Clinical Psychiatry News articles from March 2004

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from March 2004

TMAP guidelines gaining ground.(News)(Texas Medication Algorithm Project)
March 1, 2004... When Dr. Steven P. Shon, medical director of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, attended a series of public hearings across his state about treatment of mental illness in 1995, he kept hearing frustration from...

Some cognitive deficits may signal future stroke risk: study of 1,011 men and 1,164 women points to importance of intervention.(News)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Up to 10 years before they have a stroke, certain individuals show deficits in specific areas of cognitive performance that could suggest an elevated stroke risk, Merrill F. Elias, Ph.D.,reported at an American Medical Association...

Overall teen drug use falls for 2nd year in row: inhalant use in grade 8 a 'warning sign.'.(News)
March 1, 2004... Overall drug use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders dropped in 2003 for the second straight year, according to the most recent report on the Monitoring the Future survey. The annual report of the drug-use habits of nearly 50,000 adolescents...

Psychiatric adverse events reported to FDA.(News)(Food and Drug Administration)
March 1, 2004... BETHESDA, MD. -- Most of the pediatric adverse events in patients on paroxetine reported to the Food and Drug Administration during a recent 1-year period were psychiatric, Dr. Solomon Iyasu said at a meeting of the FDA's Psychopharmacology...

Coalition mounts aggressive campaign for Liability Reform.(News)
March 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO -- A new and rapidly growing specialty society coalition called Doctors for Medical Liability Reform is poised to wrest the helm of the tort reform campaign from the American Medical Association. With $10 million in its coffers...

FDA panel recommends pairing folic acid/OCs.(News)(Food and Drug Administration)(oral contraceptive)
March 1, 2004... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- The Food and Drug Administration's Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs voted unanimously that an oral contraceptive pill is a reasonable delivery vehicle for folic acid supplementation. The 19-member panel...

Seeds of delusion sowed early.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... In a previous letter, we questioned continuation in the DSM of the term "false belief" because beliefs are neither true nor false, but provide meaning in the absence of certainty ("A Defining Error," September 2003, p. 16). In our view,...

Minority role models needed.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I read "Medical School Applications Again on the Rise," but I am concerned that this trend does not appear to be reversing for minorities (November 2003, p. 6). At Eastern Virginia Medical School, there has been a paucity of male minority...

Ethics go up in smoke.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Yes, there are doctors who would recommend marijuana--it cannot be prescribed because it has not met any of the Food and Drug Administration criteria for a pharmaceutical drug--to their patients ("Some Doctors Hail Court's Decision Not to Take...

Stigma is depressing.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I agree with Dr. Morton M. Silverman that we need to destigmatize physician depression ("Let's Change Our Mindset," Guest Editorial, August 2003, p. 23). In addition to the state licensure barriers he mentions, there are issues with...

More on late questions.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Handling situations in which patients bring up hot topics late in their sessions depends on several issues, particularly the nature of the topic and the therapy ("When Time Runs Out," Fink! Still at Large, February 2004, p. 12). If the topic at...

Helping patients who rage.(Fink! Still at Large)
March 1, 2004... One of our biggest challenges is finding ways to help patients who have problems with rage. What nonpharmacologic approaches have you used to help these patients gain control of their emotions? Children May Feel Helpless To help...

A ride on the ferris wheel.(Reel Life)
March 1, 2004... The story of Aileen Carol (Lee) Wuornos is a lurid tale. From her arraignment in Florida in 1990--for killing seven men over a 1-year span--to her trial in 1992, her case fed a national media frenzy. People ballyhooed her as America's first...

Avoid new practice pitfalls.(Guest Editorial)
March 1, 2004... Before accepting that first job in medicine or buying into a practice, young physicians should realize how important it is to do their research. Too often, a physician fresh out of residency will sign a contract without knowing the details...

Assessing Obesity Drugs.(Practical Psychopharmacology)
March 1, 2004... More than half of Americans are heavy enough to put their health at risk, and overweight is even more prevalent among persons with psychiatric disorders. While the link between psychopathology and obesity is complex--poor nutrition,...

Let's get honest about fibromyalgia.(Guest Editorial)
March 1, 2004... It's time for rheumatologists to recognize and act on the fact that what we have been doing so far to manage fibromyalgia patients has not worked well. We are not the best equipped to care for patients with this complex disorder. ...

