Are Doctors Overprescribing Their Patients?

Are you currently taking any prescription drugs or other medications?  The overprescribing of drugs has become a serious issue in America in the past few years.  It seems like everyone you know is on some prescription or a new drug for his or her heart condition or arthritis.  It has reached the point where people have to actually keep tabs on which pills they have to take each morning and night.

Refusing to lose patients, doctors have been said to “hand out” prescriptions to patients even when there have been clear signs that they do not need them.  This could prove to be a problem in the future if bacteria immunize against these drugs.  When doctors write scripts for patients for unneeded drugs, all it does is adds to the rising health care and pharmaceutical costs of this country.  While in fact a simple change in lifestyle, such as, decreasing stress or improving diet and exercise, can be a better solution.

The underlying cause for this overprescribing is the excessive advertisement of drugs and medical products today.  Advertising of drug products has created a so-called dramatization of health-related problems among Americans.  People believe that they are sicker than they are and as a result, they are influenced to take medicine that they do not actually need.  Ultimately, this leads to overprescribing medications and soaring health care costs for Americans.

To eliminate overprescribing, we should be more aware of the issues it raises for our country’s health and economy.  We should also urge doctors and patients to use non-drug alternatives such as, lifestyle changes and therapy.  What else do you think could be done to prevent overprescribing?  Do you believe that doctors and patients have fallen into the “drug trap”?

Sources:

·       http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/02/new-study-finds-doctors-are-massively-overprescribing-drugs.aspx

·       http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2009-07-28/health-care-in-crisis-overmedicating-americabusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice

Are College Students Abusing ADHD Medication?

Are College Students Abusing ADHD Medication?

As a freshman in college, I've heard the term Adderall thrown around quite often, especially during finals week.  I've known it to be a stimulant prescription drug used to treat individuals with ADD and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).  However, Adderall has become a popular trend among high school and college students who hope to improve their focus and memory.  More specifically, students will pop the pills to write a paper or pull an all-nighter studying for their final exams.  The pressure students feel about achieving a high GPA indirectly leads them to taking these pills, because they feel that they cannot focus or study without it.  Then, it becomes an addictive behavior and students end up abusing Adderall every time they have to study for a test or write a big paper; they depend on and believe that Adderall is the reason for their good grades.

While Adderall is used to decrease impulsivity and increase concentration in ADHD individuals, it tends to do the opposite for non-ADHD individuals.  The drug "speeds" you up and allows you to focus better and work efficiently and quickly.  And let me ask you this: What college student doesn't want an easier way to earn an A on a paper or a tough exam?  The abuse of this drug is nonetheless unethical by providing its users with an unnatural and unfair advantage of performing better in school than its non-users.

Students not diagnosed with ADD or ADHD need to realize that while Adderall remains an omnipresent drug on campus and in school, it is still an unprescribed drug and is considered a crime.  On the worse end, Adderall can also lead to the following side effects: heartbeat irregularities, weight loss, insomnia, and seizures.

All in all, it's best that students veer away from the temptations of Adderall and realize the harmful effects that come along with abusing the drug.  I feel that if you manage your time wisely, you shouldn't be urged to take pills every time you have to study for an exam.  Do you think colleges should take steps to inform students on the risk of addiction and negative health effects that accompany Adderall?  Do you know anyone who has abused the drug?

Source: http://www.chsarrow.com/student-life/2010/12/14/adderall-addicts-are-all-around-america/

Protecting Our Youth from Concussions in the Hockey Community

Hard hits, fighting, physical toughness; these are the things that ice hockey is known for. Fans all over America and Canada turn on the NHL network to watch their favorite players throw big hits. There is no doubt that this aspect of the game adds excitement and marketability. For example, fans have coined terms such as “kronwalled” to describe the force with which Niklas Kronwall is able to hit. However, despite the excitement that stems from such physicality, it is high time to consider how these hits effect the health of hockey players, not only at the professional level but also in youth hockey.

 After an increase of knowledge about the effects and causes of concussions, the NHL has attempted to decrease the frequency of such injuries. Through rule 48 they have banned all hits to the head in the hopes that this would reduce the prevalence of concussions within the league. However, concussions continued to increase even after the new rule was put in to effect. This has caused a debate within the hockey community as to what is the best way to go about protecting its players.

  

Youth hockey players have looked up to those in the NHL since the first time they laced up their skates. This means that when they see a big hit on television, they become eager to play with this high level of physicality in their own games. As a result, concussions in youth hockey have become an issue that needs addressing. Youth hockey associations such as Hockey Canada and USA Hockey have been working towards a safer game in order to encourage parents to sign their children up for the sport. However, it is not clear what the best path is for decreasing concussions in youth hockey.

