How Helpful is Online Medical Advice?

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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If you have a medical symptom, should you go online and educate yourself before seeing your physician?  A recent article at the Huffington Post makes the case that patients who do, often pose a great burden on their physician.

I am sure that may be true sometimes.  In fact, this blog is dedicated to clarifying the online news about brain health because we recognize how much misleading information is available on the internet.  But there is another side to this story.

Because medical knowledge leaps forward more broadly and more quickly than physicians can absorb it, there is a long lag between the "state of medical knowledge" and the "state of medical practice".  Any conscientious physician will recognize this, and will welcome good sources of updated information.  Importantly, patients are becoming increasingly viable sources of such information.

Overall, I agree that there is lots of misleading medical information online, and I agree that dispelling online myths is a new burden for physicians.  But in a great many instances, a well informed patient can help a physician give much better care.

You should follow Brain Today on twitter here

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A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share button below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.

Drugs That Can Cause Memory Loss

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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As we write here often, every apparent lapse in memory is not a sign of an underlying medical condition.  Furthermore, even those lapses with an underlying medical cause, are often completely within our control.

A great article was posted today in the Huffington post describing how many, common, over the counter drugs, as well as many prescription drugs can cause memory loss.  It's a well written article with a comprehensive list of drugs, sorted by class, that have been known to cause such problems.

If you use any of these drugs and sense a decline in your memory, you might consider speaking with your doctor about other alternatives.

You should follow Brain Today on twitter here

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A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share button below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.

Treating Alzheimer's Disease Without Drugs

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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One of the common themes in this blog is that "current treatment for Alzheimer's disease is better than many headlines indicate".

We write this because the argument against treatment efficacy is almost always framed through the narrow lens of drug-based interventions when, in reality, drugs are only one part of the most effective approach. A robust approach includes management of risk factors like smoking and excessive drinking, controlling co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, proper diet, physical exercise, and both social and intellectual engagement.

We also point out that many reports of poor treatment efficacy are based on studies of Alzheimer's patients in whom the disease is too far progressed, and the brain too ravaged, for treatment to have a fair chance at working.

There is an additional area of treatment that has shown impressive efficacy and should be emphasized as well; it is psychosocial interventions. These include care-giver education, structured communication techniques, home safety, family counseling, and problem resolution. The results have been clear; caregivers who know what to expect and how best to deal with problems as they emerge, are less stressed, less depressed, and more effective in giving care. The result is healthier patients who maintain higher quality of life and a prolonged ability to avoid institutionalized care.

The Huffington Post has a great summary today of this approach and I encourage all readers to click through and to share this with their interested peers.
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A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share buttons below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.

Alzheimer's Risks, Signs, and Prevention

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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On most days, I use this space to wrap perspective around "news" about brain health that is open to misinterpretation. Today, my job is easier.

This summary, written by Dr. Glenn D. Braunstein and published by The Huffington Post, is excellent. It articulates the facts about Alzheimer's risks, signs, and prevention in an informed and unbiased way. Please click through and read it.
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A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share buttons below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.