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Breast Cancer Awareness Month


Since it is the first day of October, this is the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month. If you're looking for a good resource of information, the American Cancer Society has a lot of good stuff. I encourage you to check it out.

I was also reading this article from the Chicago Tribune this morning which reviews a new survey stating that there is still a lot of misunderstanding out there as far as the facts about breast cancer.

One "stunning" example, she said, is that people still believe heredity is the cause of most breast cancer cases, although in reality only 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancer is caused by genetic mutations that can be inherited.

The survey, being released Monday, the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, also found that 7 out of 10 women believe eating enough fruits and vegetables can help prevent breast cancer. In reality, there's no good evidence that this is true.

Most women (and nearly two-thirds of those age 18 to 24) believe breast cancer can be prevented. In reality, there are only a few things women can do to reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of developing the disease, such as not drinking alcohol and not taking hormones. The biggest risk factors are being female and getting older.

Unfortunately, the end of this article is a political commercial for a website. They also state that they are going to make this an issue in the US presidential election. So, again, the press taking advantage of cancer patients to push their political agenda. It's really unfortunately and frustrating how these people make pawns of cancer patients for their own political purposes.

Avoid OTC cough meds for kids


Fall really hasn't set in here yet (temps are still close to summer-like numbers). But with school back in session, the cough and cold season has definitely returned. Everyday I hear of kids' coughs and fevers and other respiratory symptoms.

Also, everyday, I hear questions of what to give kids less than 2 years old for these symptoms. Apparently, according to the FDA, avoid over the counter cough meds in these kids (ABC News).

In a report released last week, safety experts within the Food and Drug Administration said they would recommend NO level of dosage for children under the age of two, "due to the lack of evidence of efficacy and safety concerns."

"There are a variety of problems that can occur, and there have been some deaths associated with cough and cold preparations," says Dr. Janet Serwint, who signed a petition, asking the FDA to warn parents about the dangers of these medicines.

Even more amazing, the industry itself — while insisting its medicines are safe — now agrees they should not be given to very young children.

"Parents should not use these products for children under 2," says Linda Suydam, president of the Consumers Healthcare Products Association.

Last week, I was asked about these types of medicines for kids under 2 years old, and I related the FDA concerns. The parent then told me, "Then, you expect my child to cough all night? There's got to be something to give him to bring the stuff up, right? How about an antibiotic?"

I predict that with this FDA advisory and subsequent news reports - that docs will be pressured even more to give kids antibiotics for what seems to be viral infections. I'm telling docs out there (including myself) - Stand your ground!

If you think your patient (whether they be a child or adult) doesn't require an antibiotic, then say so. It's going to be difficult (I go through this everyday), but I know you can do it!

Epilogue: Dr. A Live - Episode 5


What's up with the picture above? We'll you'll have to listen to the show to figure it out. HA! Listening to the show is as easy as going to my blog sidebar and hitting play. Or, you can even download and subscribe to the show via iTunes.

You can also visit my Blog Talk Radio site. While there, don't forget to pick up a promo button to place on your blog for me (please!). Also on the site you can give a rating to my show, leave a comment, make me a BTR friend and BTR favorite. Thanks!

Thanks so much to Dr. Rob for joining me on the show. I never actually knew what his voice sounded like until the show tonight - so that was exciting.

Definitely write a post and send it over to Dr. Rob for his Grand Rounds on Tuesday. I also have to tell you that he might have given a hint on his GR theme during the show. But, of course, I'm not going to tell you. You have to listen to the show. HA!

Thanks also to those who called in and those in the chat room during the show. Right now, I'm going to plan for Thursday nights at 10pm and see how that works. I still my try a different day/time. But, we'll see how this works for now. Have a great weekend everybody!


Update: Thanks to Scan Man and JMB for letting me know that the show is NOT available on iTunes site outside the USA. Bummer. However, all is not lost. The show IS available via RSS feed. Just click here or here and download away!

