Posts by Dr. Bill

Teen Virginity Beneficial

Posted by on Dec 27, 2016 in Patient Care

Teen Virginity Beneficial

The sexual choices and values our young people hold have real-life consequences far beyond sexuality itself. In my nearly 25-year career at Focus on the Family as a social science researcher, I am constantly amazed and encouraged in my faith at how what God requires of us in our familial and sexual lives is never contrary to good, honest science. The two correspond in remarkable ways. And why shouldn’t it? When sociologists study the behaviors of man without agenda, they unwittingly discover the rightness of God’s wisdom and care in His directions to us. The scholars just don’t realize it....

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“Mommy brain”

Posted by on Dec 21, 2016 in Patient Care, Pregnancy

“Mommy brain”

Pregnancy may change mom’s brain for years afterward According to an article in this week’s STAT News, neuroscientist Elseline Hoekzema and colleagues have studied brain plasticity — that is, the way the adult brain changes — for years. But it wasn’t until one of her colleagues was trying to become pregnant that the team started pondering questions of how pregnancy and motherhood change a woman’s brain. What they found was that pregnancy reshapes the brain for at least two years afterward, with strongest effects in regions of the brain that are involved in social processing and those...

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Statins and Alzheimer’s

Posted by on Dec 13, 2016 in Patient Care

Statins and Alzheimer’s

Regular Use Of Statins May Be Associated With Reduced Risk For Alzheimer’s, Study Suggests. ABC World News Tonight (12/12, Story 10, 0:20, Muir) reported, “A new study shows that high use of cholesterol lowering statins is now tied to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s for patients over the age of 65.” CNN (12/12, Howard) reports that research published online Dec. 12 in JAMA Neurology suggests “regular use of statins is associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s.” The research “involved Medicare data on 399,979 statin users.” Investigators “found that those who were exposed to higher levels of...

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Overdose deaths rising

Posted by on Dec 9, 2016 in Patient Care

Overdose deaths rising

Opioid-Related Deaths at All-Time High The Washington Post (12/8, Ingraham) reports data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday revealed that “opioid deaths continued to surge in 2015, surpassing 30,000 for the first time in recent history.” The data shows “an increase of nearly 5,000 deaths from 2014.” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a statement, “The epidemic of deaths involving opioids continues to worsen.” He added, “Prescription opioid misuse and use of heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl are intertwined and deeply troubling problems.” The AP...

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Who is Tom Price?

Posted by on Nov 30, 2016 in Insurance, Patient Care

Who is Tom Price?

10 Things to know about HHS Secretary designate Tom Price By Medical Economics staff, November 29, 2016 Tom Price, MD, a Republican representative from Georgia, is poised to be nominated as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to media reports. Here’s what physicians should know about Price. 10. He is a third generation physician, having served in private practice for nearly 20 years in Georgia as an orthopedic surgeon. He received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Michigan and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at...

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