It feels like cheating. Taking care of heart patients teaches you tons about wellness. Figuring out stuff in Medicine means observing its many patterns. And one such highly repetitive theme is how healthy older patients defy the ravages of aging. Take the 90 year-old man I saw recently. He was about perfect: big blue eyes […]
Hey friends, You will not want to miss this week’s version of Medical Grand Rounds. It’s hosted by the ever passionate Dr Rob Lamberts on his blog entitled More Musings (of a Distractible Kind) . Here’s a doctor for whom it still matters. So much does Dr Rob care that he tackled a topic that […]
‘Good,’ I say. Let’s spread the word that pills do not hold the answer to preventing heart disease. And while we are shouting, let’s add this one: There’s no such thing as a free lunch! Medicines come with more than just a dollar cost. When an obscure AF doctor blogs about the limitations of statins […]
On Fridays, especially stormy ones (when I can’t ride), I like to reflect on the work of doctoring. Chief among such wide-angle views is how important a role we doctors actually play in creating good health for our patients? And the trouble that we may cause. I’m struggling with this force pulling me toward minimalism. […]
I can’t help myself. The draw is so strong. It’s simply not possible to stay silent on the recent news about statins. Yesterday, the FDA announced important changes in the safety language that comes in the package insert of statin drugs. (I’m late to the show here, as twenty-four hours is an eternity in medical […]
Tonight, I am going to stick up for my interventional cardiology friends. These are the good folks who respond immediately (and I mean immediately) when you have a heart attack. They open clogged arteries. Like Jack Nicholson said, “you want these guys on the wall.†Why do I feel the need to take up for […]
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Sad Story–Amazing song and words
Here’s a good example of what is old can still be quite good. Gosh, GL can write and sing. JMM
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Going gently…
…is how doctors die. Few essays written by doctors are more relevant to today’s crisis in end of life care than Dr Ken Murray’s now famous, Why Doctors Die Differently. It made it to the WSJ today, thank goodness. It’s available for free in its original (and longer) form at Zocala Public Square. We discussed […]
You all know how I feel about the value of education in the treatment and prevention of heart disease: It is self-evident and unquestionable. Along the lines of educating patients and docs, and in the spirit of February being Heart Health Awareness month, I believe The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) deserves strong mention for their […]
I can’t possible write two posts tonight. Therefore, please consider this Cycling Wed post a mosaic. (I like that word, don’t you? Give me a break smarties.) Seriously… Today, my friend and fellow heart rhythm doctor Jay Schloss (Cincinnati) published this meticulous and well-balanced essay concerning the recent recall of St Jude Medical’s Riata defibrillator […]
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ICD stories can be shocking…
Though ancient for social media, I thought this week-old but bizarre defibrillator story might be worth a mention. From the South Florida news feeds, Implanted defibrillator killed Gateway man after wife’s heart stopped. Here’s the skinny: In October, an 80 year-old woman—with an internal defibrillator– and her 85 year-old husband of 60 years were enjoying […]