Clinical Psychiatry News articles from March 2005

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from March 2005

Anger common in disruptive physicians.(News)
March 1, 2005... ARLINGTON, VA. -- Can a surgeon who brings a gun to the operating room be trusted not to use it? That's an extreme example of the kinds of questions that psychiatrists must address when doctors are referred to them for evaluations. ...

Where do seniors turn with their Medicare drug benefit questions?(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... Where Do Seniors Turn With Their Medicare Drug Benefit Questions? Doctor 38% Medicare outreach 31% Pharmacist 30% Health insurer 25% Friends or family 23% Social...

Dropoff seen in prescribing of antidepressants: surprisingly, psychiatrists writing fewer.(News)
March 1, 2005... Arecently reported 10% decline in the percentage of children and adolescents taking antidepressants last year is alarming but not surprising, given all the controversy and publicity leading up to the Food and Drug Administration's black box...

New data mixed on risk, use of SSRIs in adults.(News)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
March 1, 2005... Three new studies published in the British Medical Journal on the use of popular antidepressants and suicide risk in adults reach conflicting conclusions. One study reviewed data from 702 randomized controlled clinical trials (87,650...

More data needed on health care.(News)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Consumer-driven health care may be the "next big thing" in health insurance, but it won't go anywhere until more data on plans, providers, and outcomes become available, George Halvorson said at a health care congress sponsored by...

FDA's new drug safety board under scrutiny: critics say board may lack independence and authority, and may not have sufficient resources.(News)
March 1, 2005... Many questions surround the authority of a new drug safety board that would oversee the management of drug safety and provide emerging information to physicians and patients about the benefits and risks of medicines on the market. Such a...

New SAMHSA guidelines stress importance of dual Tx.(News)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is now telling mental health professionals to expect to see substance use with other mental health disorders and to treat both problems at the same time. The...

Suicide causality not part of black box warning.(News)
March 1, 2005... Revised requirements for antidepressant labels that would omit references to a causal link between the drugs and suicide in children and adolescents have drawn mixed reactions from clinicians. "I think it's good that the FDA has shied away...

Alzheimer's drug linked to higher mortality.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Canadian health authorities have issued a public advisory concerning the safety of galantamine hydrobromide as a treatment for mild cognitive impairment--an off-label use. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed that it is also looking...

In favor of caps.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... In the debate about caps on noneconomic damages, you pitted an experienced physician and CEO of a physician-owned insurance company, Richard E. Anderson, M.D., against Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice and Democracy...

Saving the ship.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Both Richard E. Anderson, M.D., and Joanne Doroshow made convincing, logical arguments regarding the malpractice crisis. But I suggest that both of them were merely shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic (Pro & Con: "Are caps the answer to...

A question of values.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... I was surprised by your choice of contributor for the Guest Editorial ("The Values Debate in Health Care," October 2004, p. 10). Leonard D. Schaeffer was scheduled to receive a payment (cash and stock options) estimated at $337 million for...

Deter frivolous lawsuits.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... To prevent a total collapse of our medical delivery system, some type of financial deterrent against frivolous lawsuits is needed. I propose a federal filing fee of 1% of the award being sought. The fee would be paid by the lawyers bringing...

Why not use technology?(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... I couldn't agree more with the arguments made by Dr. Robert T. London, in his column about the need for psychiatrists to work with other kinds of therapists when it comes to treating patients ("Making Dual Therapy Work." The Psychiatrist's...

'Primary care psychiatry'.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... I am a board-certified internist in southern Oregon and have transitioned into a mostly psychiatric practice due to needs here in our community ("Teamwork Closes Mental Health Gap," November 2004, p. 1). As a result, I am interested in...

Positive adoption language essential.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... It was wonderful to read the article on preparing for adoption, but I have one objection to some of the language used ("How to Prepare for Adoption," The Rest of Your Life, December 2004, p. 79). In the section on confronting fears, Dr....

Helping elderly drug abusers.(FINK! STILL AT LARGE)
March 1, 2005... The Department of Health and Human Services predicts that the number of seniors with substance abuse problems will rise by 150% by 2020. Because many of these patients are resistant to therapy, treating them can prove challenging. What...