The Dr. Rob Interview (maybe)


Thursday, September 27, 2007 from 10:00-10:30pm Eastern Time


I'm happy to announce that the one and only Dr. Rob from Musings of a Distractible Mind is scheduled to appear on the Doctor Anonymous Live show tonight. Dr. Rob is going to be the host for Grand Rounds next week.

What are we going to talk about? You'll get some insight on how it is being a GR host. We'll also talk about his blog. I've enjoyed his physical exam series and his Ask Dr. Rob posts. I'm also curious about his recent blog troubles (even last night, his new site and old site were down for a little while).

We'll also be taking your phone calls and hoping you join the chat room. If you can't listen live, that's ok. This show will always be available via the archives. (see the links above)


Disclaimer: This appearance was just set up yesterday. Dr. Rob told me that he's at a conference today and would probably be available at 10PM tonight for the show. If he can't make it for one reason or another, it's just going to be me. So, you'll have to tune in to see what happens!

Flu shots: Built up and torn down


I know, I know. People are sick and tired of me blogging about flu shots. But, hey, it's my blog and I'll write what I want to - HA! Anyway, here's another chapter in the ongoing saga of the flu shot story arc.

When we last left flu shots, they were being celebrated as not having a shortage. I remember even one source touting that there would a "record" number of flu vaccine available for this year's flu season. So, all is well and good, right?

Apparently not. As fast as our dear friends in the press are talking up the flu shots, the tone this week has changed. According to this article from the Seattle Times, they ask this question, "Is the flu shot benefit overstated?"

The benefits of flu shots for elderly people have been greatly exaggerated, according to researchers at Seattle's Group Health Center for Health Studies and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
I made reference to questionable data in my previous post. Apparently, these researchers are pointing out questionable benefit data for elderly patients to receive the flu shot.
"We find it peculiar that the claims that influenza vaccination can prevent half — or more — of all winter deaths in elderly people have not been more vigorously debated," wrote Jackson and Dr. Lone Simonsen of George Washington University, the lead author of their report, "Mortality benefits of influenza vaccination of elderly people: an ongoing controversy."
So, in a week or two, the positive spin for flu shots will begin again. And, then the week after that, there will be negative stories again. Sure, this sells papers and gets ratings. But, how are patients supposed to decode all this conflicting and confusing information? That's easy. Make an appointment with your physician to talk about it.

Fake acupuncture works


Here's a headline: "Fake Acupuncture Is Still Better than Western Medicine." Uh, I may get in trouble for this post. This AP article reports on a German study where they took patients with back pain and divided them into three groups.

In the largest experiment on acupuncture for back pain to date, more than 1,100 patients were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture, sham acupuncture or conventional therapy. For the sham acupuncture, needles were inserted, but not as deeply as for the real thing. The sham acupuncture also did not insert needles in traditional acupuncture points on the body and the needles were not manually moved and rotated.

After six months, patients answered questions about pain and functional ability and their scores determined how well each of the therapies worked. In the real acupuncture group, 47 percent of patients improved. In the sham acupuncture group, 44 percent did. In the usual care group, 27 percent got relief.

Now, why did this happen? Could it be that acupuncture is better than "usual care?" If that was the case then why did the fake acupuncture group still score better than the usual care group? Two words: Placebo Effect. Here is how WebMD defines it.
A placebo effect is an improvement in the symptoms of a disease or condition when a person is treated with a drug or other treatment that he or she expects to work, even though the treatment has not been proven effective. When a drug or treatment seems to work for some people but has not been scientifically proven to be any more effective than a "sugar pill" or placebo, it may be said to have a placebo effect.
Getting back to the AP article, it even outlines the bias limitation that this study has, while still trying to persuade you that their theory are still correct (nice try).
Positive expectations the patients held about acupuncture -- or negative expectations about conventional medicine -- also could have led to a placebo effect and explain the findings, [the study co-author] said.

Although the study was not designed to determine how acupuncture works, [the study co-author] said, its findings are in line with a theory that pain messages to the brain can be blocked by competing stimuli.

