News and Opinions

Learn more about the news and opinions in international health and medicine. Great news sites with information and views from around the world of global health.

1. The Pump Handle: A great look at international health trends.
2. Open Medicine: An open access peer reviewed journal and blog that offers a look at the latest in international medicine.
3. Unacceptable: A look at global health and medicine, and an interesting look at different issuers and headlines.
4. The Lancet Global Health Network: Helpful headlines related to international health and medicine, from one of the world’s respected medical journals.
5. Global Medicine Review: A look at what is happening in the world of international medicine and global health. Includes podcasts.
6. Global Health at MIT: Get a look at international health and medicine from the folks at MIT.
7. FasterCures: Looks at international medicine, as well as word on what can be done to improve global health.
8. Speaking of Medicine: Latest news, breakthroughs and information from the world of international health.
9. Poverty News Blog: A look at the impact that poverty has on different aspects of life, including health, in various countries.
10. Global Voices: Get a variety of views on international health.
11. Global Health Connections: A look at interesting connections in global health.

Global Health Policy

If you are interested in international medicine and health policy, these blogs can help you learn more about how international health policy is set.

12. Global Bioethics Blog: A look at the ethics behind different policies related to health and medicine around the world.
13. Global Health and Foreign Policy Blog: An interesting look, from the Johns Hopkins School, at global health and its impact on foreign policy.
14. Global Health Policy: Aimed at looking at the connection between international health and politics.
15. NextBillion.net: Looks at the impact of a growing world population and considers policies to deal with the health and medicine challenges that come with it.
16. The International Medical Market Place: Considers international medicine and its business development and policies.
17. Little Devices That Could: An emphasis on the latest advances in health technology from around the world, and international development.
18. SciDev.Net: Considers science, development and health policy around the world.
19. globalhealthpolicy.net: Explores questions of international health and medicine.
20. The CSIS Commission on Smart Global Health Policy: A look at the importance of a smart and practical approach to international health.
21. Global Health Council: Looks at policy and law related to global health and medicine.

Diseases

Learn more about the diseases that plague global medicine. Interesting look at what is out there, and how it affects us.

22. Flu News Blog: Find out where you are at most risk for flu — no matter where you are in the world.
23. Malaria Matters: Get an inside look at this international medicine issue.
24. Superbug: A blog about international medicine and the issues related to the next superbug, all thanks to antibiotic resistance.
25. Quinntelligence: Follow the exploits of this traveler looking at disease and vaccination.
26. CARE’s pandemic and avian flu blog: News and information about the spread of pandemic flu, especially avian flu.
27. Aetiology: An interesting blog about the spread of disease, with especial emphasis on HIV/AIDS.
28. UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases: Considers infectious diseases around the world.
29. Swine Flu Reporter: Keep up with swine flu, and other flue like diseases.
30. AIDSTruth.org: A look at HIV/AIDS news from around the world, offering a look at the truth about HIV.
31. ProMED Mail: Offers a look at the latest outbreaks of disease and provides information on international medicine alerts.
32. Vaccine Ethics: An interesting look at vaccinations, disease, and the ethics of vaccination.

Environmental Health

We often take clean water for granted. However, the environment presents a number of hazards for others around the world. These blogs look at environmental health, as well as water and food safety, on an international level.

33. Environmental Health News: Considers different aspects of environmental health around the world.
34. Food Safety and Environmental Health Blog: Avoid food borne illnesses, no matter where you are.
35. Global Food Security: Looks at food availability, safety, and its impact on international health.
36. WaterWired: Addresses a number of issues related to water, including health issues that arise from water problems.
37. Environmental, Health and Safety News: A look at health and environmental policy in the U.S., as well as around the world.
38. Waterblogged: A look at water policy, health and more around the world.
39. Food Poison Journal: A look at the issues related to food poisoning in international medicine.

Projects and Organizations

There are a number of international health and medicine organizations and projects out there. Here some blogs that can help you learn more about international health and medicine.

40. Global Health Delivery: A look at providing better global health help around the world.
41. Project HOPE: A look at efforts to bring hope in international medicine.
42. MSF Blogs: This allows you to get a look at what is happening with Doctors Without Borders. Also includes some entries in French.
43. So No Child Must Wait: A blog about a program that provides help for children who need surgery. Great international medicine and action blog.
44. GlobeMed: A look at a project meant to help stimulate conversations and action regarding international health and medicine.
45. Global Health Initiative: Read the latest on global health planning, projects and more.
46. PATH: An international health and medicine effort meant to help improve conditions.
47. Partners in Health: Focuses on serving the underserved when it comes to international medicine.
48. UNICEF Field Notes: Follow the adventures of those who work in the field for UNICEF as the organization strives to provide better health and other opportunities.
49. ONE: This project is devoted to health issues from around the world.
50. IntraHealth: This blog looks at developing nations, international medicine, and health development.

