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More Patients Undoing Nips and Tucks

Thousands get 'undo-plasties' after hating plastic surgery

(Newser) - Thousands are feeling a little too "cookie-cutter" with their new nipped noses and tucked chins, one doctor says—so they're ponying up for surgery to look like (gasp!) themselves again. These 'undo-plasties' are becoming big business; some doctors spend half their time as "revision plastic surgeons."...

Don't Get More Than Seasick
Don't Get More Than Seasick

Don't Get More Than Seasick

Cruise ships provide docs, but aren't responsible for them

(Newser) - If you're one of the 10 million or so Americans who take a cruise this year, make sure you understand that “all-inclusive” doesn’t apply to medical care, says ABC News. Cruise ships have doctors on board, but the operator won’t take responsibility for them. Cruise lines, says...

Antidepressant Studies Distort Drugs' Usefulness

New study says negative reports often go unpublished

(Newser) - Roughly half of the medical studies involving antidepressants that found little or no effect on patients have gone unpublished or had their findings mischaracterized as positive, a new study reveals. The emphasis on publishing only studies with glowing reviews gives patients and doctors a false sense of the effectiveness of...

Doctor Sues 3 Officials in Anthrax Case

Claims they leaked info, caused 'severe emotional distress'

(Newser) - A former army doctor identified as a "person of interest" in the 2001 anthrax attacks is suing three US officials for leaking information about him, the Los Angeles Times reports. In his five-year-old suit, physician Steven Hatfill claims the case caused him "severe emotional distress" and hindered his...

UK Doctor Cooks Up Migraine Cure
UK Doctor Cooks Up Migraine Cure

UK Doctor Cooks Up Migraine Cure

Blot-clot medicine relieves headaches in small early test

(Newser) - A British doctor's hunch about migraines shows early promise in bringing an end to the misery of the painful headaches, the Independent reports. Five patients were treated with a drug used for blood clots, which worked "spectacularly well," says cardiologist John Chambers. Now he's studying group of 280...

7 Common Medical Myths
7 Common Medical Myths

7 Common Medical Myths

Seven quack ideas doctors pass on to patients

(Newser) - Some medical misconceptions are so widespread that even doctors believe them. LiveScience rounds up the seven biggest myths, according to the British Medical Journal:
  1. We only use 10% of our brains
  2. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day
  3. Fingernails and hair grow after death

Antibiotics Don't Help Suffering Sinuses

Drugs make almost no difference, and could hurt: study

(Newser) - Antibiotics don't cure sinus infections and may actually do more harm than good, researchers have found, the Los Angeles Times reports. While more than 80% of US doctors prescribe antibiotics for sinus infections, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found the difference in recovery times...

Docs on Ethics: Do as I Say, Not as I Do

Colleagues' lapses often go unreported, MDs acknowledge

(Newser) - Doctors often don't practice what they preach, reports a groundbreaking new study. Ethical standards under scrutiny in a survey of 1,600 physicians were almost universally supported but were often overlooked, researchers say. For example, 96% of respondents said doctors should report colleagues' incompetence or impairment, but 45% said they...

Hospital Fined for Year's Third Botched Brain Surgery

Rhode Island state officials order new safety procedures

(Newser) - State health officials fined Rhode Island Hospital yesterday and ordered it to change procedures after a surgeon began operating on the wrong side of a woman's head, the Providence Journal reports. A patient died after a similar incident four months ago. Yesterday's incident is the third botched neurosurgical procedure this...

More Docs Just Say No to Pharma Reps

Barrage of visits, free samples may cloud prescribing practices

(Newser) - More doctors, hospitals, and medical schools are limiting or barring visits from drug-company reps as the calls become more frequent and concerns grow that they may influence prescribing. An organization of doctors who pledge not to welcome pharma reps has only 800 members, but institutional players—including some states—are...

