Not every Friday brings doctoring bliss. Sorry. Some Fridays, the wrongness of our healthcare approach squeezes you like a vice-grip. The medical news of the week can hit you hard. –This highly tweeted report on how Overweight is the new normal speaks to the futility of asking people to help themselves. That our strong, vibrant, […]
Category: Reflection
I walked around the office today with a little extra spring in my step. It felt really good to be a doctor this day. So when good sensations come, I always look back on why they happened. (Like cyclists do when they have really good legs. Maybe it was that bee pollen?) But like having […]
My quest for low inflammation hit a speed bump recently. Usually patients uplift me. But… How would you have reacted if a patient asked you to write a prescription for aspirin? You might answer as I did: aspirin is available over the counter, and at very low cost. …“But if you write a prescription the […]
Most Fridays, I attempt to jot down some reflections about doctoring, or life, or ideally the confluence of both. Today I have a picture that speaks far better than words. It came via a text message from a cyclist that enjoys riding in the morning. If you don’t stay up too late, blogging, reading journals, […]
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Friday Reflections: It’s easy?
When people ask about my trip to Hamburg I start by saying that I am an American, and I love my country. I do. I really do. And Memorial Day weekend is indeed a great time to reflect on those that gave their lives so that we are free. That said though, my reentry back […]
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Perfectionism…
“Perfectionism is the voice of oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life… …I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping stone just right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway […]
HCPLive , an online, medical news site tweeted this question: If you had the president’s ear for fifteen minutes, what would you say to him about the current state of our health care system? Ok then. This is a good one. You can just type it out free lance–for fun and all, snark-free, with a […]
Recently, while writing a note on a hospital chart, I overheard a patient and their family scolding the nursing staff. Inflammation always peaks my interest. Somehow, it soothes me when I’m not involved. After the ruckus calmed, I asked the nurse what all that was about. “Oh, Dr Mandrola, this patient is so hard to […]
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Grand Rounds is up.
Jackie Fox, at her blog Dispatch from Second Base, is the curator of this week’s gathering of medical blog entires. She maintains a nicely written, informative blog that meshes breast cancer, gratitude, humor and life. That’s a full pot of soup, for sure. Medical grand rounds doesn’t always have a theme, but this week it […]
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for medical bloggers. For us heart rhythm folks, in case you had not heard, there is an ongoing DOJ investigation of ICDs. Electrophysiologists put in ICDs. These life-saving devices are complicated to use, require sound clinical judgment, along with a thorough discussion with the patient. That’s all I […]
I had planned to write this week’s cycling post on the futility of even considering the existence of any one “best” exercise. Gretchen Reynold’s NY Times Magazine essay entitled, “What’s the best exercise,” got me thinking about this highly bloggable topic. Initially, such fodder seemed a perfect topic. There are few exercises I have not […]