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Articles by Sam Page
Probiotic Supplement Use Is Surging, But Fiber Intake Hasn’t Changed, Study Finds
The proportion of young people taking probiotic supplements rose 786% in 14 years Written by Sam Page, Michigan Medicine New research finds that probiotic supplement use has surged in the United States, while the consumption of microbiome-supportive foods has remained virtually unchanged.
Rural-urban disparities in head and neck cancer
Existing research has shown a higher rural than urban mortality for head and neck cancers. In a new paper in Oral Oncology, University of Michigan Health researchers explicated these trends, examining differences in outcomes in urban and rural settings for different kinds of cancer, including larynx, oral cavity and oropharynx.
How gastroenterology nutrition therapy has evolved
Since 2016, physicians and dietitians from the University of Michigan Health’s Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology have led a conference dedicated to training registered dietitians on the management of GI conditions. The course, called "FOOD: The Main Course to Digestive Health," attracts hundreds of attendees who join in-person or online.
A link between e-cigarettes and oral cancer
Tobacco has long been the leading cause of oral cancer. Estimates range that smokers are six to ten times more likely to develop oral cancer than nonsmokers. The introduction of e-cigarettes has provided a method of nicotine consumption with health implications that are not as well understood. A review from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, however, has linked vaping to both oral and lung cancers.
Doctors urge caution regarding elective MRI scans
According to leading radiologists, elective MRI screenings are not recommended and can do more harm than good. In a new JAMA editorial, experts from the University of Michigan Health and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health outline the downsides of these increasingly popular scans.
Understanding esophageal cancer
Although rarer than other cancers, esophageal cancer is a serious disease that mostly impacts men over 55 years old. Here, Joel H. Rubenstein, M.D., M.Sc., the Director of the Barrett's Esophagus Program at Michigan Medicine, answers common questions and highlights key information you should know about this disease. Rubenstein: Cancer of the esophagus is far more easily treatable if identified at its earliest stage.
Fontan patient inspires as pediatric cardiology fellow
Sometimes Taylor Houlihan, M.D., will tell a patient that she has a scar too—one very much like theirs, in fact. For Houlihan, a pediatric resident and incoming pediatric cardiology fellow at University of Michigan Health, this simple act can feel like the best way to express sympathy and encouragement without making promises or drawing focus away from the patient.
U-M Medical School faculty awarded $1.1 million AMA grant to develop precision education tools
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The American Medical Association announced today the award of a $1.1 million grant to Matthew Caldwell, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan Medical School, through its ChangeMedEd Initiative. Caldwell’s proposal, “PACE: Precision Analytics for Coaching Effectiveness,” was selected from a field of nearly 200 applicants for the AMA’s Transforming Lifelong Learning Through Precision Education Grant Program.
Managing cirrhosis pain without drugs
Researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania are preparing a year-long study of techniques cirrhosis patients can employ at home to relieve chronic pain without medication. The Application of Lifestyle Enhancing Validated Integrative Therapies for Everyday Pain in Cirrhosis, or ALLEVIATE-C, trial will investigate potential tools for healthcare providers currently unaware of evidence-based alternatives to potentially risk and ineffective drugs.
After 25 procedures and constant fainting, patient finds long term relief
Before her surgery in Ann Arbor, Amy Benét’s left brachiocephalic vein was 100% constricted, while the right was between 92-95% closed. Doctors explained this stenosis was seriously restricting the amount of blood getting back to her heart from her brain and upper body. “I was like, ‘Wow, I'm kind of impressed that I am functioning as well as I am,’” Benét said. That may sound like a wake up call for someone ignoring a condition. Benét’s situation was anything but that.
Three U-M faculty elected to National Academy of Medicine
The newly elected members of the National Academy of Medicine include three University of Michigan Medical School faculty, recognized for their "major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health." Dee E. Fenner, M.D., Lisa Hope Harris, M.D., Ph.D., and Frederick Kofi Korley, M.D., Ph.D., are among the 100 people receiving one of the highest honors in medicine. They join 83 other current, former and late U-M faculty who have earned this distinction. Dee E.
Addressing body-image distress in head and neck cancer patients
Previous research has suggested nearly a third of patients with head and neck cancer experience body image distress, a term for the negative psychological effects caused by changes in physical appearance and associated function resulting from a patient’s treatment. Another study found that a majority of patients feel at least some body image concerns.
How GI behavioral therapy helped one patient escape the pain of pandemic stress
In February 2021, what was then the peak of COVID-19 cases in the United States, Kristen Roy found herself in the emergency room with shooting stomach pain. After seven hours, a very busy hospital staff released Roy with theories about what might be causing her intense abdominal pain. But her symptoms continued, as she often felt both extremely hungry but unable to keep food down. Roy worried she had undiagnosed gastrointestinal cancer.
