Headache statistics in United States are shocking. According to the American Headache Society, every ten seconds a person enters an emergency room due to severe pain related to a headache or migraine; more than one billion dollars is spent on over-the-counter drugs purchased to treat headaches and migraines; and lost work because of suffering from the migraine disease costs annually more than thirteen million dollars only in the United States.

These being only a few of the thousands of statistics that are currently available about headaches and their impact, people tend to wonder how come and although we are able to travel to outerspace we cannot find a solution to problems like migraines and common headache. Although advertisers claim to promote that “miracle medication” that will alleviate any pain associate with common headaches or migraines, neutral statistical data suggest that even with the new medications being introduced the new drugs are still not working.

Headache is the term used most often to describe pain that is felt in the head. Scientists have divided headaches into two main categories: 1) Primary, headaches that occur exclusively of other medical conditions and 2) Secondary, headaches that occur as a result of other medical conditions. Further categorizations in the primary headaches directory describe migraines, tension headaches and cluster headaches. Although primary and secondary headaches can be felt anywhere inside the human head, they are perceived differently from one individual to another, and their range of occurrence varies from frequent to rather sporadically.

Whether or not people use similar or diverse descriptions for classified headaches belonging to the category, headaches can occur as the outcome of a variety of causes. Most usually, medication, lifestyle choices, dietary habits, environmental issues, physical practices, and hormonal issues, have been reported to result in mild or severe headaches incidents.

Today, healthcare providers can begin making specific diagnosis when they are provided with the necessary information regarding the frequency and the type of pain resulted from the reported case of headache. Whether or not you do or have experienced any type of headache over the recent past, try to find the cause of your physical discomfort by asking a medical care provider to give you more information. Headaches are not an issue one can easily ignore. Treat yourself with respect and request as much information as possible in order to find the best possible solution in treating your headache problem.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Health, Women’s Health, and Women

Share This

Nearly one year after congress passed the Medicare and prescription drug plan, both sides are still debating its supposed benefits, or detriments. Unfortunately, many of the people who will be affected by the Medicare changes still don’t know where to turn.

What follows is an initial analysis of what will happen January 1, 2006.

Our conclusion:

Regardless of whatever else you’re hearing, the Medicare Part “D” prescription drug plan has many loopholes that are harmful to seniors with low to moderate incomes.

The Analysis:

First, you will pay a monthly insurance premium of $35 per month, or $420 for the year.

Secondly, the first $225 you spend will make up your deductible

Share This

Earlier this year, the Associated Press and other popular news agencies reported on the disturbing results of a study published in the March 16, 2006 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that concluded that Americans receive, on average, only 55% of the care that they should receive at any given time 1,2. This study evaluated the care that individuals, from a wide variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds, receive in a variety of different healthcare settings (clinic, hospital, etc.) here in the U.S. The authors came to a conclusion that was, to me, very startling; but, as it turns out, this is not really new information.

With some minor variation across the boards, people were either under or over treated, for a variety of conditions ranging from alcohol dependence to urinary tract infection. This means that, although we have very well defined screening, diagnostic, and treatment protocols, nearly half of the time these protocols were not followed by physicians, other health care personnel, or the institutions in which they work.

While the Associated Press story decried this as “woefully mediocre… care,” and the New England Journal authors concluded that the “problems with the quality of [health] care,” are “widespread and systemic,” I personally see this as an outright tragedy. Although we spend more money on health care than any other nation, and our massive research efforts have well defined the ideal mechanisms to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease, we are still unable to provide our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives, with the care that they all pay for, deserve, and that is available. I find the idea repellant that people’s quality and duration of life is routinely compromised in this manner.

Although this is profoundly disturbing, this is also not a new problem by any means, but instead is simply another aspect of an inadequate and dysfunctional health care system. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine (http://www.iom.edu/), a private, non-profit research arm of the National Academy of Sciences, published “To Err is Human,” which reported that somewhere between 44,000 and 98,000 individuals die annually, and that “hundreds of thousands” of others are injured or narrowly escape injury, as a result of avoidable medical errors (also available free on-line at http://www.nap.edu/books/0309068371/html/) 3.

