External Medical Peer Review or Internal Medical Peer Review: Which is Better?

| Nutrition | Monday, September 14th, 2009
medical
DamienScher asked:


Are you the owner of your own medical practice? If you are, you may be interested in having your medical practice undergo a medical review, as many medical practice owners do at one point or another. Having your medical office reviewed allows you to examine the overall functioning of your business, to see if it is living up to your hopes or your expectations.

When it comes to having your medical practice reviewed, you will find that you have a number of different options. Two of those options include an external medical peer review or an internal medical peer review. An external medical peer review is defined as a medical review that is done by an outside company, one that isn’t connected to your medical practice or your staff in anyway. An internal medical peer review is where you and your staff all rate and review each other and the medical practice in general.

Now that you know exactly what an internal medical peer review is, as well as an external medical peer review, you may be wondering which type of review would be best for you and your medical practice. In all honesty, it depends. It depends on what you are looking to accomplish, as well as your resources. For instance, if you are interested in getting an unbiased opinion, you may want to use the services of an outside medical reviewing company. However, you will need to find a company to do business with, as well as pay for their services. If you do not think that you can do this, you may want to stick to an internal medical peer review.

Although internal medical peer reviews are okay and actually used by many medical professionals, there is some controversy that surrounds them. As it was previously mentioned, an internal medical peer review is when you and your staff rate and review each other. Now, if you have a small medical practice, some of your staff may feel uncomfortable rating and reviewing each other, even if the reviews were supposed to be anonymous. Also, you run into the problem of friendships, where one coworker may be unable to give an unbiased review of one of their friends or even someone who they don’t really like working with. These are important points that you should keep in mind, when examining internal medical peer reviews.

Since there are a number of pros and cons to both external medical peer reviews and internal medical peer reviews, you may want to think about speaking with your staff for suggestions. Asking your staff if they mind rating each other and if they could do so without any bias may be helpful to you and your decision. You may even find that some of your employees would actually prefer to be reviewed by an external medical peer review company.



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Alkaline Diet To Battle Cancer? Doctors say No, But Try Antioxidants

| Nutrition | Friday, May 22nd, 2009
cancer center
Thomas Fox asked:


Recently, a controversy has developed over antioxidants and alkaline fruits and their effects on cancer. Specifically, some believe that cancer can be treated by consuming alkaline fruits and vegetables.

Many web merchants claim that an alkaline body may be able to significantly fight the pH of malignant cancer cells until they die. According to doctors, the claims of such merchants are false. Doctors from the Mayo Clinic, one of the world’s most renowned medical treatment and diagnostic centers, say this cancer rumor is untrue.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “A diet rich in certain alkaline foods, meaning foods that aren’t acidic, won’t cure cancer. Proponents of this diet claim foods such as soft drinks and meats make your body acidic, allowing cancer to flourish” (2005). Unfortunately, cancer, like many other serious illnesses, isn’t that simple.

The Mayo Clinic elaborated about proponents of an anti-acid and anti-cancer diet stating, “The theory that acid causes cancer isn’t true, and it isn’t clear that what you eat has any impact on your body’s overall acidity or alkalinity.”

Free radicals have also been linked to cancerous cell growth. Many doctors confirm this fact. “Free radicals have long been known to be mutagenic,” stated Dr. Tamer Fouhad (2002). “Animal and cell culture studies have suggested that antioxidants may slow or even prevent the development of cancer,” according to the National Cancer Institute.

Antioxidants are chemicals found in several food sources, like dark chocolate, green tea, red wine, vegetables, and fruits such as sour cherries, acaiberries, blueberries, mangosteen, and the noni fruit. Examples of antioxidants include beta carotene, lycopene, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C. Not only do antioxidant vitamins benefit your body with health benefits; they may also combat cancer according to reputable medical sources.

But, the American Cancer Society thinks more research is needed on the subject. They point out that different studies have had mixed results. Their official statement is that “too little is known about how antioxidant supplements actually act against disease.” They do not, however, refute the claim.

Antioxidants are thought to bind with free radicals and thereby protect cellular DNA from harm, since free radicals are highly reactive and mutations in DNA can lead to cancer if flawed cells reproduce in large numbers. But, until more research is done, the ACS thinks the jury’s still out on antioxidants.

Even if it is too soon for some organizations to endorse the beneficial effects of antioxidants in cancer prevention, a substantial body of evidence indicates its success. Incorporating antioxidants into your diet with fruit juices from mangosteen, pineapple, blueberries, pomegranate, star fruit and many other fruits is certainly worth a try when it comes to cancer prevention.

While the myth of an alkaline diet helping to prevent cancer is unclear, antioxidants have been found to help prevent cancer in certain studies. A healthy diet should include fresh fruits. Even the American Cancer Society states that the best way to reduce your cancer risk is to have a healthy diet that includes five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, so choose fruits rich in antioxidants to help tip the anti-cancer scales in your favor.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

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