The fury of modern medicine reached new heights this week. And, it happened in my home city, best known for its two-minute horse race, baseball bats, and donut bacon cheeseburgers. It was both the surgery and its accompanying social media cheerleading that made the news. Hand surgeons at Jewish Hospital performed only the third double […]
Author: Dr John
For bike racers, the end of summer marks the beginnings of cyclocross season. Cyclocross? Yes, think motocross, only the motor is the heart, lungs, legs and cerebellum. Here is my 2010 primer on the discipline of cyclocross. Cyclocross (CX) originated in Western Europe and is extremely popular there, however, it is rapidly gaining popularity in […]
The memo is in all caps and a bold font. It rests on my office keyboard, not to be missed. It is from a senior business office staff member who recently attended a two day medicare coding meeting. It said… To: ALL Physicians RE: Medicare Meeting Aug 2010 Just a few things that I learned […]
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Dutch Cardiology…
There is always one, or at most a handful of crazies that would consider such folly. But in the Netherlands, 27 cardiologists have decided to ride (a charitable ride) to the European Society of Cardiology meeting. Amsterdam to Stockholm…and the answer is: 1000 miles. They even have a legendary Dutch cyclist as a coach, and […]
We are not there yet, but it is close. Yes, it is true, most doctors may soon be government employees. No, not the Lasik surgeons, the plastic surgeons or the dentists, they were clearly more focused on career day. But is it necessarily a bad thing if all your income comes from federal, state or […]
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Not funny…anymore
As most know, a good laugh is indeed good for the heart. I get this. However, in the case of using a donut bacon cheeseburger as a vehicle for making fun of the abysmal nutrition of KY state fair goers, the blurry line separating funny from not funny is clear, at least for me. What […]
Will he get to play, or not? Dear Coach, (or administrator, or secretary, or school legal department.) I have seen and examined, Mr. “Joe Teen.” (name changed for HIPPA) He came to me for a school physical because he is deathly embarrassed over the check for inguinal hernias. He is a healthy teen. This I […]
This Wednesday it will be easy to combine cycling and medicine. So it was when I saw this prescient story that linked antagonistic personality traits and cardiovascular risk. It was simply impossible to ignore, especially on a Wednesday. Low hanging fruit, no doubt. It was an NIH sponsored study which looked at the effects of antagonistic […]
Any doctor who tries to counsel patients on the importance of making good lifestyle choices has heard these oft repeated phrases. Doc, “I don’t eat french fries.” “I just smoke a little.” “I really do not eat that much.” “I do not have time to exercise.” “My blood pressure is always better at home.” “I […]
Any doctor who tries to counsel patients on the importance of making good lifestyle choices has heard these oft repeated phrases. Doc, “I don’t eat french fries.” “I just smoke a little.” “I really do not eat that much.” “I do not have time to exercise.” “My blood pressure is always better at home.” “I […]
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To connect or not…
In the discovery of social media, I am still an intern, not yet even a year has passed since the first day of knowing this new world of connectivity. The cabin in the woods has no internet. Tsali, otherwise known as mountain bike heaven, does not even have cell phone service, at least for us […]