Fellatio reduces risk of breast cancer!

I think that this post should be a warning to all that not all medical information available on the web is true. I constantly have patients bringing me the latest information that they have downloaded from the web about their particular condition. 90% of the time, it is rootin tootin junk. It requires great diplomacy to explain that to them, since these web pages usually gives them false hope about the treatments that they may need (or may be able to avoid).

CLAIM: According to a university study, oral sex may significantly decrease the risk of breast cancer in women.

No, this wasn't a real CNN page (or Associated Press article), nor did North Carolina State University perform a study on the connection between fellatio and breast cancer. (If nothing else, the names of the doctors cited in the article — "Dr. B.J. Sooner," "Dr. Inserta Shafteer," "Dr. Len Lictepeen" — should have given it away as a hoax.)

More info here...

Sies!

Australian Doctors...

Recently reported by The Daily Maverick...

The Australian Medical Association ran an advertisement in newspapers offering a bounty of A$3,000 (just over R20,000) to anyone who persuades a foreign doctor to work in that country.

We're short 2500 doctors in this bloody country. Oz should leave ours alone!

Your Medical Records Belong To You

I've been engaging a lot recently with the notion of an electronic health record. For those of you who don't know, this is usually an online version of collated data to do with your health. Simply - your pathology, your doc notes, all the hospital visits, illnesses and drug usage are kept in one secure place. You can access it and most of the time, so can a healthcare provider.

For those of you that are not in tune with the medical world - this is something you have to know about as it is the backbone of the Obama administration. By having an electronic health record, there is a saving on administration as well as all the good things a centralised database brings. eg. Less duplication of tests and better management of healthcare.

Discovery Health in South Africa is launching one next year. It'll be interesting to see how the "population" engages with it.

This blog is very interesting in that it clearly outlines the fact that your medical records belong to YOU. Many people are under the misconception that your doctor owns your medical records - and that the only way to access them is via that doctor. This is not true. Your health. Your body. Your money spent to purchase medication/tests etc.

It belongs to you.

GUEST POST: How to Ensure Healthy Babies For HIV Mothers

It’s a problem that still plagues most third world countries because the level of awareness is pretty low, because the people are not educated enough, and because HIV/AIDS is still rampant. The most important thing on an HIV positive pregnant woman’s mind is the fear that she will pass on the dreaded disease to her unborn child, and most women opt for an abortion rather than put their child through the same torment that they undergo every day. But the truth is, if you follow the right precautions, babies with HIV mothers are unaffected by this virus.

Combination antiretroviral therapy must be provided to the mother during pregnancy and during labor, and to the child after birth.

Breastfeeding must be avoided as much as possible, and if the mother insists on it or if the child is allergic to other forms of sustenance, they can try the preventive method suggested by a study conducted by the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. According to this study, providing the infant with antiretroviral syrup every day or treating the mother with highly active antiretroviral drugs helps prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.

• Mothers must be encouraged to follow hygienic procedures and drink water that is potable or filtered.
• Mothers must work closely with their clinicians to monitor the baby and ensure maximum protection for their child.
• Doctors must ensure that the mother’s blood does not enter the baby’s bloodstream at the time of birth
• A natural birth is a definite no-no in such situations. The mother must be prepared for a C section.
• The mother must undergo regular prenatal checks and follow her doctor’s instructions to the letter.
• The babies will be monitored closely for up to six weeks after birth.

It’s up to the mother to see that her baby does not suffer from this dreaded disease. As long as she is confident and careful, there’s no reason why her baby cannot be born healthy. Doctors allow a 98 percent chance that HIV mothers will deliver healthy babies.

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of nurse practitioner schools . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com

Smoking laws work - Study.

Quick excerpt here from a 2001 study that proves tobacco laws reduce smoking. This is damn old. We're getting better at it. The source site is also great for other South African public health statistics.

