Category Archives: Preventative Medicine

AI leads as Pharmaceutical Technology lists five of the most popular tweets on healthtech in Q1 2022 based on data from GlobalDatas Healthcare Influencer Platform.

The top tweets are based on total engagements (likes and retweets) received on tweets from more than 150 healthtech experts tracked by GlobalDatas Healthcare Influencer platform during the first quarter (Q1) of 2022.

Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, shared an article on how AI can be applied in health and medicine. The article shared findings from a two year review of developments in medical AI including studies that aimed to demonstrate the utility of medical AI systems. The use of AI tools in medical practice is currently low despite several studies showing their efficacy.

The effectiveness of AI systems in healthcare was tested in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that involved setups wherein humans received assistance from AI to check the technologys accuracy and other metrics. The studies showed that AI assistance helped in improving clinical experts sensitivity although their specificity was lowered. Furthermore, AI assistance benefited less experienced clinicians than experienced clinicians.

Technical aspects such as the accuracy of AI play a key role in determining the usefulness of the technology in clinical settings, the article noted. Incorrect predictions, for example, can hinder clinical performance despite correct predictions being helpful. Furthermore, the use of medical AI systems faces a number of challenges including user trust, high cost, and regulatory issues. AI systems used for image analysis, for example, require additional equipment to capture images of whole slides, which is often unavailable at health systems. In addition, regulatory issues such as accuracy, ethical use of data and bias are also impacting the deployment of AI in healthcare and clinical settings.

Username: Eric Topol

Twitter handle: @EricTopol

Likes: 354

Retweets: 126

Brennan Spiegel, director of health services research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, shared an article on the non-profit healthcare organisation developing the irritable bowel syndrome virtual reality (IBS/VR) virtual clinic. The novel VR programme is aimed at boosting patients brain-gut axis and improve their quality of life. Patients with IBS can use the virtual clinic to learn and practise IBS behavioural methods from the comfort of their own homes.

The virtual clinic includes various areas that patients can navigate to learn about IBS such as exam room, chill out room, zoom out room, pain release room, and trophy room. Theurgent care area, for example, can help patients with acute IBS symptoms, while the skill centre can aid with long-term IBS management by improving cognitive behavioural methods and learning new approaches. IBS/VR is currently being tested with IBS patients, the article highlighted.

Username: Brennan Spiegel

Twitter handle: @BrennanSpiegel

Likes: 108

Retweets: 27

Daniel Kraft, chair at the XPRIZE Pandemic & Health Alliance, an alliance formed to develop solutions for Covid-19, shared an article on researchers at Osaka University in Japan developing wireless e-health patch that does not require charging. The ultra-thin patch monitors heart rate and other vital signs and canassist doctors in monitoring their patients health on a regular basis.

The patches feature a ferroelectric substance that can power itself by converting natural movements into small electric charges through the piezoelectric effect. Researchers claim that the patches can generate up to 200 millijoules each day from normal movement, if placed on a joint such as the knees or elbows, thereby providing sufficient powerto regularly monitor a patients cardiovascular variables.

The patches are hardly visible due to their thin material, making everyday health monitoring less intrusive and uncomfortable.The data collected by the patchescanbe monitored using a smartphone or computer, the article highlighted.

Username: Daniel Kraft

Twitter handle: @daniel_kraft

Likes: 74

Retweets: 52

John Nosta, president at healthcare think tank NostaLab, shared an article on the need to transform telemedicine into more advanced and transformational technology. Telemedicine has the potential to serve as an ongoing and continuous engagement tool, which physicians can use to improve care rather than merely provide analternative for an office visit. Telemedicine visits can be made more interactive and productive for both the patient and the physician by combining available technologies with user education, the article detailed.

Patients real-time data and analytics, for example, can be integrated with other digital health solutions that are currently available to provide a unique and relevant insight into their daily lives. The article detailed thatthe general public can now access medical services and tools that were previously only available to doctors through a number of accurate and low-cost consumer technologies such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) test. Patients and physicians will need to incorporate these innovations to develop long-term modalities, according to the article.

Username: John Nosta

Twitter handle: @JohnNosta

Likes: 52

Retweets: 28

Glen Gilmore, principal of consulting and digital marketing firm Gilmore Business Network, shared an article on how the Metaverse platform can make healthcare more accessible and efficient. Telecommunication companyAT&T highlighted that augmented reality (AR)and VR technologies canhelp with medical training for complicated procedures. The technologies canassist trainees to gain the required skills by creating low-risk virtual training settings enabling them to succeed during practical uses without putting patients at risk.

Furthermore, AI isbeing used by healthcare providers to quickly diagnose and analyse medical issues, assisting with effective identification, preventative care, and potential treatments. The technology is expected tobring new wellness options for Metaverse consumers and healthcare professionals through user consent, the article noted.

Username: Glen Gilmore

Twitter handle: @GlenGilmore

Likes: 40

Retweets: 35

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Twitter: AI applications in healthcare and more - Pharmaceutical Technology

Applying technologies to drive improvements in medical products' design, development, and delivery of health care services is powering collaboration and innovation.

