April 2014

Panic attacks are common, but by themselves, they are not a disorder. When the attacks become the focal point of one's mental life, then the diagnosis of panic disorder is appropriate.

Family physicians have the opportunity to become leaders in the chronic pain care blueprint.

A fundamental principle of medical professionalism is meeting the public expectation of acting in the best interest of the patient and community. Put more simply, physicians are trusted to do the "right thing."

Redesigning medication alerts with healthcare providers in mind would reduce prescribing errors and increase the efficiency of electronic medical records.

The Institute of Medicine recently released a list of core social and behavioral health factors it suggests should be captured in all electronic health records to help healthcare providers more effectively influence patient outcomes.

Nuts should be given their own small space on the "MyPlate" in light of their solid evidence-based recommendation for daily consumption.

A 57-year-old man presented to clinic with this persistent skin lesion on his thumb. Three months ago, he lanced the lesion, producing some purulence and blood. Since then, it has bled almost daily and has not healed. He was treated with silver nitrate by another clinician after one month, but the lesion persists. His past medical history is significant for diabetes and his family history is significant for 2 cousins with melanoma.

Ultrasound can lessen the need for head scans in children and reduce the impact of radiation on the developing brains of those who are particularly sensitive to ionizing radiation.

It is worrisome that "high-impact" data read by most healthcare providers and then further interpreted and distributed by lay news organizations may have funder bias.

When a patient's presenting complaint is chest pain, consider plain radiographs directed to the area of pain and do not forget to look at the bones.

Despite the increasingly widespread use of testosterone therapies, there remains some speculation concerning their long-term effects on overall health.

Mammography screening has conflicting efficacy results in the medical literature, as some clinical studies have shown little or no effect, while others have demonstrated decreased mortality in women aged 40 and older, with the largest effect in those aged 50-59 years.