Frankly Speaking About Family Medicine

Don’t Make Me Exercise – Give Me Some Tea & a Pill! - Frankly Speaking EP 72

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

Mom, Do I Have to Practice the Piano Again? The Benefit of Music Instruction on Executive Function - Frankly Speaking EP 71

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

Hot Flashes, Night Sweats, and Insomnia: Will I Ever Sleep Through the Night Again? - Frankly Speaking EP 70

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  

Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Diagnosis? - Frankly Speaking EP 69

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

My Joints Are Killing Me! Opioids vs. NSAIDs for Chronic Pain - Frankly Speaking EP 68

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

Antibiotics and Sinusitis – How Long is Too Long? - Frankly Speaking EP 67

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

Best Evidence Goals for Type 2 Diabetes - Frankly Speaking EP 66

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

Is Screen Time Taking Your Child’s Sleep Time? - Frankly Speaking EP 65

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

Diet! Diet! Who’s Got the Best Diet? - Frankly Speaking EP 64

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

Changing Immunization Practices: 2-Dose Vaccines - Frankly Speaking EP 63

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