FREMONT, CA: From institutional care to digitally-enabled care in the community and from doctor-centered care to patient-centered care, digital health companies are speeding up healthcare transformation by implementing important changes. All indications point to the health ecosystem of the future continuing to integrate with the idea of4P medicine(predictive, preventative, personalized, and participatory).

The smart use of data is central to predictive health technologies: many tools collect, analyze, synthesize, and act on dataoften proactively. We can see artificial intelligence (AI) in action with these tools, leveraging the power of health care data sets. For example, Knowtions Research's AI platform assists insurers in unlocking and applying predictive insights from health data to automate claim management and improve the patient experience. Deep Genomics is another example of a company that uses AI to accelerate all drug discovery and development stages.

Companies can take more preventative action at home and in the community as we learn and begin to predict risks for people. Gamified health applications provide timely, personalized interventions to patients suffering from serious or chronic diseases. The trend toward simplified and often gamified access to knowledge and information will certainly result in increased awareness and less strain on the healthcare system.

Companies must understand the consumer's needs as individuals and help them act on and manage their health in a personalized way, thanks to instant, real-time health monitoring.

In this modern, connected health ecosystem, one can invoke the most untapped potential: individuals can participate in managing their health. Examples include Maple's virtual care and Dialogue's platforms, which would enable citizens to access on-demand primary care, mental health therapy, and other services.

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Digital Health Companies Bring Paradigm Change Across the Health... - Healthcare Tech Outlook

In recent years, hospitals and health systems have launched programs or other initiatives to tackle health disparities, from outreach programs and education to recruiting a chief diversity officer.

Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health is no exception, with an approach centered on funding programs through philanthropy.

Jefferson established the Philadelphia Collaborative for Health Equity in 2017, with the goal of advancing health equity in and around the city via partnerships with residents, nonprofits and other relevant stakeholders.

Since then, some activity highlights of the collaborative include partnering with the Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations to develop the Hansjrg Wyss Wellness Center in South Philadelphia, as well as awarding $600,000 in catalyst grants, through a Jefferson benefactor, to address mental health; trauma, safety and violence; housing; and built environment in the city.

Now the collaborative aims to raise $100 million by 2024 for health equity initiatives as part of Jefferson's $1 billion Reimagine Campaign.

Elizabeth Dale, EdD, executive vice president and chief advancement officer with the Jefferson Office of Institutional Advancement, told Becker's she is excited about the efforts being made. She discussed Jefferson's strategy for health equity fundraising, shared progress related to the health system's fundraising goal and passed along advice to her peers who are interested in health equity philanthropic efforts.

Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.

Question: What is the health system's strategy for raising funds for health equity?

Dr. Elizabeth Dale: Stephen Klasko, MD, who was president of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health, early on in his presidency said we could grow to multihospital network and be a multibillion-dollar organization, but he'd consider his tenure a failure if we do not address the health inequities in the city. Philadelphia is in top 10 largest cities, and we have a lifespan gap between ZIP codes of 20 years. So, my development team and I took that so seriously. Amid a $1 billion fundraising campaign, we said, "We're putting a stake in the ground, and we're so committed to health equity, we're going to set a goal of raising $100 million to address health inequities in the course of our Reimagine Campaign. We're planning to conclude that campaign in 2024. We have been able to demonstrate to the board and leadership the impact philanthropy makes, with benefactors who have given us major gifts like $5 million from Andra and Kenneth Frazier for the Frazier Family Coalition for Stroke Education and Prevention, a partnership between Jefferson Health and Philadelphia-based Temple Health.

Q: Jefferson set a goal to raise $100 million for health equity initiatives. How is this going?

ED: It's going extremely well. We've raised more than $45 million for a variety of initiatives, including creating the Hansjrg Wyss Wellness Center for refugees and immigrants. It's in the heart of the Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant community. During the pandemic, it saved and improved so many lives. Total fundraising is about $7 million on that project.

We decided to do this because we have one of the top refugee health programs in the U.S., and people were getting their primary care in the emergency room. Some of our philanthropic initiatives are rooted in also helping the health system operate more efficiently. By opening the wellness center, we were able to reduce total cost of care and improve preventative medicine. But what's unique is everything we do, we spend so much time talking to the community. Asking the community and getting input is fundamental to what we're doing.

Q: What advice do you have for other hospitals interested in health equity philanthropic efforts?

ED: My advice would be to get the commitment from the board and the president. When you have commitment at the top of the organization, it serves as a cohesive force in mobilizing. We have 18 hospitals, a two-campus university and an insurance plan. The board and president being fully committed is a game-changer in fulfilling a spirit of philanthropy on health inequity within the whole organization. Plus, it speaks well to all our benefactors.

Also, the Rippel Foundation, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, put us through 18 months of training and the philosophical understanding of how to raise money and how to develop a program in fundraising for health equity. Having a partner like the Rippel Foundation, we had to commit one Friday a month to go through a symposium and we had reading materials. And I'm fully committed to this work, but it gave me the language, tools to use in developing our program.