Type I Diabetes

1. Bitter-Sweet: Karen is an advocate for this people who suffer with this disease, blogging about food and exercise.
2. Blah Blah Bklyn: Look to this blog for musings on books, design, Brooklyn, aimlessness and Type I diabetes, among other topics.
3. Diabetes in Spain: Mike has lived 11 years with Type I diabetes, and he writes this blog for those with the same disease in Spain.
4. Diabetes Mine: A popular and long-running blog that focuses on life with Type I diabetes.
5. Diabetes Stories: Read about Riva, a Type I diabetic who was diagnosed with her illness in 1972. After a successful career, she now travels the country to educate and inspire others who have this disease.
6. Diabetesaliciousness: Kelly likes to add a lot of humor to advocacy about life with Type I diabetes.
7. Don’t Fear Diabetes: This blogger was diagnosed with Type I diabetes in 2007 at age 30.
8. I Run on Insulin: Alexis was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1992 at the age of 10, and advocacy is her passion.
9. Instructions Not Included: This blog contains Becky’s musings about being 25 with Type I diabetes.
10. Life with Type I Diabetes! Mike has had Type I diabetes since 7th grade, so he’s lived with this disease for about two decades now.
11. Living in Progress: Ginger has lived with Type I diabetes and Celiac disease for over ten years.
12. Living Life with Diabetes: Adriana is a 28-year-old female with Type I diabetes, diagnosed at age 7.
13. Ninjabetic: Follow this husband, father, writer, musician and Ninjabetic, who treats his disease with the skill of a Ninja.
14. Six Until Me: A thoroughly delightful well-written and comprehensive blog written by a Type-1 woman with diabetes.
15. Strangely Diabetic: This blogger was diagnosed a Type I diabetic in 1970, so you might find years of experience on this blog.
16. Tales of Rachel: Rachel is a thirty-something woman with a husband, “five ferocious felines” (they can blog, too) and diabetes.
17. Typical Type 1: Jacquie was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 12.

Type II Diabetes

18. Beat & Reverse Type 2 Diabetes: This blog is based upon 5 super foods, 200+ clinical studies, and the research of an ex-diabetic engineer and author of the top-selling diabetes book, Death to Diabetes.
19. Diabetic Mediterranean Diet Blog: Dr. Parker’s blog tackles the combination of the Mediterranean Diet and Type II diabetes.
20. Drug Free Type 2 Diabetes: This blog claims to have ways to deal with Type II diabetes without drugs. Sponsored by an RN with Type II diabetes.
21. Type 2 Blog: This blog is part of a larger site created by two sisters with diabetes.
22. Type 2 Diabetes: This is an About.com guide to Type II diabetes, reviewed by a medical team.
23. Type 2 Diabetes — A Personal Journey: Alan, an Australian native, focuses on his Type II diabetes and his amazing travels.
24. Type 2 Diabetes Blog: Get updates and news about causes, treatments, medications and healthy lifestyle choices.

Diabetics and Sports

25. Annetics: Anne is into Triabetes, or Triathlons for diabetics
26. Captain Blackbeard Did What? This woman learned she had diabetes when she was in college. Now, she trains for triathlons.
27. Diabetic Queen: “Queenie” is an avid gum-chewer, runner, athlete, shopper, reader, Sudoku-solver,” and she also has Type I diabetes.
28. Diabetics Can’t: This is the blog of a Type I diabetic who is in a quest to become a diabetic Ironman.
29. Ring the Bolus: This is one diabetic’s journey to control this disease through healthy habits and a “lot of sweat!”
30. Sugar Free Aloha: A female athlete who participates in what are known as Triabetes.
31. The Diabetic Athlete: This blog, which is “D-to-D: diabetic-to-diabetic” focuses on the needs of athletes with diabetes mellitus Type I.
32. The Incurable Runner: Jerry is a Type I diabetic runner, now a triathlete who is over age 50.
33. Type 1 Rider: This organization is dedicated to both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic athletes, particularly those who ride and race bicycles.

Special Interests

34. A Shot in the Dark: This blog is written by a mother who has a son with Type I diabetes.
35. All Ways Jillian: This teen was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 5, and who faces the world with her “unsuper sidekick Diabetor, one bolus at a time.”
36. Children with Diabetes: This is an online community and forum for parents who have children with diabetes.
37. D-Mom Blog: D-Mom Blog is a website about parenting children with Type 1 diabetes, with plenty of resources.
38. Daddybetes: Dads can deal with child diabetes, and this blog shows how through knowledge and experience sharing.
39. Dear Diabetes: Not much is known about this blogger, but the diary to this disease is an attention-grabber.
40. Diabetes Self-Care: This blog is about living with an entire family filled with diabetes — a wife, husband and child.
41. Diabetes Sweeties: A blog devoted to struggles of parenting a child with Type I diabetes and a teenager.
42. Diabetic Foot Blog: Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA) is dedicated to amputation prevention and healing in persons with diabetes.
43. Diabetic Seniors: This blog addresses all the diabetic information that most seniors might need in treating their disease.

Communities and Overall Information

44. All About Diabetes: This blog provides resources, news and ideas about how to deal with diabetes.
45. Blog-Abetes: This go-to site carries information diabetes conversations on all diabetes types as well as lifestyles and gender issues within this disease.
46. Diabetes Blog: Diabetes WellBeing offers a blog that explores all aspects of this disease.
47. Diabetes Forum: Members are provided with content and a community to connect them together, helping each other to better manage their diabetes.
48. Diabetes Self-Management Blog: Get tips and insights from health-care professionals and people with diabetes, share your thoughts, and ask questions on this blog.
49. Diabetes Update: This is the blog for Blood Sugar 101, a Web site that covers everything you’d want to know about blood sugar.
50. Tudiabetes: This is a diabetic community blog filled with blogs, resources, information and news, managed by the non-profit Diabetes Hands Foundation.