Tobacco consumption declines
by Mokgadi Pela
2001-03-16

Tobacco consumption in South Africa has fallen for eight consecutive years since 1991, a meeting to discuss the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control heard in Sandton, Johannesburg, on the 12th of March. Delivering the keynote address, Dr Derek Yach, of the World Health Organisation, said this was a result of sustained tobacco control measures. He said in 1998-99 more than 30 billion cigarettes were released for consumption, down by 17 percent from the 36 billion released in 1993-94. The work of public health advocates in South Africa thrived. Led by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, South Africa's tobacco control story is now a shining example for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of public excellence and political courage. The 11th World Conference on Tobacco held last year in Chicago saluted this leadership with an award recognising her exemplary courage, Yach said. Crucially, the declines have been most significant among the poorest and the youngest groups in the country. New laws banning smoking in public places and the complete ban on tobacco advertising and promotion, which is being incrementally introduced this year, are likely to push the rates down even faster, he added. Yach dismissed claims that tobacco control would lead to job losses. (Source: Sowetan, 13 March 2001)

Tobacco consumption in South Africa has fallen for eight consecutive years since 1991, a meeting to discuss the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control heard in Sandton, Johannesburg, on the 12th of March. Delivering the keynote address, Dr Derek Yach, executive director of non-communicable diseases and menial health at the World Health Organisation, said this was a result of sustained tobacco control measures.

He said in 1998-99 more than 30 billion cigarettes were released for consumption, down by 17 percent from the 36 billion released in 1993-94. The work of public health advocates in South Africa thrived. Led by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, South Africa's tobacco control story is now a shining example for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of public excellence and political courage. The 11th World Conference on Tobacco held last year in Chicago saluted this leadership with an award recognising her exemplary courage, Yach said.

Crucially, the declines have been most significant among the poorest and the youngest groups in the country. New laws banning smoking in public places and the complete ban on tobacco advertising and promotion, which is being incrementally introduced this year, are likely to push the rates down even faster, he added. Yach dismissed claims that tobacco control would lead to job losses.

We know from economists around the world that far from causing job losses, people who stop smoking will spend their money on other goods and services, resulting in an increase in employment in those sectors. We know what works in South Africa will work in many other countries, Yach said.

Speaking at the same forum. Tshabalala-Msimang said her department would tighten the laws controlling smoking to ensure that everyone has an environment that's not harmful to their well-being. She said the tobacco industry had shown they'll use any loophole to protect their product. We will also find all the gaps and close them.

Tshabalala-Msimang urged participating nations to pass laws that would ensure that the youth and all vulnerable groups were protected from the harmful effects of smoking.

Source: Sowetan, 13 March 2001

New Smoking Laws

For those of you who don't know... Smoking laws are getting stricter. YES! Good on ya, South Africa. If only they'd extend it to alcohol (btw, when is SAB going to STOP making quarts in glass bottles? Have you SEEN Friday night at Bara??)



Although he pokes fun and says that smoking laws do nothing - this is not true. There have been large changes in the prevalence of smoking of the first set of laws were passed in South Africa. Same for you overseas? Another post on this soon.

More on iMod.

How to navigate a hospital - the Do's and Don'ts

Great article on understanding hospitals, the do's, don'ts, knows and nots.

While hospitals can provide a secure refuge when you are seriously ill, remember that hospitals can be scary places! For one thing, the very fact that your doctor wants you to be admitted into hospital means that he thinks you are quite ill and this in itself can generate considerable anxiety! Even worse, hospitals can be very unfriendly places. Not only do hospitals strip you of all your dignity (having to wear a half-open hospital gown which barely covers your body properly does not do much good to your ego!), but also they subject you to painful routines and humiliating rituals performed by a retinue of strangers. Moreover, you could be woken up at any time of the day, (or night), deprived of your privacy, forced to eat unpalatable food, cut off from friends and family, and denied a lot of the independence which you take so much for granted in daily life. Also, remember that hospitals can be dangerous to your health as well! Hospital-acquired infections have become increasingly common ( since a number of sick patients are gathered together under one roof); and errors and mix-ups are not unusual at all, especially in India, where the paramedical staff is often poorly trained.

Check it out here.

The ANC Youth League and Caster Semenya.

Beware of those basic principles of medical tests!

*ANC YL FULLY BEHIND SOUTH AFRICA¹S GOLDEN GIRL MOKGADI CASTER SEMENYA*
*11 September 2009*

The African National Congress Youth League is fully behind the International
Athletics Associations Federation (IAAF) World Championships Gold Medallist,
Caster Semenya amidst the malicious rumour of a medical report from the
IAAF. The ANC YL has interacted with Athletics South Africa and established
that there was never a legitimate test conducted on Caster Semenya and all
basic principles of medical tests are grossly violated.

