries have on average 2 physicians and 11 nurses or midwives per 10 000 people, compared with 30 physicians and 84 nurses or midwives in high-income countries, according to the World Bank.

To address shortages and maldistribution of health workers in developing countries, WHO established the Global Health Workforce Alliance in 2006, a partnership devoted to these issues. In 2010, it issued the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, along with recommendations on health worker recruitment and retention in rural areas, entitled Increasing access to health workers in remote and rural areas through improved retention.

Understanding student motivation to work in rural areas and strengthening the rural pipeline of health workers is part of ongoing collaboration between the WHO, the World Bank and the International Labour Organization.

The study is timely because the WHO Global Code of Practice is due for its first review at the Executive Board in January 2015, and its findings have policy implications for countries that are striving for universal coverage of health-care services, according to James Campbell, Director of the Health Workforce department at WHO headquarters and Executive Director of the Global Health Workforce Alliance.

Health workforce retention is vital in emergencies – as we have seen in the current Ebola outbreak in western Africa. We need to rethink some of the policies aimed at attracting the best of the best to train and prepare them to serve where they are most needed,” Campbell said.

“Without a rethink of education, deployment and equitable distribution of health workers, many health systems could be at risk of providing little or no care to rural populations,” Campbell said.

Source: medical xpress

Self-Healing With Common Household Items

You will be amazed with what you can do with the common household items you already have!

The following is a sampling of home remedies that are simple enough for anybody to make and use. The remedies are easy to make and most of the items you probably already have in your pantry.

Self-Healing With Common Household Items

Take charge of your health today—Do it yourself, do it at home, do it naturally!!

CINNAMON & GINGER IN MILK WHEN A COLD HAS JUST BEGUN: This is a great treatment for use at the onset of a cold. Scald ½ cup milk. Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, and 1 tablespoon honey. This will soothe the symptoms while stimulating healing.

HEATED LEMONADE WITH HONEY FOR COLDS/FLU WITH FEVER: This is great when a cold is accompanied by a fever. Make a glass of lemonade, heat it (to coffee temperature), and sweeten with honey to taste. This will relieve discomfort and help you to relax.

RICE TEA FOR VOMITING AND DIARRHEA: This is excellent remedy to help alleviate vomiting and diarrhea. It tastes great, is nutritious, and really soothes the digestive system. To make, simmer ½ cup of rice in approximately 1 ½ quarts of water for fifteen minutes. Flavor to taste with vanilla and sugar. You can sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon for added flavor.

LEMON JUICE FOR CONGESTION: Lemon juice can be added to herbal teas to help combat congestion. Lemon juice adds Vitamin C to the diet and is an astringent that helps to cut through mucous and congestion.

ASPARAGUS FOR BRONCHITIS AND CHRONIC BRONCHIAL PROBLEMS: This is a great aid for bronchitis and chronic bronchial problems. Liquefy a can of asparagus in the blender. Refrigerate. Drink ¼ cup upon rising and before bed. Water can be added to taste, and the drink can be heated and consumed as a hot drink if preferred.

THYME COUGH SYRUP: Add 1 ounce of dried thyme to 1 pint of boiling water. Cool. Strain. Add 1 cup honey. Place in a jar and shake well to mix. Store it in the refrigerator. The suggested dosage is 1 tablespoon several times a day. This is great for sore throats, colds and coughing.

ONION AND HONEY FOR ASTHMA: This needs to be made fresh daily. Thinly slice one onion, place in a bowl and cover with honey. Let it sit overnight. Scrape the honey off the onion the next day. The recommended amount to take is 1 teaspoon 3-4 times per day.

SALT WATER NASAL RINSE: This is great for congestion accompanying colds, flu, allergies, and hay fever. Add ½ teaspoon baking soda or salt to 1 cup of warm, filtered water. Pour into a neti pot, a creamer with a long spout, or an eyedropper. To administer the rinse, turn your head to one side. Lower it over the sink. Keep your forehead slightly higher than your chin. Gently pour the solution into the uppermost nostril, allowing the solution to drain out the lower nostril. (A bit may run down your throat, if this happens you can spit it out.) This will flush out allergens and bacteria while helping to thin the mucus so it will be easier to expel.