To learn more about the Philadelphia Collaborative for Health Equity, click here.

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How Jefferson Health is harnessing philanthropy to address health disparities - Becker's Hospital Review

Manon Joice, 51, was born in Cornwall Ont., and remained there until her early 20s. It was a town that she enjoyed as it had a lot to offer.

Cornwall, Ontario was a wonderful community, it is very near to Ottawa and Montreal, said Joice. Its right on the U.S. border.

Joice was the youngest of seven children and at a young age she suffered a tragic loss.

The most profound experience is that I was raised as a motherless daughter, said Joice. My mother had died when I was young and I think that shaped me quite a bit.

Joice began working at the age of 14 and from there would work a variety of jobs through high school. Even though she always found herself working through high school she still managed to maintain good academic standing.

I was kind of like a nerd in high school so I graduated high school about a year early and I was always one of those kids that were tested to see if you would skip a grade, said Joice.

During her time in high school, she also met now-husband Lawrence Joice. At the time Joice was working most weekends. However, she was quitting one of her jobs and had a weekend off and she had been invited to a dance. It was there she met the love of her life and was married at 18, prior to attending college.

After considering law school, Joice decided to pursue nursing and entered St. Lawrence College in Cornwall. Following graduation, she remained in Cornwall for a number of years before moving to Winnipeg.

Once in Winnipeg she discovered that her two-year registered nursing course was not recognized in Manitoba. She ended up working as a licensed practical nurse with what was called added skills.

The move to Winnipeg was the first of many for Joice and this was also where she took a step away from nursing. The young family welcomed son, Brandon, causing Joice to step away from her career to raise her son.

Lawrence did safety assignments in the gas and oil industry at the time, leading the family to Elk Point, Alberta. Prior to opening up her first business Joice was writing a lot and trying to determine where her future was going. It was at this time she found herself reconnecting with religion.

I started to write down the names of everybody that I really admired, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, she said.

Joice was trying to find what they had in common and then realized they all believed in a higher power.

Once in Alberta, Joice opened her first business, a flower shop called Stems and Stuff which won a business of the year award from the chamber of commerce in Elk Point. She continued writing and became a contributor to the Elk Point newspaper.

After a few years, the family was on the move again, this time to Lloydminster, Alberta. The family moved as Lawrence found work across Canada working in oil & gas.

Her experience running her own business helped her get into sales where she first began in radio before making the move into TV.

That allowed me the opportunity with some really amazing business people, even though I was consulting with them as their consulting and marketing person, said Joice. It really allowed me the opportunity that when I work with a client to hear their story.

She made the move once again this time heading a little further west into B.C.s Peace region, more specifically Fort St. John where Joice returned to health care.

I was looking back into health care, it was something that I had missed and it was such a wonderful opportunity I was offered and accepted a position as the BC Cancer Agency prevention coordinator for the entire Northeast region of B.C., said Joice.

She was first hired as a contractor with the agency before accepting the position of cancer prevention coordinator. This jump back into health care, along with her new role gave her the opportunity to examine research in the related field.

While working as the cancer prevention coordinator Joice attended Athabasca University, a virtual institution, and completed a few courses in population health and preventative medicine. Joice once again found herself busy as she spent five years as a business coach at the Northeast Aboriginal Business Centre.

At the centre, Joice heard about the dreams of small business clients and entrepreneurs and it wouldnt be long after until she finally realized one of her own dreams.

I attended a conference that really encouraged me to pursue some of my own dreams and one of the things I ended up doing was publishing a book of poetry called Words Inspired Imagined and Revealed, she said. Having already some experience writing news articles she felt she had a unique writing style due to her French background.

She enjoyed her time in Fort St. John but like much of her life she once again found herself on the move, this time to Rycroft, Alberta.

While there she went off in a different professional direction, taking on the role of deputy mayor of the small village.

Joice wanted to make a difference in the community and help represent the voices and views of the local residents. She and the rest of council worked diligently in collaboration with neighbouring communities to overcome issues that the village faced.

She describes one of her greatest accomplishments being a medical clinic that five local communities built together.

What I found striking was the ease to get it built. It seemed as though once our five communities would meet, as soon as we put people first, the decisions just came easy, said Joice.

The only regret that Joice had of her time in Rycroft was that she did not get to see the clinic built, leaving to a new city the day shovels were being put into the ground.

That city was Terrace where she took on the job at the University of Northern B.C. as the program coordinator for the Northern Medical Program Integrated Clerkship & UBC FM Residency Program.

But then it was time to move again, this time she and Lawrence travelled down Hwy 37 to Kitimat.

Joice has a lot of admiration for the northern B.C. town and has enjoyed a warm welcome from the community.

This is a community that has proven to be stable even during uncertain times, she said. I love the family-oriented feel of the community.

She missed the work she did at the business centre and opened her own business, Skeena Coaching.

I would say my area of expertise is business development writing, so I do business plan writing, I do feasibility study plan writing and I do some grant writing, said Joice in addition to coaching.

Previously Joice attended Erickson College for the Art and Science of Coaching. Most recently she has completed a specialty course through the University of Michigan on the Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health.