Health and Safety Apps

1. Calorie Counter by FatSecret: This is a simple tool that can be used in conjunction with the Fast Food Calorie Counter listed below.
2. Control of Communicable Diseases Manual for Mobile + Web: Control of Communicable Diseases Manual for Mobile + Web is ideal for public health workers and includes up-to-date information from the American Public Health Association (APHA) on identifying, managing, and preventing hundreds of infectious diseases, as well as news feeds and links to journal abstracts and citations.
3. Fast Food Calorie Counter: Use this app for yourself or to teach others how to eat healthy when they eat out and eat cheap. This app can help you mitigate the disastrous effects of too many fried, mayonnaise-drenched, delicious snacks.
4. First Aid: Do you know the Heimlich maneuver? Do you know CPR? If you have First Aid by your side, you’ll never have to wonder if you’ll know what to do when something horrible happens.
5. Fring for Android: This is the first Voip app for Android, allowing users to make free Skype, Google Talk, MSN, or SIP calls from any phone. It works just as expected, over EDGE, 3G, or Wi-Fi. Twitter also is integrated.
6. iMobile Care: This is an innovative first aid app that serves as a quick reference guide, while also providing location map, imaging, alarm and personalized features. It shows users how to deliver first aid during serious events such as accidents, choking, injuries, traumas, swine flu, burns, H1N1 among many critical situations.
7. Life360 Mobile: With a single touch of a button, check in and send an emergency “I’m safe” or “I need help” alert that we’ll broadcast to your entire family with Life360’s emergency messaging system. Because they send your message as a phone call, text message, and email, they can get your alert out in almost all circumstances.
8. Outbreaks Near Me: Created by researchers at the MIT Media Lab in collaboration with the Informatics Program at Children’s Hospital Boston, the application lets users track and report outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as H1N1 (swine flu), with their mobile phones in real time.
9. Safe Respond: Safe Respond is an Android home screen widget that, when activated, automatically responds to any incoming SMS messages with a customizable response.
10. Safety Net: When most emergency solutions require you to click buttons to activate an alert, SafetyNet’s goal is to create innovative solutions to make calling for help as simple as shaking your phone, even if the application is not running.

Communication Apps

11. Call Confirm: Also listed in the Android App store, this app raises up a confirm dialog on any calls. Number, photo and contact name on the incoming call help with your decision.
12. chompSMS: The interactive interface in this communications app includes chat style SMS bubbles, touchscreen keyboards and many other great features. The app is free, and they charge the same price per SMS message sent to any supported country in the world via the chompSMS network.
13. Fusion Voicemail Plus: This is a free service that lists all your voicemail messages on your SmartPhone screen from your mobile, home, office and any other voicemail box. You can scroll, listen to, call back and delete voicemails in the order of your choice.
14. Phonebook 2.0: Voxmobili combines instant messaging, social networks and life streaming applications into one single app. Phonebook 2.0 displays relevant contextual information to the end-user about their contacts such as location, up and coming birthdays, missed calls and status updates.
15. Steel: This app offers a new, touch-friendly user interface to the Android browser engine. It supports auto-rotation, full screen browsing, a virtual keyboard, advanced touch controls for zooming and flipping through multiple windows. Steel provides full integration with the Android platform.
16. Translator: A simple and free app that allows you to translate words, phrases, sentences and whole paragraphs of text between different languages. The app uses Google’s language translation service. It can even detect your source language and flip between source and translation phrase.
17. Yellow Pages: Download Yellowbook’s free app now to gain access to millions of business listings, with phone numbers, addresses, store hours and more. This app contains Google Maps and Street View and you can save searches to contacts.

Convenience Apps

18. AP Mobile: Get a steady stream of news from your city or state, view AP news videos and more. This app is better than a single-source news source, as AP Mobile lets you choose what you want to know from every news category you can imagine. Developed by The Associated Press for Android.
19. Astrid 2.11.0: Simply one of the best task lists around, with a recording dashboard and the ability to tag tasks, set priorities, and assign dates and several levels of reminders. Includes a stopwatch-like timer and syncs with Remember the Milk. By the time you read this, version 3.0 may have been released.
20. Better Keyboard: If you’re all thumbs or if a small keyboard frustrates you, consider this app. It has many usability enhancements, including a multi-lingual option, auto-suggest dictionary and a speech input update.
21. HandyCalc: This may be the only calculator you’ll ever need. Includes automatic suggestion and solving, which makes it easier to learn and use. Use this tool for currency conversion, unit conversion, statistics, variables and time calculations.
22. OI File Manager: If you want to stay organized, this OpenIntents file manager allows you to browse your SD card, create directories, rename, move, and delete files. It also acts as an extension to other applications to display “Open” and “Save” dialogs.
23. Voice Recorder: Record to an SD card and send data as attached file via Gmail along with timer & background recording. You can search by title and date, set recordings as ringtones and more.
24. Weather Channel: Know the weather before you head out the door. With the Weather Channel app, you just need wireless capacity to access severe weather warnings, forecasts and radar maps for your location and for across the world.
25. Where: This is an all-in-one app that provides you with anything you need and tells you how to get there. Hotel? Coffee? The closest government office? It’s all here, including weather, traffic and headlines.

An organization with that much money and influence, though, can be the target of a number of myths, though. If you are interested in public health, you need to know about the Global Health Program from the Gates Foundation. Here are 10 myths, and 10 facts, providing you with 20 facts and myths about the Gates Foundation:

1. Myth: The Global Health Program is primarily concerned with AIDS.
2. Fact: Even though the Gates Foundation Global Health Program provides funding for HIV/AIDS research grants, it is not the main focus of the program. Indeed, there are several grants, worth millions of dollars a year, for the study of a number of different diseases and health risks, offered through the Gates Foundation Global Health Program.
3. Myth: The Gates Foundation Global Health Program is focused only in Africa, and isn’t really global.
4. Fact: While there are a number of resources devoted to Africa, due the nature of the health issues facing that continent, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Program truly is global. The HIV/AIDS research funding is split between 16 research teams around the world, and there has been grants awarded in Japan and at Hebrew University. Additionally, the University of Washington received a grant in order to found the Department of Global Health.
5. Myth: Instead of creating real and lasting solutions, the Global Health Program just throws money at problems.
6. Fact: The Gates Foundation Global Health Program offers a number of opportunities for solutions to be found. Not only does the program issue grants for research to find new cures and medicines for health problems, but it also believes in education. Health education programs, designed to help people around the world learn more about better health practices.
7. Myth: Bill Gates released mosquitoes infected with malaria at a TED talk about battling the disease in Africa.
8. Fact: While Bill Gates did let some mosquitoes fly around during his presentation at TED, none of the mosquitoes had malaria. He merely used the mosquitoes as a stunt.
9. Myth: Only cronies of Bill Gates can get grants for health care research through the Global Health Program.
10. Fact: Anyone with a good idea about improving global health and doing research, and a plausible implementation to put their ideas into action, can apply for grants with the Gates Foundation. There are a number of funding areas available in the Global Health Program, and it is possible for anyone to apply. While not every grant will be accepted, it is true that many people, who may not know the Gates family personally, have received funding for global health projects.
11. Myth: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Program spends millions of dollars lobbying in Washington for special favors and agendas.
12. Fact: The Gates Foundation has a specific status as a non-profit that does not allow it to directly lobby, due to its tax status. Congressional lobbying activities are prohibited. However, this doesn’t mean that the Global Health Program can’t get out there and encourage positions and the public on global health matters. And it doesn’t meant that Bill Gates, as an individual, can’t lobby. He can use his personal influence as he sees fit.
13. Myth: Warren Buffett arranged to give all his money to the Gates Foundation, including the Global Health Program.
14. Fact: Even though investing legend Warren Buffett has a generous annual gift that goes to the Gates Foundation every year, it does not come close to amounting to his entire fortune. Rather, the arrangement is that a certain number of Berkshire Hathaway shares are given to the foundation each year. Some of that money makes to the Global Health Program, but not all of it.
15. Myth: Bill Gates is the president of the Global Health Program, and oversees its operation.
16. Fact: Actually, even though Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, along with Warren Buffett, are trustees for the Gates Foundation, little of the day to day running of the charity is done by these figures. This includes the Global Health Program. The president of the Global Health Program is actually Dr. Tadataka “Tachi” Yamada. He used to chair R&D at GlaxoSmithKline, and he taught internal medicine at the University of Michigan. He has been knighted, and he has been a president of the American Gastroenterological Association and the Association of American Physicians.
17. Myth: The Global Health Program has a budget as large as the World Health Organization’s budget.
18. Fact: While this might have been nearly true back when the WHO budget was close to $850 million a year, now this is not the case. The $800 million Global Health Program budget still pales in comparison with the nearly $5 billion the World Health Organization has for a budget. But, still, the Gates foundation budget is quite large, and can accomplish quite a bit.
19. Myth: The Gates Foundation Global Health Program is the only source of funding for the fight against polio in the world.
20. Fact: Many people assume that because polio has been largely eradicated in the U.S., that it does not need funding. Therefore, many are surprised to find that polio eradication efforts continue around the world. Even though the Gates Foundation Global Health Program does fund polio eradication efforts, it is far from the only organization making these efforts. However, the Global Health Program’s contribution is rather large: 17% of polio funding in the world comes from the Gates Foundation Global Health Program.

There are a number of myths about the Gates Foundation Global Health Program, it is important to take any information you learn — about nearly anything — with a grain of salt. While some still criticize the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation for its philanthropic capitalism, including the Global Health Program, there will also always be supporters, glad of the efforts being made to improve global health, and access to health care.

You and your medical records are protected by HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Title II of HIPAA, known as Administrative Simplification (AS) provisions, requires the establishment of national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers.

Administration Simplification provisions also address health data security and privacy within HIPAA. These standards are meant to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation’s health care system by encouraging the widespread use of electronic data interchange in the U.S. health care system. Covered entities include health plans, health care clearinghouses, such as billing services and community health information systems, and health care providers that transmit health care data in a way that is regulated by HIPAA.

While your doctor might seem trustworthy, part of that trust might be engendered by the amount of time you have spent with that doctor and his or her age. Younger doctors, especially those who still are students or who are serving as interns or who are just building their businesses might need more scrutiny — especially after a new survey that discovered unprofessional conduct on blogs and social-networking sites among medical students.

The Survey

The survey, published in September 2009 by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), stated that 60 percent of US medical schools surveyed responded (78/130). Of these schools, 60 percent (47/78) reported incidents of students posting unprofessional online content. Violations of patient confidentiality were reported by 13 percent (6/46), and consisted of:

• Student use of profanity (52 percent; 22/42): Nine open-ended text examples detailed negative comments pertaining to specific medical school experiences. Examples included using profanity or other disparaging language in reference to specific faculty, courses or rotations, classmates, or medical school. Some examples were reported as discriminatory in nature.
• Frankly discriminatory language (48 percent; 19/40): Four open-ended text examples detailed references to patients in which patient privacy was at risk. The majority of examples involved blogs that described clinical experiences with enough detail that patients could potentially be identified. One example was related to posting patient details on Facebook.
• Depiction of intoxication (39 percent; 17/44): Seven open-ended text examples detailed content suggesting intoxication or illicit substance use. Examples involved photographs (illicit substance paraphernalia, depiction of intoxication, students holding alcoholic beverages), video, and comments.
• Sexually suggestive material (38 percent; 16/42): Ten open-ended text examples detailed sexually suggestive or explicit content or inappropriate relationships. Examples in this category included sexually provocative photographs of students, requesting inappropriate friendships with patients on Facebook, and sexually suggestive comments.

Of 45 schools that reported an incident and responded to the question about disciplinary actions, 30 gave informal warning (67 percent) and 3 reported student dismissal (7 percent).

