News Brief
Ivan Mendoza, M.D., of Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, reported at the American College of Cardiology that men, especially, may suffer sudden death on the anniversary of parents’ deaths.
Medpage Today
“Physicians, he said, should ask patients about the deaths of close family members and should take action to prevent sudden death, including psychological therapy, […]

News/Commentary
By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
The Washington Post
Shannon Brownlee, author and writer of this opinion piece, has a point of view which is worth reading.
She is rightfully concerned about the “medicalization” of so much of life.
However, she airily dismisses cholesterol checks. Statin drugs have saved so many lives, including those of people who never had […]

Headline News
Everyone who influences hospital choices for their family members and friends should read this story.
The New York Times
It’s not just the food that makes patients unhappy.
Everything from courtesy to pain control to clarity in explaining the discharge plan (when patients go home) is a problem for many patients.
Only 67 percent of patients nation-wide would […]

News Brief
Associated Press
“Vioxx, Bextra, Rezulin, Baycol. Looking at drugs yanked off the market, Harvard researchers found a disturbing pattern: Medicines approved right on deadline by the Food and Drug Administration are more likely to cause safety problems later than those cleared with more time to spare.
“Congress set strict deadlines for FDA to speed the […]

News Brief
This new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, quoted below, focused on special risks the elderly have simply because they have been admitted to the hospital.
Many experts agree that the ideal is to have someone with any hospitalized friend or family member at all time but it is clear that the elderly […]

By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor

Can road rage be prevented?
Can schoolyard bullies be converted into better players?
Can millions of furious Americans, venting about their every frustration—-ranging from the person who cut in line in front of them and ending with the hours spent begging for tech support—-be helped before their blood pressures head upwards, 150, 160, 180…?
The […]

Commentary
This guest column for “Well” is by a physician who became a patient. Following his own illness, he interviewed 50 doctor-patients about their illnesses and what effects, if any, these had on their religious beliefs.
Readers will learn what’s it like for doctors to be the ones who are sick and searching for answers.
The New York […]

Commentary

“Electronic information travels in seconds and minutes, not days and weeks. The NIH should take as much care in protecting its patients’ personally identifiable information as it does when handling blood samples,” said Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), quoted in a Washington Post story.
When your medical record is breached—-especially electronically—-there is no way to get it […]

News Brief
Those who run and don’t eat in the morning—-have higher Body Mass Indexes (BMI)—-than adults who do have breakfast.
A new study shows that the same is true of kids.
“My mother always told me that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. As a child, I never believed her. As a parent, I […]

News Brief
This item alerts patients to a new opportunity to find patients who share a diagnosis on a New York Times-sponsored website. Currently, the number of diagnoses is very small but likely will grow.
Please note, nothing anyone posts on this site is protected by HIPPA, which is the law to protect your medical privacy.
Consider carefully […]