RedScrubs
The Resource for Medical Professionals

In a precedent setting case, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is being sued by Native Essence Herb Company and its owners, Mark and Marianne Hershieser. A New Mexico herb company, Native Essence, says that the First Amendment gives it the right to tell customers the historical use of herbs in treating serious diseases. The FTC states that this practice violates its guidelines.

The issue is now headed toward court according to attorney Richard Jaffe, Esq., a leading health care attorney who is also the author of “Galileo’s Lawyer”, an insider’s look into the battles between the government and complementary medicine.

The company owner, Mark Hershieser, wants to post historical use information on his website and he wants the courts to allow that right. Most of the information posted has been taken from federal government websites, ironically.

Almost all of the patients over 70 residing in a Melbourne Australia teaching hospital were either malnourished or at risk of becoming malnourished a recent 2008 study showed. Malnutrition in hospitals is not a new entity. Looking at data from 1996, an article was published on the problem at hand in the United States where the study cited a prevalence of malnutrition to be 40-55% of the patients studied in the survey. Over 1,000 patients participated in this 1996 study in the U.S.

In the Melbourne study, 100 patients over the age of 70 were reviewed and 1/3 of them were found to be malnourished and 2/3 were found to be at risk for malnutrition.

Well, it’s falling a flood outside my office today and the electricity decided to take a vacation - hopefully not a very long one. Instead of taking a nap in my chair and waking up groggy, I decided to check my MedReader and get a little bloggy! (I know, I know…I won’t be winning any prizes for my poetry anytime soon…)

Now seriously, there’s been some really great posts out there in the blogosphere this week along with some excellent submissions to Redscrubs. As for the Scrubby Award Winner and the Runners-Up, you have my permission to continue reading after the drumroll:

—Dr. Incognito

I announce it all the time. It has become my slogan for disease prevention, for active aging, and for maintaining a good quality of life: Exercise is not an option!

Everyone must exercise. The frail, the strong, the overweight, the underweight, the rich, and the poor, everyone must exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) released updated guidelines for exercise last year. Together, the ACSM and the AHA recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise 3 days a week to reap the health benefits associated with exercise: lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, weight reduction, better sleep, less depression, and a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, osteoporosis, and diabetes. And, the list goes on. It is especially important for older individuals to exercise because regular aerobic exercise combined with strength, flexibility, and balance training can help to delay the inevitable declinations associated with aging.

Prestigious, academic hospital in northern Colorado seeks an Inpatient Coding Manager who will keep the coding team enthused, empowered and engaged. This position manages the Coding section of the Health Information Management Department to adhere to the departments mission of accurate, timely coding that adheres to coding guidelines and the compliance program of the hospital.

RN Director of Cardiac Critical Care needed for a major Houston medical center. Must be an RN with a Masters degree in Nursing. Must have a minimum of five years experience in health care facility management and six to eight years in nursing.

Certified Nurse Practitioner needed in the Tampa, FL, area. Trauma/Ortho NP is responsible to the Trauma Services Medical Director. Will work as a member of a team committed to the purpose of providing the best patient experience and exceptional health care. The Trauma/Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner works within the scope of the protocols for the trauma/surgical/ortho patient and under the direction of the Trauma/Ortho surgeons.

New high resolution infrared cameras are helping doctors detect early signs of breast cancer and other diseases.