These days when I go to a doctor’s office, my health care provider is nearly always using an electronic device – a laptop or handheld computer – in the examination room. Personally, it makes me feel reassured when my doctor is using the latest technology as part of my medical care. But do electronics really make a difference in health care settings? [Read more…]
Technology in the doctor’s office
July 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Alternative treatments for eczema don’t work
July 7, 2014 By 1 Comment
Researchers estimate more than 31 million Americans suffer from eczema, an itchy skin rash that often includes redness, swelling and cracking of the skin. The most common treatments are moisturizers and steroid creams, but they are not always effective at controlling the symptoms. [Read more…]
New evidence: Colonoscopies save lives
June 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Widespread screening for colorectal cancer is helping to save lives, according to a new longitudinal study by researchers at Yale University published in the journal Cancer. [Read more…]
Using evidence to ask the right questions
June 5, 2014 By 2 Comments
For decades, health and nutrition experts have built weight-loss programs around the commonly-accepted notion of balancing calories in and calories out. In other words, to lose weight, one simply needs to burn more calories than he eats. But there is growing evidence that’s only part of the equation for losing and maintaining a healthy weight. [Read more…]
The toothbrush debate
May 27, 2014 By 2 Comments
My husband and I have an ongoing debate about whether to buy one of those expensive electric toothbrushes nearly every time one of us goes to the dentist for a cleaning. For the record, he would like to buy one, and I always argue they are a waste of money. [Read more…]
The systematic review: “A social movement”
May 23, 2014 By 1 Comment
This blog was founded more than four years ago with the a focus on one key idea: Today, there more research available than ever before. So we set out to help readers separate the good scientific information from the bad. One great resource for that is the systematic review. [Read more…]
The evidence on kangaroo care
May 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment
An estimated 18 million babies worldwide are born each year with low birthweight – the vast majority of them in developing countries where comprehensive neonatal care is not available. So what’s the best way to care for them? [Read more…]
Exercise and the brain
May 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment
We know that exercise yields health benefits and lowers the risk of disease. But there is new evidence that exercising as a young adult can improve your cognitive skills later in life. [Read more…]
What we know about treating nausea during pregnancy
April 30, 2014 By 1 Comment
Feeling nauseous while pregnant can have a debilitating effect on your life – making it difficult to concentrate at work, care for other children and even perform ordinary tasks like taking out the garbage. [Read more…]
Evidence-based health care: doctors and blood pressure
April 8, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Do doctor appointments make you feel nervous? I have a family member who gets anxious at health care visits. Her blood pressure is always significantly higher at the start of an appointment compared with at home, or even at the end of the appointment. [Read more…]
New evidence on toothpaste for kids
April 3, 2014 By 1 Comment
In the U.S. dental care has long been a priority for young children. Decades ago, I can clearly remember our church giving out toothbrushes and toothpaste every Halloween before it was time to trick-or-treat. But for many reasons, tooth decay is a growing problem among preschool children. [Read more…]
Should we screen everyone for dementia?
March 27, 2014 By Leave a Comment
More than 5 million adults in the U.S. suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and even more suffer from other dementias that result in memory loss and speech difficulties, and interfere with thinking and plans skills.
Most of the time, dementia is diagnosed when a caregiver such as a doctor notices symptoms in a patient, or when a caregiver suspects something is wrong. Experts believe that leaves a vast majority of dementia cases in the primary setting undiagnosed. [Read more…]