Vets and the VA: another kind of war story.(REEL LIFE)
March 1, 2005... "Article 99," a 1992 film directed by Howard Deutch, has renewed relevance now. It is a unique, ambitious effort to portray problems in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, problems receiving greater attention recently because of the...

Spiritualized therapy may lessen symptoms in sex abuse survivors.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... A program that integrates cognitive therapy with spiritual awareness and healing has proved beneficial to female survivors of childhood sexual abuse, significantly decreasing symptom scores in all patients in a small pilot study. The...

New study finds different results on efficacy of St. John's wort for depression.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... EXETER, ENGLAND -- A proprietary formulation of St. John's wort was equivalent in efficacy to paroxetine for moderate to severe depression in a prospective, randomized, multicenter study, Stephan Klement, M.D., reported at a symposium on...

Reduced brain volume unique to schizophrenia.(Adult Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... IRVINE, CALIF. -- Patients who have schizophrenia have small superior temporal gyri, a finding that sets them apart from people with other psychiatric illnesses, including other psychoses, Martin Reite, M.D., said at the annual conference of...

Psychiatrists, patients differ on Tx goals.(Adult Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- Treatment goals held by schizophrenia patients and their psychiatrists may differ substantially, Eric C. Hufnagel reported in a poster presentation at the American Psychiatric Association's Institute on Psychiatric Services. In...

Depression screen may avert 'diabetes burnout'.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... QUEBEC CITY -- Diabetes patients and their physicians are at high risk for burnout, but they can sidestep some of that risk by ruling out depression, William Polonsky, Ph.D., said at the joint annual meeting of the Canadian Diabetes Association...

Gentle persuasion can get obese diabetics moving.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... DETROIT -- Many studies have shown that lifestyle interventions can improve the health of patients with obesity and diabetes, but the challenge lies in bridging the gap between research and reality, Rosalind Peters, Ph.D., R.N., said at a...

The art of Meghan Caughey.(VISIONARY ART)
March 1, 2005... Meghan Caughey is almost matter-of-fact about the place of art in her world. "I draw and paint to stay alive," she writes in her artist statement on her Web site. While an undergraduate, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Later, in...

Newer antipsychotics, hyperlipidemia.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Schizophrenia patients exposed to the new-generation antipsychotic olanzapine (Zyprexa) and, to a lesser extent, clozapine (Clozaril) appear to have a roughly 20% greater chance of developing new-onset hyperlipidemia, compared with those using...

Atypicals in dual-diagnosis patients.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Patients dually diagnosed with mild mental retardation and comorbid psychotic illness may see improvement in clinical symptoms after treatment with atypical antipsychotics, reported Karen J. Shedlack, M.D., of Harvard Medical School, Boston,...

Neurocognitive impairment in bipolar.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Bipolar affective disorder patients who are in remission often have persistent impairments in neurocognitive function that may be a marker of underlying neurobiologic dysfunction, reported Jill M. Thompson, B.Sc., and her colleagues at the...

Comorbidity in American Indians.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... American Indians have high levels of alcohol abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substantial comorbidity is prevalent in this population as well, reported Janette Beals, Ph.D., and her associates at the University of Colorado...

Nefazodone and SAD.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(seasonal affective disorder)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Nefazodone may benefit sleep efficiency and sleep latency in women with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), reported Jianhua Shen, M.D., and associates at the University of Toronto. Eight female SAD patients whose mean age was 45 had a mean...

Expert cites genetics as key component in BPD.(Adult Psychiatry)(borderline personality disorder)
March 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- Borderline personality disorder is a condition with a greater genetic component and better prognosis than many psychiatrists have led themselves to believe. The complex disorder, often perceived as highly stable and unremitting,...

Dissociative disorder seems common in BPD patients.(Adult Psychiatry)(borderline personality disorder with dissociative disorder)
March 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Dissociative disorder appears to be a common comorbidity in patients with borderline personality disorder, and their coexistence may play a role in patients' reporting of childhood trauma, Vedat Sar, M.D., said at the annual...

Aripiprazole in bipolar mania.(EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE)
March 1, 2005... The Problem You have a patient who has been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. He has cycled into a severe manic episode with psychotic features. The patient refuses treatment with typical mood stabilizers such as lithium, valproate,...