Her coaching business does have a faith-based aspect to it as she believes if people use faith to get through challenges easier then they should embrace that. Her enjoyment of writing has also influenced her coaching style as she believes everyone has a heros journey. She believes that everyone is going through a heros journey and it is about understanding and recognizing this call to adventure.

We each have a story and every heros journey ever written emerges from pain and suffering. Joice writes on her website. Our mission is to triumph over our tragedies, and this, the lesson for us all.

For Joice the journey continues however Kitimat may be the town in she finally retires.

This is my retirement place, I want to be a community champion, she said.

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We all have a heros journey and our job is to triumph over our tragedies - Kitimat Northern Sentinel

Woke activists have infiltrated nearly every institution of American life. From academia to Hollywood, the radical left has successfully marched its way to power.

Most dangerously, the left has infiltrated an institution where peoples very lives are at stake: health care.

Woke health care just goes against medical ethics, Dr. Stanley Goldfarb says. The tradition in medicine is to give treatments to patients who need them. And if you had to make a decision based on scarce resources, you gave it to the patient who would benefit the most from it.

Goldfarb, a kidney specialist, is chairman of the board at Do No Harm, a national association of medical professionals that, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, pushes back against woke activists in the health care system. He also is author of the new book Take Two Aspirin and Call Me by My Pronouns: Why Turning Doctors Into Social Justice Warriors Is Destroying American Medicine.

Goldfarb joins The Daily Signal Podcast to discuss the consequences of woke ideology in medicine and how we can bring health care back from the cliff.

We also cover these stories:

Listen to the podcast below or read the lightly edited transcript:

Doug Blair: My guest today is Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of the board at Do No Harm, a national association of medical professionals pushing back against woke activists in the health care system, as well as author of the new book Take Two Aspirin and Call Me by My Pronouns: Why Turning Doctors Into Social Justice Warriors Is Destroying American Medicine. Dr. Goldfarb, thank you so much for joining me today.

Dr. Stanley Goldfarb: Well, thank you very much for having me.

Blair: Yeah. I want to start with a question that might have some unpleasant implications for people who are going through the American health care system. How does wokeness and social justice in medicine impact the care that patients are receiving?

Goldfarb: Yeah, and I think thats a very important question because it does, I think, illustrate really how this problem may evolve in the future. So, there are at least two really good examples that I can give you where it speaks to this issue.

The first one is a little bit historic now, and it has to do with the fact that some of the treatments for COVID-19 were very scarce when they first were made available. And decisions were made by several institutions, stateseven New York state, for examplethat individuals who came from what were called traditionally oppressed minority groups would get preference for access to some of these scarce treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies, simply on the basis of their skin color.

It didnt matter whether they really were high risk from a medical perspective, they were seen to be high risk because of historical problems in the community.

So this was an example where there really was the possibility for a white patient who actually qualified and needed a medication would not get access to it if there was a black patient who didnt necessarily need the treatment, but who had a higher standing because of an algorithm that gave certain points based on individual skin color.

So you got two points out of the three or four that you needed to get the treatment if you were the right racial group. And obviously, this just goes against medical ethics. It goes against, I think, what most people would think makes any sense. The tradition in medicine is give treatments to patients who need them. And if you had to make a decision based on scarce resources, you gave it to the patient who would benefit the most from it.

Another example has come in the way that patients are admitted to the hospital. So, several years ago, about three or four years ago, one of the Harvard hospitals did a study, which claimed that black patients were being admitted to different parts of the hospital for the treatment of heart failure compared to white patients. And they decided that this must be on the basis of racial bias. And they decided that they would offer only to black patients the opportunity to pick which part of the hospital they want to be admitted to.

Now, it turns out the study was really flawed because, in fact, the reason that patients were being admitted to differential places in the hospital was because of their underlying medical conditions, not because of their race. And it made much more sense to send the patients to the units that they sent to patients.

The white patient who had this heart condition, heart failure tended to have needs that were best served in the cardiology floor. Whereas the black patients who tended to have their heart problems on the basis of their kidney disease, these were dialysis patients who needed fluid removed because of their inability to excrete fluid. They were served much better on a general medical floor where the dialysis treatments could be more easily coordinated.

So this was another example [of] a flawed study in a group of individuals who had this idea that they were going to see everything through a racial lens. And in doing the study, the investigators even said they were using critical race theory as the lens in which to operate. This led to a differential treatment of patients based on woke principles. And critical race theory, to sort of sum it all up, was with Dr. Ibram Kendis idea that past discrimination requires future discrimination. And this was going to be an example of future discrimination.

So here are just two examplesand there are others that I could cite where this has actually become ingrained in the health care system and has real, very unfortunate consequences.

The last one Ill mention is that the federal government has published a proposal and its actually a final rule in Medicare that Medicare physicians will get a bonus if they install anti-racism practices in their practice. So in other words, if they come up with a plan for treating patients differential based on their skin color, they will actually be benefited.

Now, these are examples that I think most people would find really outrageousis the only word for itand not based on medical needs, but based on ideology, really, is the basis for these kinds of initiatives.