Policies that cover student-posted online content were reported by 38 percent (28/73) of deans. Of schools without such policies, 11 percent (5/46) were actively developing new policies to cover online content. Deans reporting incidents were significantly more likely to report having such a policy (51 percent vs 18 percent, believing these issues could be effectively addressed (91 percent vs 63 percent), and having higher levels of concern.

Viral Issues

While students are notorious for antics during college, the use of social networks can make the usual college prank into viral material that can damage patient confidentiality and the future of the medical student. Although some of the incidents identified in this survey, such as patient privacy and photos involving illicit drug use, appear to be clear-cut lapses in professionalism, others fall into more ambiguous categories. While certain examples, such as negative comments about a student’s institution or profession, might not be considered unprofessional, students have been long known to disparage their institution and profession when under stress.

According to the study, the line separating protected First Amendment rights and inappropriate postings may be unclear. The categories of unprofessional incidents used in this survey were based on prior studies on Internet professionalism, yet are subject to disagreement. Some behaviors, such as socially inappropriate medical student shows (in which medical students write and perform satirical comedy skits), may serve important coping and stress-release functions during difficult training and are documented well before the advent of the Internet; however, “when disseminated on media-sharing sites such as YouTube or Google Video, they carry the potential for significant public impact and viral spread of content.”

And, in some cases, it appears that medical students may not be aware of how online posting can reflect negatively on medical professionalism or jeopardize their careers. At one institution, teaching about how to elect privacy settings on Facebook resulted in an 80 percent decrease in publicly accessible accounts.

Resolution

Unlike using HIPAA to regulate patient confidentiality, the social networking world is unregulated for medical students except through the Dean’s office…and in some cases, those policies are not in place. Also, it appears that relevant laws, such as HIPAA, are not incorporated into regular instruction for medical students. In a later study, it was shown that most deans were not familiar with Web 2.0 technology, and that “this unfamiliarity may contribute to the lack of recognition of not only potential misuse but also the value of these applications.”

In many cases, the medical world is using Web 2.0 for collaboration and for communication with patients. With the onset of online medical records, however, the patient has every right to be concerned — not only with the safety of the software and hardware that houses those records, but also with the demeanor of the medical personnel who might handle those records.

Research should examine existing policies, identify superior models, and determine the effects of having specific policies and curricular programs on students’ online behaviors and professional development. Discussions among students, residents, and faculty should occur to help define medical professionalism in the era of Web 2.0. In addition, patients could begin to become more inquisitive about the conduct of their doctors online by asking their medical professionals about their online activities.

While “friending” your physician or following them on social networks is not appropriate in most cases, you can learn about what your doctor feels is appropriate for online behavior. If you ever have any doubts about your personal confidentiality as a patient, you can fall back on the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which establishes regulations for the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI).

Any individual who believes that the Privacy Rule is not being upheld can file a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Despite this resolution opportunity, OCR has a long backlog and often ignores many complaints. According to one article published in 2006, between April 2003 and Nov. 30 that year, the agency fielded 23,896 complaints related to medical-privacy rules, but it has not yet taken any enforcement actions against hospitals, doctors, insurers or anyone else for rule violations. A spokesman for the agency said three-quarters of the complaints were closed, typically because it found no violation or after it provided informal guidance to the parties involved.

Alcohol

These studies and infographics look at alcohol, discussing the dangers and the possible benefits of alcohol consumption. You are likely to find, though, that most benefits are derived when you use alcohol in moderation, rather than engaging in binge behaviors.

1. The Truth About Alcoholism: Because it is legal, many people do not think about alcohol as an addictive drug. However, there are some very harsh realities associated with alcohol. This infographic addresses alcohol, and provides information on drinking, and how to determine if someone is abusing alcohol.
2. Moderate alcohol intake and lower risk of coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of effects on lipids and haemostatic factors: Moderate intake of alcohol, according to this study from Harvard, can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
3. Continuous drinking can affect memory: Human and animal studies indicate that continuous drinking for eight weeks can affect the ability to learn for up to 12 weeks after drinking has stopped. Heavy drinking can cause memory problems and even contribute to dementia.
4. Visualizing Alcohol Use: Consider this infographic about alcohol use. Get an idea of how many people use alcohol, and its effects. Includes information on blood alcohol level, as well as what it takes to begin impairing your behavior.
5. Alcohol and Injuries: The World Health Organization offers this study on alcohol and injury. It looks at different injuries that result from alcohol use, and looks at relative risk of alcohol.
6. Alcohol and public health: A look at the public health problems caused by alcohol, and what can be done to slow the public health epidemic related to alcohol.
7. Alcohol-Induced Depression: Involvement of Serotonin: This study at the Hamamatsu University in Japan looks at the depression induced by alcohol, and posits why alcohol might be a source of depression.
8. A Jigger of Alcohol, A Dash of Depression, and Bitters: A Suicidal Mix: A look at the overlap between suicide and alcoholism, including a look at the higher rates of successful suicide attempts by those who drink.

Marijuana

Look at the effects of marijuana on the brain and body. Also, consider the studies showing some of the benefits of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Studies and infographics that provide insight into the costs, benefits and risks associated with one of the most popular drugs known to humans.