Treating fearful flyers.(THE PSYCHIATRIST'S TOOLBOX)
March 1, 2005... Last May, I used this space to describe techniques that have helped me to help patients beat their phobias. As I wrote in that column, 5%-10% of the population suffer from a phobia at some time in their lives (CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY NEWS, May...

Marital disagreements more unpleasant for older couples.(Adult Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Older married couples disagree less intensely than their middle-aged counterparts, and they experience disagreement as physiologically more unpleasant, Gilad Hirschberger, Ph.D., said in a poster presented at the annual...

CBT for PTSD can decrease startle responses.(Adult Psychiatry)(cognitive-behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Successful cognitive-behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder also decreases a patient's startle responses, even though the treatment is not designed to address that symptom, Michael G. Griffin, Ph.D., reported at...

Keep talking with surgically menopausal.(Adult Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... PHILADELPHIA -- Surgically menopausal women under the age of 50 years deserve special attention with regard to sexual desire disorder, results of a new study suggest. "Physicians should routinely inquire about sexual function both pre- and...

Dad's mental health tempers ill mom's effect.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Good mental health in a father can buffer the impact of a mentally ill mother on a child, Robert S. Kahn, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. In a study of 822 children aged 3-12 years who...

Romantic woes may hit teen boys harder.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... BALTIMORE -- There may be a link between romantic relationship anxiety and depression, and surprisingly, this association appears stronger in teenage boys than girls, Carl Weems, Ph.D., wrote in a poster presentation at a biennial meeting of...

Interview software evaluates autism symptoms.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... The assessment of children with autism spectrum disorders is going high tech. The Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview, known as 3di, is a computerized program that analyzes autistic symptoms in clinical and normal...

Study supports autism's link to immunity.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... BUDAPEST, HUNGARY -- Children with autism spectrum disorders appear to have immune responses different from those of healthy children, according to data presented at the 4th International Congress on Autoimmunity. "There is evidence now...

Teen drug use has changed little since 1970s: genetics, environment, nature of drug determine number of new users who become dependent.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- The number of teenagers who experiment with recreational drugs is nearly the same as it was during its peak years in the early 1970s, reported James Anthony, Ph.D., at the annual conference of the Association for Research in Nervous...

Parents think children should be told of alcohol problems in family.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- A majority of parents in rural Kansas think children should know about problem drinkers in the family, reported Kimber Richter, Ph.D. Approximately 45% of alcoholism is genetic, and knowledge of family history might help...

New initiative encourages young adolescents to forgo drinking.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- New tools to help preteens avoid underage drinking are available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The "Too Smart to Start" initiative is aimed at adolescents aged 9-13 years. The tool...

Abnormal brain anatomy found with ADHD: diffusion tensor imaging shows abnormalities in pathways between the frontal lobe, cerebellum.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder have anatomical brain abnormalities that can be seen with a novel technique called diffusion tensor imaging. "Our hope is, in the future, to be able to diagnose ADHD with...

Psychiatric conditions common in child epilepsy.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Comorbid psychiatric conditions appear to be very common among children with medically refractory epilepsy, Jay A. Salpekar, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In a...

Long-acting investigational ADHD treatment promising in children.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- A long-acting formulation of dexmethylphenidate is safe and effective in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and...

Pituitary volume steady in bipolar.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... No differences were found in pituitary gland volume between 16 bipolar children and 21 healthy controls, said Hua Hsuan Chen of the University of Texas, San Antonio, and colleagues. Studies of bipolar adults have shown a reduced pituitary...

Continuum of eating disorders seen.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Subclinical eating disorders were diagnosed in 7% of 259 female students aged 17-20 years, reported Paolo Cotrufo, Ph.D., of the University of Naples, Caserta, Italy, and associates. The investigators sought to characterize less severe...

Hostility drives smoking initiation.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... An interaction between depressive symptoms and hostility was strongly associated with initiation of smoking in middle school students, reported Jie Wu Weiss, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Southern California, Alhambra. ...

Deficits don't predict teen problems.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Children aged 3-36 months who were diagnosed with minor developmental deficits did not show significantly more emotional or behavioral problems in adolescence compared with typical control children, said Daniel Hardoff, M.D., of Bnai Zion...

