Posted on May 28th, 2009 by ffortin
Some 90 million Americans now live with serious and life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and the number is expected to double in the next 25 years as our population ages. The medical specialty dedicated to relieving the pain and suffering of patients with serious illness and providing them with the best [...]
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Posted on May 26th, 2009 by ffortin
Drug-resistant infections are rising dramatically, from tuberculosis to MRSA to C.diff. The war against the “superbugs” continues. In Massachusetts in 2007, the Centers for Disease Control recorded 2,500 cases of MRSA – a bacterial strain that can be fatal. CDC estimates that half a million cases of C.diff – Clostridium difficile – occur every year [...]
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Posted on May 22nd, 2009 by ffortin
In Massachusetts, domestic violence deaths were three times higher in 2007 than in 2005. Nationally, a 2003 Centers for Disease Control study estimated that each year domestic violence involving an intimate partner results in 1,200 deaths, 2 million injuries among women, and 600,000 injuries among men – at a cost of $8.5 billion annually including direct [...]
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Posted on January 16th, 2009 by ffortin
Nutrition and Your Health The growing epidemic of obesity in America has refocused nationwide attention on nutrition. Schools have banned soda and snack machines; food manufacturers have reformulated many of their products, eliminating trans fats and reducing sugar content. The Department of Agriculture has re-created its food pyramid, recognizing that one size doesn’t fit all. [...]
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Posted on November 26th, 2008 by ffortin
Young Athletes and Sports Injuries The proliferation of sports programs and opportunities for young people is a great boost to physical fitness and the fight against obesity. Yet, there's a downside as well: more and more very young athletes are coming down with injuries previously confined to only professional athletes. Estimates are that more than [...]
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Posted on November 18th, 2008 by ffortin
Healthy Minds: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty of diagnosing, treating and preventing mental illness, including substance abuse and addictions. Between 7 and 12 Million American youth suffer from mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders at any given time, and the number of issues facing children can be vast: divorce, eating disorders, alcohol [...]
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Posted on October 14th, 2008 by ffortin
Preparing for Surgery The prospect of surgery can be unnerving, if not frightening. And, though thankfully rare, the stories of ‘wrong-site surgery’ are those that usually top the list of medical errors. How do we define surgical procedures? What should patients know about them? How should they prepare for surgery? What questions should they ask? [...]
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Posted on September 12th, 2008 by ffortin
Age-Related Eye Diseases Blindness ranks as one of the most feared disabilities among Americans. As our population ages, more and more citizens will experience age-related eye diseases that threaten their gift of sight. For those 40 years and older, vision care becomes critically important. Cataracts, which slowly steal vision, affect half of all Americans by [...]
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Posted on August 4th, 2008 by ffortin
Caring for our Children: Pediatric Care Childhood obesity is soaring. Violence among youth is a major problem. Immunizations are being called into question. And every year, children are injured and killed accidentally by firearms and a host of other causes. Those are just a few of the many areas covered by pediatric medicine – health [...]
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Posted on June 16th, 2008 by ffortin
Cardiac Alert: Atrial Fibrillation Once thought to be harmless, atrial fibrillation – a condition of rapid and irregular heartbeats – is now considered to be one of the nation’s most common cardiac malfunctions. It is recognized as a major source of strokes and a cause of a potentially fatal deterioration of the heart. Estimates are [...]
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