9. 15 Things You Should Know About Marijuana: This infographic presents interesting facts about marijuana. It includes number of deaths from other drugs, including alcohol and prescription drugs and compares them to annual marijuana deaths. It also includes information about hemp production in the early days of America.
10. Marijuana Health Mythology: Dale Gieringer, Ph.D., offers a look at different myths surrounding marijuana, including those related to health and public safety. This piece sites numerous studies about marijuana and health.
11. Marijuana and Driving: A Review of the Scientific Evidence: This is a round-up of sorts, provided by NORML, citing a number of studies that relate to marijuana and driving. These studies indicate that those using marijuana are not significantly more likely to cause accidents than those who aren’t using marijuana.
12. Are We Losing Out by Not Legalizing Marijuana?: There is an argument out there that says that we should legalize marijuana for the financial aspects. This infographic offers information on the possible economic benefits of legalized marijuana.
13. Adverse effects of cannabis: There are still some adverse effects associated with frequent marijuana use. While there are some health dangers associated with marijuana, you have to consider that there are also health issues associated with legal substances, like alcohol and tobacco.
14. Cannabis, Pain, and Sleep: Lessons from Therapeutic Clinical Trials of Sativex, a Cannabis-Based Medicine: Study looks at the effectiveness of cannabis based medicines on helping those with chronic pain sleep, and found that what’s in marijuana could have benefits.
15. The Residual Cognitive Effects of Heavy Marijuana Use in College Students: Heavy use of almost any drug can affect cognition, and this study shows that heavy use of marijuana can affect neuropsychology. However, light use didn’t impair subjects as much.
16. Medical Marijuana Has Merit, Research Shows: WebMD offers a look at a study done by California researchers updating what we know about the uses of medical marijuana to help control pain in a number of situations.
17. Marijuana Has Little Effect On Driving: Researchers at the University of Iowa recently completed a study that indicates that marijuana has little effect on driving ability.
18. Study says marijuana no gateway drug: A study from the University of Pittsburgh spanning 12 years suggests that marijuana is not the “gateway drug” that it has been painted as.

Alcohol vs. Marijuana

Take a look at a comparison of alcohol and marijuana. Discover what the professionals have to say when these two popular substances go head to head.

19. Deadliest Drugs: This infographic looks at drugs, and press reports, in Britain. Using data from 2008, this infographic compares media coverage of drug deaths with the deaths themselves. As you can see, alcohol represented the second-highest amount of deaths, but was rarely reported on. By contrast, marijuana is third from the bottom, but there is greater furor over deaths related to cannabis. So, no matter what you have heard, alcohol causes more deaths than marijuana.
20. Drugs and Accident Risk in Fatally-Injured Drivers: This risk analysis from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Pathology at Monash University in South Melbourne, Australia, offers a look at the driving risks presented by different drugs. It suggests that drivers on alcohol are a greater risk than those using marijuana.
21. Comparative Effects of Alcohol and Marijuana on Mood, Memory, and Performance: This study, conducted by Johns Hopkins University, compared the effects of alcohol and marijuana. High doses of each has similar effects on word recall, but alcohol impaired performance on number recognition while marijuana did not. At the very least, this study suggests that marijuana is no worse than alcohol.
22. Comparing Dangers of Popular Drugs: This infographic offers a look at different dangers associated with drugs. It shows that alcohol ranks much higher than marijuana in terms of dependence, withdrawal, tolerance, reinforcement and intoxication. Alcohol even ranks higher than heroin on withdrawal.
23. Marijuana vs. Alcohol and Tobacco: This is a great collection of studies related to alcohol and tobacco use. This list kind of makes the argument that marijuana should remain illegal because of its health and safety issues somewhat ridiculous.
24. Urban Minority Youth: Alcohol and Marijuana Use and Exposure to Unprotected Intercourse: Both alcohol and marijuana can affect whether or not minority teenagers use condoms during intercourse.
25. Developing Brains: Alcohol Worse Than Marijuana: This looks at two different studies that show that teen brain development is more adversely affected by alcohol than by marijuana.

The answers to the risk factors involved with taking the pill are well defined, however, and some of those factors are listed below. Of major concern is the incidence of blood clots, as blood clots can damage lungs or the heart and some may prove deadly. Increasingly, these issues may be seen more often in obese women who take the pill or in smokers.

The following list shows the dark side of birth control, with 17 adverse health effects. Each link leads to a reliable resource with the most recent updated information available.

Overall Risk Factors and Obesity

1. The main risk involved in taking oral contraceptives, or the pill, is for women who are older than age 35, who smoke and who have a history of blood clots or breast cancer. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does not include all these factors with any other contraceptive.
2. A new study (2010) states that women who take non-oral and oral hormonal contraceptives were at highest risk of Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). FSD covers low desire, inability to maintain arousal during such activity, or no arousal despite a desire to have sex, inability to experience orgasm, pain during sexual contact etc.
3. According to Science Daily, any woman considering the use of contraceptives should be evaluated for cholesterol levels, blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, kidney problems, obesity and other vascular diseases, including migraines. Additionally, the CDC suggests [PDF] that women continue to monitor their health throughout the span of taking birth control pills.
4. Studies have shown that women who take the pill and who have migraines increase their risk for a stroke by two to three times. The risk of stroke in women who have migraines with auras is increased by a factor of about 6 to 8, and further increased in the presence of other risk factors. In some cases, oral contraceptives cause the migraines.
5. In 2004, a study revealed that overweight and obese women who take oral contraceptives are 60-70 percent more likely to get pregnant while on the birth-control pill than women of lower weight. As recently as last year, Science Daily reported that the reason behind this anomaly may be that the pill takes longer to concentrate in the blood stream in obese women.
6. Obesity increases chances for blood clots, heart problems, diabetes, kidney problems and other vascular diseases, so taking the pill could exacerbate the odds for these issues if the woman taking oral contraceptives is obese.
7. Warning signs that warrant a call to your doctor include unusual or severe headaches, severe abdominal pain, chest pain or shortness of breath, blurred vision or vision loss and severe leg pain. Other symptoms, which may indicate a pulmonary embolism (PD) include feeling anxious or on edge, sweating, feeling lightheaded or faintness and a rapid pulse or palpitations.

