Every once in a while a topic comes up that takes me back to the origins of this blog. At its core, DrJohnM aims to merge the worlds of athletics, health and medicine. The glue, the secret sauce, is mastery of the obvious. As an athlete and doctor, I get to see how both plans […]
Hi all, I have a new post up over at the Courier-Journal’s In the Prime/Voices section. It’s about a new study released this week on heart-healthy eating. I went to the well again on the metaphorical “elephant in the room.” The study was important because it sheds light on one of the biggest mistakes made […]
Exercise is a white-hot topic. We must talk more. This comment on my Facebook page only strengthened my resolve to clarify things. Not to be flip, snarky (or for that matter even just plain dense) but part of me is asking what’s the point of this? It brings up far more questions than it answers. […]
I’m sad. Gone is the novelty of having magic in my IPhone. For over a year, I was special. As a beta-tester, I could show you your heart rhythm on my IPhone. Today, the AliveCor IPhone ECG passed muster with the FDA. It gained clearance to be sold to medical providers. I first reported this […]
Hey all, I just published a new post on an old drug–digoxin. “Dig,” as it is shortened to in medical-speak, originally came from the foxglove plant. A recent analysis of the landmark AFFIRM trial has questioned the wisdom of using this decades-old medicine. I know; dig isn’t as interesting as ObamaCare, ICDs or AF ablation, […]
I hope my patients are satisfied. This is everything. Improving the lives of people is why doctors do what they do. How much we help our patients is the metric. It’s the peg we hang our self-esteem on. So yes, of course, patient satisfaction is really important. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea […]
Dear Endurance Athletes, More than a year ago, I suggested that Ironman-distance triathlons were not heart healthy. Little did I know that expressing the notion that chronically inflaming oneself might cause permanent heart damage would be so controversial. This post led to my first experience with ad hominem comments. Obviously, talking about the upper limit […]
An admission: In the evening, I like to snack. Perhaps you do too? It’s a common problem. A weakness even. Or is it? I used to think it didn’t matter what time one eats. It’s simple arithmetic: eat fewer calories than you burn off and all would be well. But maybe I was wrong. (Shhh). […]
If you read one article that explains where we are going in Medicine, read this one. Few procedures have been more entrenched in the dogma of Medical practice than mammograms. In our climate of political correctness and right-think, it would define heretical to suggest a procedure that detects breast cancer–an important killer of women–at an […]
The last week has brought my family face-to-face with the fury of modern healthcare. For privacy reasons, that’s all I will say about the specifics. But I can say this: My people, medical folks that is, are an exceptional group of humans. First, there is the knowledge and experience to diagnosis. Second, there’s the talent […]
Hi all, I know; it’s Thursday morning and this is supposed to be Cycling Wednesday. My excuse is a good one. I bought an Iphone 5 yesterday and then became hypnotized by the inanimate object. Time flies with a new Apple product. Bedtime came and I said, “Crap…it’s Wednesday!.” Anyways, I was scanning the recent […]