Frankly Speaking About Family Medicine

Breastfeeding exclusively in the first six months of life is widely recommended. However, in this study of newborns who were losing weight because their mother’s milk had not yet come in, post-breastfeeding supplementation improved weight and did not alter breastfeeding rates at one month.  Guest: Susan Feeney, DNP, FNP-BC 

In 2013, a groundbreaking clinical trial from Spain touted the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet to reduce CVD risk. A recent review of the study found some irregularities in the randomization procedure that cast concern on the validity of the findings. After reanalysis of the data, however, the results were essentially the same. Guest: Susan Feeney, DNP, FNP-BC

For adolescents who binge drink, when they begin and how often they do it affects academic performance. This episode discusses the findings of a longitudinal analysis of secondary school students in Canada: The COMPASS study. Guest: Jill Terrien PhD, ANP-BC

This study looked at how pain was treated following spine and joint surgery and found the majority of patients were not encouraged to use non-opioid analgesia and that most had a supply of unused opioids at home. Guest: Jill Terrien PhD, ANP-BC

Hypertension affects an estimated 80 million Americans. We diagnose, determine the need for medication therapy, and monitor treatment efficacy based on a simple office blood pressure measurement – but how accurate is that measurement, and what is the most valid method to obtain it? Guest: Susan Feeney, DNP, FNP-BC

Fibromyalgia can be difficult to treat and often requires a multifaceted approach combining exercise, medications, cognitive behavioral therapy, and health education. For many patients, pain hinders participation in a vigorous exercise regimen. Listen to this review of a randomized trial comparing aerobic exercise to tai chi in a patient population with fibromyalgia. Guest: Alan Ehrlich, MD 

For women experiencing an uncomplicated UTI, nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin are two first-line options for treatment. Is one more effective than the other? Listen to this episode to learn about the results from a multinational, open-label, randomized clinical trial. Guest: Jill Terrien PhD, ANP-BC

Listen to this week’s podcast episode to learn about a meta-analysis showing no benefit to rectal examinations in men. Guest: Susan Feeney, DNP, FNP-BC 

A recent AHA presentation offered data that showed an overwhelming amount of patients would prefer to take a pill or drink tea rather than exercise to lower their BP. This begs the questions: How much does drinking tea lower BP? Does exercise help those with primary HTN or resistant HTN who are already on medication? Finally, how do we get our patients to exercise?  Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, FAAFP

Listen to this week's episode to learn about a randomized trial of children in music vs. visual arts instruction. Music instruction led to improvements in verbal intelligence, executive functions, and academic performance. Guest: Susan Feeney, DNP, FNP-BC

This episode will review The Menopause Strategies: Finding Lasting Answers for Symptoms and Health (MsFLASH) series of 4 randomized controlled trials, pooling individual data that will provide guidance for discussing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic options for your peri- and postmenopausal patients. Guest: Jill Terrien PhD, ANP-BC  

The National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association (NIA-AA) just released an updated Framework of the 2011 Guidelines for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, focusing on the use of biomarkers rather than clinical criteria to make the diagnosis. Listen to this week’s episode to learn more. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, FAAFP

Chronic pain is a difficult but common problem in primary care. Patients are often desperate for any form of relief, and as a result, many are eventually started on opioid analgesics. This can be associated with many adverse effects. But is it worth it? A recent randomized trial compared opioid to non-opioid management of patients with chronic low back pain or chronic hip pain or knee pain due to osteoarthritis. Guest: Alan Ehrlich, MD

A recent research study published in JAMA Internal Medicine examined the use of antibiotics to treat acute sinusitis based upon the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guideline recommending 5-7 days when antibiotics are indicated and found that most courses of antibiotics are too long. Listen to this week’s episode to learn more. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, FAAFP

The American College of Physicians supported an evidence-based review of the topic guidelines for type 2 diabetes and concluded clinicians should aim for an A1c goal between 7.0-8.0 and recommended even less aggressive care for those over the age 80 years. Listen to this podcast episode to learn more about these new guidelines. Guest: Alan Ehrlich MD

Listen to this podcast episode for a brief summary of the literature on electronic media and its relation to sleep—specifically delayed bedtimes and decreased sleep duration. Screen-based media consumption is eating up our sleep health! Guest: Jill Terrien PhD, ANP-BC

71% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. To tackle this problem, primary care providers must stay up to date on the best evidence for addressing overweight and obese status in their patients. The DIETFITS Randomized Clinical Trial offers direction for nutritional advice in this important and serious public health concern. Guest: Kenneth Peterson, PhD, FNP-BC

Immunization practices are constantly in flux as new vaccines are approved and guidelines are updated. Recently, the FDA approved a 2-dose hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine and a new 2-dose herpes zoster (HZ) vaccine. Additionally, the CDC now recommends a 2-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine schedule, a change from the previous recommendation for a 3-dose schedule. This session will discuss the changing landscape of immunization practices and recent changes to recommendations. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, FAAFP

Management of patients with atrial fibrillation has long centered on the relative merits of rate control versus rhythm control. The CASTLE-AF trial evaluated catheter ablation as a treatment for patients with both heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and atrial fibrillation. Listen to this week’s podcast episode to learn about the results of this new trial and how the catheter ablation impacted clinical outcomes.  Guest: Alan Ehrlich MD

In this week’s episode, we’ll be continuing the discussion on the AAN’s updated practice guideline on mild cognitive impairment. Last week’s podcast episode provided overview of the updated practice guideline, and this week’s episode focuses on treatment recommendations. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, FAAFP