A harmful obsession?(Guest Editorial)
March 1, 2004... Once upon a time there was a children's world, as in Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer," where kids were the bosses who could do what they wanted. Playing fields used to be part of this children's world. Today, many have become places where adults...

Should physicians conduct spiritual histories of their patients?(Pro & Con)
March 1, 2004... YES There is growing research that religion makes a difference in physical and psychological health, prevention, and recovery. It also gives patients a more optimistic view of death and illness, and is a powerful source of meaning and purpose....

DSM criticized for failure to focus on etiology.(Adult Psychiatry)(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders should avoid simplistic diagnoses based on the politics of influential groups in favor of a system based on etiology, according to Dr. Eric Caine. In the DSM-II and...

Interventions help chronic fatigue patients.(Adult Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are able to maintain improvements in symptoms gained during an educational and exercise treatment program after 2 years of follow-up, reported Pauline Powell, Ph.D., and her associates at the University of...

The art of Aaron Holliday.(Visionary Art)
March 1, 2004... The artwork of Aaron Holliday can range from the surreal to the startlingly realistic. His pencil drawings are lush and intricately detailed; and his oil paintings employ the same attention to detail combined with a riot of color and depth. ...

Mental health coverage has holes.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... About 38% of Americans aged 18-64 years, or an estimated 45 million residents, do not have private health insurance coverage for substance abuse or mental health services, reported Li-Tzy Wu, Sc.D., and William E. Schlenger, Ph.D., of RTI...

Duration of untreated psychosis.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Early detection of first-episode psychosis appears to reduce the duration of untreated first-episode psychosis, reported Dr. Ingrid Melle of Ullevaal University Hospital, Oslo, and her associates. A total of 141 patients with first-episode...

Short-term olanzapine for BPD.(Clinical Capsules)(borderline personality disorder)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Olanzapine may be an effective shortterm treatment for patients with borderline personality disorder, according to Dr. Michael P. Bogenschutz and Dr. H. George Nurnberg of the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Their findings are based...

Hypogonadism and depression.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Hypogonadal men appear to have a fourfold increased risk of depression, compared with men with normal testosterone levels, reported Dr. Molly M. Shores and her associates at Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle,. Of 23...

Behavioral therapies help infidelity couples: findings in this randomized, controlled trial can be useful to therapists working with couples premaritally or in a prevention capacity.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Existing behavioral marital therapies are effective for couples dealing with infidelity, Donald Baucom, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy. These findings are based on the...

Social phobia eased by cognitive-behavioral tx.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Cognitive-behavioral therapy was shown superior to self-exposure instructions combined with fluoxetine or placebo for treating social phobia, Dr. David M. Clark said at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of...

Lexapro wins approval for GAD treatment.(Adult Psychiatry)(generalized anxiety disorder)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration has approved escitalopram oxalate for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Escitalopram (Lexapro), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, was originally approved in August 2002 for the treatment of...

Mindfulness training boosts CBT in social phobia.(Adult Psychiatry)(Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Mindfulness training was shown to enhance cognitive-behavioral task-concentration techniques used to treat social phobia, Susan M. Bogels, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy....

Lifestyle changes, SSRIs favored for hot flashes.(Adult Psychiatry)(Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor)
March 1, 2004... The first alternative to hormone therapy for treating hot flashes should be a lifestyle approach, such as instituting an exercise regimen or practicing controlled breathing techniques, according to a statement released in January by the North...

Antidepressant use has no effect on breast ca risk.(Adult Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO -- Current or prior use of antidepressant medication doesn't appear to be associated with increased risk of breast cancer, Dr. Michelle Jackman reported at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the Cancer Therapy and Research...

Postmenopausal mental function unchanged with hormone therapy.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... SAN ANTONIO -- Postmenopausal hormone therapy with either estrogen or progesterone alone or in combination has no effect on cognitive function, according to new research. "There's been a fair amount of suggestion that progesterone might...

First-line atypicals have similar efficacy in schizophrenia.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... HARRIMAN, N. Y. -- All atypical antipsychotics have a broader spectrum of efficacy in schizophrenia than conventional neuroleptics, but only clozapine is clearly superior for treatment-resistant patients, Dr. Rajiv Tandon said at a meeting on...

