Out of Town

I will be at my sister-in-law's wedding for the Labor Day Weekend, so check out my Favorite Links on the right side of this blog for some great reading and fun. Come back next week for more EverythingHealth.Aren't Abby and Jay cute?

Katrina revisited

This time two years ago I was flying with my medical kit to New Orleans to help during the Katrina Disaster. I cannot get the gulf coast out of my mind and it is a tragedy that continues for millions of people. I offer these photos and I hope we will never forget that we are all in this crazy life, at this point in time.... together.

Need Botox? Come on in.

The New York Times cites a study in Dermatology that shows you can get an appointment quickly if you need Botox, but you will wait for weeks if you want to have a mole checked for cancer.In medicine, we talk a lot about the problem of "access". Well, it looks like access is not a problem for cosmetic procedures. Dr. Kimball, a Harvard dermatology professor summed it up, "This study shows the

Breaking News - more uninsurred

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans without health insurance rose to 47 million in 2006 (up from 44.8 million). This means 15.8% of Americans have no health insurance to cover their medical needs.Ever wonder why hospital costs are so high? Ever wonder why people use the ER for primary care? Ever wonder why we rank so low in the world on health outcomes? Ever wonder why

Are Too Many People Being Diagnosed with Depression?

You can't open a medical journal or medical news without reading another article about how to screen patients for depression and prescribe antidepressants. The British Medical Journal has explored this in a "Head to Head" article where over diagnosis and under diagnosis of depression were debated.On the Yes side is Dr. Gordon Parker who argues that feeling depressed is normal and that 95% of

Premie Baby born in airplane

Here is a heartwarming story for the weekend. A 25 weeks pregnant mom was traveling to Crete with her husband when she went into early labor. Her water broke and somewhere above Düsseldorf, Germany, she delivered a 1 lb. baby with the help of a flight supervisor. This air hostess hero, Carol Miller, took control of the situation and suctioned the little blue baby with a drinking straw.

Doctor Online Ratings

Doctors used to get referrals from word of mouth. The internet has taken that to new highs with online physician rating websites like ratemds.com. Boasting 334,669 ratings and climbing, with 580 new ratings added yesterday, this trend of saying whatever you want anonymously and publicly should bring a chill to every practicing physician. With use of a smiley or frowney face, not to mention

Post Secret-a window into the mind

I found a new website that is a fascinating view into human nature. Post Secret was started by Frank Warren and he invites strangers to send him postcards that tell a secret. He now receives 100-200 cards a day from people who want to express their inner thoughts and secrets. Each week he chooses the 20 best cards to publish on his blog. Also, his is the most visited advertisement free blog on

Medicare won't pay for preventable conditions

Medicare, the largest health insurer in the U.S., has announced that it will not pay for 8 hospital conditions that could be preventable. Starting in October, 2008, if a patient enters a hospital and acquires these conditions, the hospital will not get reimbursed for the costs. The conditions that we doctors call "never-events" because they should never happen, are:Urinary tract infection from

Body Mutilation-Chinese Foot Binding

I love medical history and the idea that what we do today will seem barbaric to cultures in the future. One such ancient practice is Chinese foot binding. This practice, which went on for over 1000 years took foot fetish to a national high. At age 3 a little girls toes were broken and bent underneath the foot and wrapped in tight cloth. The goal was "three inch golden lotus" feet and it was

Medical Procedures-show me the money

Several times a week I get mailers or ads offering courses in medical procedures. This one reads: "Why learn procedures? You are working harder and making less. (They got that one right). Procedures will help you increase revenue and profits without a large investment or extensive training. You do most of the work, others get paid more than you" (Bingo, right again). "Stop turning revenue

Maggot Medicine

Warning, this is really gross but for you brave souls, now you can see first hand how maggots are used to help heal chronic wounds. Don't view if you can't stand the "ick" factor but be aware that most everything in Medicine involves "ick" and we docs find it pretty darn interesting.

Otitis Media- Treat or Watch?

Most parents are heartbroken when they hear their toddler cry with an earache. It is one of the most common reasons for a visit to the pediatrician and most parents expect antibiotic treatment. The American Academy of Pediatricians and the American Academy of Family Practice issued guidelines in 2004 for most cases of acute otitis media (ear infection) and those recommendations call for

"Red Yeast Rice"- FDA warning

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to consumers to steer clear of several "cholesterol-lowering" supplements that may contain a drug - Lovastatin.Red Yeast Rice, Red Yeast Policosonal Complex and Cholestrix are over the counter supplements that were found to contain the prescription drug, Lovastatin. The products are manufactured by Nature's Value, Kabco Inc, Sunburst

Caffeine reduces cognitive decline

As I am sipping my morning latte I am thrilled to read the results of a new study just out in Neurology that suggests that caffeine may reduce cognitive decline in women without dementia. Another gulp of coffee and I am that much smarter!French researchers report that women who drank more than 3 cups of coffee per day had less mental decline during 4 years of follow-up, compared with those who

"Minute Clinics" be afraid, be very afraid

We have lots of problems with access to care in the good ole' USA. Forty five million (and growing) have no insurance. Eight in 10 are from working families and 28% of young adults have no insurance. Even with health insurance, we are paying more out of pocket for health care.So with all of these issues, isn't it amazing that the delegates to the American Medical Association have singled out

Tattoos and Work

It's nice when other bloggers visit and mention my writing on their blogs. Compensation Force (an HR site) linked me and so, of course, I checked it out. The HR world is quite a newsy place! I enjoyed reading about "How to respond to a racist joke" (Don't laugh, play dumb with a blank look and say "I don't get it". Make the joke teller feel embarrassed). "Tattoos and work: how body art plays

Racial Diversity and Medicine

If you are Black, Hispanic or Native American, I bet you have noticed something. There are no doctors of your race to treat you. Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans make up 26 percent of the U.S. population, but only 6 % of practicing physicians come from these minorities. Underrepresented minorities have worse health status in many dimensions compared with the white population.My work

No Period Birth Control Pill

The FDA has approved Lybrell, the first oral contraceptive pill that allows women to Cease having periods! This "no period" OCP works the same way as the usual pill. It uses the same low dose estrogen/progesterone combination but instead of 21 days on and 7 days off, this pill is taken continuously throughout the month.Menstruation occurs in a normal monthly cycle when estrogen, in

Smoking Cannabis will Make you Crazy

Who would have thought, with all of the problems in the world, that "Reefer Madness" would rear its head and the headlines would be screaming "The Use of Cannabis Causes Psychosis".The Lancet has just published a review of longitudinal studies and found that daily or weekly use of cannabis (marijuana) could increase psychosis by 40%.These findings puzzle me. In the UK and New Zealand, 1 in 5

Why Are Doctor Bills So High?

Who hasn't wondered why doctors need to charge so darn much for an office visit? If you have insurance and bother to look at what the insurance company pays, it is always much lower than the charge. Why does medical care cost so much? Is the doctor gouging? One of the best explanations I have seen is stolen from another blog. I would like to give credit but all I know is the name Dr. Adam.

Doctors and Money

My prior post engendered hundreds of visits and some great comments on Kevinmd blog. Check out these comments about "Do Doctors Make Too Much Money?" I guess money, sex and politics are what really get conversation going!