January 2008 Archives

An interesting program about how doctors give patients placebos. Hey if  they work, then that's great. Less problems for everyone all around.

The doctors gave several reasons for their use of placebos.  Some said they used them to help calm a patient, or in answer to demands for medicine that the doctor felt was not needed.  Others said they had ordered placebos for their patients after all other treatments had failed. 

Ninety-six percent of the doctors who answered said they believed that placebos could have helpful effects.  But twelve percent said they believe the use of placebos should be banned in traditional medical care.  Many feel giving a patient a placebo is like lying to them.

96% is quite a large margin of doctors who think it will help, it must make a difference if they are consistently prescribing it. Personally, I don't see a problem with it ethically, patients want the best care. If a doctor thinks it's more advantageous, then they should give the placebo.  I think a lot of people think that only proper drugs can help them, the "lazy person's way out", a miracle drug/cure for everything.

"Oh doctor.... I can't concentrate... gimme something..."

Click to read the whole article

"#1. Circumcision Can Prevent HIV: In December 2006, the National Institutes of Health halted two clinical trials of male circumcision after an early review of the data showed that the procedure dramatically reduced transmission of HIV. Early this year, the details of those studies were published in the Lancet: In the two randomized trials, which included 7,780 HIV-negative men in Rakai, Uganda, and Kisumu, Kenya, researchers found that medically circumcised men were at least 51% less likely than uncircumcised men to acquire HIV during sex with women. The editors of the Lancet called the discovery "a new era for HIV prevention." Scientists don't know yet whether male circumcision can also provide protection for female partners — a new study on the hypothesis is forthcoming next year.

#2. Test for Metastatic Breast Cancer: Surgeons now have a faster way to assess whether breast cancer has spread, thanks to the FDA's approval of the first molecular test to detect metastatic breast cancer. During the patient's lumpectomy or mastectomy, surgeons traditionally examine the lymph node closest to the breast — the sentinel node — for signs of metastases. If the tissue is examined immediately and tumor cells are discovered, additional lymph nodes are taken out — but, usually, further and more extensive microscopic testing is required to confirm that cancer has spread. Problem is the lab results take up to two days to come back, which leaves women in limbo before possibly facing a second surgery. But with the new test, called GeneSearch BLN Assay, doctors can accurately test the sentinel node for metastases during the initial surgery by measuring molecular markers of breast cancer that are abundant in cancerous breast tissue but normally scarce in lymph nodes. If the test shows the presence of cancer, the physician can remove affected lymph nodes immediately, sparing women the wait and possible follow-up surgery..."