Self-cutting linked to risky sex.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Self-cutting was significantly associated with risky sexual behaviors in a study of 293 adolescents aged 13-18 years who were not psychotic, reported Larry K. Brown, Ph.D., and his associates at Brown University in Providence, R.I. The...

Late-life anxiety requires modified approach: lower profile for drug interactions makes citalopram, escitalopram, and sertraline attractive.(PRACTICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY)
March 1, 2005... Anxiety seems to be as prevalent in older as in younger adults--data are inconsistent on this point--but may look different in each group. "The DSM criteria were developed for anxiety disorders in younger patients and don't always identify them...

Low fatty acid levels, dementia associated in large study.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Higher intake of n-3 fatty acids may have a protective effect against cognitive impairment, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America. In a study of almost 1,000 people aged 65...

Seniors underuse outpatient mental health Tx.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Only 2.5% of adults aged 65 years and older use outpatient mental health services, compared with 7.1% of adults aged 18-64 years, Bradley E. Karlin said at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America. Based on...

Racial disparity seen in elderly women's pain.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Elderly women reported more pain than men, and black women reported more pain that limited their activity, compared with white women, in two studies totaling 3,800 patients, said Jana M. Mossey, Ph.D., at the annual meeting of the...

Elderly bipolar patients need careful treatment.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- A broad differential diagnosis and careful drug selection are essential to successfully treating bipolar illness in geriatric patients, M. Cornelia Cremens, M.D., said at a meeting on bipolar disorder sponsored by Harvard...

Soy's effects on cognition, bones disappointing.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... Soy supplementation was not associated with significant improvements in cognition, bone density, or lipid profiles, compared with placebo, in more than 200 older postmenopausal women followed for 1 year, Dutch investigators reported. The...

Treat drug abuse, eating disorder concurrently.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- Eating disorders and substance abuse often go hand in hand, and treatment of patients with both is often improved when there is a focus on body reclamation, Adrienne Ressler said at a conference jointly sponsored by the National...

Response, addiction to cocaine hinge on gender.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- Men and women respond very differently to cocaine, and these differences have important clinical implications, Scott Lukas, Ph.D., reported at the annual conference of the Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease. ...

Nurse-patient interaction helps reduce opioid dependence.(Addiction Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- A team approach to managing opioid dependence with buprenorphine kept 32 of 37 patients (86%) on buprenorphine therapy at 4 months' follow-up, Daniel Alford, M.D., reported in a poster presented at the annual conference of the...

Perspective.(Community Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... The key to successful workplace mental health interventions lies with leadership. The leadership has to understand that illnesses like depression cause employees to take time off from work and to be less productive when at work. The result...

Addressing depression in the workplace.(PREVENTION IN ACT)
March 1, 2005... Bonuses, stock options, expense-paid vacations--companies shell out a lot of money on incentives aimed at improving employee performance and increasing productivity. Yet many overlook one benefit that could increase return on investment by an...

Emotional abuse may raise risk of mental illness.(Forensic Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- People who are emotionally and physically abused by their intimate partners develop more mental illness and substance abuse problems than those who are only physically abused, Susan Ditter, M.D., said at the annual meeting...

New tool improves teen recidivism prediction: once validated, instrument could be a valuable aid in the allocation of limited treatment resources.(Forensic Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... DENVER -- The assessment of recidivism risk among teenage sexual offenders is poised for a major step forward in terms of precision and credibility as a result of a new actuarial tool. The Juvenile Sexual Offense Recidivism Risk Assessment...

Chromosomal deletion more common in prison population.(Forensic Psychiatry)
March 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- A genetic abnormality known as 22q11 deletion syndrome appears to occur more commonly among incarcerated inmates than might be expected, Victoria Harris, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of...

Sleep loss tied to impaired glucose tolerance.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
March 1, 2005... RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. -- Healthy young adults who are chronic "short sleepers"--getting an average of about 5 hours of sleep a night--must secrete 30% more insulin than other adults to achieve a normal glucose curve. The finding, which...

'The lobotomist'.(BOOKS, THE CHILDREN OF THE BRAIN)
March 1, 2005... Walter Jackson Freeman, M.D. (1895-1972), is one of the most reviled physicians of the 20th century, but from the 1930s through the 1950s he was celebrated, showered with awards, and featured on the covers of magazines, all for his...

