Future of Healthcare. Healthcare as an industry is changing through technology, medical and research innovations, physician reform and hospital re-organizations. Dr. David Samadi will explore long term issues, debates innovations directly influencing the healthcare industry and what both healthcare professionals and patients need to know.
Health officials expect to avoid a repeat of last winter, when immunizations weren't a good match for a surprise strain. Manufacturers project that more than 170 million doses of influenza vaccine will be available this season. Options range from traditional shots, a nasal spray, a high-dose version for seniors and even a needle-free injection for the squeamish.
Read MoreThe best way to reduce your risk for obesity, prevent obesity, or get your obesity under control is to exercise regularly, eating a healthy diet, knowing your triggers that make you want to eat more than you should, checking your weight on a regular basis, and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle that lasts for the rest of your life instead of just temporarily. But now staggering new statistics about the obesity rates in America by state have been released. Read on.
Read MoreSix-year-old Nhaijah Russell swallowed three or four squirts of seemingly innocuous liquid hand sanitizer at school. It tasted good, she said, like strawberry. It also contained enough alcohol to make her dangerously drunk. She arrived at the emergency room slurring her words and unable to walk. Many poison control center hotlines across the US has seen a nearly 500% increase in calls related to children younger than 12 ingesting hand sanitizer, according to new analysis by the Georgia Poison Center, which has been going on for awhile.
Read MoreAnti-inflammatory drugs are some of the most common drugs taken every day. We have all taken them at some point, including Advil, Aleve, and Ibuprofen. These medications are also known as NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They are commonly used to help with things like pain, fever, and muscle cramps. However, there have been studies popping up saying that NSAIDs are linked to an increased risk of conditions like heart attacks, stroke, kidney failure, and stomach ulcers.
Read Morenew study recommends that doctors should take a more aggressive approach to treating high blood pressure. The study claims that treating high blood pressure more aggressively reduces the risk of heart disease and death. The study comes from the National Institute of Health and the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.
Read MoreA new HIV preventative medicine called Truvada seems to be working better than people thought. New research around this medicine says so. Over 1.2 million Americans are estimated to have HIV. New research finds that HIV may be able to be prevented in some people with a daily pill. New pill called Truvada has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92%.
Read MoreElectronic cigarettes are around 95 percent less harmful than tobacco and should be promoted as a tool to help smokers quit, according to a study by an agency of Britain's Department of Health. E-cigarettes, tobacco-free devices people use to inhale nicotine-laced vapor, have surged in popularity on both sides of the Atlantic but health organizations have so far been wary of advocating them as a safer alternative to tobacco and governments from California to India have tried to introduce bills to regulate their use more strictly.
Read MoreThe Food and Drug Administration scolded makers of three brands of cigarettes for labels saying they are "natural" or "additive-free". It issued warning letters to Winston maker ITG Brands LLC; Natural American Spirit maker Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company Inc.; and Nat Sherman maker Sherman's 1400 Broadway N.Y.C. Ltd.
Read MoreAnother antibiotic-resistant 'superbug' was found at Los Angeles-Area hospital where some of the patients contracted the disease that has been linked to a type of medical scope and infected dozens people around the United States. Huntington Memorial Hospital released in a statement to public health authorities after several patients who had procedures using the Olympus Corp duodenoscopes were found to have the resistant pseudomonas bacteria. The hospital quarantined the scopes while it investigates whether they may be linked to the infections.
Read MoreCases of diabetes in the U.K. have increased dramatically in the past decade. The number living with the condition now up to 60%. Since 2005 there have been an additional 1.2 million people diagnosed with the disease, which is equivalent to the population of Cyprus. The charity Diabetes UK revealed these figures and they want effective care and improved preventative measures. This will help cut costs of worse conditions and improve quality of life.
Read MoreScientists in the US have found that a feel-good exercise hormone called irisin DOES exist. Previously thought to be a myth but new research team from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute used mass spectrometry to look for irisin in blood samples of individuals after exercise. The form of mass spectrometry used in the new study was far more accurate and reliable in measuring irisin. Found that these people had released the exercise hormone from their body, which activates fat cells to increase energy turn over
Read MoreNormally takes around a year to create painkillers from opium poppies. First they have to be grown, harvested, shipped around the world and finally processed. Now researchers have been able to cut this time down to just a few days. Scientists can do this by genetically engineering yeast to do it instead. cientists get the chemical thebaine, which they then turn into the opioid hydrocodone (painkiller).
Read MoreAlmost half of these DNA sequences didn’t match any known species. Researchers associated some of these microbes with the bubonic plague and anthrax. Research team initially claimed that the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which causes the plague, was found on the subway. Suggested that they represent normal co-habitants of a shared urban infrastructure that may even be essential to maintaining such an environment.
Read MoreCurrent economic and political battle taking place in America over the labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods. In 2015, 19 US states considered GM food labeling legislation. 3 States (Connecticut, Maine and Vermont) have passed mandatory GM labeling laws. July 23: US House passed the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling bill and will move to the Senate and, if passed, will prohibit both state-level legislation regarding GM labels and the labeling of products that contain GM ingredients.
Read MoreThe number of heroin overdose deaths in the U.S. continues to climb, so White House is funding efforts to prioritize treatment over punishment for heroin user. $13.4 million grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy. They will partner public health and safety officials to trace the origin of the drugs and its distributors. The project will be funded for one year and will target high intensity drug trafficking areas in Appalachia, New England, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore.
Read MoreIBM Corp said it would buy medical image company Merge Healthcare Inc. in a $1 billion deal and combine it with its newly formed health analytics unit. IBM plans to combine data and images from Merge Healthcare's medical imaging management platform with Watson's cloud-based healthcare computing system. The system analyzes high volumes of data, understands complex questions posed in natural language and proposes evidence-based answers.
Read MoreA new study published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry found that nine potentially modifiable risk factors may contribute to two thirds of Alzheimer's disease cases worldwide. The analysis shows how the risk factors vary because of the innate complexity of Alzheimer's disease development. But researchers suggest the preventive strategies targeting diet, drugs, body chemistry, mental health, pre-existing disease and lifestyle may help fight dementia.
Read MoreThe New York Times blasted wide open an argument that highly affects the health industry in an article this past weekend. The problem? Three words: industry funded research. Coca Cola is a leader in this. The report was sparked after a newly-formed nonprofit organization claimed to be working on developing solutions to prevent and reduce chronic disease associated with poor diet and obesity. The issue is this organization has received significant funding from Coca-Cola. Another key issue is that the group suggests poor diet and health habits aren't to blame for obesity and weight gain.
Read MoreWhile often incorrectly considered a disease, dementia actually refers to a group of symptoms which negatively affect memory and social abilities, resulting in an interference with daily functioning. Primarily, problems with memory and impaired judgment or language are the two major areas affected by dementia. However, numerous other causes and symptoms of dementia exist, which can make diagnosis and treatment difficult or even impossible. But now, health researchers have found that nearly 47 million people are living with dementia globally which is a major increased from 35 million in 2009. The question is why is this increasing so rapidly? They warned that there hasn't been a medical breakthrough and the numbers will likely continue to grow every 20 or so years.
Read MoreIt turns out that broken bones do not heal like doctors thought they did. For years it has been thought that fibrin was essential for bone repair. Fibrin is a protein that aids in blood clotting and helps in repairing fractured bones. However, a recent study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee suggests that this is not exactly true. According to the researchers at Vanderbilt, it is not the fibrin itself that helps to heal bone fractures, but rather the way in which fibrin breaks down. This research is important because it could help find a way to treat adults and the elderly who suffer from bone fractures heal just as well as children. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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