Massmed Podcast

Lyme disease is endemic to our state, and residents are at high risk. Exactly what is Lyme disease? How is it transmitted? How can we protect ourselves from this infectious disease? And what treatments are available for those who do get the disease? Guest: Martin Kafina, M.D. Host: Bruce Karlin, M.D. For more information on [...]

The incidence of such conditions as asthma, bullying and violence, and sexually transmitted diseases among school children is high and increasing. Seasonal and swine flu add to the burdens of medical directors and school nurses who provide front-line care for students. Yet budgets are strained and school nurses are in short supply across the state [...]

Katherine Treadway, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, gave an inspiring presentation this month at the MMS Ethics Forum. Her talk, “Matter of the Heart: Humanism in Practice” made a compelling argument for returning humanism to the center of medical care. Listen to the podcast (Length 1:07:45) (This will open your computer’s default media player in [...]

Massachusetts Medical Society President Mario Motta, MD, kicked off the Interim Meeting of the Society’s House of Delegates with remarks urging physicians to remain deeply involved in federal and state health reform efforts. “Do not fear change and the future,” he said. “Get involved, be active. Let us be the architects of our future and [...]

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood, affecting some 4.5 million children 5-17 years of age in the United States. Here in Massachusetts, nearly 10 percent of children have been diagnosed with the condition, which affects behavior, emotions, attentiveness, and learning. What causes this disorder? What are the [...]

The Flu: What You Should Know brings physicians and public health officials together in presenting information on the dangers of H1N1 swine flu and seasonal flu, vaccine safety and supply, how to protect against the infections, and what to do if you get sick. Guests on the program include John Auerbach, Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner; [...]

November’s edition of Physician Focus examines the skills and responsibilities of the anesthesiologist and the specialty’s impact and influence on patient care.  Skill in the operating room is but one aspect of anesthesiologists’ activities; they also play key roles in patient care, pain management, and critical care medicine. And the specialty has been a leader in local [...]

The six state medical societies of New England sponsored a webinar to inform physicians and medical office staff about a national auditing program that will impact health care providers. This session described the national Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program, a component of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006.  The goal of the [...]

Integrative medicine is a new approach to care, combining conventional or evidence-based medical therapies with complementary or alternative treatments such as acupuncture, biofeedback, stress reduction, or herbal medicines. Such an approach is growing in a variety of health care settings. How much do we know about such methods? Are they effective? What is the current [...]