The ANC YL calls on the IAAF to distance itself from the Australian Media
reports, and in line with basic medical ethics illegitimate any test done on
Caster Semenya without her concern. Even if a test is done, the ANC YL will
never accept the categorisation of Caster Semenya as a hermaphrodite,
because in South Africa and the entire world of sanity, such does not exist.
The basic, traditional and known method to determine gender has classified
Caster Semenya as female and to us she will remain a female.

The ANC YL is also very concerned by the fact that all the media reports
about Caster Semenya are generated in Australia, which is the most lucrative
destination for South Africa¹s racists and fascists, who refused to live
under a black democratic government. The maltreatment of Caster Semenya is
evidently a coordinated racist attack on Caster Semenya, an African woman
whom the racists never thought will represent South Africa will excellence.

Mokgadi Semenya is our girl and the ANC YL will be convening the prize money
handover ceremony to celebrate her before the end of September 2009. There
is no one who is going to take the Gold Medal and honour from Caster Semenya
for any reason.

*Issued by the African National Congress Youth League *
Contact Floyd Shivambu, ANC YL National Spokesperson



Crickey.

Official Swine Flu South Africa Stats - 12 August 2009

Death count... wait for it... 2.



Some say, a flash in the pan. Others say, this is how it starts.

We really dunno. SA Doc thinks the pandemonium is a bit OTT (over the top).

GUEST POST: 7 Excellent Open Courseware Collections To Learn About The Human Body

The human body is a fascinating and intricate construction, and there are many reasons to learn more about it. You may want to know how it works so that you can better understand your own, and thereby make the best decisions possible in regards to good health and maintenance. You may want to understand how it works so that you can move into a profession that works to restore it to health. You may just be curious. Whatever the reason, these 7 excellent open courseware collections to learn about the human body are a great place to begin or to continue your study of the human body.

General Human Anatomy

General Human Anatomy takes a general look at the structure of the body and all its systems. This is a cursory examination of the human body as a structure provided by UC Bekeley and is the perfect start to any study of the human body.

Human Anatomy

Human Anatomy, provided by Emory University, takes the investigation a step farther examining the systems of the human body. It takes a look at the organization of the nervous system and the physical anatomy of each portion of the body. Focuses include the upper and lower extremity, the vertebrae and spinal cord, the head, the neck, the abdomen, and the thorax.

Human Growth And Development

Tufts University's Human Growth and Development takes a look at the human body throughout the lifespan. The development of bodily and cognitive skills during the lifespan can be better understood when you are aware of the progression of physical growth that happens concurrently.

Cell-Matrix Mechanics

Cell-Matrix Mechanics, courtesy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will teach you about the physical processes of the development of cells and tissues. This will include a look at the growth process both as it occurs naturally with aging and as it occurs with healing after damage to certain tissues.

A Clinical Approach To The Human Brain

A Clinical Approach to the Human Brain, also from MIT, is a collection that will explain how the human brain works both when it is healthy and when it is not. The resources talk about the actual anatomy of the brain and all of its workings. Neurons, synapses, and neurotransmitters are all covered.

Sensation And Perception

MIT's Sensation and Perception is an essential courseware collection. The human body functions in response to its environment, and the senses provide the information that allows the body to avoid danger and to make choices. These resources will cover how signals are received and then transformed into usable information in the body.

Cellular Neurobiology

Cellular Neurobiology, a final contribution from the Mass Institute, will focus on the functioning of the nervous system. It will cover the physical processes at work in synaptic transmission, neurodevelopment, and the way that information is filtered and processed.

The human body is a wonderfully complex construct. These courses will teach you much about its overall functioning while still leaving so much more to learn as you get into specific systems. Everyone should take some time to learn about the human body because everyone has one. If you know about its functioning then you will learn more about how you can keep it working at peak efficiency, and make the best, most informed decisions for the only body you will ever have in this life.

About the Author:
Mary Ward is a freelance author and writes about medical career topics, such as how to select among ultrasound technician schools, tips for job advancement, and more.

An amazing medical sentence...

What the hell.

“I do not know where family doctors acquired illegibly perplexing handwriting nevertheless, extraordinary pharmaceutical intellectuality counterbalancing indecipherability, transcendentalizes intercommunications incomprehensibleness”.

This is a sentence where the Nth word is N letters long.

e.g. 3rd word is 3 letters long, 8th word is 8 letters long and so on.

An episode of House...

