updated 10:04 AM EDT, Wed March 14, 2012 
Brantley Jacobs has been diagnosed with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) — Haleigh Jacobs and her husband, David, have spent the last two months in the hospital, hovering over their 8-pound newborn, Brantley. He has yet to spend a day outside the incubator, smell fresh air or go home to meet his siblings.
Brantley’s right leg juts out like a reddish brown lump of flesh that is thicker than his torso. His toes, indistinguishable from each other, look like dimples.
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It was a Wednesday in late October. Fifteen or so children were lining up outside the HIV clinic in Site B, Khayelitsha, Cape Towns largest township. Accompanied by their parents or, for orphans, an adult relative, they patiently waited their turn. The nurse weighed them, checked for coughing and handed out a months supply of anti-retroviral medicines (ARVs).
Some of the children were 8 to 10, others a bit older. Adolescence was just round the corner, rebellious and prone to risky behaviour, a period of difficult existential questions and emotional rollercoasters. It was time to explain the reasons behind their daily diet of tablets and pills to subdue the virus and prevent it from developing into AIDS. Read full post…
Trust your doctor? A survey finds that some doctors arent always completely honest with their patients.
More than half admitted describing someones prognosis in a way they knew was too rosy. Nearly 20 percent said they hadnt fully disclosed a medical mistake for fear of being sued. And 1 in 10 of those surveyed said theyd told a patient something that wasnt true in the past year.
The survey, by Massachusetts researchers and published in this months Health Affairs, doesnt explain why, or what wasnt true.
I dont think that physicians set out to be dishonest, said lead researcher Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, a Harvard Medical School professor and director of Massachusetts General Hospitals Mongan Institute for Health Policy.
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Tags: Patients
It would be great if our bodies were a bit more like cars, whereby a warning light would come on to let us know when we need more oil. So many of us don’t give our body the much-needed essential fats and oils that it needs to function.
Those of us who grew up in the 1980s still have an ingrained fear of eating fat. But not all fat is created equal. Essential fats such as those found in fish, nuts, seeds, plant oils and avocados get rave reviews.
These are essential for heart health, hormonal balance, brain function, a strong immune system and dealing with stress.
The man behind Udo’s Oil, Udo Erasmus, has done much to educate people about essential fats.
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Nine hospital emergency departments in southeast Michigan have been named to a Denver-based independent health care ratings company’s list of the best emergency medicine departments in the country.
HealthGrades used more than 7 million Medicare patient records from 2008 to 2010 to name 263 hospitals to its 2012 list of Emergency Medicine Excellence award winners. The study used 12 common Medicare patient diagnoses, such as heart attacks, pneumonia and bowel obstructions, which led them to the emergency room and ultimately to being admitted.
Hospitals named to the list are among the top 5 percent in the nation for having the lowest risk-adjusted mortality rates for senior patients who come to the emergency room and are admitted to the hospital.
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Tags: Best Emergency, Care, Southeast Michigan