American Medical Association

Apr 30 2013

Breast milk not perfect

Most new moms aim to breast-feed their babies — a practice encouraged by experts who tout the many health benefits of breast milk.

But breast milk is not perfect when it comes to vitamin D. A new study published Tuesday in a special edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association focusing on child health reiterates that breast-fed babies also need a vitamin D supplement.

Mar 8 2012

Dr. Reed Tuckson

With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, a new book by Reed Tuckson, M.D., aims to put the power of healthy aging in the hands of average Americans. 
“The Doctor in the Mirror” is based on a simple premise: while preventive care and regular doctor visits are vital to health, the key to much of our wellness is in our hands. The book encourages readers to recognize the doctor in the mirror, or “Dr. You,” and provides information, strategies, ideas and resources designed to help older adults age with vitality. 

Jan 26 2012

Cost should not be the main factor in treating patients, it says

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Recently, the American College of Physicians, the second-largest group of  U.S. doctors after the American Medical Association, has argued in favor of the position that doctors consider cost-effectiveness when deciding how to treat patients. It has gone so far as to include the recommendation in its latest ethics manual. Due to healthcare costs in the U.S. that are twice those of other industrialized countries, they argue that:

Jan 13 2011

First successful open-heart surgery

On Jan. 18, 1856, the world welcomed a future surgeon and history maker, Daniel Hale Williams.

He was the fifth of seven children born in Hollidaysburg, Penn., to Daniel and Sarah Williams.

Daniel’s father, a barber, moved the family to Maryland, but died of tuberculosis shortly after the move. Williams’ Scotch-Irish mother was unable to care for all the children, so she sent most of them away to live with relatives.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.