From GraphJam. Hilarious. All they forgot was the seizures. Why is it that there is at least ONE seizure per episode of House. SA Doc tells me it's a lot more exciting than real life. Even the Baragwanath pit.

Old Time Medicine #8 - You KNOW it works! (46% Alcohol, 100% Opium)

Opium for new-borns

I'm sure this would make them sleep well (not only the Opium, but 46% alcohol!)

Old Time Medicine #7 - You KNOW it works! (Double BILL on the Cocaine!)

A double bill for you today. Amazing that these "medicines" existed. Oh but for the old days eh?


Cocaine tablets (1900)

All stage actors, singers teachers and preachers had to have them for a maximum performance. Great to "smooth" the voice.



Cocaine drops for toothache

Very popular for children in 1885. Not only they relieved the pain, they made the children happy!

Old Time Medicine #6 - You KNOW it works! (Asthma Opium? REALLY?)

Opium? Really?

Awesome.

Old Time Medicine #5 - You KNOW it works! (Paperweight promotion)

A paper weight

A paper weight promoting C.F. Boehringer & Soehne ( Mannheim , Germany ). They were proud of being the biggest producers in the world of products containing Quinine and Cocaine.

Old Time Medicine #4 - You KNOW it works! (Cocaine Wine for Kids...)

Maltine

Produced by Maltine Manufacturing Company of New York . It was suggested that you should take a full glass with or after every meal. Children should take half a glass.

Old Time Medicine #3 - You KNOW it works! (The Most Famous Cocaine Wine!)

Mariani wine

Mariani wine (1875) was the most famous Coca wine of its time. Pope Leo XIII used to carry one bottle with him all the time. He awarded Angelo Mariani (the producer) with a Vatican gold medal.

Old Time Medicine #2 - You KNOW it works! (Coca Wine)

Coca Wine

Metcalf Coca Wine was one of a huge variety of wines with cocaine on the market. Everybody used to say that it would make you happy and it would also work as a medicinal treatment.

Old Time Medicine #1 - You KNOW it works! (Heroin. Completely Non-Addictive)

Bayer's Heroin

A bottle of Bayer's heroin. Between 1890 and 1910 heroin was sold as a non-addictive substitute for morphine. It was also used to treat children with strong cough.

The Slice 'n Dice. Surgical Cartoons #3

Har! Har! From AHAJokes...

The Slice 'n Dice. Surgical Cartoons #2

Har! Har! Also from CartoonStock.

The Slice 'n Dice. Surgical Cartoons #1

Har. Har. From CartoonStock.

Full Consent for Care...

Found on Consent Care . com



Came across this website the other day, thought it was fantastic. If only this was available before. It makes surgeon's lives so much easier - and medical liability less of an issue. By the way... I see it was developed by a bunch of surgeons in Cape Town.

Long live the UCT clan!

Father at 13... No 14.

What the hell is the world coming to?

By LUCY HAGAN Published: 13 Feb 2009

BOY dad Alfie Patten yesterday admitted he does not know how much nappies cost - but said: "I think it's a lot."

Baby-faced Alfie, who is 13 but looks more like eight, became a father four days ago when his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman gave birth to 7lb 3oz Maisie Roxanne.

He told how he and Chantelle, 15, decided against an abortion after discovering she was pregnant.

This story from the SUN UK took another twist when it was discovered that another 14 year old was actually the Dad.

What is going on in the UK? We've previously blogged on a boy. And yes, I refuse to call him a man, who already had 3 kids at the age of 21. Now... to read about this 13 year old (nay, 14 - love triangle) who is happy to be a father to a child just blows my mind. It's not the "he's trying to be responsible argument". It's the fact that he was actually having SEX. UNPROTECTED SEX. At that age.

Are parents not teaching their kids the right things?

Are schools not teaching sex education? Whatever happened to the frikkin' condom on a banana gig?

Now I hear that it gets even more socially disgraceful. It's not even his. How many boys was the little whore sleeping with?

I hope to God South Africa doesn't aspire to be like England.

End rant.

Alzheimer's. Thought for the Day.

Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer’s research.

This means that by 2040, there will be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

The effects of Swine Flu...

Horrid disease! Turns a perfectly cute bouncin' baby into THIS...

Swine Flu vs Aids

90 people get the Swine Flu and everybody wants to wear a mask.

A million people have AIDS and no one wants to wear a condom.

