WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT—Under the MISSION Act, veterans who meet certain criteria can opt to receive medical care—including surgery—from community...
News
‘Bad Paper’ Discharges Keep Many Veterans From Receiving VA Care
WASHINGTON—While most servicemembers receive honorable discharges, as many as 7% discharged since 1980 have what are commonly known as “bad paper”...
Current Issue
Psychotherapeutic Services Can Be Critical for Veterans With Multiple Sclerosis
Some Mental Health Issues More Common in MS Patients HARTFORD, CT—Emotional disorders are common in patients with multiple sclerosis and can...
Could VA’s Expedited Pandemic Hiring Become the New Normal?
More than 23,000 New Employees Have Joined Agency WASHINGTON—Thanks to an influx of emergency funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the...
Maher Seeks to Convince Women Veterans That VA Can Meet Their Needs
WASHINGTON—Currently, women make up 10% of U.S. veterans, and that percentage grows higher with each new generation of veterans. Yet, there has...
COVID-19
VA’s COVID-19 Cases Quadruple Between Early June, Late July
Number of Infected Employees Also Is Growing WASHINGTON—As the number of new coronavirus cases rose throughout the country, VA’s caseload grew as...
VA Takes Multi-track Approach for Veterans with Serious Mental Illness
WASHINGTON—The COVID-19 pandemic closed many hospitals and clinics across the U.S. this spring, but that didn’t stop the VA from supporting veterans...
A Battle on Two Fronts: Coronavirus and Addiction
BETHESDA, MD—Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) had been fighting one daunting national health crisis already when the...
VA Program ‘Annie’ Helps Veterans Cope during Pandemic
LOUISVILLE, KY—Veterans struggling with anxiety, depression, and isolation as COVID-19 continues to rage across the country have a virtual buddy to...
Editor-In-Chief, Chester “Trip” Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret.), MC, USA
Bad things are about to happen
“It feels like writing ‘Bad things are about to happen’ on a napkin and then setting the napkin on fire.” ~Colin Carlson
This month’s quote comes from Dr. Colin Carlson, a research professor specializing in infectious disease from Georgetown University who commented to reporter Ed Yong in The Atlantic magazine article entitled “The pandemic experts are not OK—many American public-health specialists are at risk of burning out as the coronavirus surges back” July 7, 2020. This comment struck me, because it sums up the last several months of watching SARS-CoV-2, dubbed COVID-19) spread out-of-control around most of this country. It has been heart-wrenching to watch exhausted healthcare workers, battling on the front lines of this pandemic, pleading with Americans to take this viral epidemic seriously.
Erectile Dysfunction Medications Appear to Lower Some Colorectal Cancer Risks
COLUMBIA, SC—PDE-5 inhibitors are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat erectile dysfunction, but a new study suggested that the drugs also might be a viable chemopreventive agent for some types of cancer. The article in Clinical and Translational...
Biomarkers Identify Better Physical Resilience in Some Patients
DURHAM, NC—Physical resilience can make a different to how patients respond to health stressors, even if they appear to be clinically similar. A study in the Journals of Gerontology Series A pointed out that molecular mechanisms underlying physical resilience often...
TKA Outcomes Linked to Inappropriate Medications Among Veterans
ATLANTA—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers Criteria is a list of potentially inappropriate medications that are typically best avoided by older adults in most circumstances or under specific situations, such as in certain diseases or conditions. A study in...
Helicopter Pilots Face Greater Risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
HONOLULU—Helicopter pilots are burdened with an increased risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, according to a new study. The report in Military Medicine pointed out that the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome is increased in occupations exposed to repetitive motion, poor...
Data Predicts Life Expectancy of Older Veterans With Diabetes
BOSTON—Can the five- and 10-year life expectancy of older diabetes patients be predicted by history of co-morbid health conditions and medication? A new study suggested it can. The VA Boston Healthcare System-led study suggested that the ability to make such...
AI/AN Patients Faced Diabetes Care Disparities Within MHS
BETHESDA, MD—Readmissions following hospitalization for diabetes often occur and are more common in minority patients, who experience greater rates of complications and lower quality healthcare compared to white patients. A study in Military Medicine examined...
Diabetes Drug Metformin Improves PTSD Symptoms in Veterans
NEW ORLEANS—U.S. veterans have a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, but the search for effective medications continues. A presentation at the American Diabetes Association’s 80th Scientific Sessions raised the possibility that a common diabetes drug...
Is a Modified Paleolithic Diet Safe, Effective for MS-Associated Fatigue?
Study Recommends Some Supplementation But Generally Approves IOWA CITY, IA—With judicious use of the type of supplements found at the pharmacy, a restrictive diet is showing promise for improving some symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Based on preliminary studies...
VA: Some of Its Sexual Harassment Issues Will Take Four Years to Resolve
WASHINGTON—According to a number of surveys and reports, VA has yet to adequately address the problem of sexual harassment of both employees and patients. In 2016, a Merit Systems Protection Board survey found that 22% of VA employees experienced workplace sexual...
Biomarker Helps Identify Multiple Sclerosis Much Earlier in the Disease Process
Military Personnel Study Could Improve MS Treatment BOSTON—Early identification of multiple sclerosis could enable interventions to prevent demyelinating events and the progression of neurodegeneration, as well as help pinpoint causal factors of the disease. A study...
VA Surgical Quality Meets or Exceeds Nearby Community Hospitals
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT—Under the MISSION Act, veterans who meet certain criteria can opt to receive medical care—including surgery—from community providers instead of the VA. Based on the results of a new study, they might not want to, however. A new study...
‘Bad Paper’ Discharges Keep Many Veterans From Receiving VA Care
WASHINGTON—While most servicemembers receive honorable discharges, as many as 7% discharged since 1980 have what are commonly known as “bad paper” discharges. Since 1980, 575,000 servicemembers have received bad paper discharges, many of which relate to minor...
Bad things are about to happen
“It feels like writing ‘Bad things are about to happen’ on a napkin and then setting the napkin on fire.” ~Colin Carlson
This month’s quote comes from Dr. Colin Carlson, a research professor specializing in infectious disease from Georgetown University who commented to reporter Ed Yong in The Atlantic magazine article entitled “The pandemic experts are not OK—many American public-health specialists are at risk of burning out as the coronavirus surges back” July 7, 2020. This comment struck me, because it sums up the last several months of watching SARS-CoV-2, dubbed COVID-19) spread out-of-control around most of this country. It has been heart-wrenching to watch exhausted healthcare workers, battling on the front lines of this pandemic, pleading with Americans to take this viral epidemic seriously.
Erectile Dysfunction Medications Appear to Lower Some Colorectal Cancer Risks
COLUMBIA, SC—PDE-5 inhibitors are approved by...
Biomarkers Identify Better Physical Resilience in Some Patients
DURHAM, NC—Physical resilience can make a...
TKA Outcomes Linked to Inappropriate Medications Among Veterans
ATLANTA—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS)...
Helicopter Pilots Face Greater Risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
HONOLULU—Helicopter pilots are burdened with an...