Blair: Do we see that this was something that was brewing a long time ago or was it spurred on by events like the death of George Floyd, some of these other Black Lives Matter events that might have spurred this type of thing on?

Goldfarb: I go into this in my book to a certain extent. It really traces back almost to [Karl] Marxs principles that were developed back in the middle of the 19th century.

It had its full flower after World War II when there was a sociologist priest, Ivan Illich, [who] wrote a book called Medical Nemesis, where he sort of talked about many of these issuesabout the way that modern medicine wasnt dealing with prevention enough, wasnt dealing with community health enough, was focused more on treating illness rather than prevention.

What grew out of that was sort of a movement, kind of a new age movement that we should train doctors more on how they interact with people, how they communicate, rather than on these treatments of illnesses with scientific principles, because these kinds of communication approaches and preventative approaches would be more effective for communities. And they are important, but what the real role of the physician is is to treat the individual patient who has an individual problem.

So it arose at that point, but it was quite clear that George Floyds killing led to this tremendous outpouring of sentiment about these issues. And many hospitals and academic medical centers, medical schools declared that, in fact, they had been racist in the past and they needed to expunge any racist tendencies that they may have. Theyve now embarked on all sorts of programs to have physicians take anti-bias training.

And so I think that event, George Floyds killing, certainly led to an outpouring of interest in these kinds of initiatives.

Blair: Obviously, in the title of your book, you mentioned that doctors are turning into social justice warriors and how that is destroying the concept of American medicine. Can you expand a little bit on how doctors themselves are becoming more like social justice warriors?

Goldfarb: Well, thats whats being proposed more and more in medical education, that medical students who are the future physicians become advocates for these various social initiatives. And the reason I think it poses such risk to American health care is because, in fact, physicians dont know anything about these issues that theyre being asked to be advocates for.

Were not trained to be social workers, which is really what this is about. Were not trained to improve housing. Were not trained to improve transportation issues for people living in poor areas. Were not trained to change the availability of foods in various neighborhoods. Were not trained to deal with the consequences of fossil fuel utilization by people as their energy source.

So were spending more and more time in medical curricula on these topics, but the impulse to do this is not so much that they really influence anyones health in a direct way that physicians can act on, but rather, I think it would be useful for the people that advocate for many of these social issues to have doctors as part of their advocacy core.

When someone walks out there with their white coat on and their stethoscope and starts talking to you about the dangers of climate change, that changes the discussion about climate change. And I think thats really been the motivation to try to generate more social activity on the part of physicians.

Blair: Right. You talked a little bit about critical race theory is something that might be being taught to medical students. I guess, does that impact the care that theyre giving in person? I know we talked a little bit about some of the things that like state and local governments have done specifically during the pandemic, but are we seeing that the actual care that patients are receivinglike the medications theyre receivingare impacted by the fact that their doctors are going through these types of programs?

Goldfarb: I would, again, I point back to the COVID story where youll see this when theres scarcity. When theres scarcity, then we start to see decisions being made now based on some of these racial issues, as opposed to the pure medical sort of issues.

So I think that was the most egregious example of it, but I think what the real concern here is sort of what kind of trust are patients going to have in the health care system if theyre told that the system is racist?

Are black patients going to be willing to go see white doctors if theyre told or go to academic medical centers that just announced their anti-racism practices in order to combat the racism that theyve been manifesting in the past? Are they going to lose trust in the health care system because of that?

And I think what weve seen with the hesitancy of black patients to take the COVID vaccines has been part of the manifestation of the endless drumbeat about racist practices that have been present in the health care system.

And so I think the dangers of this are predominantly changing the healthcare system into one in which theres going to be an emphasis on these racial characteristics of patients and a treatment differential thats going to go on because theres been such an emphasis on these kinds of practices.

So I think its a future risk more than a present risk, but again, ever since the George Floyd killing, theres been such an increase in training medical students in these areas that I think is going to become more and more manifest as time goes by.

My institution, the University of Pennsylvania, just appointed one of the physicians to be the associate dean for health equity. Well, health equity in the wokest sort of terminology really means weve got to make sure that the outcomes are equal. And the only way were going to get the outcomes to be equal is if we give black patients some sorts of advantages over white patients in order to make up for past discrimination.

So I think were early in what the impact of all this is going to be. Im hoping that were early in the impact of where all this is going to be because Im hoping that we can prevent this from undermining American health care.

Blair: Now, its not just race that is being kind of inappropriately highlighted in these new sort of woke medical dictionaries and woke medical ideology. Its also gender ideology. So, in the title of your book, obviously, you mentioned call me by my pronouns, which references a lot of this gender ideology that were starting to see infiltrate into medicine. How has that impacted the way our health care system treats patients?

Goldfarb: Yeah, well, this all really began about, oh, maybe 10 or 12 years ago when health care had the capacity to block the development of puberty. And this whole question really revolves, not so much around whether individuals have a choice to become transgender, to change their gender as adults. I mean, this is something that people have a right to do if they want to make such a decision and they have the resources to do it.