VITAMIN C DROPS FOR CHRONIC SINUS INFECTIONS: This is made by dissolving a 500 mg vitamin C tablet in 1 cup of warm water. Use an eye dropper and apply ½ dropper full in each nostril 2 times per day.

GARLIC OIL CAPSULES AS AN ANTIBIOTIC: My family uses 3,000 mg three times per day for a week, in place of an antibiotic with huge success.

OATMEAL FOR VOMITING: This usually settles the stomach quickly. Using a broiler toast 5 tablespoons of oatmeal. Pour 1 pint of boiling water over the oatmeal, making a thin gruel. Add cinnamon and sugar to taste. Drink until vomiting stops.

LEMON JUICE FOR HEARTBURN: Warm ½ cup of water and add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Sip, should relieve heartburn.

SAGE AND GINGER FOR COLD SORES: Boil 1 cup of water. Add 1 teaspoon of dried sage. Steep 15 minutes. Strain. Add 1 teaspoon powdered ginger and honey to sweeten. Drink three cups of this throughout the day. Usually brings relief within 24 hours.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR FOR HEAD COLDS OR MIGRAINES: Mix together a half cup of apple cider vinegar and a half cup of water. Boil and inhale the fumes.

VINEGAR AND HONEY FOR COLDS AND SORE THROATS: Mix together 1 cup of honey and 2 cups of apple cider vinegar. Drink a wineglass of this three times per day.

BRANDY AND BROWN SUGAR FOR SORE THROAT: Mix ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup brandy. Mix well and sip as needed for sore throat.

CAYENNE PEPPER FOR COLDS AND SORE THROATS: This remedy will ward off sore throats and colds, and if you already have a cold or sore throat will drastically reduce the length of the illness. Boil 1 cup of water and add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Drink this mixture three times a day.

SAGE AND CAYENNE SORE THROAT GARGLE: Boil a pint of water. Pour add one ounce of dried sage and ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Steep overnight. Use as a gargle.

LETTUCE TEA FOR INSOMNIA: Lettuce tea is a fast acting sedative. Add 1 cup shredded lettuce to 1 cup boiling water. Steep 30 minutes. Strain and drink before bed.

BAY LEAF TEA FOR HYSTERIA: Add 2 bay leaves to 1 cup boiling water. Steep 10 minutes and sweeten with honey. Very relaxing!!

PARSLEY AND LEMON JUICE TO PASS KIDNEY STONES: Boil 1 cup of water and add ¼ teaspoon dried parsley. Steep at least 15 minutes. Strain. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drink daily for at least a week.

Source: Lumin Earth

Yoga, meditation give brain power a boost: study

Yoga and meditation are known for their calming powers, but new research shows these practices could also sharpen your computer skills.

In a study published online in the scientific journal TECHNOLOGY, University of Minnesota researchers studied the learning patterns of two groups: 12 people who practiced yoga or meditation for one year at least two times a week for an hour, and 24 healthy people with little or no yoga or meditation experience.

Yoga, meditation give brain power a boost

Researchers studied the participants’ brain activity as they used left and right hand movements to move a cursor across a computer screen. They found that those who did yoga and meditation learned three times faster than those who had little or no experience with the practices. They were also twice as likely to finish the task after 30 trials compared to the group with little or no experience.

“This comprehensive study shows for the first time that looking closer at the brain side may provide a valuable tool for reducing obstacles for brain-computer interface success in early stages,” lead researcher Bin He, a biomedical engineering professor, said in a news release.

Researchers say the findings could help doctors assist physically disabled and paralyzed individuals, who must rely on their mental muscle to operate devices like wheelchairs and artificial limbs.

“Our ultimate goal is to help people who are paralyzed or have brain diseases regain mobility and independence,” He said. “We need to look at all possibilities to improve the number of people who could benefit from our research.”