Ironic.

Medical Cartoon: My Medical Education

Har! Har!

The four stages of life...

Sad they we all end up on a drip. We should reverse the process!

The eternal battle between good and evil...

VS...


We're going into trouble for this - aren't we?

The Dangers of FaceBook

Journal article from Student BMJ:

The Dangers of Facebook

Posted 12/29/2008

Neil Graham; Philippa Moore

Abstract
Increasing numbers of doctors and medical students are turning to websites such as Facebook to make friends, chat, and organise social events. These innovations have made some aspects of life easier and are a powerful tool for communication, but they also blur the line between our personal and professional personas. With the veneer of friendship that's offered on these sites, it's all too easy to reveal more information than is appropriate. If this information falls into the wrong hands, problems can arise about your integrity, employment, and fitness to practise medicine.
Introduction

In a recent study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Facebook profiles of a group of medical students in Florida were scrutinised with the aim of establishing how dangerous Facebook could be in the intersection of personal and professional identities. The study found some profiles publicly displaying photographs of trainee medics drinking to excess, engaging in sexual behaviour, and, in one instance, posing with a dead racoon. Three of the 10 students in the sample had also joined groups on Facebook that could be interpreted as sexist or racist.[1]

Whether the private activities of a medical professional have an impact on their ability to practise is debatable, but it cannot be denied that putting private material in such a public arena has the potential to undermine trust in the profession.

What's interesting about this is that Doctors are normal people (surprised?). We get up to the same shit that others do. That's why Scrubs is such a bloody realistic show! Believe it or not.

The difference now? Our real personalities are available on the web for our patients to see. If we're not careful. Suddenly they know we're not God. Bummer.

How to Cure HIV. The Book.

OH MY GOD! That picture I used in the last post led me to this book. WTF.

New Revised! Including new research and findings showing what the true causes of HIV & AIDS are and lead directly to their cure! 53 CURED Cases The First Year Cure, not treatment, is the subject of this book. In 1991 Dr. Clark discovered the source of HIV. Once the source became clear the cure became obvious. but would it work? After curing 53 cases in a row, all who used this method, Dr. Clark could wait no longer to present these findings. Since that time many more have been cured, too many to be added to this book. Most important is adding yourself to that list! Electricity can now be used to kill bacteria, viruses and parasites in minutes, not days or weeks as antibiotics require. If you have been suffering from HIV infection or AIDS related illness, learn to build the electronic device that will stop it immediately. It is safe and without side effects ad does not interfere with any treatment you are now on.

Buy it now and save yourself. Crisis. Real medicine is not about anecdotal case studies - it's about randomised control trials.

How to cure HIV

Sometimes, "lost in translation" can be bloody dangerous. See this site.

"What is this HIV Cure meant for?- This cure for HIV is a holistic HIV cure with A bio Magnetic Cards / Bio Magnetic Tablets and immune enhancing herbal medicines. No side effects in this. This s purely ethical and most successful treatment in the history of HIV. Very easy to use -Even a 10 year old boy can use this. This is most potent HIV cure available.

What is the procedure of action of treatment?
Bio Magnetic Cards Or Bio Magnetic Tablets will perform as very strong fusion inhibitor (entry inhibitor) that completely stop HIV cure from entering CD4 Cells. by creating a negative charge CD4 which will repel negatively charged HIV and prevent it from attaching the surface of CD4. So HIV can not complete its life cycle. Thus it will die in due course and will be expelled from body through excretion like that of urine etc.

What will be result-?
HIV will be destroyed and soon the body will start to gain weight . All symptoms will be subsided and CD4 count will be back to the normal. All opportunistic diseases will be cured as well. The HIV cure will be termed that because HIV 's end is the result of the HIV cure."

HIV is the biggest epidemic we've ever had. This kind of stuff makes me want to cry. It should be taken down. Someone phone Google.

Find your way around the Internet when sick...

Are you lost? Think you have a rare tropical disease? Which site do you trust?

The Aussie Government launched this initiative:

The Fifty-first World Health Assembly (Resolution WHA51.9, May 1998) requested the Director-General of WHO to develop a guide on medical products and the Internet. The guide was intended to serve as a model for Member States to adapt into locally meaningful advice for Internet users in order to help them to obtain reliable, independent and comparable information on medicinal products. The guide in this booklet has been prepared to meet the Health Assembly request. It has been developed in consultation with drug regulatory authorities, drug information experts, consumer organizations, and the pharmaceutical industry. It is a model guide, designed to be translated into national languages and modified as the local situation may require.

