Primary Care

In this set of online exclusive excerpts from our expert panel discussion on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, our panelists discuss non-pharmacologic methods of treating COPD, including pulmonary rehabilitation and smoking cessation.

Our panelists discuss how to spread the pro-vaccine message, with an emphasis on the importance of telling powerful stories rather than reciting dry statistics.

In the final part of our article on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, our panelists discuss what physicians can do to diagnose the condition at the time of an exacerbation and how they can become better at acute management of the disease.

In the final part of our interview, Charles A. Cefalu, MD, discusses distinguishing Alzheimer's from other forms of dementia, new diagnostic guidelines, and the role of specialists in treating the disease.

Our panelists discuss whether pediatricians should "fire" parents from their practice who refuse to follow the recommended vaccine schedule as well as disappointing vaccination rates for adolescents and health care providers.

In the third part of our article on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, our panelists emphasize that it is never too late to treat COPD and share a laugh over the challenges of teaching patients how to use inhalers properly.

Charles A. Cefalu, MD, discusses the promise of biomarkers as a means of detecting Alzheimer's before it is symptomatic and emphasizes the potential of treating the disease early.

Our panelists discuss how immunization--one of the great public health success stories of the twentieth century--is under threat due to misconceptions about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

In the second part of our article on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, our panelists discuss the development and implentation of clinical practice guidelines for the condition.

Changes to the human microbiota as a result of antibiotic use may be responsible for phenomena including the rising obesity rates, explains Martin Blaser, MD.

In the conclusion of this case study, George Bakris, MD, discusses proper treatment of resistant hypertension and the importance of ruling out "pseudo-resistance."

George Bakris, MD, introduces the case of a 54-year-old man who appears to have resistant hypertension.

With the US elderly population set to double over the next few decades, primary care physicians will play an important role in detecting and treating Alzheimer's disease. Charles A. Cefalu, MD, discusses the importance of cognitive testing as a means of detecting early signs of Alzheimer's.

Ridding the human body of microorganisms may sound like a good idea, but it can have negative consequences. Such is the case with Helicobacter pylori, explains Martin Blaser, MD.

In the first part of our article on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, our panelists discuss challenges in diagnosing the condition and how to distinguish it from asthma.

In the first part of our expert discussion on understanding and countering vaccine resistance, our panelists discuss the current levels of misnformation about and resistance to vaccination among parents.

Hypertension remains a major figure in the long list of clinical issues facing patients and clinicians. To discuss its management, we recently convened three of the nation’s leading hypertension specialists. In the first part of their discussion, they addressed current treatment standards.

In the second part of their discussion on managing hypertension, our panelists addressed the need for lifestyle modification and whether physicians treating hypertension should be paid based on performance.

In the last part of their discussion, our panelists talked about drug therapy, including when multiple medications should be used and whether medication should be altered based on the patient's gender or race.

In part one of this three-part article, our panelists discuss the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse among medical professionals and its probable causes.