patients

Getting a Second Opinion About Health Issues Could Save Your Life

You shouldn’t take one doctor’s word for it when they diagnosis an illness, as 88% of patients who seek a second opinion receive a new or revised diagnosis. Another 21% of patients receive a “distinctly different” diagnosis, meaning the first doctor’s diagnosis wasn’t even in the ballpark, a recent study says. [1]

Congress Prepares to Vote on Bill That Would Speed up Drug Approval

Congress will vote today on a nearly 1,000-page bill that holds drastic changes for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If the bill is approved, it would speed up the approval of new drugs and medical devices. The House has been heavily criticized for allegedly rushing piece of legislation through without sufficient scrutiny. [1]
Source: National Center for Health Research

First Cases of Drug-Resistant Candida Auris Spreading in US Hospitals

Thirteen people in the United States have been infected with a potentially deadly, drug-resistant fungal infection since 2009, health officials say. [1] [2]
Source: CNN
Of those infected, 4 individuals died; but it is not clear whether they died from the infection or from other underlying health problems. [1]
Dr. Tom Chiller, who is chief of the mycotic diseases branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said:

“I am worried. I think this is a real threat.” [2]

Cancer Study Halted After 3 People Die

U.S. regulators in July of 2016 halted a trial of Juno Therapeutics Inc.’s experimental cancer therapy, known as JCAR015, after three patients died.
JCAR015 uses genetically engineered cells as a treatment for cancer. However, one of the pursuits in oncology was temporarily halted by the FDA when some of the participants developed fatal swelling in the brain.
Hans Bishop, Juno’s chief executive, said in a conference call with securities analysts that the deaths were “difficult and humbling for everyone involved.”

Study Suggests We Patients be Able to Predict Illness Better than Doctors

My mother never goes to the doctor for a diagnosis; she diagnoses herself, tells the doctor what’s wrong with her, and he treats her for it.
…And she’s never wrong. I mean never.
A recent study backs up my mother’s theory (and she’s not alone in that theory) that since people know their own bodies better than anyone else ever could, sometimes you have to tell the doctor he’s wrong.

Whistleblower Says She Was Fired from Hospital for Pointing Out Patient Safety Concerns

A whistleblowing nurse who used to work at a Kaiser hospital says that she was fired for looking after patients’ health. After voicing concerns over cost-cutting initiatives that might jeopardize patient safety and complaining about state labor violations she observed at the hospital, she was let go.

Could Listening to Music Really Improve Your Health?

Here’s one more reason to rock out: music isn’t just good for the soul, it’s good for the body. Patients who listen to music before, during, and after surgery may have less pain, anxiety, and blood pressure than patients who don’t, a new analysis suggests.
Surgery patients who got to pick their own playlists faired even better, researchers found.