It’s been awhile since I have written about the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). I would like to remedy this by sharing a few thoughts on three recent stories about AF: one involved a soon-to-be-approved blood-thinning drug; the second highlighted a potentially exciting new device for ablating AF, and the third story irresponsibly sensationalized the […]
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Should doctors be salesmen?
I read two interesting sentences today about the act of doctoring. The first from the White Coat Underground blog: “Medicine involves a lot of salesmanship.” The second was from this NY Times health piece highlighting the difficult decisions that arise when recommending procedures to an elderly patient: “…[Have] you felt that a doctor or hospital […]
A very accomplished colleague of mine once mused—about an athletic patient with a heart problem: “John…the guy is only a cyclist…It’s not like riding a bike is that hard.” I wanted to call him to the EP lab to feel how the heart of an endurance athlete rocks the catheter that you hold in your […]
A very accomplished colleague of mine once mused—about an athletic patient with a heart problem: “John…the guy is only a cyclist…It’s not like riding a bike is that hard.” I wanted to call him to the EP lab to feel how the heart of an endurance athlete rocks the catheter that you hold in your […]
As a passionate cyclist, I really like it when someone asks for bike advice. Cycling is something I know a lot about–though probably not as much as Sal Khan. Recently, a spin class enthusiast who was considering making the gigantic leap to outdoor cycling asked me whether it’s worth spending extra dollars on a super-light […]
When cyclists find out that I am a heart doctor, they most frequently ask about cholesterol numbers. “…My cholesterol is this…What do you think?†“…My doctor wants me to take a statin…But I read that these drugs might lower my functional threshold power 2.014 watts/40km.” All this focus on numbers saddens me. Remember, I am […]
Those interested in the treatment of heart disease reveled in some very important news this week. News which further strengthens the position that heart disease may be assailable without implanting titanium into our bodies. A group of researchers from the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) reported–without much fanfare–that patients enrolled in an old-fashioned cardiac rehab program […]
Your knee hurts. Your back aches. Your muscles are soooo sore the day after trying that new exercise. I get this; I race bikes. Yet I urge you to avoid seeking relief in the form of the pain-relievers called Non-Steroidal-Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, or NSAIDs. You have heard the names before: ibuprofen (Advil), naprosyn (Aleve), diclofenac (Voltaren), […]
Guess what made the heart rhythm news wire yesterday? It wasn’t a new medicine, or a new stent, not even a new ablation catheter, and, it surely wasn’t a revolution in motivating people to exercise. It was words. Rhetoric… It seems that one man, Dr John Wilson, read all of the major ICD trials, dating […]
The number of emails that come from fellow cyclists (and endurance athletes) with heart rhythm issues amazes me. I am more convinced than ever that our “hobby” predisposes us to electrical issues like atrial fibrillation (AF)—that the science is right. Obviously, my pedaling “habit” creates an exposure bias. I hear from many of you because […]
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 […]