coughing, wheezing, failure to thrive, smelly and greasy stools, clubbed fingers,

bruises easily, usually thin and pale, constant bronchitis, diarrhea, coughing, salty tasting skin-These are just the symptoms I know of w/ my 9 year old nephew. I know there are alot more, but it's really sad seeing an innocent child go through this daily. He is considered low-grade cystic fibrosis, too. I can't imagine what high-grade could be. I know they aren't expected to have a long life expectancy either, but you never know. Miracles can happen.

What are some of the symptoms, treatment, and life expectancy for someone who suffers from some a type of Dementia?

Ok, I confess. I have contributed to the $2.3 trillion that our country spends on health care every year. As a patient I want the best possible care for my family and me. As a physician I am the gatekeeper to expensive procedures, medications, and diagnostic tests. however, by several indices including life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and satisfaction with the health care system, we are not getting our money’s worth.

As discussed ad nauseum during the health reform debate, we can point the finger at any number of parties for the high cost of care: hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry, insurance companies, and patients. I would also add to that list health care providers.

Every physician that I know makes medical decisions with the patient’s best interest in mind. But conscious or not, there are competing influences. Patients may demand a particular medication they heard about from a friend or TV commercial. a drug representative may suggest the physician prescribe their drug over a cheaper medication that works just as well. a provider may order a few extra tests not because it is supported by evidence but out of fear of being sued. a procedure may be performed more often than medically indicated because it brings revenue to the practice.

The overwhelming direction is toward more care and higher costs. As much as 30% of all health care spending is estimated to go to unnecessary care. The other problem in this situation (and in a lot of others I can think of) is that more is not always better. In fact, more care can cause harm. The overuse of antibiotics have contributed to the rise in drug resistant bacteria that now make even simple infections harder to treat. The repetitive use of x-rays and CTs increase the risk of cancer particularly in children. Painful testing and potentially harmful procedures are often performed even when the results will not change the condition’s management.

So what should health care providers do differently?

The Archives of Internal Medicine recently published a study conducted by the National Physicians Alliance on the “Top 5″ things primary care physicians can do to improve the health of their patients by reducing health care costs. Through a series of discussions, groups of pediatricians, family physicians, and internists each developed a list of five evidence based recommendations that if followed would get more value out of health care dollars. this was followed by review and feedback from 255 physicians in these specialties.

Few of the recommendations are surprising and frankly most are considered standard of care practices. Throat infections should test positive for streptococcus prior to prescribing antibiotics. Doctors shouldn’t order annual EKGs or any other cardiac screening for low-risk patients who don’t have symptoms.

Hopefully, initiatives such as these will help physicians provide both better care and serve as better stewards of our nation’s health care dollars.

Top 5 Internal Medicine-Lower Back Pain: Don’t do imaging for lower back pain within the first 6 weeks unless red flags are present.-Screening: Don’t obtain blood chemistry panels (eg, basic metabolic panel) or urinalyses for screening in healthy adults who don’t have symptoms.-EKGs: Don’t order annual EKGs or any other cardiac screening for low-risk patients without symptoms.-Cholesterol Lowering Drugs: use only generic statins when initiating lipid-lowering drug therapy.-Bone Density: Don’t use DEXA (bone density) screening for osteoporosis in women under age 65 years or men under 70 years with no risk factors.

Top 5 Pediatrics-Throat Infections: Don’t prescribe antibiotics for pharyngitis (sore throat) unless the patient tests positive for streptococcus (Strep throat).-Head Injuries: Don’t obtain diagnostic images for minor head injuries without loss of consciousness or other risk factors.-Fluid in the Middle Ear: Don’t refer otitis media with effusion early in the course of the problem.-Cold Medications: Advise patients not to use cough and cold medications.-Asthma: use inhaled corticosteroids (a steroid medication) to control asthma appropriately.

Top 5 Family Medicine-Lower Back Pain: Don’t do imaging for lower back pain within the first 6 weeks unless red flags are present.-Sinusitis: Don’t routinely prescribe antibiotics for acute mild to moderate sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses) unless symptoms – which must include purulent (full of pus) nasal secretions AND maxillary (upper jaw bone) pain or facial or dental tenderness to percussion – last for 7 days OR symptoms worsen after initial clinical improvement.-EKGs: Don’t order annual EKGs or any other cardiac screening for low-risk patients without symptoms.-Pap smears: Don’t perform Pap tests on patients younger than 21 years or in women have had a hysterectomy for benign disease.-Bone scans: Don’t use DEXA (bone density) screening for osteoporosis in women under age 65 years or men under 70 years with no risk factors.