So, this is another research study in which the results (the facts) did not prove their theory, the most important take away point they want you to know is that acupuncture, whether real or fake, is still better than Western medicine and that insurance companies should pay for it - as exhibited by the last two paragraphs of the article.
Funding came from German health insurance companies, and the findings already have led to more coverage in Germany of acupuncture.

In the United States, some health plans cover acupuncture for some conditions, but may require pre-approval, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. An acupuncture session can cost $45 (euro32) to $100 (euro71).

C'mon, gimme a break! Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing acupuncture. I think this treatment has value. But to make policy changes based on this bad data? That's irresponsible. Either get better data or just acknowledge your bias toward acupuncture (or against Western medicine), make your policy decision (insurance companies should pay for acupuncture), and move on.

Update (10:32pm 10/26): Here's something interesting. This post got picked up overseas. To see what this post looks like in German, just click here. Enjoy!

Grand Rounds


Grand Rounds 4.01 is now up and running (early) over at Kevin, MD. With the turn of the digit, could it be that the great Grand Rounds is four years old? Yeesh! I remember reading my first GR about a year and a half ago and wondering whether I could even post over there. How time flies when you're having fun. Thanks to Kevin for including my post this week:

Doctor Anonymous notes the importance of washing your hands.
If you don't know what Grand Rounds is, it is a weekly compilation of the best posts from the medical blogosphere that moves to different sites each week. And, who doesn't like reading about medicine and science? Next week, GR moves to Dr. Rob's new site over at Musings of a Distractible Mind. He had a blog meltdown recently. But now, his new blog is up and running nicely. Enjoy Grand Rounds!

MyBlogLog now on Yahoo


I don't know who turned me onto MyBlogLog, but I think this is a great service. I like how you can put this widget onto your sidebar to see who has stopped by your blog (presuming they have a MBL account as well). I even tried a pro account for a while, because I liked looking at the stats (imagine that).

But, tonight, I'm trying to log into the site, and it asks me for my Yahoo ID. Huh? What's up with that? Apparently, MBL is now a Yahoo company and they are integrating things. Now, there is one problem (at least for me). I don't want to create another account ID for myself on Yahoo. Why they can't they just leave things the way that they are. Sheesh!


If you're on MyBlogLog, what do you think of this new thing with Yahoo? If you don't currently have an Yahoo ID, will you create one just to continue on MBL? Just curious.

Sorry for the whining. I think I'm done now. By the way, the latest edition of the Dr. A show is now archived and ready for you to listen to. You can either listen in my sidebar at this very blog or listen to it at my BTL site. I already got a four star rating! Thanks coaster1robert! Enjoy the show!

Listen Live Today @ 3pm


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, September 20, 2007 from 3:00-3:30 Eastern Time

Something came up today in my schedule that almost made me cancel the show. But, I managed to work it out. The only thing is I had to move the show to an hour earlier at 3pm ET. If you're able to listen live, even with the time change, I invite you to check things out on the new BlogTalkRadio group chat room.

I apologize for throwing off the time for the live show. Hopefully, you'll at least be able to catch Doctor Anonymous Live on the archive. You can even listen to the archived show right here in the sidebar about an hour after the live show is completed. I'm still trying to find a consistent date and time for the show. I've been told that the same day and time is one of the best ways to try to build an audience. Enjoy the show!


Update (1:15pm ET): The BlogTalkRadio site is currently down. Why is that? So, maybe there may not be a show today anyway. This is starting to feel like two weeks ago when the show was messed up because of technical difficulties. We'll have to see what happens in the next hour or so.


Update (1:38pm ET): In looking at the above graphic, they say that they will be back up and running 9/17 which was three days ago. This graphic was from Sunday night when they had scheduled maintenance until the next morning. 

Now, there is the graphic below. That's telling me that there is something wrong going on and it's probably going to be an extended period of time. I'll keep checking things out, but it's looking more likely that there will be no show today. Yeesh! I think I'm cursed for a Thursday afternoon show. Maybe it's time to consider moving the show to an evening prime time slot - and maybe on a different night. Ahhhh!