Consider low-dose topiramate for newly diagnosed epilepsy.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... BRECKENRIDGE, COLO. -- Topiramate monotherapy at a target dosage of 100 mg/day--substantially less than conventional dosing--is at least as effective as standard therapeutic doses of carbamazepine or valproate for newly diagnosed epilepsy...

Depression shows a different face with epilepsy.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
March 1, 2005... BRECKENRIDGE, COLO. -- Depression has an atypical presentation in people with epilepsy, but recognizing and treating depression can significantly improve quality of life for patients carrying the dual diagnoses, Lauren C. Frey, M.D., said at a...

Stroke risk rises with dietary fat and sodium: in two studies, ischemic stroke incidence was 60% higher in those consuming over 65 g of fat daily.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
March 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- For the first time, physicians have evidence independently linking high dietary levels of fat and sodium to an increased risk of ischemic stroke, based on findings from an epidemiologic study in New York. Experts who heard...

Case of treatable autoimmunity initially diagnosed as dementia.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
March 1, 2005... BUDAPEST, HUNGARY -- Autoimmune striatal dysfunction may be the underlying cause of dementia-like presentations, in rare cases. This was the case for a 48-year-old woman, who presented with a 1-year history of progressive difficulties with...

Deep brain stimulation may control severe seizures.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
March 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Deep brain stimulation of the anterior thalamic nuclei shows promise in the management of epileptic seizures, judging from the findings of a small pilot study, Robert Fisher, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the Congress of...

Ease patients' fear of painkiller addiction through education.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Talking to elderly patients with chronic pain about the differences between addiction, dependence, and tolerance of drugs may help them overcome some fears about using opioids, Kathryn Healey Keller, Pharm.D., said at a joint...

Migraineurs often delay headache medication.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2005... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- At least half of migraine patients who are given a prescription for a medication to abort their attacks wait too long to take their medication, making it less likely to be effective, Roger K. Cady, M.D., reported at the...

Synthetic marine snail toxin receives FDA approval as intrathecal analgesic.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2005... An intrathecal formulation of a synthetic version of a toxin used by a fish-eating marine snail to catch its prey has been approved as a treatment for severe, chronic pain. The Food and Drug Administration approved ziconotide for...

Migraine role seen for metoclopramide.(Pain Medicine)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Metoclopramide is an effective migraine treatment for adults--as few as four patients need to be treated to enable one to achieve significant pain reduction. But other antiemetics may have more effect on pain and migraine-related nausea,...

Psychosocial factors predict low back pain events.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- A patient's psychological state appears more predictive than physical abnormalities of outcomes from persistent benign low back pain following herniated disk surgery, according to the conclusions of a prospective, longitudinal study....

Biphasics not good mix for menstrual migraines: low-dose, monophasic contraceptives seem to benefit migraine sufferers more.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Fluctuating hormones are believed to be the key culprit behind menstrual migraines, so low-dose monophasic oral contraceptives are generally the best alternative to help such patients, Christine Lay, M.D., said at a...

Try higher oxygen flow for cluster headache patients.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2005... LAS VEGAS -- The flow rate of oxygen routinely prescribed to abort cluster migraine is too low to be effective in many patients, Todd D. Rozen, M.D., said at a symposium sponsored by the American Headache Society. Since the effectiveness...

History and physical critical in secondary headache diagnosis.(Pain Medicine)
March 1, 2005... LAS VEGAS -- Even in a neurologist's office, every headache patient merits a general history and a physical examination, which may be the best tools with which to differentiate secondary from primary headaches, John G. Edmeads, M.D., said at a...

Hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome.(ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE)
March 1, 2005... Rationale for Use Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is estimated to afflict about 10%-20% of the U.S. population. In its most severe form, IBS has an impact on quality of life that rivals that of congestive heart failure or recent stroke....

Combo Tx proves best for obese binge eaters.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
March 1, 2005... LAS VEGAS -- Adding a weight-loss medication to cognitive-behavioral therapy for binge-eating disorder produced a higher remission rate and greater weight loss than cognitive-behavioral therapy alone in a randomized, double-blind,...

Topiramate may reduce frequency of binge eating.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Obese patients with binge-eating disorder treated with topiramate in an open-label study binged significantly less often and lost weight, according to a study by Susan L. McElroy, M.D., and her colleagues. A previous, randomized,...