Articles related to Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism

From new scams like unproven COVID-19 treatments to the returns-like-a-bad-penny “Diabetes Fast Fixes,” health product swindles are unfortunately part of the world we live in. The too-good-to-be-true claims allure many patients suffering from debilitating conditions, and at best, it may be just a waste of money. At worst, though, some of these products could cause serious problems and possibly even death.

This article dives into information and the causes of five drug-induced diseases (DIDs) including hyponatremia/SIADH, pulmonary disease, GI bleeding, QT prolongation/Torsades de pointes, and hypoglycemia. Because research reviewed by the FDA for drug approval does not always include DIDs, it is the physician’s responsibility to monitor for DIDs and think twice about prescribing agents that could lead to DIDs.

This podcast/article on KevinMD.com by Syad Nishat, a partner at the Wall Street Alliance Group, offers tips and advice for the physician on estate planning, which is one of the most neglected aspects of financial planning. However, its complexity and unpredictability shouldn’t stop you from talking to a financial advisor to best prepare yourself and your family for the unexpected.

A diagnosis that is made after all differential diagnoses have been ruled out – a diagnosis of exclusion (DOE) – is a challenge for the physician. Despite the DOE being verifiable, the diagnostic tests needed simply cannot be performed – think brain biopsy – or are too difficult to perform. These five diseases are notoriously tricky to diagnose and will test your documentation skills, as well as your attention to detail.

Dead may be the wrong word – antiquated, maybe? – as the white-color 9-to-5 office job is becoming a thing of the past. According to this article, a new workforce and new work demands require a fresh approach to work/life balance. A 2019 Mayo Clinic Proceedings article detailed this approach for physicians, transforming work/life into three categories to consider: Work, Yourself, and Others.

The research, taken from the CLARITY study and published in GUT, found that 865 people given the Pfizer/BioNTech or the Oxford/AZ COVID-19 vaccine and treated with infliximab (Remicade) had significantly lower concentrations of antibodies when compared to 428 people on an alternative treatment, vedolizumab (Entyvio). Infliximab is prescribed to around two million people worldwide.