Source: fox news

What causes white hair and how to slow down that process

How to slow down the appearance of gray hair.
As people get older, their skin changes and their hair becomes white. This is the natural process of aging and it is impossible to avoid, but there are ways that this process can be slowed down.

A few words for white hair.
Your hair becomes white when it begins to lose the natural pigment, known as melanin which is primarily responsible for skin color. Although greying of hair is a natural process, it can be caused by many other factors such as: genetics, stress, malnutrition or health disorders, and some bad lifestyle choices.

The more you smoke, the more your hair becomes white.
Speaking of bad lifestyle choices, we thought about this – smoking. Smoking accelerates the aging process of the body, including hair. The first thing you need to do is to quit this bad habit.

Goodbye to coffee, alcohol and junk food!
Too much alcohol and caffeine, and junk food is harmful for health and hair. They can only cause premature aging. Avoid fast food, limit your intake of white flour and refined sugar. This food lowers energy and you wont get anything in return from them. Your hair needs healthy foods to stay young.

Water is the name of the game!
If you are not sufficiently hydrated, nutrients will not be able to easily reach your hair follicles. That lack of hydration can cause premature whitening of hair.

Are you stressed?
White hair can be caused by stress and anxiety. If you are a long time stressed or if you are upset or concerned, your hair will faster turn gray. Control your stress by exercising relaxation techniques: yoga, deep breathing, meditation, tai chi chuan, etc..

Daily exercise helps.
Good blood circulation, and normal blood pressure is basically great prevention for gray hair. In fact, it is almost useless to consume adequate food, if they can not reach the hair follicles and thats why you need to exercise.

Ensure the blood supply to your hair by massaging it regularly with appropriate oils. Exercise daily to increase circulation and improve blood flow.

Eating chicken may reduce the appearance of grey hair? A lot!
For the production of melanin, pigmet responsible for producing hair color, you need protein. Therefore, eat foods rich in protein such as: chicken and turkey meat, sprouts and soy crops.

Take B vitamins – B2, B6, B12
The lack of these vitamins can cause gray hair. Therefore, eat whole grain bread, bananas, eggs, dairy products, poultry and green leafy vegetables.

You are what you eat.
Lack of copper can also cause significantly premature greying. One way to prevent this is to eat foods rich in this element as spinach, beef liver, sunflower seeds, lentils, almonds, seafood, egg yolks and mushrooms.

On your menu put food rich in iodine.
Iodine is an important mineral for your hair. Foods rich in iodine is banana, carrot, spinach and fish.

And selenium!
Add selenium in your menu. This foods will help: clams, tuna, salmon, corn, wheat, soybeans, brazilian nuts and sunflower seeds.

Massage your scalp.
Massage your scalp with coconut oil and lemon. And it’s a good way to keep your hair with youthful appearance. But if you really want to benefit from massages, you’ll need to do them regularly.

Source: secretly healthy

Beware: Working for more than 55 hours a week can trigger diabetes

People who work over 55 hours every week in blue collar jobs are at a 30 percent increased risk of developing type II diabetes, according to research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Working for more than 55 hours a week can trigger diabetes

Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, and affects 90 to 95 percent of the 26 million Americans with the disease. Mika Kivimäki, Professor of Epidemiology at University College London, UK, and colleagues analyzed data from four published and 19 unpublished studies involving 222,120 adults from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan. For an average of 7.6 years, these individuals were followed.

The researchers found that those who worked more than 55 hours per week at low socioeconomic or manual jobs were about 30 percent more likely to develop type II diabetes, compared to those who worked no more than 40 hours per week.

Although additional research is needed to further identify the link between long working hours and the onset of type II diabetes, other possible explanations need to be explored, including disruptive schedules that interfere with sleep, relaxing, and exercising.

“The pooling of all available studies on this topic allowed us to investigate the association between working hours and diabetes risk with greater precision than has been previously possible. Although working long hours is unlikely to increase diabetes risk in everyone, health professionals should be aware that it is associated with a significantly increased risk in people doing low socioeconomic status jobs,” said Kivimäki in a statement.