The question has been what to do with children and to children who express some so-called gender dysphoria, where they arent convinced that theyre of the right gender. This is a very common sort of and fleeting feeling that many children have. And then it disappears. Should these children be exposed to drugs that might influence their sexual development and their reproductive capacity as future adults?

And I think thats where the real danger is in this new movement because its advocating for children to make decisions about this that theyre really unable to make. And its even putting parents in a very difficult position because those of them that decide that their children really should receive these agents are taking a great risk.

And so, as an individual and as my own particular view of it, is thats really the danger point. We just dont have enough information to know which children might actually benefit from such treatment. There may be children that would benefit from such treatment, but clearly theres been an explosion in the use of these drugs. And it isnt at all clear whether the data underlie that.

What needs to be done are studies that explore whether in fact theres a greater risk of self-harm, of depression, of suicide in children that are not given these medications and allowed to transition to another gender when they have this gender dysphoria.

And its a very controversial point. European countries have been very, very hesitant. And in fact, many of them have decided that physicians should not be given the opportunity to use these drugs on children to prevent puberty from developing so that they can decide whether they want to actually become transgender individuals as they reach adulthood.

So thats really where I think that the area may impact American health care in a great way, is whether children are going to receive these medications or not. And I think its a very controversial area that needs a tremendous amount of study to clarify it.

Blair: Now, as we begin to wrap-up here, I want to know, is our system able to recover from this? Can we salvage the sort of health care element out of this and get rid of the woke stuff? Or is it too far gone? Do we need to start looking at what we can do to kind of bring it back from the brink?

Goldfarb: I think its early. Im very hopeful. Weve started this organization Do No Harm as well. I mean, part of my reason for writing the book was to try to raise awareness of some of these issues. And our organization is a member organization. We have a website, donoharmmedicine.org, and its goal is to really alert physicians, alert patients that these issues are starting to develop in academic medical centers and medical schools.

I dont think its too late. I think theres real opportunity. I think some of these governmental initiatives, like I mentioned before this extra payment for anti-racism protocols, these are early in development.

And I think that raising awareness about these issues, having a public debate about these issues, making sure that people understand the ethical basis for some of these decisions, or the lack thereof, I think will go a long way.

I think that politicians will start to become aware of these issues and start to introduce legislation that will make it clear that we should not treat people in a discriminatory fashion. We should not have racial discrimination in health care, whether it benefits white people or benefits black people, it should not occur. And I think its not too late to prevent it from taking a real foothold in American medicine.

Blair: That was Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of the board at Do No Harm, a national association of medical professionals pushing back against woke activists in the health care system, as well as author of the new book Take Two Aspirin and Call Me by My Pronouns: Why Turning Doctors Into Social Justice Warriors Is Destroying American Medicine, available now wherever books are sold.

Dr. Goldfarb, very much appreciate your time.

Goldfarb: Thank you so much. Bye-bye.

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Doctor Reveals How Woke Activists Have Infiltrated Medicine - Daily Signal

Individuals who are not vaccinated with pre-existing diabetes, heart artery disease, or high blood pressure had a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of death, investigators say.

Unvaccinated individuals who contract COVID-19 when they have pre-existing diabetes, high blood pressure, or major heart damage, are up to 9 times more likely to suffer serious outcomes, including admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), death, kidney problems and lung failure, according to combined evidence from 110 previous COVID-19 studies.

These findings can help us identify unvaccinated individuals who are at a higher risk of worse outcomes, even without special tests. This is particularly relevant where health care resources are limited but the proportion of unvaccinated individuals remains high, Sher May Ng of the Barts Health NHS Trust, said in a statement.

The study, which is published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, looked at almost 49,000 unvaccinated individuals in total and identified multiple predictors of more severe COVID-19 and worse outcomes for these individuals compared with vaccinated individuals.

Investigators found evidence showing that myocardial injury, known as heart muscle damage, at the time of admission to the hospital was associated with a 9-fold increase in the likelihood of death. Additionally, individuals who had pre-existing heart complications also had a higher chance of developing other complications from COVID-19, including acute kidney injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and they also had higher rates of ICU admission and invasive mechanical ventilation.

Furthermore, investigators found that unvaccinated individuals with pre-existing diabetes, heart artery disease, or high blood pressure had a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of death, and they also had up to a 2.5-fold increased risk of other COVID-19-related complications.

When comparing the 3 medical conditions, investigators found that individuals with diabetes were at the highest risk for developing severe lung failure. Prior to the emergence of COVID-19, these conditions were already known predictors of heart attacks and strokes.

These findings present a strong case for these at-risk groups to be prioritized for vaccinations and other preventative measures. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries, where the impact of cardiovascular disease is particularly high, Ajay Gupta, MD, PhD, senior clinical lecturer at Queen Mary and an honorary consultant in clinical pharmacology and cardiovascular medicine, said in the statement.

Successful vaccination programs have reduced the economic and social burdens of COVID-19, as well as effectively prevented severe disease, according to the statement.