Seven U-M residency programs make national top 5 for their specialties
In the latest Doximity Residency Navigator, the University of Michigan Medical School has 13 top 10 graduate medical education programs, including seven in the top 5. An additional 11 U-M programs ranked within the top 25. University of Michigan Health’s surgery residency ranked No. 1 out of 355 programs, while otolaryngology was No. 2 of 131.
Affordable Care Act preventive services mandate key to transforming hepatitis C treatment
The pending Supreme Court challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services mandate has serious implications for the future of treatment of hepatitis C in the United States.
Affordable Care Act preventative services mandate key to transforming hepatitis C treatment
The pending Supreme Court challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s preventative services mandate has serious implications for the future of treatment of hepatitis C in the United States.
Growing number prefer virtual medical residency interviews
An increasing number of medical residency applicants prefer virtual interviews to in-person ones, according to a study in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. Using survey data from over 20,000 applicants, researchers noted an increase from 57.5% prospective trainees expressing a preference for virtual interviews in 2021 to 70.2% in 2022 and 78.8% in 2023.
How acupuncture gave one patient with chronic nausea her life back
The notoriously choppy waters below South America punctuated a cruise that had taken Jessica Frazier all the way to Antarctica. She felt sick, but it was the kind of sea sickness anyone might experience in that situation. It wasn’t the debilitating nausea that, just two years ago, had made her barely able to leave her Michigan home, much less travel the world. “I had three acupuncture appointments before I left because I was so worried about being able to eat,” Frazier said.
Research reveals patient attitudes toward devices like smartwatches
Last year, two popular smartwatches—the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch—received Food and Drug Administration approval for features that can potentially alert the wearer they may have sleep apnea. These “wearables” join products like the Oura Ring in an increasingly crowded field of sleep-tracking hardware. Can these products help patients who already know they have sleep apnea and are receiving treatment?
Seven University of Michigan Medical School faculty elected as AAAS fellows
Thirteen University of Michigan faculty members earned election as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2024. Among those 13, seven were U-M Medical School faculty. The AAAS announced the 471 members of the 2024 class today.
Overcoming cancer and a lifelong phobia
Reflecting on his experience as a head and neck cancer patient at Michigan Medicine, Charles Coughlan doesn’t mind mixing his sports metaphors. When describing surgeon Keith Casper, M.D., and his support staff, Coughlan recalls some of the best soccer teams he ever played on—groups that were unselfish, supportive and collaborative.
A dosimetry code ready for widespread use in software
Following FDA clearance, patients receiving radiation treatment for cancer from around the country now benefit from a University of Michigan-developed code that was created over the last two decades. Dose Planning Method for Radiopharmaceutical Therapy, commonly referred to as DPM_RPT, a Monte Carlo code, is now available with GE HealthCare’s MIM Software.
How a phone call led Michigan Medicine to become a leader in treating severe ulcerative colitis
In 2018, Michigan Medicine clinical pharmacist Randolph Regal, PharmD, noticed another patient in the hospital for acute severe ulcerative colitis had begun infliximab. This protocol was expensive and, more importantly, often didn’t work. He called gastroenterologist Peter Higgins, M.D. “This expensive and somewhat toxic intravenous medication—which we are using at doses 2- to 6-times higher than those labeled by the FDA—is not working,” Regal remembered saying.
Simple blood test for IBS-triggering foods shows promise in study
Michigan Medicine and Cleveland Clinic researchers have found that patients with irritable bowel syndrome were more likely to experience less abdominal pain if they followed a diet guided by the results of a blood test, compared to those who followed a sham elimination diet.
Cuckoo Farm Studios Experimental Music All-Dayer on Apple Podcasts
What do you get if you take a bunch of experimental noise musicians and put them in a barn in the Essex countryside with a loud PA? This. This is what you get. For this episode of the Beat Motel podcast, we take you on an occasionally aurally painful journey through an experimental music all-dayer. There was a wide range of acts playing the Cuckoo Farm all-dayer so this podcast episode is a bit like a sampler for the experimental electronica genre.
Chelsea To Wembley After FA Cup Quarterfinal Win on Apple Podcasts
ExtraTime, the Official Podcast of Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chelsea Draw 0-0 In 1st Game Of Tuchel Era on Apple Podcasts
Football Weekly The Guardian The Totally Football Show with James Richardson Muddy Knees Media The Official Leeds Utd Podcast Leeds United Football Ramble Stakhanov Arseblog - the Arsecasts, Arsenal podcasts arseblog.com The Robbie Fowler Podcast Chris McHardy
A Chelsea Hootenanny After West Ham Win + Arsenal Preview on Apple Podcasts
Open Goal - Football Show Open Goal - Football Show
A Chelsea Hootenanny After West Ham Win + Arsenal Preview on Apple Podcasts
Show Chelsea Mike'd Up, Ep A Chelsea Hootenanny After West Ham Win + Arsenal Preview - Dec 23, 2020
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