Health and Psychology

Health and psychology

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This blog covers current events, brain injury, general psychology, health psychology, medical psychology, testing, and general issues.

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Cats and pain

Posted by Margaret Donohue on October 12, 2015 at 9:30 AM Comments comments (0)

Some of you know I used to work with and train cats.  This infomation is put out by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management http:https://ivapm.org/for-the-public/animals-and-pain-articles/how-we-assess-your-felines-pain-level/" target="_blank">//ivapm.org/for-the-public/animals-and-pain-articles/how-we-assess-your-felines-pain-level/



Acquired Prosopagnosia--Impaired facial recognition

Posted by Margaret Donohue on October 11, 2015 at 1:50 PM Comments comments (0)

It was 1985.  I lived in Panorama City and the man that followed me through the security gate was intent on robbing me.  I hit the back of my head on concrete and sufferred a concussion.  My glasses were broken into my face when he hit me.  I didn't notice anything was wrong apart from the bruises.  It was about a month before I noticed my sense of smell and taste were off.  It was almost 6 months before I realized I didn't really recognize faces.  People lo...

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Genetic Disorders

Posted by Margaret Donohue on October 4, 2015 at 11:50 AM Comments comments (0)

I remember being in Kindergarten when I figured out that the other children in my class were different from me.  By age five I had already had two surgeries for unusual medical problems and I was being routinely followed by six treating physicians.  So when I walked up to Nadine and asked her how many doctors she had, she looked at me like I was crazy.  She explained she didn't have any doctors.  She only got shots for immunizations.


That was when I reali...

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Clinical Medicine

Posted by Margaret Donohue on October 1, 2015 at 11:45 AM Comments comments (0)

Laboratory medicine: blood tests, urine analysis, imaging, scanning, x-rays, biopsy are all relatively new in the field of medicine. Clinical medicine goes back to when laboratory medicine didn't exist. Clinical medicine involves looking at people and really noticing them and understanding how medical illness presents clinically. That understanding allows a physician to order the correct lab tests, images, scans, or biopsy a tissue or growth. Without clinical medicine, it's difficult for a...

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Risk management--in case of emergency call 911?

Posted by Margaret Donohue on September 16, 2015 at 9:00 AM Comments comments (0)

We're setting up a new phone system.  Someone suggested the voice mail include the phrase "In case of emergency call 911."  When I asked why they would want that, they mentioned that everywhere else where they worked had that.  It's a convention.  But none of the staff in my office would actually call 911 unless they had a medical emergency.  What we all had was a list of people, therapists, colleagues, agencies, or groups we would call in case of psychological emerge...

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Undiagnosed Medical Conditions CAUSE Psychiatric Symptoms

Posted by Margaret Donohue on September 6, 2015 at 8:50 AM Comments comments (0)

The research studies go back to the 1930's and were quite prolific through the 1970's.  Most involved individuals admitted to psychiatric hospitals as the result of severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, mania, psychosis, or neurotic symptoms.  The rates of undiagnosed medical illness CAUSING the symptoms ranged from 10% to 50% and of that population, 77% had a complete remission of symptoms when the underlying medical condition was treated.


Back in the late 1970'...

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Diabetes risk and antibiotic use

Posted by Margaret Donohue on August 30, 2015 at 10:00 AM Comments comments (1)

There is  new study out in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism http://press.endocrine.org/doi/pdf/10.1210/jc.2015-2696 which found a correlation between people in Denmark using a large number of narrow specturm antibiotics matched with controls that used few to no antibiotic, and subsequent risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.  I've added the link so you can read the origi...

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Medical Causes of Anxiety-THINC MED

Posted by Margaret Donohue on August 16, 2015 at 8:40 PM Comments comments (0)

There are many medical conditions that mimic symptoms of anxiety,  All psychiatric diagnoses start with a request that medical conditions be ruled out before a psychiatric diagnosis is considered.  In addition there should be a history of symptoms of anxiety that gradually escalate over time.  Anxiety is not generally sudden in onset.  Most anxiety disorders start in childhood or by early adulthood.  Symptoms of anxiety occuring later in life are unusual.  Any sy...

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Natural Pain Killers in Foods

Posted by Margaret Donohue on August 11, 2015 at 9:35 AM Comments comments (0)

I'm going to post a link to another web site that has lists of foods that naturally contain salicylates.  Salicylates are best known to people as the main chemical in aspirin.  All salicylates are reducers of inflammation.  The problem is they are common in foods and many people are either sensitive or allergic to them.  Symptoms include everything from hives, to ADHD symptoms, to OCD symptoms.  They also treat pain, headaches, inflammatory conditions, irritable bowel...

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10 Surprising Medical Causes of Depression

Posted by Margaret Donohue on August 2, 2015 at 11:00 AM Comments comments (0)

Most people think that depression is caused by either situational events or some sort of chemical imbalance.  In fact more than 70% of depression is caused by either an undiagnosed or an inadequately treated medical condition.  Here are some of the main medical causes of depression:


1. Anemia--Anemia has multiple types, but the common feature is that oxygen rich blood is not able to be adequately carried to the brain.   This may be because there aren't enough ...

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