Critical observations of health, science, and the physical therapy profession.
Kurt Vonnegut has died. He split his head in a fall and last night he died. And so it goes…
“When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,
“It is done.”
People did not like it here.”
Labels: current press
Perhaps not directly, but a recent BMJ article says it can help in improving physical function and quality of life measures in patients with early stage breast cancer. Some of the physical measures noted were a 12 minute walk test and a measurement of shoulder mobility. Interesting to note, the physical measures improved right away, but it took some time for the quality of life measures to show an intervention effect.
There have been a series of studies (and this one) recently dealing with the issue. I find the concept refreshing, as it really makes sense to get some supportive literature behind some good integrative care. Perhaps with enough of this type of literature, a woman diagnosed with breast cancer will be able to receive treatment not just for her cancer, but also for her receding quality of life and upper limb function…and have it reimbursed!
I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but this article provided a nice overview of the events surrounding the emergence of a potentially fatal fungus in the Pacific Northwest.
A quote from the article:
“An alien fungus took root on Vancouver Island eight years ago and has since killed eight people and infected at least 163 others, as well as many animals.”
One very popular instance of serendipitous research occurred when Pfizer was working on an angina medicine and discovered the profound effects of Viagra. Here is another, less popular instance…The Anti-Hoarding Drug!
Excerpts from especially memorable patient encounters:
ME: So what made your back pain worse?
Patient: The Physical Therapy made is worse.
ME: Well, what did you do in PT?
Patient: What they told me to do.
ME: What did they tell you to do?
Patient: Things that hurt.
Excellent!
Labels: physical therapy
Labels: health policy, health tools, Science Literacy
Labels: current press, misc.
Those of you who regularly read my blog and know me at all, are probably very aware of my distaste for pharmaceutical companies and their perpetual courtship of physicians.
Here is an article that has some solid numbers behind it, including a couple instances of doctors receiving money from a drug company AND making guidelines for other doctors to follow that includes the drug they are being paid to promote!
Did you hear that? A doctor may make guidelines for how much and often a kidney patient receives a cholesterol medication even while being paid by the manufacturer of that medication. Outrageous!
How, in light of this conflict of interest, are we to trust any formal guidelines at all?
Does anyone else see a problem with this? This guy from Harvard does:
Labels: health policy, physical therapy, Science Literacy
A series of blog posts led me to MedInnovationBlog, where I read a post: On Physical Therapists and Keeping Patients Moving.
That was nice to see and read about. Then came the comments. Physiatrists, upset that one could write about the profession of Physical Therapy and not give them credit. The blog author seemed pathetically apologetic in his response, and even went so far as to quickly credit Physiatrists for helping train Physical Therapists. Some clarification is needed.
The history of both Physiatry and Physical Therapy have very closely knit roots. In reviewing several sources of historical information on these professions, I find it interesting that neither mentions the other. Odd, because careful reading of these histories suggest each profession arose out of the same need and then developed independently.
Both professions start out with claiming roots to Hippocrates and the such….but let’s start at a more realistic date: World War I and 1917.
The Army, trying to deal with many injured soldiers, commissioned two physicians to create the Division of Physical Reconstruction upon recommendation from the Division of Orthopedic Surgery. The two physicians, Frank Granger, MD, and Joel Goldthwait, MD, signed on two Reconstruction Aides (read: Physical Therapists) who had already been trained and were helping patients with polio in Europe and the U.S. with rehabilitative modalities. They were Marguerite Sanderson and Mary McMillan. All four of these individuals eventually became influential in the founding and growth of the two professions in question. Each profession initially faced a struggle to become an accepted part of the current medical establishment.
Today, the two professions are largely separate, with unique educational programs and autonomy. The growing knowledge base of one is interdependent upon the other and each must yield respect accordingly. In my daily routine, I use the professional journals of each equally.
There is, however, one significant change upon us. For the first time, Physical Therapists are not dependent upon physicians for prescriptions, diagnoses, or treatment plans and are being educated to the doctorate level. It will be interesting to see how the relationship between these two mutually beneficial professions will continue to evolve in light of these changes.
Labels: physical therapy
Labels: back pain, health tools, physical therapy