February 1, 2005

Antihypertensive therapy reduces morbidity and mortality in elderly persons, but less than one third of these patients have adequate blood pressure control. Low-dose thiazide diuretics are first-line therapy for these patients, and second-line therapy should include beta…

The development of newer antidepressant drug classes and second-generation antiepileptic drugs has created unprecedented opportunities for the treatment of chronic pain. The actions of these agents differ in neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain, and agents within each…

Alcohol detoxification can be undertaken on an outpatient basis in alcohol-dependent patients with signs of mild to moderate withdrawal. Sedatives, sympatholytics, and neuroleptics are used to treat the clinical manifestations of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Progress can be…

By paying attention to patients' values, spirituality, and relationship dynamics, family physicians can elicit and accommodate cultural preferences.

One of the the greatest joys I have had as managing editor of AFP is working with the many talented artists who light up the cover and inside pages with their creative and colorful illustrations. Working under the guidance of AFP's art coordinator, David Klemm, whose office is…

AAFP Joins Center for Practical Health Reform | Grants Are Available for Family Medicine Research Projects | AAFP Offers Online Resource for Meeting HIPAA Security Rule Deadline | CDC Issues Reminder About Proper Use of Antibiotics | NIH Opens 2005 Director's Pioneer Award…

Breastfeeding may help fend off joint pain, according to a recent study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. The study, which examined the health of over 120,000 women since 1976, found that those who breastfed for 13 to 23 months were only one fifth as likely to develop…

Imagine that all of our patients are invited to attend a “cultural competence” workshop called “Understanding the Medical Culture,” where they will learn how the strange and mysterious environment of medical practice affects physicians, so that their otherwise incomprehensible…

Cardiovascular disease and stroke cause 38.5 percent of all deaths in the United States.1 Despite the existence of guidelines for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC),2 many…

The majority of medical problems can be handled on the mobile clinic. Today was an exception. JT, a family nurse practitioner, was staffing the mobile clinic with a third-year medical student, AW. The first patient was complaining of chest pain and had ST elevations in the…

In the short term, manipulative therapy is as effective for acute or chronic low back pain as other treatments such as analgesics, physical therapy, exercises, back school, and routine care from a primary care physician. Radiation of pain, type of manipulation, and use of…

Efficacy of Antioxidants in GI Cancer Prevention

Delaying Antibiotics for Respiratory Infections

What are the effects of treatments in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

Treatments such as antibiotics, steroids, antihistamines/decongestants, and mucolytics afford no long-term benefit in the treatment of patients with otitis media with effusion (OME).

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

Updated practice guidelines for the treatment of ulcerative colitis in adults have been issued by the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG's) Practice Parameters Committee.

Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women

Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

AHA Report on Response to Cardiac Arrest

Assisted Reproductive Technology Statistics

Alcoholism is a disease that affects the part of the brain that controls your feelings, the way you make decisions, and the way you act. People with alcoholism cannot control how much they drink.

When you have trouble having bowel movements, you have constipation. Your stools may be very hard, making them so difficult to pass that you have to strain and push. Or you may feel like you still need to have a bowel movement after you just had one.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a problem with the intestines. In people with IBS, the intestines squeeze too hard or not hard enough and food moves too quickly or too slowly through the intestines.

Inflammatory bowel disease is the name of a group of disorders that cause the intestines to become inflamed (red and swollen). The inflammation lasts a long time and usually comes back over and over again.