EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 5 P.M., EDT, SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 1998
June 15, 1998, Tip Sheet
Annals of Internal Medicine is published by the American College of Physicians (ACP), an organization of more than 100,000 physicians trained in internal medicine. The following highlights are not intended to substitute for articles as sources of information. For a copy of an article, call 1-800-523-1546, ext. 2656 or 215-351-2656. The full text of selected articles can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.acponline.org/journals/annals on June 15, 1998.
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Modern Docs Can Learn From Traditional African Healers
After interviewing six traditional southern African healers, a medical anthropologist found six major similarities between traditional and modern medicine. (Perspective, p. 1029.) She noted particularly that traditional healers use their intuition, provide a health ritual and a shared experience of the healing process, probe deeply into the psychological, spiritual and social contests of illness, find out what patients think might cause their illnesses, and feel personally satisfied by the act of healing. The author suggests that elements of healing found in traditional African medicine may provide deeper insight into the healing process in Western scientific medicine.
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Diabetes Update: ACE Inhibitors Slow Kidney Decline in Type 2 Diabetics
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors slow the decline in kidney function in type 2 diabetic patients with normal blood pressure and normal levels of albumin in their urine, a six-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial from Israel finds. (Article, p. 982.) The authors call for further long-term studies to see if this modest but statistically significant protection against kidney decline can slow development of overt diabetic kidney disease.
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Restriction of Antibiotic for Hospital-acquired Diarrhea Improves Efficacy and Saves Money
To control an outbreak of a diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile bacteria resistant to a common antibiotic, clindamycin, a hospital restricted overall use of the antibiotic and studied alternative antibiotic use. (Article, p. 989.) The number of infections due to Clostridium difficile fell and bacteria susceptible to the drug increased. While physicians used other more expensive antibiotics to replace clindamycin, the hospital saved money because the overall costs associated with diarrhea caused by clindamycin-resistant bacteria far outweighed the cost of the use of the other antibiotics.
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