July 1, 2001

A variety of anorectal lesions are encountered in family practice, and most can be managed in the office setting.

In the past decade, significant advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. A broader range of treatment options is now available, including new antiepileptic drugs and reformulations of classic drugs.

New research has given physicians a better understanding of scoliosis, the adolescent spinal deformity most commonly seen in family practice.

When prescribing drugs for breast-feeding women, physicians must weigh the benefits of the medication for the mother against the usually small potential risk of harm to the infant. Medications that are safe to use in pregnant women may not be safe for nursing infants.

Each year AFP offers a medical editing fellowship, and this year we're excited to announce that the John C. Rose fellow is Margaret L. Gourlay, M.D., who brings a unique blend of skills in medicine and editing to the position. Dr. Gourlay's nontraditional career path led her…

NCEP Issues New Cholesterol Guidelines | New Clinical Trial to Investigate Treatment Options for Breast Cancer | CDC Advises Physicians to Order Influenza Vaccine Early | Web Site Offers Patients and Physicians Information About High Blood Pressure | CDC Recommends Deferral of…

In the ongoing human effort to adorn our bodies with piercings, we have discovered yet another way to damage ourselves. This time it's with what the British Medical Journal refers to as “high” ear piercing—piercing the ear through the cartilage located in the upper third of the…

School screening programs for scoliosis remain the subject of considerable controversy.1–7 A recent epidemiologic study7 reported that some children with scoliosis who were identified through screening received treatment but, because screenings have a low positive predictive…

Today, JTL evaluated a 15-monthold toddler who, when JTL first met him at 13 months of age, weighed only 13 lb and was far below the third percentile for weight at that age. In contrast, his two-year-old brother was above the 50th percentile for age in all growth categories…

While there is evidence that antibiotics offer a slight benefit to patients with acute bronchitis, there is not a compelling reason to treat this patient with antibiotics.

Photo Quiz presents readers with a clinical challenge based on a photograph or other image.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has issued new clinical management guidelines on fetal macrosomia. The term fetal macrosomia implies fetal growth beyond a specific weight, regardless of the fetal gestational age.

Prevention of HIV Infection in Adolescents | ACSM Statement on the Physiology of Aging

Since the beginning of time, women have been healers. Female healers, including hedge-witches and nuns in mediaeval times, the sangoma of southern Africa, the curanderas of New Mexico and shamans in native healing rituals, have impacted the history of the ancient and new worlds…

Seizure (say this: see-zhure) is a word for abnormal, uncontrollable movements or behaviors that are caused by unusual electric activity in the brain. Epilepsy (say this: ep-il-ep-see) is a word for a group of related disorders. People with epilepsy have seizures over and over…