Dr.Dreams A Health,Medical & Wellness Blog » Dr Dreams

Many Doctors Don’t Follow Ovarian-Cancer Screening Guidelines

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:06:32 +0000

The government estimates that more than 15,000 women died last year from ovarian cancer. But routine screening of women with no symptoms isn’t recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force , American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or other professional groups, even for women at high risk for the disease. That’s because the benefits of the available tests — a transvaginal ultrasound and a blood test that detects an antigen called CA-125 — haven’t been shown to outweigh their risks (such as complications from unnecessary surgery), or to reduce the number of deaths. Despite that evidence, a new study finds that when presented with a scenario of a woman coming to her annual check-up, a significant percentage of physicians surveyed would screen for ovarian cancer. Some 28.5% of the 1,088 primary-care docs — OB/GYNs, family physicians and general internists — surveyed said they “sometimes” or “almost always” offered or ordered ovarian-cancer screening tests for low-risk women. When the vignette involved a woman at medium risk of the disease, that proportion jumped to 65.4% of physicians. About a third of physicians reported believing that ultrasound or CA-125 blood testing is an effective screening test for ovarian cancer, the study found. It’s unclear why that is, and more research is needed to discover why, says Laura-Mae Baldwin , an author of the study and professor of family medicine at the University of Washington. “We know that in medicine we have an enthusiasm for screening,” she says. “We want to find diseases before they can cause harm.” The study also found that physicians were more likely to say they’d order screening for patients who requested it — even if the doctor herself didn’t believe screening was effective. In that scenario, physicians may be trying to maintain a relationship with the patient, or they “may lack confidence in explaining why the test is more harmful than beneficial,” says Baldwin. She says there’s an important role for clinical tools that could accurately illustrate the level of risk faced by a particular woman and also illustrate the harms and benefits of the test. The study is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. There are limitations to the research: doctors were reporting how they’d react to the scenarios presented to them, not discussing actual patients. And while there was a 62% response rate to the initial questionnaire sent to physicians, the results may not generalize to the doctors who didn’t respond, the authors write. Image: iStockphoto

Read more from the original source:
Many Doctors Don’t Follow Ovarian-Cancer Screening Guidelines

The Workouts That Keep Gisele Bundchen Healthy and Fit

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:01:03 +0000

Whether it’s walking down the Victoria’s Secret catwalk or cheering from the Super Bowl sidelines, Gisele Bundchen always has a healthy glow. While she probably has a few supermodel genes on her side, Gisele leads an active lifestyle that includes a varied fitness routine. Of the dozens to choose from, find out which workouts really get Gisele excited! Source: INFDaily.com , WENN.com ,

Original post:
The Workouts That Keep Gisele Bundchen Healthy and Fit

Live Chat: Are You Less Intelligent in a Group?

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:09:05 +0000

Ever clam up at a meeting even though you knew a lot and wanted to contribute? Have you tripped over yourself as you tried to explain a complex subject? Have you felt tongue-tied when the spotlight turns to you at a party? You’re not alone. WSJ’s Bonds columnist Elizabeth Bernstein writes this week about research which shows that some people become, in effect, less intelligent when in professional or social gatherings . Elizabeth will take reader questions in a live chat on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 12 p.m. ET. The chat will be moderated by Personal Journal news editor Laura Bird. Ask your questions now.

Continued here:
Live Chat: Are You Less Intelligent in a Group?

ASCO: Why Cancer Care and Palliative Care Should Be Combined

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:06:05 +0000

Cancer patients with advanced disease should have access to palliative care early on in their illness, according to new guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. That doesn’t mean oncologists are being encouraged to give up on extending the lives of those patients, says Thomas Smith, an author of the guidance and director of palliative care for Johns Hopkins Medicine and a professor of palliative care in the Hopkins School of Medicine’s oncology department. Rather, the guidelines recommend combining palliative care — open and honest communication about the progress of the disease and the patient’s wishes, medical appropriate goal-setting and careful attention to symptom management — with standard oncology care, says Smith. (The “provisional clinical opinion” is published online by the Journal of Clinical Oncology.) Practically, that would mean patients would still receive whatever treatments were likely to help fight their disease. But they’d also get help from a palliative care team trained in having tough conversations about prognosis, quality of life and death. “It’s not hard for oncologists to tell who can be cured and who can’t,” says Smith. “But it’s hard to sit down and explain to people what will happen to them, and to have a discussion about how that person wants to spend their last weeks, months and years of life,” he says. There aren’t a huge number of large randomized clinical trials on which to base recommendations for palliative care, says Smith; the area is not particularly well funded. But one study that did get a lot of attention, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, found that advanced lung-cancer patients who were randomly assigned to receiving early palliative care in conjunction with standard care not only reported better quality of life, but lived a few months longer than patients receiving only standard care. What comes through “loud and clear” from the available research is that there’s no harm in incorporating palliative care early on with patients with metastatic disease, says Smith. Patients tend to have their pain and symptoms better managed, to have a better understanding of their illness, and to receive more medically appropriate care, he says. Research also shows they and their family members are less likely to be depressed. The statement from ASCO says that more research is necessary to figure out the best timing and venue for providing palliative care, to evaluate reimbursement models and to gauge the effectiveness of various components, among other things. Bonus: ASCO: How to Talk About End-of-Life-Care With Cancer Patients

