• Articles

    Clinical Evaluation and Treatment Options for Herniated Lumbar Disc

    S. CRAIG HUMPHREYS, JASON C. ECK

    Most patients with a herniated lumbar disc respond to conservative management. An initial examination to exclude serious pathology is essential, along with monitoring for the development of complications such as neurologic defects, cauda equina syndrome and refractory pain.

    Preterm Labor

    DAVID G. WEISMILLER

    Preterm labor is a complex condition with multiple clinical presentations. New clinical and biochemical markers may help physicians predict which women will develop preterm labor, and new management strategies may improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.

    Incorporating Advance Care Planning into Family Practice

    PAUL V. AITKEN, JR.

    By introducing the subject of advance care planning during a routine office visit, physicians can facilitate a structured discussion of the patient's wishes for end-of-life care.

    Exfoliative Dermatitis

    GULIZ KARAKAYLI, GRANT BECKHAM, IDA ORENGO, TED ROSEN

    In patients with exfoliative dermatitis, most of the skin undergoes an erythematous inflammation that results in massive scaling. A biopsy is usually necessary to make the diagnosis.

    Warfarin Therapy: Evolving Strategies in Anticoagulation

    JON D. HORTON, BRUCE M. BUSHWICK

    Warfarin, the most frequently prescribed oral anticoagulant, has a complicated dose-response relationship. Safe and effective administration requires a thorough understanding of the pharmacology of warfarin.

    Sample Advance Directive Form

    This form is a combined durable power of attorney for health care and a living will (in some jurisdictions). With this form, you can name someone to make medical decisions for you if in the future you're unable to make those decisions yourself. You can also say what medical...

    Family Practice International

    Anne D. Walling

    (Australia—Australian Family Physician, September 1998, p. 780.) The most common form of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is direct percutaneous inoculation, and up to 80 percent of persons who begin injecting drugs become positive for hepatitis C antibody within one...

    Inside AFP

    ASAE Gold Circle Award

    JANIS WRIGHT

    AFP recently earned more kudos: the prestigious Gold Circle Award presented by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). For the past 21 years, ASAE's Communications Section has sponsored an awards program that recognizes outstanding accomplishments of American...

    AAFP News Now: AFP Edition

    Newsletter

    Rosemarie Sweeney, Verna L. Rose

    Selected policy and health issues news briefs from AAFP News Now.

    Quantum Sufficit

    Quantum Sufficit

    Monica A. Preboth, Shyla Wright

    Years later, the memory of war may still affect people's emotional health, but not their physical health. A study of over 4,700 pairs of identical and fraternal twin brothers who were exposed to combat in Vietnam found that the psychologic trauma of combat had only a minor...

    Editorials

    Advance Directives in Patient Care: If You Ask, They Will Tell You

    DAVID DOUKAS

    Advance directives have been on the American health care scene for over 20 years. Yet, despite their long life and legitimate legal and moral bases, signing rates are still far from universal. If one ascribes to the catch phrase in a popular movie—“if you build it, they will...

    Medicine and Society

    The Changing Spectrum of HIV Care

    E. MICHAEL REYES, PETRA LILJESTRAND, RONALD H. GOLDSCHMIDT

    Remarkable advances in the ability to treat persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have occurred in the past two years. The availability of viral load monitoring and a larger palette of antiretroviral medications have made a substantive impact on...

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    WLL argued valiantly, but the parents-to-be refused to have vitamin K administered intramuscularly to their yet-to-be newborn. These parents were concerned about reports that pain experienced during the neonatal period may have long-term effects (i.e., the March 1, 1997,...

    Photo Quiz

    Vaginal Bleeding at 16 Weeks

    Marc S. Berger, ANTHONY J. VIERA, TIMOTHY L. CLENNEY, DONALD W. SHENENBERGER

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

    Curbside Consultation

    When a Parent Insists on Antibiotics for a Virus

    S. MICHAEL MARCY

    I believe that the problem here could have been avoided by acknowledging the mother's concerns and answering them specifically and directly. A recent study performed in Atlanta indicated that 84 percent of parents would accept a physician's decision not to prescribe...

    Special Medical Reports

    ACSM/AHA Release Recommendations for Fitness Facilities

    Sharon Scott Morey

    The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have developed recommendations for cardiovascular screening of participants in physical activities at health/fitness facilities. The recommendations also discuss the qualifications for...

    American College of Chest Physicians Issues Consensus Statement on the Management of Cough

    Verna L. Rose

    To provide physicians and their patients with information on the management of cough manifested both as a defense mechanism and as a symptom of diseases, such as asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or bronchogenic carcinoma, the American College of Chest Physicians...

    Clinical Briefs

    Clinical Briefs

    Verna L. Rose

    The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has issued a new treatment guideline for persons with panic disorder. According to the APA guideline, published in the May 1998 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, medication and cognitive behavioral therapy, a form of...

    Physician's Bookshelf

    Physician's Bookshelf

    THOMAS H. RAND, ROBERT A. SCHWARTZ M.D.

    Book Reviews | Also Received

    Letters to the Editor

    Prevention of Malaria and Diarrhea in Travelers

    Tips from Other Journals

    Quinine for Treatment of Nocturnal Leg Cramps

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Chronic Hypertension and Adverse Neonatal Outcomes

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Outcome of Immunoprophylaxis in HBsAg–Positive Neonates

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Metformin Use in Overweight Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Is Counseling Beneficial in the Prevention of HIV and STDs?

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Practical Management of Breast Fibroadenomas

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Differential Diagnosis of Cyclic Vomiting in Children

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Oral vs. Vaginal Misoprostol for the Induction of Labor

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Xylitol for Prevention of Acute Otitis Media in Children

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    CT to Exclude Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Severe Headaches

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Information from Your Family Doctor

    When You Have a Herniated Disc

    When the soft part between bones in the spine presses on the nerves around the backbone, it's called a herniated disc. The word “herniate” (say: her-nee-ate) means to bulge or to stick out. Sometimes this is called a ruptured disc.

    Advance Care Planning: Medical Care at the End of Life

    Talking with your doctor about your wishes for medical care at the end of your life is called advance care planning. It's a way for you and your doctor to discuss the kinds of care you want and the kinds of care you don't want at that time. You can tell your doctor about the...

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    Disclosure

    All editors in a position to control content for this activity, AFP journal, are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships. View disclosures.


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