Atkinson Family Practice

04/01/2026

03/28/2026

It is important to stay active mentally and physically to keep our brains healthy

“Mentally passive sedentary behavior may increase the risk for dementia, while mentally active sedentary behavior may reduce the risk, according to a study.” Investigators came to this conclusion after examining “associations of mentally passive and mentally active sedentary behaviors with incident dementia using data from the Swedish National March Cohort, including 20,811 adults aged 35 to 64 years.” The findings were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Sedentary behavior (sitting/reclining) has been associated with depression in adults, but the relationship with dementia remains unclear. To address this, associations of mentally passive (e.g., TV-viewing) and mentally active (e.g., office work) sedentary behaviors with incident dementia were exami...

03/25/2026

Influencers give bad medical advice

Prescription drug promotion by social media influencers consistently associated with misinformation,

a systematic scoping review of 12 articles suggests that consumers should not “expect accuracy and transparency in the promotion of prescription drugs by social media influencers.” While evidence was limited in the review, researchers observed that “recurrent themes in posts about prescription drugs by influencers included misinformation and blurred lines between personal testimony and paid promotion, with weak regulatory oversight.” Of the review’s findings, “concerns about accuracy and misinformation were raised in seven studies.” In addition, the authors wrote that several studies detailed the “critical role of parasocial dynamics in shaping trust and engagement with influencer content (persuasiveness).” Furthermore, researchers noted that FDA and FTC guidance on transparency was “described as vague, outdated, and difficult to enforce across global platforms.” The review was published in JAMA Network Open.

This systematic scoping review examines the existing research on social media influencer promotion of prescription drugs and identifies recurring themes, gaps in regulatory oversight, and opportunities for public health intervention.

03/24/2026

Thankyou for your patience today as we closed mid day for 2 hours for a full staff meeting. We will re-open at 130

Fun fact—last year our office managed 275,000 patient messages!!

03/23/2026

Prescribing Stimulants Can Have Potential Benefits To Patients With ADHD And Substance Use Disorder, Study Suggests

a study suggests “that the very patients who could benefit from ADHD medication the most – those also struggling with drug or alcohol addiction – are the least likely to receive it.” For the study, researchers “analyzed the health records of more than 1.2 million people between 15 and 25 years of age with ADHD.” They observed that when young adults with ADHD and a substance use disorder “stayed on their ADHD medication, they saw a 30% reduction in their risk of death over five years. These patients also had fewer accidental overdoses and were less likely to harbor thoughts of self-harm.” The study “noted that patients on stimulants had a 4% lower rate of su***de attempts compared to those on non-stimulant alternatives.” Despite these benefits, “the study pointed to hesitation on the part of some doctors because some ADHD meds, particularly central nervous system stimulants, are controlled substances.” The study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

This study evaluated the impact of co-occurring SUD on ADHD treatment patterns and examined clinical outcomes associated with ADHD treatment in adolescents and young adults with both ADHD and SUD.

03/22/2026

Not AFP-sponsored but a good program

03/22/2026

Very sad news in primary care.
Our legislators are doing nothing to remedy this situation either

Another tough match day for Family Medicine last week. Even more FM training positions went unfilled, 899 this time, the worst of any specialty.

In the past five years, 3,400 family medicine training positions went unfilled in the match. That's more missing family docs than those of us who've stayed in primary care by switching to DPC (about 2700).

Medical students are voting with their feet.

From Bryan Carmody's Sheriff of Sodium Blog and YouTube channel:

https://thesheriffofsodium.com/2026/03/21/match-day-2026-winners-losers-edition/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFQOBeaQRbc

03/18/2026

Maintaining or improving a healthy lifestyle after hypertension diagnosis reduces risk of developing CVD, T2D
The American Journal of Managed
“Maintaining or improving a healthy lifestyle after a hypertension diagnosis significantly lowers the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a new study.” Researchers came to this conclusion after conducting “a prospective cohort study using data from the Nurses’ Health Study...and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study...between 1986 and 2014, including 25,820 U.S. adults who developed incident hypertension during follow-up.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

This cohort study of adults with hypertension assesses associations between adherence to or improvement in healthy lifestyle behaviors and risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.

03/17/2026

Yet another reason to exercise-brain health

single 15-minute session of aerobic exercise floods brain with BDNF

“Just one 15-minute session of aerobic exercise floods the brain with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein known to support the health of new and existing brain cells, researchers” found. The data also indicated that “as a person’s fitness increases, so does the amount of BDNF released following exercise.” The findings were published in Brain Research.

03/17/2026

Using Medical Or Recreational Ma*****na To Ease Symptoms Of Numerous Mental Health Conditions Doesn’t Work, Analyses Find

“Using medical or recreational ma*****na to ease symptoms of numerous mental health conditions doesn’t work, according to two new analyses of existing gold-standard research.” One study, published in Lancet Psychiatry, “analyzed results from 54 randomized controlled trials published between 1980 and 2025.” Meanwhile, “a recent JAMA paper...also explored the effectiveness of natural and synthetic forms of CBD and THC on mental health conditions.”

The current evidence base is not sufficient to support the use of cannabis for the treatment of mental health conditions and demonstrates substantial risks of adverse effects. Clinicians should engage patients with mental health conditions in discussions about cannabis use because use is common, has...