More:
ASCO: Why Cancer Care and Palliative Care Should Be Combined

Going For A Walk, Squeezes Creative Thinking

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:58:23 +0000

The next time the individual is need of imaginative and creative inspiration, step out of the box or the assigned cubical. As per a novel study by the researchers from the University of Michigan, they demonstrate that if an individual engages in physical acts and experiences, it will augment his creative problem solving. Creative thinking Related posts: No Regular Walk Today – Regret Later! According to Hippocrates, “Walking is man’s best medicine.” And he… Having a Walk While Under the Influence of Alcohol Can Be Dangerous The general public is continuously warned by the government to… Brain’s Reaction to Mistakes Influenced by our Way of Thinking A recent study that will soon be published in the…

Continued here:
Going For A Walk, Squeezes Creative Thinking

Robot: To Eliminate Stomach Cancer?

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:58:16 +0000

An engineer from the Nanyang Technological Institute along with few doctors from Hospital of Singapore’s National University have teamed together and constructed a remote controlled robot which could be fed down an individual’s throat and into the gut of the individual to eliminate the stomach tumor or cancer. After having lunch with the world famous Related posts: Stomach Cancer: Can Soy Be a Remedy To It? Several researches had revealed the secret of estrogens, an element… Heavy Alcoholic Drinking Linked To Stomach Cancer Risk According to a large European study and analysis, men who… How to get a flat stomach? Stomach Crunches For A Flatter Stomach More women these days are wearing shirts that show off…

Read the original:
Robot: To Eliminate Stomach Cancer?

Keep Running: Prevent Plantar Fasciitis With These Tips

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:06:42 +0000

From pounding the pavement running to spending a day in fashionable shoes that lack proper support, feet take a beating. If you’re training for race this Spring and upping your mileage, it pays show your peds some love. You can do some preventive prehab to avoid coming down with a case of plantar fasciitis. This painful condition, which can be common in new runners and affects women more than men, occurs when the the fibrous band that runs from the heel bone to the base of the toes stretches too far and tears. These micro tears cause inflammation of the fascia and the tissues surrounding it, making every footstep painful abruptly stalling your training schedule. If you’re experiencing some unexplainable heel pain, try these methods keep plantar fasciitis at bay.

A Reader Answers: Can Exercise Help With Migraines?

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:52:16 +0000

FitSugar reader JessicaSmithTV wanted to know: can exercise help with migraines? She asked an expert and posted the answer in our Fit Community . Today’s post comes to us from special guest contributor and medical expert Paul Rizzoli , MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School: When you’re prone to migraines you’re forced to think through whether or not something you do will invite a headache into your life. Exercise is definitely one of those things. Should you skip a workout because you feel a migraine coming on? Or is it better to push through in the hopes a little sweat will make you feel better? Most headache specialists recommend exercise and an increase an overall physical activity to their patients. However, to date, there’s skimpy evidence to support the idea that working out actually guards against migraine attacks. A few studies have shown that taking regular exercise can reduce the severity, though not the number of headaches. Keep reading to see what studies say about exercise and migraine relief after the break!

Continued here:
A Reader Answers: Can Exercise Help With Migraines?

Love. Write. Win. Introducing the OnSugar Blogging Challenge!

Dr Dreams — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:55:35 +0000

Everyone has their passions, and now’s the chance to share yours. To celebrate OnSugar’s new features , we’re challenging you to pick up your keyboard and start writing. We want to know what drives you and your passions. Are you up for the challenge? During February, we’ll post a new question each day to get you thinking. As incentive, we’re giving away four weekly HP Pavilion dv6t laptops to bloggers who have the most likes, comments, followers, and reblogs. As if four weekly laptop prizes were not enough, the blogger who inspires us the most will win the OnSugar blogging package, including an extraordinary HP Envy14 Spectre and an external drive! Keep reading to find out how to enter.

Read the rest here:
Love. Write. Win. Introducing the OnSugar Blogging Challenge!

Foodie Friday Link Time: Super Eats For Super Bowl Sunday

Dr Dreams — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:51:48 +0000

A serving of wings equals 40 minutes of jumping jacks! Ouch! – Fab Fit Fun Easy, quick, and healthy: 10 tasty dips for game day – Real Simple Winners and losers: learn the best beer for your waistline – Shape Score! Dig this low-calorie onion dip – Prevention 20 game day diet-friendly appetizers, FTW – Self Give your wings a health upgrade and decrease your calories – Fit Bottomed Girls Nutritious and delicious Super Bowl party food; it’s a win-win – Daily Spark More ways to make your buffalo wings better for you – Blisstree Be sure to pick the top dog for your game day eats – Health

Originally posted here:
Foodie Friday Link Time: Super Eats For Super Bowl Sunday