Bupropion and schizophrenia.(Evidence - Based Psychiatric Medicine)
March 1, 2004... The Patient You have a patient who suffers from schizophrenia. Positive symptoms have been well controlled with an antipsychotic for several months. He requests alleviation of his nicotine habit. You consider bupropion, but, knowing the...

Controlling chronic pain--part I.(The Psychiatrist's Toolbox)
March 1, 2004... As psychiatrists, not unlike other specialists in medicine, we desperately want to help patients with chronic pain, but we often get as frustrated as they do in coping with this difficult syndrome. When a patient has been in pain for 2-3...

For comorbid PTSD, drug tx may surpass CBT.(Adult Psychiatry)(Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)(Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Depressed women with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder saw significant improvement in their PTSD symptoms if they were treated with an antidepressant, but not if they received therapy instead of medication, reported Bonnie...

Stress, panic, depression, drugs bring on depersonalization disorder.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Patients with depersonalization disorder cited severe stress, panic, depression, and drug use as the most common triggers of symptoms, Dr. Daphne Sime-on of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, told the annual conference of the...

Easy hypnosis flags dissociation risk, type.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Hypnotizability is associated not only with both acute and chronic dissociation, it also appears to shape the type of disorder that develops, Lisa Butler, Ph.D., said at the annual conference of the International Society for the...

CBT less effective in the trenches than the lab.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(cognitive-behavioral therapy)
March 1, 2004... MIAMI -- A disparity exists between the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for depressed youth in clinical trials and community settings. Most controlled trials assessing youth with depression support the efficacy of...

Screen teens for use of performance enhancers.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... Anabolic steroids, ephedra, and creatine are top choices for teens who want to grow stronger or look better, said Dr. Reginald Washington, a pediatric cardiologist in Denver. More than 1 million 12- to 17-year-olds have taken potentially...

More studies on bipolar disorder sorely needed.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Despite the presence of manic symptoms and evidence of mixed, rapid cycling, bipolar disorder was initially misdiagnosed in 12 out of 24 youths in a small outpatient study. A chart review of 24 bipolar children and...

Attachment disorders can be spotted early.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Attachment disturbances in very young children can be recognized as early as 7-9 months of age, and are predictive of troubled future relationships, Dr. Charles H. Zeanah Jr. said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of...

To build attachment and foster self-regulation with child, heed nonverbal cues.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Teach parents to be good "nonverbal detectives" to promote attachment with their child and to help the child "self-regulate" behavior. Marti Glenn, Ph.D., said at the 11th International Congress of the Association for Pre- and...

Exercise intervention may help high-risk youth.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- More children and adolescents are obese than ever, but vigorous exercise could help them trim their fat and reduce their risk for chronic diseases, Bernard Gutin, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the North American...

Methylphenidate, ADHD.(Clinical Capsules)(Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Osmotic-release methylphenidate was associated with statistically significant, though clinically minor, increases in blood pressure and heart rate when given to children once daily for 1 year, said Dr. Timothy E. Wilens of Harvard Medical...

Conduct disorder, gun carrying risk.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Approximately 20% of 177 boys clinically referred for conduct disorder or other disruptive disorders admitted to carrying a concealed gun at least once, said Rolf Loeber, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh, and his associates. Given the...

Lithium affects thyroid in BPD.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Thyroid-stimulating hormone levels rose significantly from baseline in a group of youth with bipolar disorder aged 5-17 years who were taking both lithium and divalproex sodium, said Dr. Barbara L. Gracious of the University of Rochester (N.Y.)...

Bupropion for nicotine dependence.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Adolescents with nicotine dependence may benefit from bupropion, whether or not they have comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, said Dr. Himanshu P. Upadhyaya and colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston....

CBT can help at-risk nursing home residents.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Brief, group-based cognitive-behavioral therapy can reduce symptom severity in nursing home residents who are at risk for depression but who do not yet meet criteria for major depression, a randomized trial has shown. The results...

Key clues differentiate Alzheimer's from Lewy body dementia.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Specific changes in alertness and cognition provide a key diagnostic clue for clinicians faced with distinguishing Alzheimer's disease from dementia with Lewy bodies and the normal effects of aging, Tanis Ferman, Ph.D., reported at...

