Colleagues,Thank you to MedTechIQ member Neal Neuberger for bringing this important article to our attention.As many of you may recall, a year ago yesterday, Joplin, Missouri was hit by a catastrophic EF5 multiple-vortex tornado that caused over 160 deaths and $2.2 billion in damage.In “An HIT Solution…See More

Have you ever thought that the doctor wasn’t listening to you? Didn’t seem to understand what was important to you? Was talking in medical speak but not in a language you could understand? That he or she gave bad news to you and left you hanging as to what to do next? Unfortunately, these are all too common. Medical advances such as new drugs, imaging devices, operating room technology and others are coming rapidly and greatly expanding what can be done for patients. But concurrently it also…See More

Can integrative medicine add value to standard western practices? Some would say absolutely not; others point to new scientific evidence that demonstrates the value of specific modalities in specific situations. Health care is complex, expensive and often depersonalizing. It shouldn’t be. At the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine, the staff focuses on evaluating and involving complementary medicine into traditional western or…See More

Is it possible that health care can become more effective, more personalized, more attuned to real health and wellness in a manner that truly benefits you the customer? At the recent health and wellness conference celebrating the 20th anniversary of the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine there was a panel discussion moderated by Center director Brian Berman, MD on the topic of health care of the future. Here are some excerpts from the comments made by Dr. Delia Chiaramonte,…See More

Can integrative medicine add value to standard western practices? Some would say absolutely not; others point to new scientific evidence that demonstrates the value of specific modalities in specific situations. Health care is complex, expensive and often depersonalizing. It shouldn’t be. At the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine, the staff focuses on evaluating and involving complementary medicine into traditional western or…See More

Genomics Part 4 -- Medical MegatrendsAre you concerned about a family history of heart disease? Or cancer? Worried that you genes will be your fate? We know that good dietary habits are generally good for us but can foods affect our genes? The new science of nutrigenomics suggests that they can.Nutrigenomics is about using what you eat to change your gene expression (meaning how your genes function) to optimize your health.Nutrigenomics is the science of how bioactive chemicals in foods and…See More

Medical Megatrends – Genomics Part III Genomics promises to fundamentally change much of medical care as described in the two prior posts on this subject.  But the ultimate value of this new understanding of basic human biology will in many cases come with fits and starts. The saga of belimumab (Benlysta) and Human Genome Sciences is illustrative. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) occurs in somewhere between 300,000 and 4 million Americans according to the Centers for Disease Control. It is…See More