Youth hockey in Canada has banned checking in the peewee age group (12 and under) in an attempt to hold off on dangerous hits. However, this only means that children at this age do not learn how to properly body check or how to properly receive a hit. As a result, when the children are able to check at the bantam age group (14 and under), they are not doing so in a safe manner. This leads to even more concussions because learning the proper techniques at 14 means the stakes are higher, that is the hits are harder because the children are stronger and bigger. In contrast, learning the proper method at the age of 12 is much safer because hits are not as hard or dangerous, as the participants are smaller.

Although it is important that Canada is looking in to the problem of concussions in youth hockey, I believe that their methods are not the most effective route. Instead, some of the ideas that USA Hockey has implemented make more sense. One thing that USA Hockey is trying to do is improve the quality of equipment. Hockey equipment companies such as Bauer, CCM and Cascade have invested large amounts of money in to creating better helmets that are more suited to protect against concussions. Additionally, USA Hockey has began a widespread campaign to educate their coaches about the severity and dangers of concussions as well as the warning signs that they need to look for should they think that their player may have sustained a head injury. This means that fewer concussions are going unnoticed by coaches and that players are receiving the care that they require after a concussion, such as suspending participation in physical activities for a time period and consulting with a physician.

Hard hits will continue to play an integral role in the sport of hockey, as it has for many years. However, it is important to consider the safety of hockey players and take measures to best protect them. The NHL has begun to take measures to decrease concussions and youth hockey followed suit with strong campaigns from both Canadian and US youth hockey organizations. There are many ideas that have been proposed in order to decrease concussions in hockey and many great ideas have already been implemented. However, the problem is still prevalent and so it is important to further ask ourselves how we can best protect the youth within the hockey community from concussions.

Sources:

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-hockey-concussions-20130717,0,6800845.story#axzz2qZqwKlLY

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Concussions/Facts-and-Prevention.aspx

http://www.usahockey.com/news_article/show/275908?referrer_id=908034

http://www.rocketfishtank.com/blog/bid/254994/Study-shows-underreporting-of-concussions-in-action-sports

Racial Disparities In Healthcare

Are there racial disparities in healthcare? The short answer: yes. The quality of health care, provided by the emergency department of a hospital, for a white patient, on average, is better than that of an African American or Hispanic patient. This problem is quite unsettling, considering how far American society has come in terms of racism and prejudice. However, these disparities must be addressed, because they have cost patients their lives. Being an African American girl with non-white friends and family, I often wonder how these often these disparities come into play, and if they would affect the life of a loved one. 

Many medical associations across America have realized the importance of solving this problem in modern medicine, and many have released journals or educational pieces in an attempt to educate and increase awareness among the medical professionals of America. Often, these journals are filled with data sets comparing the average time a non-white patient spends in the waiting room compared to that of a white patient. Others discuss the fact that white patients are more likely to receive pain medication to ease their pain, while doctors often underestimate the pain of minority patients, and prescribe them less pain medication. And yet, I am simply curious about whether or not the medical professionals who practice within these studies are aware that they are giving the white patients better treatment.

While I am sure there are still racist medical professionals out there, I feel as though there could just be another reason as to why this is still happening. Perhaps, these disparities have become habit for certain professionals. Not because they necessarily believe in the inferiority of other races, but because they have been doing things a certain way for the better part of their careers. As often as articles about racial disparities in healthcare are released, I have never heard any hospital making advancements to stop this from happening or developing a method to prevent the unequal treatment of patients. Does the faculty of that hospital ever attempt to find ways to make the quality of healthcare equal for everyone? How would one go about, presenting this information to medical professionals, and creating a system that prevents this from happening?

Does Obamacare matter to the College Crowd?

I'm now in my early 30s. Many of my friends are small business owners or consultants, individuals who are impacted by the PPACA.  Over the last few months, I've been paying attention as they struggle to understand new plans and premiums or enroll on the healthcare.gov website. In other words, I'm trying to learn alongside them as they discover what the new healthcare system means for them. At about the same time I learned I would be teaching English 125 for the Health Science Scholars program, I was following along as my sister enrolled her family through healthcare.gov.  Her husband will now be covered for his pre-existing chronic back pain (a definite bonus), but they are concerned about premium costs and are trying to select the right options for them.

I, on the other hand, will stay with my same insurance plan, offered by the University.  In fact, I've never really had to think too much about health insurance--except for that brief period of uninsured time between college and the start of my first "real job." I was 23 and I was confident that I was (and would stay) in good health, so I went for about a year without any  health insurance at all; but every time I got sick, I felt a little bit nervous. Now, from what I understand, many students won't experience that period of insecurity, since young people can stay on their parents plans for a much longer period of time after college. 

This raises a question that I might want to research by talking to college students: College students are some of the primary beneficiaries of Obamacare, but does the switch matter to them?  Are they impacted at all, and if so how?