If you have one of those quick drop-in clinics down the street from you, ready for you to arrive with your sore throat, aching head, feverish child or whatever your malady-du-jour is, then you’ll want to take note of this quite excellent description of their pros and cons, brought to you by Bottom Line Health. […]
Quick Medical Clinics — Pros, Cons, Food for Thought Read More »
I’ve told you before about one of my patient advocacy colleagues, Kim Witzcak. Kim’s husband, Woody, a vibrant, successful, energetic young man, committed suicide after being prescribed a drug to help him sleep. Since figuring out the basis for Woody’s complete change of personality — Zoloft — Kim has since campaigned to make the world
Disapprove of Drug Ads? Suffered Adverse Events? Do Something About Them! Read More »
The FDA came out with a report on the negatives of botox injections… It’s like deja vu, isn’t it? Where is common sense? Read this post at About.com, Patient Empowerment.
Smoking and Botox — Wishful Thinking and Common Sense Read More »
Perhaps the most basic of patient empowerment skills is the ability of patients to ask questions of their doctors. The AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) recognizes that an informed patient will be a healthier patient — and has put together a video they plan to run (and already have in some places) on
Do You Ask Your Doctor Questions? Read More »
Last September, a gentleman and professor from Carnegie Mellon (Carnegie Tech) made headlines when he announced he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, then stood before a lecture hall of students and gave his “lecture of a lifetime.” It’s about achieving one’s childhood dreams. I watched it again this morning. As I said when I
Update on Randy Pausch, Known for His Lecture of a Lifetime Read More »
Regular readers of this blog know that I encourage patients to step up when they notice that a healthcare worker is getting ready to touch them and has not washed his/her hands. Why? To protect oneself from MRSA and other possible deadly superbug infections, that’s why! It could mean the difference between life and death,
Making Handwashing Part of the Routine Read More »
Most of us know the word “placebo.” It’s a Latin word meaning “I shall please.” Along comes a word I’d never heard before yesterday — but it has application in areas of my work. The word is “Nocebo” — more Latin — meaning “I shall harm.” I heard the word from a broadcast producer, Stacie,
The Nocebo Effect: The Potentially Deadly Version of “It’s All in Your Head” Read More »
(May 20, 2008 – find an update to this post) [Let me begin this post with a bit of a disclaimer. My husband is a retired veteran of the Air Force — 20+ years — before I knew him, but that doesn’t diminish my pride in the fact that he served our country. His son
