RedScrubs
The Resource for Medical Professionals

“Another hospital has entered a legal settlement over allegations of “dumping” homeless patients on skid row in Los Angeles.”

Continue reading…. a shocking expose’ of what hospitals are doing with their homeless population. Is the U.S. not capable of better discharge planning than dropping someone off in the middle of the city with nowhere to go, no continuity of care, no basic living needs to look forward to?

“The Chronic Care Model focuses on practice improvements for patient-centered evidence-based proactive care of chronically ill populations.”
This blog discusses in detail the benefits of and links to the Chronic Care Model, a Model of Care that is fast becoming the way to redesign the health care delivery system. Approximately 1500 medical practices are using the Chronic Care Model. Read on to get the scoop on this new form of health care reform.

“Bruxism or teeth grinding is considered a sleep disorder when a person is experiencing it chronically and often leads to possible complications. Bruxism happens when a person is clenching their teeth forcefully during sleep or even when awake. Old and young people can both experience bruxisms although it is commonly seen among children especially during sleep. Some complications associated with bruxism are aspiration of blood during sleep and tooth loss.”

Read on to learn more about bruxism.

“I can tell you that for those of us who work in Emergency Rooms this is not surprising in the least. This is a phenomenon which is spoke of often amongst myself and my colleagues. And while it is commonplace to us in the ER, it is something that comes as a complete shock to many lay people with whom I find myself discussing my job.
They find it astonishing that people use the ER for anything other than emergencies. I in turn, find it astonishing that they think it is so astonishing.”
Read on to find out what this blogger thinks of some of the habitual people who frequent the Emergency Room. Is it an illness? Is it a compulsion? Or, is there no simple answer to overuse of the ER?

“By examining the coronary arteries and carotid plaques of people who died of heart attacks, researchers from Michigan State University have, for the first time, found evidence of cholesterol crystals disrupting plaque. Specifically, they discovered that as cholesterol builds up along the wall of an artery, it crystallizes from a liquid to a solid state, and then expands. This can disrupt plaque in a patients’ cardiovascular system and potentially cause a heart attack or stroke. The breakthrough discovery came when the researchers began using a vacuum dry method instead of an alcohol solution, which would dissolve crystals, to preserve tissues after an autopsy.”
Continue Reading . ..

“While scientists are busy conducting research and not talking to one another, ethnobotanists are collecting real-world data that can help your brain survive the onslaught of aging and the 21st century.”

Read the whole blog to find out what the nine neuroprotective agents are, suggested dosages and perceived mechanisms of action of each agent.

“Grandpa had been gradually declining from Alzheimer’s dementia for years (he was confined to bed and he could no longer communicate with his family), but on this visit, after he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia for the second time in a few months, it was clear he was now also having difficulty swallowing (dysphagia in medical terms). Grandpa was choking on the simplest of foods, including liquids and pureed foods, when he was tested by the speech therapist. Even when slowly fed small spoonfuls he wasn’t safe to eat.”
Continue reading. . . this blog discusses real end-of-life issues in a realistic, yet compassionate manner. Living with a percutaneous endoscopic g-tube (PEG) brings on its own issues on quality of life vs. length of life. Every family is different and each family has their own issues and priorities in life. This was an insightful blog into one family’s struggle with Alzheimers, swallowing problems (dysphagia) and feeding tubes.

“The latest event sponsored by “integrative medicine” proponents on my medical school campus featured the naturopath Peter Bongiorno, a 2003 graduate and valedictorian from Bastyr University. Advertisements all over campus billed the lecture as “Stress, nutrition, and the GI tract,” which seemed innocuous enough. However, the lecture title as written on Bongiorno’s slide show was “Naturopathic apologetics for treating the gut.” He explained “treating the gut” to mean that for a wide variety of symptoms the naturopath’s diagnosis inevitably focuses on the intestine and interventions nearly always involve dietary changes or supplements.”

This rather lengthy discussion on naturopathy brings head-on some of the controversies between conventional medicine and clinical nutrition with complementary alternative medicine (CAM) approaches used in naturopathy. Part of the problem is lack of an evidence based approach that CAM is struggling with. Also brought to light by this blogger was the efficacy of allowing naturopaths to prescribe in certain states with the point being made that they (the naturopaths) do not have the training to practice medicine, but in many cases your local physician wouldn’t mind chatting about CAM therapies such as de-stressing techniques.

“Just earlier this week, we reported that a new study showed promise for ovarian cancer screening. A combo of transvaginal ultrasound and a CA125 blood test found early, treatable cancers, according to the research published in The Lancet Oncology. Study authors admitted that they weren’t sure how the findings would translate into mortality or balance against the risks of screening.”

Read the complete blog to find out results of a second study. Is screening really reducing mortality?