I recently wrote a post about what happens when the elderly get sick. It was meant to accelerate the conversation about how modern medicine can’t make us immortal. I meant to say that doctors need to learn to be less ashamed of death. And that patients should at least hear about the risks of life-prolonging […]
Categories
CW: Success through less?
One of the best things about writing a blog is when life provides Eureka moments. I read an essay this weekend that literally jolted the blogger in me. If you are an athlete seeking a pinnacle; (That about covers all of us.) Or a doctor striving to be the best that you can be–for humanity; […]
I follow a lot of intriguing people on Twitter. Each of them sends me noogets (a favorite slang word of mine) of information that either inspires, uplifts, informs or even amuses me. But there’s one twitter-er that stands out. He really helps me–along with 2.6 million others. The Dalai Lama tweets most mornings about the […]
The news wires for atrial fibrillation were abuzz this afternoon. The vigor and speed with which health news travels is striking. Since 2.6 million Americans live with AF, my guess is that many are looking at the release of the Medtronic-sponsored TTOP-AF trial with anticipation. Here is a link to the press release. The trial […]
Categories
Writing lite…
Whenever someone asks seriously why I keep a blog, it’s a struggle to find an answer. I really do not know exactly. It helps me learn…that’s true. (And I worship learning.) It makes me think about action verbs…No doubt. That people email and say that my words helped them…Yes, for sure. That I like writing. […]
There are important medical studies, and then there are landmark studies–the kind of science that disrupts the entire medical community. The most recent game-changer was published yesterday (online) in the British equivalent of the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet. Well known surgeon and author, Dr Atul Gawande and colleagues published this important look-back […]
The decision to write about exercise-related topics on Wednesdays wasn’t a coincidence. Across the globe, for cyclists’ with jobs, Wednesdays are frequently the training day. It’s that way here. So it is that I often write a Wednesday post immediately after what you could call a robust ride. Some say spirited, or heavy. You get […]
There’s very little in Cardiology that isn’t rapidly changing these days. Treating AF exemplifies this trend. At least my approach to AF has evolved steeply over the past year. Amazingly so, really. For instance, I choose blood-thinners in a different way. Call it a more European perspective. My threshold to discuss and recommend AF ablation […]
I recently wrote about the incredible sensations that come with vigorous exercise. Perhaps it was the post ride cannabinoid flurry, but it’s possible that I went too far in suggesting that ‘we’ (doctors, patients, the whole of Western Society) default first to pills before healthy living. Two commentors called me out on this snark. They […]
How can I do it? Please…someone tell me. It’s so important: for health, for wellness, (and not just better bio-markers), for vitality, vigor even. All this, and it makes you tingle too. Yes I am a little giddy. I just finished riding my bike in mud and grass. There were many other people—nice ones, with […]
You have probably read that experience makes for better doctors. And of course this would be true–in the obvious ways, like with the hand-eye coordination required to do complex procedures, or more importantly, with the judgment of when to do them. There’s no news here: everyone knows you want a doctor that’s been out of […]