NEJM 1 Sep 2016 Vol 375 Adding LABAs to steroid inhalers This week’s print NEJM contains two trials of adding inhaled long acting beta-adrenergic agents to inhaled corticosteroids. The first recruited 6208 children with asthma from the ages of 4 to 11, and compared fluticasone alone with fluticasone plus salmeterol. We know that salmeterol alone should […]
Two blogs ago, I mentioned the current interest in cupping among celebrities such as Olympic athletes and actors. There are surely easier and safer ways to obtain a placebo effect. The mechanistic theory that originally underpinned therapies in Western medicine, such as cupping, blistering, bloodletting, emesis, and purging, was that of the four humours, which […]
An open letter to Jeremy Hunt and The BMA We are patients who have had life-changing illnesses, injuries, or disabilities. We have worked for years to get patients and carers to be more involved in healthcare policy and practise at a local and national level. We do not “represent” anybody. This statement is a collation […]
The BMJ Global Health blog Mental health is neglected and stigmatized globally and across societies, in spite of its high burden. Moreover, in Nigeria, mental health is not just neglected but remains completely absent from key health sector documents. There is a glimmer of hope though, in the form of a revised mental health policy from 2013, […]
The BMJ Global Health blog The connectivity made possible by social media is one of the most important revolutionary changes in the last decade. And The BMJ has always encouraged openness, transparency, and multi-stakeholder involvement, through blogs and other social media. The BMJ now has an extensive blog portfolio. At BMJ Global Health, we have […]
One of my favorite radio pundits is EJ Dionne, so I was intrigued to read in my morning paper his opinion piece, asking “where are our faith leaders?” In short, he argues that in today’s society discussions about religion have mainly been subsumed under political discussion of issues about which religious people care (or are about which they […]
Hardly a month passes by without press reports of new wonder drugs offering glimmers of hope to patients with dementia. Unfortunately, most of these stories prove to be misleading: like in the case of internet scams (lottery wins, free i-pads or miraculous princes offering their inheritance), if it sounds too good to be true, it […]
The Francis Crick Institute for bio-medical research will open today. The present Government will claim credit for it. But the project is nearing completion only because of far-sighted decisions by the Labour science minister David Sainsbury and, above all, by the personal commitment of Gordon Brown. It is a shining example of a government working […]
As the shock of the referendum fades away, a deathly silence has come over the remain camp. The defeated remainers have gone to ground, while the process of leaving the EU has taken on a life of its own. All the talk is of Brexit, for “we are all Brexiters now.” In a sense this […]
Junior doctors’ anger and disillusionment during their recent dispute highlight the need for a new approach to ensure that they feel valued and able to work in supportive and accountable environments. Rather than wait for the contractual dispute to be resolved, Health Education England (HEE) has been working with others, including postgraduate deans, the BMA’s […]