Accurate prediction of risk for severe disease and adverse outcomes of COVID-19 can help prioritize vaccinations for the highest-risk groups and help allow effective planning of economic and health policies, investigators said.

More than 70% of the United Kingdom population is fully vaccinated, but less than 15% of the population in low-income countries have received any dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the statement.

In more developed countries, groups with cardiovascular risk factors in addition to other vulnerable groups could be selected for booster and annual vaccination programs, similar to the influenza vaccination program, Gupta said.

Reference

Unvaccinated individuals with heart problems up to 9 times more likely to die or suffer serious complications from COVID-19. EurekAlert. News release. May 4, 2022. Accessed May 4, 2022. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/951664

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Study: Serious COVID-19 Outcomes Are More Likely Among Unvaccinated With Heart Issues - Pharmacy Times

As per latest Fact.MR analysis, by 2031, the global market for self-care medical devices is expected to be worth $3 billion. The market is expected to grow at a robust CAGR of over 8% between 2021 and 2031, thanks to rising demand for self-care medical devices.

The rising prevalence of lifestyle diseases, digitalization in self-care medical devices, rising elderly population, and rising healthcare awareness are all factors contributing to the rapid expansion of the self-care medicalequipment market.

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Due to the hectic lifestyle, there is a growing desire for self-care and home-based therapies, which is positively impacting the growth of the self-care medical devices market. Furthermore, rising healthcare costs are likely to provide profitable growth prospects for industry participants.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 17.9 million people worldwide die each year as a result of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Patients seeking accessible solutions to monitor and manage important indicators such as blood sugar levels, blood pressures, and heart rate will see demand climb as the number of cases of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases rises around the world.

Various government and healthcare-related programs aimed at educating people about the causes and treatments of chronic diseases, as well as the benefits of adopting self-care medical devices, will help the market develop even faster throughout the projected period.

Peoples attention has turned to their physical well-being as healthcare awareness has grown and disposable income has increased. The market for self-care medical devices is predicted to grow as the emphasis on preventative medicine grows.

According to the survey,blood glucose monitorsare the market leader in self-care medical equipment, accounting for roughly 58% of the markets value. This is due to the increasing prevalence of diabetes around the world.

With over 40% of the global market for self-care medical equipment, North America is the industry leader. The rising frequency of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders in the region is driving demand for self-care medical devices.

The integration of digital technology in self-care medical devices has completely revolutionized the market. Manufacturers are using various technologies such as IoT to develop smart medical devices such as wearable blood and sugar measuring watches. Thanks to the development of user-friendly digital self-care medical devices, even a layman can now easily use them, which was otherwise a puzzle for him or her once,said a lead analyst at Fact.MR.

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Key Takeaways from Self-care Medical Devices Market Survey

Key Drivers

Key Restraints

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I love preventative care, love it. I like seeing healthy pets at their best and doing the things I can to keep them there. Of course, I also like getting sick or broken pets better. I dont even mind helping pets find a peaceful end. But by far my favorite thing is preventative care.

Preventative care runs a large gamut in veterinary medicine. There are so many ways that we can do less early so we dont have to do more later. The benefit to owners is that we have healthier pets for longer. The real truth is that ultimately preventative care saves money and stress. The other benefit is that it saves your pets health in many cases.

We know about vaccines. Even those opposed to some vaccines cant really argue against how vaccines have really changed the face of veterinary medicine. Vaccines are our first line of defense against many diseases, and in many cases have brought the caseload down very low.

In this region, we very rarely see parvo or distemper anymore because most dogs are vaccinated and our level of strays is low. Thirty years ago parvo was an amazingly huge deal and dogs were being wiped out in droves. Then an effective vaccine was developed and a deadly disease became almost 100% preventable.

I do occasionally run into a couple of misconceptions about vaccines. The first is that the Lyme vaccine can cause Lyme disease. It does not and cannot, that isnt how it works. The Lyme vaccine in people was more questionable, which is why it no longer exists. Dogs can still get Lyme disease when vaccinated. The vaccine stops the deadly form and greatly reduces symptoms, much like the corona vaccine. It doesnt mean we shouldnt take precautions, but it can prevent death (which in my book is huge.)

The main reasons owners balk at dental cleanings are the cost and the anesthesia. Getting regular cleanings can make both of those less of a factor. When teeth are less diseased and cleaned earlier we need fewer extractions and less involved cleaning. So the anesthesia is shorter, the procedure is easier and it is far cheaper. Once the teeth get severely affected, they often have to be pulled which is a much more complicated procedure. This can turn into several hours and surgical extractions.

Owners often tell us only to pull teeth if we have to, and I can fully assure you that pulling teeth is.....well, its an idiom for a reason! We always want to avoid this and the best way is routine home care and early dental cleanings.

I love taking lumps off early for several reasons. The reasons that matter to you are that smaller masses mean smaller incisions, shorter (cheaper) surgeries, and faster healing times. The reason that matters to me is that the sooner it is off the less chance it has had to be harmful.

