Medical Insights

medical treatments for hair loss

Treating Hair Loss Pharmacologically and Alternatively

Hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) or a receding hairline is primarily a concern in men. However, women can also experience diffuse hair thinning that can impact their quality of life. A wide array of pharmacological, surgical, and alternative therapies are available to slow or reverse hair loss. There are a variety of FDA-approved treatments available.1 However, it can be challenging for the public and clinicians to know which agents are the best. This article will help break down the benefits and risks of different hair loss therapies and shed some light on their effectiveness and cost. Here are the key takeaways.

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Diagnosing Santa

Though an ancient practice, mindfulness meditation has been rising in popularity these days like it’s pickleball. Those who engage in this calming technique (mindfulness, not pickleball) swear by its power to reduce their anxiety and help them stay present. We’re intrigued. After all, could 500 million people and Oprah be wrong? Yes, of course. So, scientists flexed their research muscle and conducted a clinical trial comparing mindfulness meditation with the commonly used antidepressant escitalopram.

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Fatty Liver Disease

Alcohol-Related Liver Disease or Nonalcohol-Related Fatty Liver Disease: What’s The Difference?

Historically, liver disease has been associated with alcohol use. However, two different diseases (alcohol-related liver disease [ALD] and nonalcohol-related fatty liver disease [NAFLD]) have similar pathological effects on the liver, ranging from simple liver inflammation to chronic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Alcohol-related and nonalcohol-related fatty liver disease cause serious problems worldwide, but risk factors associated with the disorders, predictors of outcomes, and treatments on the horizon can differ. Therefore, the primary care clinician must understand the differences between these two entities.

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morning-report-110522

Contentious Thanksgiving Conversation Starters

The Thanksgiving holiday is almost here, and we’ll soon have our fill of turkey, pumpkin pie, and contentious conversations with extended family. When a generous serving of politics and religion heats up the dining room, you can throw another log on the fire with this hot topic: does antihypertensive medication work better when taken in the morning or in the evening?

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burnout in physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners

Burnout Among Primary Care Clinicians

Pri-Med offers free online CME/CE that can be completed on your schedule and even during short work breaks. We encourage you to visit the site to learn more about the solutions to burnout. In addition, listen to this podcast on self-care methods to help healthcare workers combat burnout, and tune into this webcast that discusses ways to improve healthcare provider distress at multiple levels.

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Morning-Report-100122

Emerging from the Shadows

Fall is here! And that means Big Pumpkin will take hold of every consumable product, Bill Belichick will rip into another batch of perfectly good hoodies, and viral respiratory infections will infiltrate half your patient panel. If you had a nickel for every patient who presented with a cold—well, you and the collective medical community would have $5.5 million/year (110 million annual visits). Now, if only you had a nickel for every antibiotic request …

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How to Avoid Bad Decisions

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) finalized its statement on the use of statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) last week, polarizing the medical community like a partisan bill on the Senate floor.

The USPSTF based its recommendation on 23 clinical trials and three observational studies that assessed the head-to-head use of a statin with either placebo or no statin on CVD risk. True to brand, the task force erred on the side of caution and recommended a conservative approach.

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mental health patient care for primary care clinicians

The Rise in Mental Health Illness Inevitably Affects the Primary Care Clinician: What You Can Do For Your Patients

Mental health illness is rising exponentially in the US, and the opportunity for caring for patients is falling into the hands of primary care clinicians. This post covers the changing statistics and reasons for the rise in mental health problems, how psychiatrists and psychologists cannot meet patient care demands alone, and how primary care clinicians can help ease mental health illness in the US.

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Morning Report 080622

Fudging the Numbers

The World Health Organization’s 2020 recommendations for adult physical activity are clear: engage in ≥150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. But does it matter how the minutes are divvied up? According to a new study, nope.

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