Read: Brain Blogger

Welcome to the thirty-sixth edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we cover the diagnostic dilemma in ADHD, novel radiological therapies for Aspergers, unravel cross-gender studies, and discuss personal stories of escaping depression through creativity.

Remember, we review the latest blogs related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective. If you were left out, just leave a comment with your blog entry. You can check our archive for every edition. … [visit site to read more]

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• Brain Blogging, Thirty-First Edition
• Brain Blogging, Thirty-Second Edition
• Brain Blogging, Thirty-Fourth Edition
• Blog Carnivals
• Brain Blogging, Sixth Edition

Wow. Wow. Wow. I’m a little bit speechless after reading Domhnall Macauley’s article, Olympic Games will bring health gains to the non-sporting public, says Princess Anne. To make a short article even shorter, let me summarize:

* Exercise is good for you.
* Doctor claims that obesity may partially be a reflection of the operations of our current society.
* Exercise can help “cure” depression.
* Enjoying a particular exercise makes it more likely that you will stick with the exercise.

Now I’m not undermining the importance of any of the above statements mentioned by various professionals at a British Medical Association exercise and health conference. It’s just that… well, come on, isn’t this all old news? … [visit site to read more]

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Related Articles at Brain Blogger:

• Brain Blogging, Twenty-Second Edition
• Working Out Your Brain
• Think and Grow Young, or At Least Old More Slowly: Exercise (and Include Your Pets)!
• Make Money for Charity Debating Fundamentalists, Part III: More Ideas
• Drugs and Pharmacology, Fifth Edition

The article I posted a few weeks ago in regards to the H5N1 vaccine caused me to consider a potential pandemic and the health care workers’ obligation to work should the event come to pass.

The World Health Organization estimates that

today a pandemic is likely to result in 2 to 7.4 million deaths globally. In high income countries alone, accounting for 15% of the world’s population, models project a demand for 134-233 million outpatient visits and 1.5-5.2 million hospital admissions.

… [visit site to read more]

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• Clinical Trial for H5N1 Bird Flu Vaccine
• Neurobiology, Genetics, and the Environment
• Do You Really Need Surgery?
• Study and Career Opportunities
• How You Can Get Better Medical Care - Part II

Could the treatment of psychiatric and mood disorders be as simple as eating more fish? Fish oil contains, specifically docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are known to have positive cardiovascular outcomes. Fish oil intake, through diet or supplementation, has noteworthy effects on lowering total cholesterol, lowering LDL (”bad” cholesterol), and increasing HDL (”good” cholesterol). In addition to the cardiovascular benefits of fish oil, there may be neurological, psychiatric, and emotional benefits, as well. … [visit site to read more]

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Related Articles at Brain Blogger:

• Brain Blogging, Twenty-Fifth Edition
• Integration of the Biopsychosocial Model in Contemporary Psychiatry
• Family Doctor or Psychiatrist?
• Meditation for Troubled Minds: Can the Mind Heal the Mind?
• Medicine and the Law - Part 4: Informed Consent

In response to my last post about informed consent in my Medicine and Law series, several commenters made the point that informed consent is more than just getting a form signed. That ideally it should involve a dialogue between patient and doctor. That the burden of trust is on the doctor to inform the patient so that the patient actually understands what the risks and benefits are. That the doctor should empower the patient to make the choice. … [visit site to read more]

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• Medicine and the Law - Part 4: Informed Consent
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• HMO Integrates Behavioral Medicine
• Doctors Going “Non-Par” - A New Trend in Medicine

It looks like the heavy guns are out. It’s been decades since the dangers associated with smoking have been realized and revealed. Yet there’s still a fair number of smokers out there.

A few years ago our hometown of Austin banned smoking in public places. This was a huge issue and I clearly remember my husband and I angrily (or I was angry at least) spouting off against each other. Just to note, he’s not a smoker but he was taking the viewpoint of a business owner or, as he’s prone to do, playing devil’s advocate. Once I became aware of Austin’s new guidelines, I started noticing that this wasn’t a random piece of legislation: cities across the globe started issuing their own smoking ban. In fact, even though these smoking bans are relatively new and aren’t found everywhere, I sometimes think of a cigarette as I do a video cassette — an artifact whose time has come and most certainly gone. … [visit site to read more]

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• The Cigarette Century and Beyond
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• Big Tobacco’s Stealth Tactics and the Pellet Technology

Recently, I accompanied my sister to a pediatrician’s office — for the first (of many) vaccination appointment for her twin 8-week old girls. Fortunately for my sister, the nightmare ended after a few pokes of the needle and a few throaty bawls of protest. Sadly, not every parent’s ordeal ends the same way. Each day, parents around the world take their children on this routine with faith that this will protect their children against deadly and potentially life threatening infections. But what if this very tool that is intended to protect becomes a lethal source of disability? … [visit site to read more]

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Pharmacists are integral members of the health care team in the US. The profession is composed of highly-educated, well-trained health-care providers. Pharmacists promote themselves as “drug experts” for good reason: the four-years of education required to obtain the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree encompasses the etiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, prevention, and management of human disease states. Pharmacists study the clinical application of pharmacology, biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, therapeutics, adverse drug reactions, laboratory data, and drug information to the management of disease states. This training enables pharmacists to identify and prevent drug interactions, plan patient evaluation of drug-related problems and recommend changes in pharmaceutical care plans, and evaluate and interpret pharmaceutical data. … [visit site to read more]

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• Self-Medicating with Over-The-Counter Medicines for Mental Illness
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• Brain Damage, Part III: In the Clinical Dark Ages
• Mental Illness: Writing Our Own Scripts

A recent study from Harvard Medical School found that restrictive drug programs might cause schizophrenia patients to stop taking their meds. Nearly 80% of patients without antipsychotic medication will have a serious recurrence of their illness within a year.

The study focused on Medicare beneficiaries with schizophrenia in the state of Maine and a policy (step program) that required schizophrenia patients to use a Medicare-approved medication before they were allowed to be prescribed drugs not on the “approved” list. In comparison with patients in states with no such restriction, schizophrenia patients in Maine were 29% more likely to stop taking their meds. … [visit site to read more]

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• Comparing Mood Disorders
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• Schizophrenia Demystified
• When Did the Brain Become Disconnected From the Body?

In this time of financial strain on physicians and the government reimbursement system we once again need to address the question — should doctors unionize?

Recently, a group of physician picketed Capitol Hill to denounce continue reimbursement cuts. This results in a temporary stay of a planned 20% cut for next year. As many doctors will agree, we are facing difficult times and many physicians are looking at other ways to create income to support their practice and their families. … [visit site to read more]

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• The Difference Between Doctors and Lawyers
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