There are certain lumps that we can tell are benign (will not spread), and lumps that we may have already biopsied. Sometimes we can tell from a needle aspirate what it is. If a lump is benign the benefit of removing it depends on size, location, and if a pet is bothering it. Often we dont know until we send the entire lump in, so removing them also gives us a final answer.

I talk about this all the time, but the better shape your pet is in the better their life will be. We can defer to future and past articles to discuss this in-depth. But the better body condition your pet is in the longer they will live and the healthier they will be. There are a lot of ways to achieve this, but the ultimate outcome is worth its weight in gold.

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Prior planning with preventive care | Off The Leash | rutlandherald.com - Rutland Herald

Doctors have warned against people over 60 taking a daily dose of aspirin.

It has been traditionally taken each day to slash the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

But a panel of top medics in the US this week changed their advice for older people.

They warned it could raise the risk of internal bleeding.

The US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) also said 40-59 year olds should only takeaspirin dailyif they are at genetic risk of heart disease.

Those over 75should not take it because there is little benefit in older age.

Dr Michael Barry, USPTFs vice-chair and professor of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, toldABC News: Based on current evidence, the task force recommends against people 60 and older starting to take aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke.

Because the chance of internal bleeding increases with age, the potential harms of aspirin use cancel out the benefits in this age group.

The new guidance is only for patients starting up a course of aspirin.

Anyone on it already should continue, and not stop unless they have talked to their doctor.

A UK study from 2019 found itcan raise the risk of deadly bleeds by nearly 50 percent.

Kings College London researchers found taking it as a preventative treatment does help cut deadly cardiac events by 11 percent.

But it caused risk of major bleeding events to rocket by 43 percent, meaning one in 200 people treated with aspirin suffered a serious bleed.

The 2p-a-day painkiller is thought to make the blood less sticky.

Lead researcher, Dr Sean Zheng, said: There is insufficient evidence to recommend routine aspirin use in the prevention of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths in people without cardiovascular disease.

This study shows that while cardiovascular events may be reduced in these patients, these benefits are matched by an increased risk of major bleeding events.

Aspirin use requires discussion between the patient and their physician, with the knowledge that any small potential cardiovascular benefits are weighed up against the real risk of severe bleeding.

Doctors recommend some people take a low dose of aspirin every day to prevent heart attacks and stroke.

The painkiller is also thought to reduce the risk of breast, colon, prostate and gastric cancers.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission.

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Warning over common drug that could cause internal bleeding - New York Post

Ontarians responded to public health appeals to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Yet, we are moving in the wrong direction when it comes to HPV vaccinations, which protect against nine types of HPV strains and decrease the risk of six types of cancer, including cervical, anal, head and neck.

This must end, with the recognition Ontario is on the brink of an HPV crisis due to this drastic immunization drop.

Vaccines against HPV and the cancers that can follow are a miracle of preventative medicine. The facts are compelling. According to the World Health Organization, if we achieve an HPV vaccination rate of over 90 per cent by 2025, together with screening and treatment, we could eliminate cervical cancer diagnoses by 2040.

Currently, Grade 7 students in Ontario can receive the HPV9 vaccine through the school-based immunization program.

About 60 per cent of 12-year-olds were immunized in 2018-19. Alarmingly, this rate dropped to 0.8 per cent in 2020-21.

This drop will have a long-lasting impact. One American study predicts missed vaccinations in 2020 could lead to thousands of additional cases of cervical cancer over the next 100 years, with incidence continuing to increase until the 2050s.

The decline comes as no mystery. From March 2020 to January 2022, Ontario schools were closed for more than 27 weeks along with school-based immunization programs. Public health and school boards were forced to concentrate on COVID-19, leaving HPV vaccination campaigns behind

That sense of priority must be re-established to ensure prompt vaccination against HPV for half a million 12-to-15-year-olds.

First, we need to ensure access to vaccinations. School-led vaccination clinics in middle schools remain our most effective way to reach unvaccinated populations. We also need to include high school programs to reach those that missed their opportunity to get vaccinated during school closures.

Second, pharmacists should be empowered to provide HPV vaccinations. Paired with mobile vaccination sites and public health clinics, a collaborative model minimizes barriers to access.

Third, education about cancer prevention through HPV vaccination must be boosted, as families often fail to make the connection. Health-care professionals play a huge role in helping parents understand these risks, and make vaccination an available option by working with their local public health unit to order doses for eligible patients.

Finally, its crucial to emphasize the benefits of vaccination. HPV vaccination is almost 100 per cent effective against cervical cancer if a complete regimen is given before age 25.

We know HPV vaccines are safe. Evidence from programs that have delivered over 270 million doses of HPV vaccines show no serious side effects.

Its time to urge the government, public health, school boards and primary care providers to work together to fill this massive gap.

No one wants to hear the words, you have cancer. And no one wants to learn something as simple as getting vaccinated could have prevented the outcome. When it comes to HPV vaccinations among youth, we must act now.

Dr. Vivien Brown is a family physician, HPV prevention expert and chair of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FMWC) HPV Immunization Task Force.

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Ontario has seen a staggering and deadly drop in HPV vaccinations. We must protect youth against cancer now - Toronto Star