Blood Clots

8. A study at the Dutch Leiden University Medical Center showed that women taking birth control pills were five times more likely to have blood clot problems than women who were not on the pill.
9. Another Leiden University study concluded that birth control pills containing the ingredient drospirenone — like Yasmin — are two times more likely to cause blood clots than other birth control pills, which generally contain levonorgestrel.
10. In 2008, researchers at the University of Ghent found that, based upon a study of 1,300 healthy women aged 35 to 55 living in a small town in Belgium, women who take oral contraceptives may have more plaque buildup in their arteries. Every 10 years of oral contraceptive use was correlated with a 20 to 30 percent increase in plaque buildup.
11. In 2007, researchers from Ghent University found that women who had used the pills and stopped had an unexpected increase of artery-clogging plaque in key blood vessels in the heart and legs. The study was conducted on 2,524 apparently healthy women aged 35 to 55 who had previously used oral contraceptives, many who had used them for over 13 years.
12. In 2003, the journal Archives of Internal Medicine reported a study showing that women who use birth control pills greatly increase their risk of potentially life threatening blood clots when they travel by air. This information was reiterated in 2009.

Heart Problems, Cancer

13. A study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2008 conducted by the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies at the University of Udine, in Italy, concluded that the new, “third-generation” oral contraceptives elevate the levels of “C-reactive protein” (CRP) in women, which in turn raises their risk of cardiovascular disease.
14. According to the Mayo Clinic, birth control pills may increase blood pressure. The risk of high blood pressure in women who take birth control pills also increases with age and the duration of use.
15. According to the National Cancer Institute, several studies have found that oral contraceptives increase the risk of liver cancer in populations usually considered low risk, such as white women in the United States and Europe who do not have liver disease. In these studies, women who used oral contraceptives for longer periods of time were found to be at increased risk for liver cancer.
16. In 2002, the American Cancer Society reported that women with inherited mutations of the breast cancer gene BRCA1 have an even higher risk of breast cancer if they take birth control pills. Their already high rate of breast cancer was increased by 20 percent on oral contraceptive pills.
17. Women whose LDL cholesterol is over 160 mg/dL should avoid using the pill. Ditto for those with a family history of premature heart disease or those with an HDL level less than 35 mg/dL or a triglyceride level greater than 250 mg/dL.

The links listed in the categories below lead straight to the user’s Twitter page, where you, too, can sign up to follow if you have a Twitter account.

Government Sources

1. @AIDSgov: This is the link to U.S. HIV and AIDS and media information.
2. CDC_BioSense: BioSense is a disease surveillance program designed to increase emergency preparedness thru development of national network for real-time disease detection.
3. @CDC_CERC: This branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information that meets the needs of preparing for, responding to and recovering from the threat of bioterrorism, emergent diseases, and other hazards.
4. @CDCFlu: Flu-related updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
5. @CDCemergency: CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response increases the nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.
6. @CDCNPIN: This office of the CDC connects HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and TB prevention partners.
7. @Citizen_Corps: Citizen Corps is FEMA’s grassroots strategy to bring together government and community leaders to involve citizens in all-hazards preparedness and resilience.
8. DHgovuk: Follow the official Twitter feed from England’s Department of Health.
9. @FDArecalls: Get notified first about food and product recalls and how to handle the information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
10. @femainfocus: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supports preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.
11. @FluGov: This is your one-stop access to U.S. Government H1N1, avian and pandemic flu information.
12. @healthfinder: Your source for reliable prevention and wellness information.
13. @HHSGov: News and information from the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.
14. @NCCAM: This is the government’s lead agency for scientific research into complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
15. @ReadydotGov: This U.S. government resource helps individuals and families prepare for possible disasters by making survival kits, making plans and by being informed.
16. @TeamNutrition: This is a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative to help end childhood obesity and lack of nutritive foods with a focus on preventative health measures.
17. @USAID_News: This is the official Twitter feed for USAID, the government agency providing U.S. economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

Organizations

18. @AmericanCancer: This is the official American Cancer Society Twitter stream, used to help people stay well and get well by finding cures and fighting back.
19. @AmerMedicalAssn: The American Medical Association helps doctors help patients by uniting physicians to work on the most important professional and public health issues.
20. @Family_Health: Family Heath International is dedicated to addressing the public health & development needs of the world’s most vulnerable people.
21. @GetReady: The American Public Health Association’s Get Ready campaign helps Americans prepare themselves, their families and their communities for all disasters, hazards and health emergencies.
22. @healthdotmil: This is the source for military health news and information.
23. @healthmap: This public Web site brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified view of the current global state of infectious diseases.
24. @LungAssociation: The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.
25. @medpedia: Medpedia is a long-term project to advance collaborative, transparent health and medical knowledge.
26. @NACCHOalerts: This is the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the national organization representing local health departments. You might also want to learn if your county or city health department is on Twitter.
27. @NHSChoices: Although based in England, this resource provides information for residents as well as travelers to find and rate GP & hospital services, health communities and more.
28. @PublicHealth: APHA (American Public Health Association) works to protect Americans from health threats.
29. @RWJF: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is geared to improve the health and health care of all Americans.
30. @RWJF_PubHealth: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Public Health Portfolio supports programs and initiatives to ensure that Americans have public health services and policies to help them lead healthier lives.
31. @safekidsusa: Safe Kids USA works to prevent accidental injury in kids under 14: car seat safety, pedestrian safety, product recalls and more.
32. @thePHF: The Public Health Foundation is dedicated to achieving healthy communities through research, training, and technical assistance.

