I’m sorry. The news was really bad today. I wished it were better. (Well, maybe I don’t.) The easy-answer people were denied again. Punched in the gut, were they. The notion that a pill can do what exercise does remains a fantasy. Another member of the group of drugs that boost HDL, called CETP inhibitors, […]
It’s entitled: More on ECG screening to prevent sudden death in the young: On risk, the Italian experience and notes from the real world. Here’s the lead in… Earlier this week, I wrote about one of my favorite topics in medicine: the ECG. This 12-pronged view of cardiac vectors catapulted my interest in the human […]
It’s crazy out there in blood thinner land. The novel blood thinning drug for patients with atrial fibrillation, Dabigatran (Pradaxa) cannot get a break. It’s all over the TV: Pradaxa = Bad Drug. Look at this image: Today, on the prestigious heart news site, theHeart.org, an insignificant 113-patient study presented as a poster at a […]
Tonight, in the true spirit of cycling blogs, I will tell you a story. (We definitely need to lighten things up a bit.) Consider yourself warned. It is a saga of a cat-like mountain biker, who is also a heart specialist and perhaps a less than ideal patient. But first, you may be wondering why […]
There was a flurry of words written today about preventing the rare but tragic occurrence of sudden cardiac death in a young person. At the heart of the debate lies the issue of how best to protect the young from dying. I think it’s worth making two more points on this issue. Treating Sudden Death: […]
When a news source as powerful as The NY Times publishes an article about sudden cardiac death in young people, one expects accurate information. It’s far too important a topic to write about imprecisely. This piece, entitled Should Young Athletes Be Screened for Heart Risk, included numerous inaccuracies and failed to tell important facts about […]
When doctors make big salaries… The “rich”-doctor debate is old, but surely not tired. Lately a number of stories detailing the big salaries made by cardiologists have stirred the pot again. How much is your doctor worth? Do we make too much? How happy are we with what we make? Head over to the Trials […]
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Some writing music
A favorite. For my Canadian friends… JMM
I recently had the pleasure of doing a podcast with Rob Orman, an ER doctor and fellow cyclocross racer from Oregon. As Dr. Orman says, we discuss the broad intersection of sports and Cardiology. Of course they intersect; there shall be no sport without a good heart. In the 35 minute conversation, we discussed the […]
We have got to get back to AF. I enjoyed some fun text messages today–from a really smart primary care doctor out yonder, in the hinterlands of Kentucky. We text and exchange quick pics a lot. Call it iTeleMedicine. PCP: “I have a patient on [AF-drug X] (guess) who has diarrhea.†Me: “Stop the drug…It’s […]
I like positive thinking. Optimism helps keep inflammation at bay. You can’t be a heart doctor and think problems are hopeless or that bad outcomes will occur. But…I have to tell you, obesity and its flume of chronic diseases makes it tough to stay upbeat. As an office doctor, obesity frustrates; as an internationalist, working […]