Clinics Test Prepaid Health Plans
Clinics Test Prepaid
Health Plans

Clinics Test Prepaid Health Plans

Flat-rate programs aim to take up slack for uninsured, underinsured

(Newser) - Primary care is increasingly out of reach for patients and unprofitable for physicians, but a prepaid plan at a walk-in clinic could provide a solution, one doctor says. Vic Wood charges a monthly fee for basic and urgent care, allowing his practice to stay afloat and his uninsured patients to...

'Privatized' Medicare Dupes Elderly: Audits

Providers accused of cutting coverage, ignoring complaints

(Newser) - Dems are likely loading political ammo after audits show that Medicare providers have cut thousands from coverage and snubbed those who complain. What's more, HIV/AIDS patients have been booted, standards flouted and phones left ringing. Dems have long opposed efforts to "privatize Medicare," but feds say the changes...

Health Experts Don't Cotton to Dirty Lab Coats

Traditional MD garb now banned in Britain for spreading infection

(Newser) - British doctors have been ordered to ditch their traditional lab coats because the National Health Service has determined that they're unwittingly spreading the superbug MRSA and other deadly hospital-acquired infections from patient to patient on the coats' cuffs. Doctors will now have to work with bare forearms and are banned...

Two Docs' Heads Are Better Than 1
Two Docs' Heads Are Better Than 1

Two Docs' Heads Are Better Than 1

Always seek out a second opinion after these tricky diagnoses

(Newser) - When diagnosis is difficult, the procedure is risky, or less-invasive alternatives are available, a second opinion is essential. CNN lists five diagnoses that should send up red flags:
  1. Heart-bypass surgery: Alternatives may be better for some patients.
  2. Hysterectomy: The uterus isn't always the problem, and when it is, less dramatic
...

Cancer Can Wait; Botox Doesn't
Cancer Can Wait; Botox Doesn't

Cancer Can Wait; Botox Doesn't

New study says medical patients wait longer than cosmetic patients

(Newser) - Patients have a better chance of seeing their dermatologists if they want Botox than if they want a potentially cancerous mole examined, a new study finds. Researchers, posing as patients in a dozen cities, faced a typical wait of eight days for cosmetic procedures and 26 days to test a...

Doctor Killed Beethoven, Says Pathologist

Hair analysis suggests lead poisoning of composer 180 years ago

(Newser) - It's not exactly  CSI, but the classical era now has its own forensic murder investigation. A new Austrian study has concluded that Ludwig von Beethoven died from overdoses of lead administered by his doctor with the intention of healing him. Beethoven suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, and that organ's...

Docs Often Miss High Blood Pressure in Kids

Hypertension is more difficult to diagnose in youngsters

(Newser) - High blood pressure in kids is increasing, but it is often missed by doctors, a new study shows. Researchers examined the electronic records of thousands of children and teens enrolled in an Ohio health plan; they found 500 with high blood pressure readings, and only a quarter had been previously...

10 Ways to Cut Medical Costs
10 Ways to Cut Medical Costs

10 Ways to Cut Medical Costs

Hospital and med bills don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Lower your blood pressure with these tips from MSNBC .

(Newser) - Avoid financial injury by following these ten tips from MSNBC:
  1. Shop for tests. Different labs may vary widely in costs.
  2. Negotiate. Hospitals may waive or reduce a co-pay fee if the patient can prove that it's a hardship.
  3. Question the necessity of follow-up appointments, X-rays or MRIs.

Maybe Your Ailments Are All in Your Web

'Cyberchondriacs' surf around to round out docs' advice

(Newser) - More and more people are turning to websites to complement doctor visits, Ars Technica reports. About three-quarters of adults seek out medical info online, a fraction that's held for nearly a decade even as the number of wired adults has soared. That translates to 160 million of what Harris Interactive...

Transplant Doc Accused of Quickening Patient's Death

Organ-donation controversy erupts

(Newser) - A San Francisco surgeon is facing unprecedented felony charges of accelerating the death of a 25-year-old disabled man to harvest his organs for transplant. The doctor denies the charges that he acted without a legitimate medical purpose, the LA Times reports, but the controversy is bad news for transplant doctors...

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