Source: daily digest

Talk therapy ‘best for social phobia’, study finds

Social phobia – one of the most common anxiety disorders – is a persistent fear of social situations. A review of 101 clinical trials found talking therapies were more effective and more long lasting than medication.

Talk therapy 'best for social phobia', study finds

Medication should be used only when psychological treatments are turned down, said the UK/US team behind the study in The Lancet Psychiatry. “Social anxiety is more than just shyness,” said Dr Evan Mayo-Wilson, of the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a co-researcher on the study.

“The good news from our study is that social anxiety is treatable. Now that we know what works best, we need to improve access to psychotherapy for those who are suffering.” The study, involving more than 13,000 participants, compared different types of psychological therapy with medications such as antidepressants and benzodiazepines.

It found cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) on a one-to-one basis was the most effective. CBT is a talking therapy that can help people manage their problems by changing the way they think and behave.

The research was carried out in collaboration with Oxford University and University College London.

SOurce: bbc news

Seeking perfection in everything may trigger suicide: Study

If you look for perfection in everything you do but sometimes fail to achieve that, do not lose heart too often else it may trigger suicide risk. Physicians, lawyers and architects whose occupations emphasise on precision, and also those in leadership roles, are at higher risk for perfectionism-related suicide, says a significant study.

Seeking perfection in everything may trigger suicide

“Perfectionism is a bigger risk factor in suicide than we may think,” said psychology professor Gordon Flett from York University. In a research article, Flett and co-authors professor Paul Hewitt of University of British Columbia and professor Marnin Heisel of Western University cited the recent cases of prominent perfectionists who died by suicide.

The authors document how being exposed to relentless demands to be perfect – a concept they refer to as socially prescribed perfectionism – is linked consistently with hopelessness and suicide. They also listed how perfectionistic self-presentation and self-concealment can lead to suicides that occur without warning and how perfectionists often come up with thorough and precise suicide plans.

“Clinical guidelines should include perfectionism as a separate factor for suicide risk assessment and intervention,” Flett noted. “There is an urgent need for looking at perfectionism with a person-centred approach as an individual and societal risk factor, when formulating clinical guidelines for suicide risk assessment and intervention, as well as public health approaches to suicide prevention,” he emphasised. More than one million people worldwide commit suicide on an annual basis, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

The article was published in the journal Review of General Psychology.

Source: business standard

Now, wearable ‘skin-like’ device to monitor heart, skin health

Scientists have developed a new device, which is much like skin itself and when worn, monitors heart and skin.

According to the researchers from Northwestern University and University of Illinois the medical device can quickly alert a person if they are having cardiovascular trouble or if it was simply time to put on some skin moisturizer. The small device, approximately five centimeters square, can be placed directly on the skin and worn 24/7 for around-the-clock health monitoring. The wireless technology uses thousands of tiny liquid crystals on a flexible substrate to sense heat. When the device turns color, the wearer knows something is awry.

Now, wearable 'skin-like' device to monitor heart, skin health

Senior researcher Yonggang Huang led the portion of the research focused on theory, design and modeling. The technology and its relevance to basic medicine have been demonstrated in this study, although additional testing is needed before the device can be put to use.

The technology uses the transient temperature change at the skin’s surface to determine blood flow rate, which is of direct relevance to cardiovascular health, and skin hydration levels. The device is an array of up to 3,600 liquid crystals, each half a millimeter square, laid out on a thin, soft and stretchable substrate.

Huang said that when a crystal sensed temperature, it changed color, and the dense array provided a snapshot of how the temperature is distributed across the area of the device. An algorithm translated the temperature data into an accurate health report, all in less than 30 seconds.

With its 3,600 liquid crystals, the photonic device had 3,600 temperature points, providing sub-millimeter spatial resolution that was comparable to the infrared technology currently used in hospitals.

The device also has a wireless heating system that could be powered by electromagnetic waves present in the air. The heating system was used to determine the thermal properties of the skin.

The study is published online in the journal Nature Communications.