SSRI-induced hyponatremia underrecognized.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... Hyponatremia is an underrecognized and potentially lethal complication in elderly patients treated with paroxetine and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, reported Tanya J. Fabian, Pharm.D., of the departments of pharmaceutical...

Vitamin C, E combo may lower risk of Alzheimer's.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... Combined use of vitamin C and E supplements appears to help protect the brain from development of Alzheimer's disease, researchers report. "Our findings are promising," said lead investigator Peter P. Zandi, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins...

Pain and alcohol intake not linked in older male drinkers.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Pain and alcohol consumption were not associated in a study of older male war veterans receiving primary care. The finding is surprising because the link between pain and alcohol consumption among younger adults is well known,...

Duration of antipsychotic treatment.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... The guidelines below for treating psychiatric disorders with antipsychotics are based on an expert consensus survey of 36 geriatric psychiatrists and 12 geriatric internists/family physicians. Delirium is a medical emergency in which the...

High DHA intake linked to less Alzheimer's, other dementia.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(docosahexaenoic acid)
March 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- People who ate an average of 180 mg or more a day of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a fatty acid found in fish oil, had about 40% less Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, compared with people who consumed less DHA. This...

Methamphetamine withdrawal changes the brain; brain abnormalities are similar to those observed in patients with depression and those with anxiety.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... The brains of methamphetamine abusers who stop using the potent psychostimulant have abnormalities similar to those seen in people with depression and anxiety disorders, a study has shown. The findings suggest that adding therapy for those...

Methadone death spike linked to outpatient prescriptions.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... Methadone prescriptions for outpatient pain management, not its use in opioid treatment programs, have been linked to an observed increase in deaths related to use of the drug in recent years, according to a federal government report. ...

Study explores semantic processing; deficits seen in patients with antisocial disorder differ from those of alcoholics.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Subjects with antisocial personality disorder exhibit deficits in semantic processing that are different from those seen in alcoholics, although the two conditions frequently coexist. A study of 327 adults from the Collaborative...

Opioid dependence likely plays role in drug co-use patterns.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... Sequential co-use of heroin and cocaine was more common than both heroin use alone and simultaneous use of the two drugs, and less common than cocaine use alone in a cohort of intravenous drug users in Montreal not receiving methadone treatment...

Sunbathers may be hooked on rays.(Addiction Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- When a devoted sunbather claims to be addicted to tanning, that might not be an exaggeration. That's the conclusion of Dr. Richard F. Wagner Jr. of the University of Texas, Galveston. He presented a poster at the American...

Topiramate shows promise for alcohol dependence tx.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Topiramate appears to be an effective treatment for alcoholism. The anticonvulsant, approved in the United States for a wide range of epileptic disorders, was shown in a recent randomized, controlled study to significantly...

Differentiating suicidal ideation, suicide attempts.(Addiction Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Several factors can help in distinguishing between those who only consider or threaten suicide and those who will attempt suicide, Dr. Alex Khislavsky reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Academy of...

Possible predictor of stimulant abuse identified.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- The dopamine transporter genotype appears to be predictive of amphetamine response, Dr. David C. Lott reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. The dopamine transporter is the primary...

Women crave cocaine with a different brain region than men.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... Findings from positron emission tomography suggest that crack cocaine cravings activate different parts of the brain in women than in men, reported Clinton D. Kilts, Ph.D., and his associates at Emory University, Atlanta. Those differences...

Gay men at increased risk for depression, distress.(Community Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... Gay men are significantly more likely than adult U.S. men in general to be clinically depressed or distressed, reported Dr. Thomas C. Mills and his colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco. Based on an analysis of...

Few gay HIV-positive men are likely to return to their jobs.(Community Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... Most HIV-positive gay men who are unemployed don't return to work, so physicians shouldn't recommend that those patients leave their jobs unless it is medically necessary, Judith G. Rabkin, Ph.D., of the New York State Psychiatric Institute,...

Task force backs obesity counseling.(Community Psychiatry)
March 1, 2004... A new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force may help physicians help their patients tackle obesity. The task force now recommends that physicians screen their adult patients for obesity and offer intensive counseling,...