WHO would be grateful to receive any comments on experience gained from the practical use of the guide which would help in developing it further

.

At last. Someone who isn't just indexing all the bullshit diagnoses out there - and someone really trying to help the internet junkies properly embrace the cyberchondria!

It might be old. At least they're thinking right.

Medical Quackery - Cyberchondriacs

Stumbled across an old, but interesting post. Excerpt below:

"Experts warn there is a great deal of false and misleading information on the Internet. That’s true – I learned the hard way that eating a bucket of chocolate pudding doesn’t alleviate a headache.

But, for me, the outright quackery was far less damaging than the cold, hard, accurate facts. There is no more devastating statistic than a Survival Rate. That number rattles around your brain like it’s the solution to an equation that could save your life. You massage it, you toy with it… “If 75.2% survive, that means 24.8% don’t… and if 24.8% don’t that means almost 1 in 4…” There’s no better, darker way to learn math."

All to often in practice you get patients who come in and tell YOU what they have. They Google'd it and now know that they have some bacterial infection, or rare intestinal disease or worse. They want "augmentin" or something else they read up about... You smile as a doctor, say you just need to check, only to find out that they have a simple cold, or a viral gastro and nothing more..

Just try and Google the symptoms for Inflammatory bowel disease and I bet most of you will think that you have it...


The lesson is this. We study for more than 6 years to DISTINGUISH symptoms and diseases. Anybody can read medical textbooks or google symptoms and will think they have the answer, but medical school teaches you how to work out what is a headache and what is a brain tumour.

Clinical examination is important. You'd be suprised to know what I can diagnose the way you walk into the room, or by simply looking at the back of your eye (and you would laugh at the amount of information we get out of a touch-your-nose-then-my-finger neurological examination).

Ah... sometimes I miss clinical medicine... but only sometimes...

NetCare in an organ transplant scam.

Yikes. Click on the image to enlarge.

Marketing a Journal Article...

We received this mail a while ago from Dan Jeffers...

While reviewing blogs and Web sites that discuss blood disorders, I noticed that yours seems to be well-read and well-informed. Your readers may be interested in the recent clinical practice guidelines for von Willebrand Disease (VWD) offered by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. These are the first clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand Disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder. The guidelines include recommendations on screening, diagnosis, disease management, and directions for future research. An extensive article on the guidelines is published online Feb. 29 in the journal Haemophilia.

“These are the first guidelines on von Willebrand Disease published in the United States and we are pleased to offer clinicians science-based recommendations in the evaluation and treatment of patients,” said NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. “The disease can be difficult to diagnose, especially in women of child-bearing age and in children, and the danger of excessive bleeding is often under-recognized.”

The guidelines can be found at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/vwd/index.htm, and are available for purchase or download.

We hope that you will reach out to your audience by posting a link and/or commenting about the recent guidelines. Thanks for helping us spread the word.

Regards,
Dan Jeffers
Internet Marketing Specialist for
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

What interests me most is not the guidelines for Von Willebrands disease (for medical personel can be found here), it's the fact that medical marketing seems to have taken a new turn.

Before, if a new guideline was published, it could be found in the latest journals like the NEMJ, BMJ, AMJ, SAMJ, CME (there are many (x 100) more) and you would get to know about it via word of mouth. Usually a collegue in the specific field of medicine would have either seen it in his journal, heard about it at a conference, or a drug rep would spread the word. Mostly reputable sources.

It is interesting, that in this new landscape of everything being accessible online (don't get me into the exhorbitant prices you pay to access journals) that this seems to be a new way to market. Get it on Blogs, have the medical Bloggers promote it. It's definately a cheaper and perhaps more far reaching marketing tool. But do you always trust the bloggers information?

This at least comes from a reputable site, so I know the info is good. But in the ever increasing world wide web, where a ton of stuff is factitious (see earlier post about men having babies) and where is it getting harder to distinguish legitimate medical sites from the hocus-pocus out there - I am sceptical about the marketing means...

I don't know...

Jury is out for me...

I'm still trying to decide if I like this type of marketing or if it going to create more headaches in the long run with the large, and sometimes painful, website and information verification process.