There are important medical studies, and then there are landmark studies–the kind of science that disrupts the entire medical community. The most recent game-changer was published yesterday (online) in the British equivalent of the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet. Well known surgeon and author, Dr Atul Gawande and colleagues published this important look-back […]
Category: Doctoring
I recently wrote about the incredible sensations that come with vigorous exercise. Perhaps it was the post ride cannabinoid flurry, but it’s possible that I went too far in suggesting that ‘we’ (doctors, patients, the whole of Western Society) default first to pills before healthy living. Two commentors called me out on this snark. They […]
You have probably read that experience makes for better doctors. And of course this would be true–in the obvious ways, like with the hand-eye coordination required to do complex procedures, or more importantly, with the judgment of when to do them. There’s no news here: everyone knows you want a doctor that’s been out of […]
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Too cheery?
Since it is Friday, I usually try to write about something reflective or inspiring. Cheery. Positive. Heart-healthy even. -Something that makes me forget that I had to sign (now) 5 times to do a five minute procedure. –Or that an insurance company doctor doesn’t understand why I need to do a CT scan after an […]
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Grand Rounds is up…
This week’s edition of Medical Grand Rounds is now posted on the blog of Dr Ramona Bates, Suture for a Living. “Grand Rounds” is a collection of the medical blogosphere’s best writing. At least I try to submit my top-shelf stuff. Rotating medical bloggers take turns being the curator of submitted posts. I’ve done this […]
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The basics…
I needed some uplift. And look what I saw hanging distantly on a dusty wall of the basement: I read it, again. There was a churn, from within. Sometimes it helps to remember the basics—the bottom line, the real meaning, the forest, not the trees or the CPT codes, or the…(many) negative things that draw […]
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Doing…not comparing
Whenever a patient asks whether they can exercise, or go here, or there, I liken it to them asking whether they can live life. My answer is always the same…YES. The alternative seems terrible. In this regard, moving on in the face of illness, let me share with you the writings of a very famous […]
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Thanks for getting better…
I would like to tell you the details of the patient I saw today. And she’d probably be good with it. But I can’t tell you anything specific, and that’s sad because the story approaches that too-often-used word, “epic.” It all began a couple years ago when she was first diagnosed by a nurse practitioner. […]
There’s a lot about health care news that can get you down. There’s the un-insured. The obesity crisis. Stifling regulation. Adverse effects from drugs and devices. Mistakes even. Today, though, I would like to tell you about an inspiring success story here at my little hospital–a cabin in the woods of sorts. Our motto is […]
One of the coolest things about keeping a medical blog is interacting with people. It’s immensely gratifying to hear from folks that stumble upon my site. Take this example: While cooling down after tonight’s ride, a cycling friend and ER doc mentioned that my website turned up on his Google search of the new blood-thinner […]
It happened. My 21-year old cycling teammate called to give me the “good” news. I made it. Clayton said I could now call myself a Top Doc. After practicing medicine for 15 years in the little known sub-sub-specialty of cardiac electrophysiology, this was my first Top Docs mention. Of course, I know this non-evidenced based […]