The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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The use of aloe vera is being promoted for a large variety of conditions. Often general practitioners seem to know less than their patients about its alleged benefits. ⋯ Even though there are some promising results, clinical effectiveness of oral or topical aloe vera is not sufficiently defined at present.
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The use of aloe vera is being promoted for a large variety of conditions. Often general practitioners seem to know less than their patients about its alleged benefits. ⋯ Even though there are some promising results, clinical effectiveness of oral or topical aloe vera is not sufficiently defined at present.
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General practitioners (GPs) need to become more aware of a new generation of antipsychotic drugs that are 'atypical' in that, unlike traditional neuroleptics, they do not cause extrapyramidal side-effects; they may also be more effective against both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia by their actions on various neurotransmitter pathways in the brain. This is a non-systematic review of the development of these new drugs and outlines how they are currently being used. It includes information found from an electronic search of the databases MEDLINE (from 1966 to June 1998) and EMBASE (from 1980 to January 1998) using the combined search terms 'antipsychotic agents', 'atypical', and 'schizophrenia'.
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Colour is often used as a sign in medicine, yet there have been few studies into the effects of a colour vision deficiency (CVD) on doctors' medical skills. Using a literature search, the results indicate the prevalence of CVD in the medical profession and its effects on medical skills. For the congenital form among male doctors in the United Kingdom, the prevalence is shown to be probably about the same as for the population at large; i.e. 8%. ⋯ The effect on skills is also shown. Because of certain features of their work, general practitioners may have special problems. Thus, it is concluded that medical students and doctors should be screened for the deficiency and advised about it, and that there should be more study of the effects of CVD on decision-making in general practice and some specialties.
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Review
Use of formal and informal care among people with prolonged fatigue: a review of the literature.
Prolonged fatigue is a common symptom in the community and a common complaint in GPs' surgeries. The current consensus is that prolonged fatigue is most appropriately managed within primary care but that quality of care is patchy. Diagnosis is difficult and there is no conclusive evidence about effective treatment. ⋯ Although the value of a positive doctor-patient relationship is emphasized, general practice consultations are frequently experienced as difficult by both parties. Moreover, little is known about how people access other sources of care and information about prolonged fatigue, such as alternative medicine, self-help groups, lay others, and self care, in conjunction with or as an alternative to care from health professionals. This paper reviews the literature on the nature and extent of the problem prolonged fatigue represents for primary care, and on the use of formal and informal care for prolonged fatigue.