Levetiracetam controls epilepsy in most adults.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Monotherapy with levetiracetam for new-onset and hard-to-control epilepsy is effective and well tolerated in adult patients, including elderly patients, three retrospective studies have shown. One of the newest broad-spectrum...

Monotherapy may be best for resistant epilepsy.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Reduction of polypharmacy to monotherapy may reduce seizure frequency and improve quality of life in some patients with medically refractory epilepsy, according to results of a retrospective study. The 35 patients in the study...

Misfire in brain tied to auditory hallucinations.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- A miscommunication between the frontal and temporal lobes may account for auditory hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia, Judith M. Ford, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research. ...

Disruption of EEG synchronization also seen in manic phase of bipolar disorder.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)(Electroencephalographs)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Disturbances of EEG synchronization aren't specific to schizophrenia: They're also present during the manic phase of bipolar disorder, Brian O'Donnell, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological...

Poststroke dementia more likely among African Americans.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO -- Individuals who had a stroke were more likely to develop dementia than those who didn't have a stroke in a 5-year study, and the situation was especially bad for African American men. An analysis of Medicare and Medicaid...

Botox stops headache pain in recalcitrant cases.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- A new study, the largest to date, adds to the evidence that botulinum toxin type A alleviates and prevents headache pain. Botulinum toxin type A (Botox) is an effective preventive therapy for headache pain in a variety of...

Acupuncture appears to work with Botox for migraine relief.(Pain Medicine)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Acupuncture-guided botulinum toxin type A injections in the scalp, neck, and shoulders may help relieve migraine headaches in women, Dr. Bhertha Miyuki Tamura reported. She and a colleague gave each of 10 female migraineurs a total dose of...

Eletriptan shown more effective than sumatriptan for treating acute migraines.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Eletriptan, at both 40 mg and 80 mg dosages, provides superior relief of acute migraine than sumatriptan at 100 mg, according to a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society. Data were pooled from...

Indomethacin can relieve short-lasting headaches.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2004... CANCUN, MEXICO -- Indomethacin is the treatment of choice in a number of different types of short-lasting headache, Dr. Richard B. Lipton said at a symposium sponsored by the American Headache Society. Dr. Lipton of Albert Einstein College...

Daily topiramate effective for migraine prevention.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- For migraine prophylaxis, 100 mg/day of topiramate significantly reduced migraine frequency compared with both 50 mg/day and placebo, and was as effective as 200 mg/day in a large cohort of patients with chronic migraine. Those...

Careful differential diagnosis is crucial in cluster headache.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2004... CANCUN, MEXICO -- A careful differential diagnosis will help distinguish patients with cluster headache from those with other short-lasting headaches--a crucial step, because the treatments for these disorders differ greatly, Dr. Richard B....

Time to peak intensity crucial in evaluating acute headache.(Pain Medicine)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... CANCUN, MEXICO -- In evaluating patients who have had headache symptoms for less than 3 months, the physician must first determine the time until onset of peak pain, Dr. David J. Capobianco said at a symposium sponsored by the American Headache...

Make pain resolution a key issue in depression tx.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2004... NASHVILLE, TENN. -- Resolution of pain should be a goal in the pharmacotherapy of depression, especially in light of the current emphasis on treatment of the mood disorder to remission, Dr. Vladimir Maletic said at the annual meeting of the...

Neuropathic pain: guidelines simplify management.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2004... Chronic neuropathic pain is common and debilitating, but new evidence-based guidelines promise to simplify the management of this type of pain by offering specific treatment recommendations. Chronic neuropathic pain--caused by lesions in...

Data show weather changes really may affect arthritis.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2004... BERLIN -- The old bit of folk wisdom that patients with arthritis can predict weather changes by the aches and pains in their joints may be legitimate after all. The perennial claim by patients was put to the test in a study of 147 people,...

Integrative medicine is gaining popularity.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
March 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Dr. Erminia Guarneri is an interventional cardiologist who, despite the apparent narrowness of her calling, decided a few years back that her patients needed more than balloons and stents. She persuaded the Scripps Clinic, San...

Anorexia patients show emphysema-like changes.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- Patients with anorexia nervosa have emphysema-like changes in the lungs that are similar to those seen in elderly smokers, Harvey O. Coxson, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. In...