Researchers (D.H.Gilling et al.) recently investigated and published an article online in the Journal of Applied Microbiology about the antiviral efficacy of oregano oil. The active antiviral ingredient is carvacrol, the substance that gives oregano its distinctive smell. Continue reading
Category Archives: Medical Practice
Which works better in acute asthma attacks, nebulizers or MDIs?
Before answering, be forewarned it is kind of a trick question.
For both adult and pediatric patients, asthma is one of the more common diagnoses we encounter in our clinics, EDs, and hospitals. And despite our best efforts to encourage Continue reading
Low-dose aspirin and gout
Aspirin use in gout patients can be challenging. Indeed, aspirin embodies the yin and yang of medical practice. At low-doses, it can be cardioprotective but it also blocks urate excretion by the kidneys. At higher doses Continue reading
Great quality conferences coming up
Partnership HealthPlan has always encouraged and promoted high quality care for our members. We encourage excellence in care through our Quality Improvement Program (QIP), a program which is very familiar to all Continue reading
Cooties, professionalism, and for the sake of fashion
The Society for HealthCare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) recently published their expert guidance for Healthcare Personnel Attire in Non-Operating-Room Settings. Admittedly the role of attire in Continue reading
Red herring or red flag, that is the question in low back pain
Primary care clinicians see lots of low back pain. It is one of the most common symptoms that brings patients to our offices. It is safe to say the spine is one of the more poorly designed organs in the human body. Continue reading
This study seems nutty
Here at Partnership HealthPlan, we are constantly searching for new, better, and easier ways for people to improve their health. Thus, it was with great relish that we read a recent study in the NEJM on the health benefits of eating nuts. Continue reading
The Art of War/Medicine
Recently updated guidelines for treatment of high cholesterol levels have just been released by the American College of Cardiology – American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. They represent a change Continue reading
Follow-up on topical NSAIDs
The following comments are from Bill Hunter, MD, Medical Director of Open Door Community Health Centers, based in Arcata with clinic sites in many Northern California communities:
I was confused by your recent blog post on topical NSAIDs Continue reading
Children coughing in the night
A landmark study from turn-of-the-century England documented that a teaspoon dose of sucrose could improve medication administration and palatability (Poppins M, et.al, 1910, referenced at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Spoonful_of_Sugar). But what if Continue reading