Clinical Applications

“Neurologists can triage better than anybody,” says Anthony Alessi, MD, a Connecticut neurologist and author of Lift Up Your Hearts: Healing Haiti, Land of Hardship. After the January 12, 2010, earthquake, he and 15 medical colleagues flew to Haiti with the Haitian Health Foundation. “In my role as a neurologist, the assessment and treatment of…

If you can think of it, there is probably an app for it. It’s true that a lot are built purely for entertainment, but others are attempting to fill more serious needs, including those related to medical care. There are hundreds of health apps that do things like remind you to take medications, monitor vitals,…

The most recent Zika outbreak ended at the close of 2016. It is reasonable to assume that neurologists will be major players as the full consequences of the outbreak become clear, even though we don’t fully understand its long-term impact today. In August, the CDC published new information about the effect of Zika on children…

Identifying differences in types of dementia can help narrow down appropriate treatment pathways. It can also avoid confusion about how to approach the different causes of similar diseases. But, as researchers out of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine were recently reminded, commonalities can lead to important breakthroughs in care and treatment, too. Their study,…

Skepticism is part and parcel of the practice of medicine. First Do No Harm looms large in every encounter. So when new practice modalities gain popularity, it’s not surprising that they take some time to gain widespread usage, particularly when their mechanism of action is unclear. Acupuncture definitely falls into that category, but its use…

We spoke to a neurology nurse practitioner in Georgia to get some insight into how COVID-19 has impacted care – and is shaping the future of healthcare. ‘We're learning that high-quality care can be delivered multiple ways,’ she says.

In recent years, a concierge model of practice has gained popularity in the primary care world. Also called direct primary care, this model is set up so that patients pay a set amount, much like a membership, on a monthly or annual basis. In exchange they get comprehensive care from their physician. Doctors using this…

Your patient just got some interesting news. He is 17 percent Eastern European, he probably sneezes in bright sunlight, and he has “the gene” for Alzheimer Disease. That’s right, your patient just had genetic testing done by a company like 23andMe. The biotech firm lets its customers send in a saliva sample to have DNA…