Did You Know? Mindful Trivia

I see that Fox TV has a new way of dumbing down America with its new quiz show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader". Hopefully, anyone who is smarter than a 5th grader will not be tuning in. Speaking of dumbing down, it is rather frightening that only 24% of Americans can name two Supreme Court Justices but 77% can name two of the seven dwarfs. (Time, 2006) Here are some more trivia facts that you

Stroke - What You Need to Know

While talking with some girlfriends about, what else...Health...I made the comment that the one condition I most feared for myself was a stroke. Just the idea of having a stroke and the disability that goes with it is something I think about often. My friends said, "You should write about it on your blog because there is a lot of confusion about what a stroke is". Always aiming to please, here is

What Are the Medical Journals Saying?

This weeks brief synopsis from the medical journalsPoverty and Heart DiseaseIt has been said that the best diagnostic predictor of a persons health status is their income. Unfortunately this concept was upheld by The Center for Disease Control (CDC). They found up to a 2 fold difference in heart disease (the #1 killer in America) between States. The highest incidence of heart disease was found

Many Questions - Limited Time

I received a call yesterday from a friend who wondered if I knew of any physicians who are offering "concierge" medical services. This is the new trend where a physician limits his/her practice to a few hundred patients and charges a membership fee ($1000 to $5000 per year)to those patients. The fee is in exchange for perks like same day visits, prompt return phone calls and more time with the

Global Warming

I'm not tired of hearing about Global Warming and other threats to Mother Earth and I am glad it is finally getting mainstream attention. If you haven't seen Al Gores's Oscar nominated, amazing film "An Inconvenient Truth", rent it today. We are blessed to live in a Country where we can educate ourselves and it is up to each of us to be informed and accountable in our own way. Check out this

What Are the Medical Journals Saying?

Medical Update - This Weeks Brief Synopsis From the Medical Journals:ObesityWatch out for a slew of new marketing to appear on TV and in magazines this summer, advertising GlaxoSmithKline's weight loss product Xenical as it hits the shelf for over-the-counter use in the U.S. This drug, at twice the strength, was previously by prescription only. It will now be called alli (pronounced al-eye).

Medication Errors

This Century is beginning with a new focus on patient safety within the medical community. One of the aspects that is receiving a lot of attention is "prescribing errors". While medications are lifesaving for millions of individuals, taking certain combinations of drugs can be a recipe for disaster. Over half of all older patients take 3 drugs a day and millions of patients take 8-10 drugs daily.