While hospital systems and healthcare providers attempt to begin the lengthy process of remediating this situation by initiating a number of changes across the country (including,as oneexample,instituting an electronic, all-inclusive medical record accessible from any clinic, hospital, or emergency department, among other changes), one area has yet to be addressed - patients are far too often unaware and uninformed about their diagnoses and treatments, and as such, are unable to make informed decisions about their healthcare. Although we are far past the days of following the “doctor’s orders,” and “the doctor knows best,” we have yet to provide patients with one of the best protections available -a thorough understanding of their health and the knowledge to be actively and effectively involved with its maintenance and restoration.

There are a few barriers to this process, however, in the current system. It is not uncommon today that a physician has far less time to examine, diagnose, prescribe and counsel to a patient than the time that it takes to change the oil in your car, or get a haircut, etc. Some physicians, in fact, have to average less than ten minutes per patient! It is impossible to expect that any physician, even the most caring and dedicated, could adequately explain to a patient their diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis within that time frame, and answer questions as necessary. Furthermore, some providers are worse than others at this skill, and the current system most certainly does not encourage or help them in this regard.

The current system does not really value, then, an informed patient. While we are taught in medical school that patients need to be properly “informed” in order to make “competent” medical decisions, the system currently in place clearly does not encourage this sort of activity. If anything, in fact, it discourages it.

The time has come for external systems to try and pick up this role, and to help patients and their families understand any and all aspects of their health. It is unlikely that any time soon physicians will have more time to help better educate patients (new cuts in Medicare reimbursement, as a matter of fact, just approved in July of 2006, will, if anything, make it even harder for physicians to spend time educating their patients). Services must be established (some are already in place) that can help patients answer questions that they might have about their diagnosis or treatment options. Unfortunately, at present many of these services are offered with little oversight as to the quality of information that is provided.

Without the help of a professional, patients often try and find answers for themselves to their health-related questions. While there are many valuable internet resources that are available (WebMD., etc.), there are many more available that offer inaccurate, incomplete, or incorrect information. If taken at face-value by a patient, this can present a profound problem as patients can then base potentially life-threatening or life-changing decisions on this information. So a guide, in many respects, is really necessary to provide accurate information, and then to make sure that the patient understands it.

Improvements like the electronic medical record will most certainly help reduce the incidence of medical errors, and should also help ensure that patients receive care up to the current standard. But improvements must also be made in other areas as well, including patient education, because patients can most often provide far better oversight of their own care than any pre-designed system, no matter how “high tech” it might be. It seems that patients have already realized this, and are seeking out information from any available source. Hopefully hospital and insurance administrators, and government officials and healthcare providers will also realize this, and dedicate funding and efforts to fill this substantial, but presently ignored, gap in the provision of healthcare.

- Jonathan Fay, M.D., August 14, 2006.

References

1. Asch SM, Kerr EA, Keesey J, et al. “Who is at greatest risk for receiving poor-quality health care?” N Engl J Med. 2006 Mar 16;354(11):1147-1156.

2. “Study Says Americans Get Equally Mediocre Health Care” - Jeff Donn, Associated Press, 3/15/2006.

3. To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Institute of Medicine, Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 2000.

Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Fay, M.D.

Dr. Fay is a personal medical consultant, providing answers to patients’ questions about their health, diagnosis, and well-being (available on the internet at http://www.doctorfay.com). He has helped thousands to better understand their health, and to be in a far better position to be highly involved in their own healthcare. As such, patients can make better decisions about treatment options, that better fit their own personal preferences (and not those of their physician, another provider, or anyone else).

Dr. Fay is also the author of numerous articles about the state of healthcare today in the United States, new developments in medicine, and articles to help explain medical treatments and diagnoses in terms that patients can easily understand.

Share This