Dr. David Sackett: Medical Pioneer
Interview with Dr David Sackett, epidemiologist, pioneer in evidence-based medicine.
A New Treatment for Bowel Problems: Eating 1,000 Parasitic Worm Eggs
Source Discover Online
Intestinal parasites might turn most people’s stomachs, but for some people suffering from ulcerative colitis, the creepy crawlies might actually reverse intestinal discomfort and symptoms. A new study found that infestation with whipworms, aka Trichuris trichiura, can ease the symptoms of an inflammatory bowel disorder, possibly by stimulating mucus production in the intestines.
Ulcerative colitis is an intestinal auto-immune disease causing inflammation and ulcers, which can bleed. Patients can either take immune-suppressing steroids (with lots of side effects), or have parts of their intestines and bowel removed to reduce symptoms. (more…)
Guidelines Call for Increase in Vitamin D
Guidelines Call for Increase in Vitamin D
Source: WebMD
New guidelines for vitamin D call for increasing the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D to 600 international units (IU) for everyone aged 1-70, and raising it to 800 IU for adults older than 70 to optimize bone health.
The guidelines, released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), also raised daily calcium RDAs. The new guidelines call for a recommended dietary allowance of 700 milligrams of calcium per day for children aged 1 through 3, 1,000 milligrams daily for almost all children aged 4 through 8, 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day for adolescents aged 9 through 18, and 1,000 milligrams for all adults aged 19 through 50 and men until age 71. Women starting at age 51 and men and women aged 71 and older need 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day. (more…)
Homeopathic Consultations Linked to Benefits for Patients, Study Finds
Source Science Daily
Scientists from the University of Southampton have found evidence suggesting that homeopathic consultations — but not homeopathic remedies — are associated with clinically relevant benefits for patients with active but relatively stable rheumatoid arthritis.
In a study published in the journal Rheumatology, the researchers found that arthritis patients significantly benefited when they received homeopathy alongside conventional treatment over a period of 6 months, but this improvement was due to homeopathy’s consultation process and not its remedies. (more…)
New Study Reveals: Starting with Chiropractic Saves 40% on Low Back Pain Care
New Study Reveals: Starting with Chiropractic Saves 40% on Low Back Pain Care
SOURCE: Insurancenewsnet.Com
A new JMPT study finds that low back pain care initiated with a doctor of chiropractic (DC) saves 40% on health care costs when compared with care initiated through a medical doctor (MD), the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) announced today. The study, featuring data from 85,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield beneficiaries, concludes that insurance companies that restrict access to chiropractors for low back pain treatment may inadvertently pay more for care than they would if they removed such restrictions.
Low back pain is a significant public health problem. Up to 85 percent of Americans have back pain at some point in their lives. In addition to its negative effects on employee productivity, back pain treatment accounts for about $50 billion annually in health care costs—making it one of the top 10 most costly conditions treated in the United States.
The study, Cost of Care for Common Back Pain Conditions Initiated With Chiropractic Doctor vs. Medical Doctor/Doctor of Osteopathy as First Physician: Experience of One Tennessee-Based General Health Insurer, which is available online and will also be published in the December 2010 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, looked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s intermediate and large group fully insured population over a two-year span. The insured study population had open access to MDs and DCs through self-referral, and there were no limits applied to the number of MD/DC visits allowed and no differences in co-pays. (more…)
Kaiser Suspends Policy Change Following ACA Action
Kaiser Suspends Policy Change Following ACA Action
Source ACA
Kaiser Permanente Mid Atlantic States and Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (Kaiser) has suspended its decision to exclude cervical Chiropractic Manipulative Treatment (CMT) from coverage. The change came after the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) outlined in a letter to Kaiser the scientific evidence that documents that cervical spinal manipulation is both clinically effective and safe.
ACA took swift action in August when it learned that Kaiser had revised its Chiropractic Manipulation Medical Coverage Policy. Along with the letter outlining the large body of clinical research supporting the effectiveness and safety of cervical manipulation, ACA President Rick McMichael, DC, noted at the time in a public statement that, if allowed to stand, the restriction would be harmful to chiropractic patients and doctors.