When I mention America’s pastime, I’m not talking about baseball. If you still think baseball is America’s pastime, you’re revealing yourself as a Boomer or member of the Greatest Generation. According to Gallup Poll results on most loved sports, 1972 marks the point at Continue reading
Lore in the literature
“Lore: traditional knowledge or belief”
Let me say at the outset that by lore I mean information whose validity is not confirmed. Lore is a version of “truthiness,” as Stephen Colbert would say. Most physicians are familiar with the concept of “chart lore.” Chart lore is information that somehow found its Continue reading
Marathon medicine
Running marathons has become a very popular activity in our country with over 540,000 people completing the 26.2 mile distance in 2013. The demographics of marathon runners have changed significantly over the past few decades. Whereas 90% of the 143,000 Continue reading
Azithromycin: spawn of Satan or just evil incarnate?
All prescribers are certainly aware of (and hopefully accept the reality of) increasing antibiotic resistance. While guidelines continue to be released encouraging less antibiotic use for sinusitis, bronchitis, and otitis media, there also continues to be use or, more Continue reading
Stand up for health
OK, for those quasi-regular readers of this blog, and we know there are at least four of you out there, you’re already aware that many of our posts address how to effectively treat patients. What works. What doesn’t. What is known and what falls into the realm of the art Continue reading
How often do acute opioids become chronic opioids?
Each individual who uses chronic opioids was at some point started for the first time on a prescription opioid. Often the problem was an episode of acute pain, such as a twisted ankle. Opioids may also have been newly started for a chronic pain problem, such as Continue reading
Beware broken heart syndrome
Valentine’s Day looms on the near horizon. A day for chocolate, roses, and smarmy greeting cards. A time to express undying affection for those we love. But you already know where this is headed, don’t you? While people everywhere prepare to give voice to Continue reading
One clinician’s perspective on how to get past denial in identifying alcohol abuse and dependence
Throughout my forty years as a practicing psychologist, I witnessed many shifts in opinion around assessing alcoholism, both in the therapy setting and in medicine in general. Back in the earliest days of my career in the 1970s, issues around alcoholism were rarely if Continue reading
Keep my telomeres long, and prosper
I love telomeres! And just what are they? They are repetitive DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes that undergo attrition (shortening) with division of somatic cells. Why is this important? