To Your Health: NLM update Transcript

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Fall 2015: 12/14/2015

Cover of NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine Fall 2015 Issue

Greetings from the National Library of Medicine and MedlinePlus.gov

Regards to all our listeners!

I'm Rob Logan, Ph.D., senior staff, U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Here is what's new this week in To Your Health, a consumer health oriented podcast from NLM, that helps you use MedlinePlus to follow up on weekly topics.

The new edition of NIH MedlinePlus magazine covers precision medicine, delirium in hospitals, as well as migraines.

The cover features Cindy McCain (the wife of U.S. Senator John McCain) who explains she began to experience migraine headaches around age 40. McCain explains (and we quote): 'I realized something was way wrong by the time I turned 40, and the intensity and number of headaches increased' (end of quote).

McCain explains migraines should not be confused with routine headaches. She says (and we quote): "It's much more than that.... migraines are the leading cause of lost work time and performance around the world. And there's no cure for it' (end of quote).

McCain adds she believes the stigma associated with migraine headaches can be countered through increased public communication efforts. She says (and we quote): 'the more we talk about it then the better the understanding' (end of quote).

NIH MedlinePlus magazine notes about 12 percent of Americans suffer from migraines, which occur in children and adults. NIH MedlinePlus magazine explains current research about migraines focuses on how it occurs — and is intended to foster new treatments. NIH MedlinePlus magazinereports several current drug studies (mostly from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) seek to find new medications to treat an array of headache disorders and to discover safer, more effective doses for the drugs already in use.

In a separate section, NIH MedlinePlus magazine highlights the symptoms, causes, and prevention of delirium in hospitals. NIH MedlinePlus magazine explains more than seven million hospitalized Americans suffer from delirium each year. NIH MedlinePlus magazine adds more than 60 percent of patients with delirium are not recognized within the health care system.

To differentiate between delirium and dementia, Marie A Bernard M.D., deputy director of the National Institute on Aging, explains (and we quote): 'delirium is an acute change in cognitive function, primarily characterized by confusion ... dementia is a progressive decline in cognitive function that occurs over months and years' (end of quote).

NIH MedlinePlus magazine explains some treatments for delirium include:

helping adults complete their sleep cycle
stopping or changing medications that may contribute to delirium
lower doses of medicines that control aggression or agitation.

NIH MedlinePlus magazine also provides a special section about NIH's new Precision Medicine Initiative. NIH MedlinePlus magazine reports the objectives of the Precision Medicine Initiative are to foster improved cancer treatments and create a large, voluntary, national research cohort.

NIH MedlinePlus magazine reports the proposed national cohort of one million Americans will provide unprecedented, interactive information about the medical records of the participants, the profiles of their genes, their chemical makeup, lifestyles, and other personalized health information.NIH MedlinePlus magazine explains a more expansive combination of health information is needed to expand the understanding of what promotes health and fosters illness among the diverse populations within the U.S.

NIH MedlinePlus magazine adds the Precision Medicine Initiative also intends to provide a better understanding of the molecular changes in the human body that lead to the development and growth of many cancers. NIH MedlinePlus magazine explains (and we quote): 'One immediate goal will be to significantly expand efforts in cancer genomics to create prevention and treatment successes for more cancers'(end of quote).

Other articles in the current NIH MedlinePlus magazine include: tips on reducing high risk college drinking as well as understanding and managing head lice.

As always, NIH MedlinePlus magazine provides a helpful list of phone numbers (many of them a free call) to contact NIH's array of institutes and centers.

NIH MedlinePlus magazine is distributed to physicians' offices nationwide by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Friends of the National Library of Medicine. You can subscribe or find the latest edition online by clicking on 'Magazine,' which is on the bottom right side of MedlinePlus.gov's home page.

Previous editions of NIH MedlinePlus magazine are available at the same site. A link to NIH MedlinePlus magazine, which provides other health information and resources in Spanish, is available there as well (see the top right of the page). The web version of NIH MedlinePlus magazineincludes links that visually supplement the information in some articles.

Before I go, this reminder... MedlinePlus.gov is authoritative. It's free. We do not accept advertising .... and is written to help you.

To find MedlinePlus.gov, just type 'MedlinePlus.gov' in any web browser, such as Firefox, Safari, Chrome, or Explorer.

We encourage you to use MedlinePlus and please recommend it to your friends. MedlinePlus is available in English and Spanish. Some medical information is available in 48 other languages.

Your comments about this or any of our podcasts are always welcome.

Please email the podcast staff anytime at: NLMDirector@nlm.nih.gov

A written transcript of recent podcasts is available by typing 'To your health' in the search box on MedlinePlus.gov's home page.

The National Library of Medicine is one of 27 institutes and centers within the National Institutes of Health. The National Institutes of Health is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A disclaimer — the information presented in this program should not replace the medical advice of your physician. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any disease without first consulting with your physician or other health care provider.

It was nice to be with you. Please join us here next week and here's to your health!