Institutions

33. @BUPublicHealth: This is the official Twitter account for the Boston University School of Public Health.
34. @healthglobal: Centered at UMASS, this Twitter account focuses on global health, health disparities, transnational and international health and technology as well as public health.
35. @HarvardHealth: Authoritative public health information that draws on the expertise of 8,000 faculty physicians at Harvard Medical School and its world-famous affiliated hospitals.
36. @JohnsHopkins: This account focuses on the various schools within Johns Hopkins and offers news and updates regarding each unit.
37. @JohnsHopkinsSPH: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health offers news, solutions and updates on public health issues.
38. @nihlib: The National Institutes of Health Library supports researchers in that institute as well as selected U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies.
39. @NIHSciEd: The NIH Office of Science Education develops and sponsors science education programs for teachers, students, and the public.
40. @UM_SPH: This is the Twitter account for the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Media

41. @amednews: This is the news and information source for physicians, covering business, policy, public health and legal issues that impact medical practices.
42. @AmJNurs: American Journal of Nursing is the peer-reviewed, evidence-based voice of nursing since 1900.
43. @bmj_latest: British Medical Journal aims to lead the debate on health, and to engage doctors, researchers and health professionals to improve outcomes for patients.
44. @Health_Affairs: This is the policy journal of the health sphere, offering news and information from its popular blog.
45. @JAMA_current: The Journal of the American Medical Association, published since 1883, is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal.
46. @JMedInternetRes: The Journal of Medical Internet Research is a leading peer-reviewed journal focused on health and healthcare.
47. @Medscape: Health and medical news and alerts, CME, medical conference coverage and drug information for physicians and other health professionals.
48. @NatureMedicine: Nature Medicine is a biomedical research journal devoted to publishing the latest advances in biomedical research for scientists and physicians.
49. @NEJM: The New England Journal of Medicine is one of the world’s leading medical journal and website.
50. @WSJHealth: Health news coverage and analysis from the Wall Street Journal.

1. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) – Part of the NLM is the National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology. Just call it NICHSR. Their mission statement is “Improving the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and dissemination of health services research.” They have an actual online course that not only teaches you how to find health statistics, but describes the range of available health stats and identifies their sources. The course even teaches you strategies to better find the statistics you’re looking for, which makes it a great place to start your search.

2. Ask the Kaiser – Kaiser has a site called StateHealthFacts.org which has New Trend Data and Multi-year data on things like health spending and malpractice claims. The best part is that it has map of the U.S. that allows you to search by state as well as by subject. Some subjects are “Minority Health,” “Women’s Health,” and “Health Coverage & Uninsured.” There are also state comparisons and individual state profiles to play with.

3. US State Health Agencies List – If you want to get the answers straight from the source, this directory will help you find that source faster. Every state’s Health Agency is listed and linked. Finding a human being to answer the phone is up to you.

4. Department of Public Health and Human Services – Like so many other government web pages, this one is difficult to navigate and not very helpful. But, there is a nice little roundup of subjects under the “For Researchers” tab that includes MassHealth Annual Reports.

5. CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics – This is a goldmine of surveys, stats and publications. The main page has fun facts like “U.S. Cesarean Rate Up 53% Since 1996,” and if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find stats on anything you care to know about.

You should play an active role in ensuring that your medical records are safe, current, error-free.

Here are ten tips to help you take control of your medical records –

1. Maintain a personal set of medical records. It is your responsibility to always have up-to-date copies of your medical records. Whether it is a dental check-up or a blood test, get a copy from the medical practitioner and add it to your file, folder, or scan it and add it to a hard drive.

2. Be aware of your rights with respect to your medical records. A medical practitioner has ownership of the physical document that contains your medical record but you own the information therein. This means that as a general rule, doctors cannot pass on the information to a third party without your consent. There are rules regarding the sharing of patient medical records. Read what you sign at the medical practitioner’s office. Think before you sign any document that gives the doctor blanket authority over your medical records.

3. Taking control of your record entails ensuring both data safety as well as information accuracy. This means that you should review and check for errors in documents such as insurance billing, medical test results, doctor’s notes, etc. Request the provider to correct any discrepancies that you note. By law, you have a right to get misleading information corrected.

4. Health camps and health fairs can be attractive money savers with free diagnostic tests and one-on-one sessions with specialists. But you may be required to fill lengthy forms and you may unwittingly part with sensitive medical information that can be later used without your consent. In such places do not divulge information that you feel is unnecessary to the situation.

5. If you are changing doctors, inform your old doctor that you are moving on and would like your old records to be destroyed. The potential for abuse of your medical records increases manifold every time you change a doctor and your old records lie around unused without being updated.

6. Your Social Security Number is a valuable identifier and is prized by identity thieves that can use to access not just your medical records but a host of other information about you. Keep your social security number safe.

7. Be aware of the threats to the privacy of your medical records. These need not always be people with mala fide intent. Sloppy work and administrative negligence can be equally devastating; it can lead to misdiagnosis with serious consequences for the patient.

8. Find out if the healthcare individuals and organizations that you interact with have adequate measures in place to protect your medical information. HIPAA laws require that patient medical records confidentiality be maintained and disclosure should be responsible and limited.

9. Having an electronic back-up copy of your personal medical record is a wise thing to do. Portable flash drives with pre-installed software for entering data are available. Since Electronic Medical Record Systems (EMR) are becoming increasingly popular with physicians, getting an electronic copy is now easier for patients.

10. Lastly, be informed about how medical records can be distributed. For instance, contrary to popular belief health providers can actually exchange your medical information through fax and also email; however, the involved parties need to have policies in place for protecting electronic information.