[In full disclosure, I serve on the Board of Directors of the National Physicians Alliance and am a member of the pediatrics working group for this study.]

Posted by: Ricky Y. Choi, MD, MPH (Email) | may 23 2011 at 10:07 PM

When you or a loved one are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, it can be very frightening, and most people cannot help but wonder if the disease is fatal, and how long patients can expect to live. however, there is nothing but good news for families affected by MS. this condition is not a death sentence, and it is very possible to maintain a happy and comfortable lifestyle despite any symptoms.

Understanding how Multiple Sclerosis affects life expectancy is only possible if you know just how the disease is defined, and what it does to the body. when a person is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, lesions are found on the brain. in these lesions, the myelin sheath that protects the neurons is damaged or lost. when this occurs, processes of communication from the brain to the body are slowed down. this is what causes the fatigue, pain, numbness, and tingling sensations. Many different symptoms are attributed to Multiple Sclerosis, and every patient is different.

But when it comes to the vital functions of the body, such as breathing and heartbeat, problems are rarely, if ever, experienced, even in advanced cases in which no medication is supplied to the body. Few medications have any impact on slowing the progression of the disease, however. Most of the time, prescribed medicine is only able to manage symptoms, not the cause, of the disease.

Studies simply show that very few people die from complications of Multiple Sclerosis. Life changes greatly, and a person might not be as independent as they might have liked, but being happy is more than possible. Having a doctor you can trust and access to medications as you need them to ease your symptoms, as well as a good attitude, will make it possible for you to be happy. you probably have a lot of personal escapes that make you feel good, such as meditation, cooking, or writing.

On average, most patients live with Multiple Sclerosis at least 35 years after diagnosis. Many live longer than relatives who do not have the disease. this is especially true if you have good eating habits and get plenty of rest to take a stand against your symptoms. If you have a loved one who is faced with MS, be supportive and encourage a positive, strong attitude. Some might be more affected by living a more dependent life, so make sure that they are given shortcuts to help them cope and still be happy.

Aretha Franklin , America’s “Queen of Soul,” is fighting the very deadly pancreatic cancer . She has reportedly undergone surgery and is recovering at home. while sources close to the singer have not commented much on her condition, it’s no secret that pancreatic cancer does not have a strong survival rate. last year actor Patrick Swayze died of the disease only a year and a half after diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer is among the most deadly forms of cancer, in large part because it is so difficult to diagnose. “There is no standard screening for pancreatic cancer,” Dr. Jason Klapman, endoscopic oncologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, told AOL Health Thursday afternoon. “by the time it’s diagnosed, it’s advanced.” It’s a relatively rare cancer, affecting only about 40,000 people a year. And only about 25 percent of cases, says Klapman, are operable. of patients who undergo surgery, 20 to 25 percent have a five-year survival rate. For the rest, life expectancy can be as little as a few months. Overall, the one-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 20 percent, while the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is just 4 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. Comparatively, cancers of the breast, prostate , thyroid and skin, all have upwards of a 90 percent survival rate, depending on when the cancer is caught. Common symptoms of pancreatic cancer include jaundice, change in the color of stool and urine, severe abdominal pain , unexplained weight loss, attacks of pancreatitis, or sudden onset of diabetes. but those symptoms only begin to appear once the cancer is quite advanced. “It’s a silent disease,” Klapman says. According to Klapman, only 10 pecent of patients with pancreatic cancer have a family history of the disease, though people with two or more first-degree relatives who have had pancreatic cancer are considered at very high risk. other risk factors include having at least three relatives on the same side of one’s family with the disease and being a carrier of the BRAC2 gene mutation that is also a risk factor for breast cancer . Pancreatic cancer is diagnosed using a CT Scan to check for a mass in the pancreas and then using biopsy to confirm. “the best treatment for the disease is surgery,” Klapman says, but it’s not always possible if the cancer has metastasized. in those cases, doctors try to fight the cancer with radiation and chemotherapy. It is difficult to trace specific causes of pancreatic cancer, though it can be associated with smoking, drinking, and obesity . Thus, the best preventive advice one can follow is to eat right, don’t smoke, and avoid heavy consumption of alcohol . as for Franklin, no one knows what her prognosis is at this point, but she has canceled all scheduled performances through may 2011.

Visit link:Aretha Franklin Fights Deadly Pancreatic Cancer – AOL Health

Incoming search terms:

• aretha franklin health (1)
• aretha franklin health 2011 (1)
• pancreatic cancer (1)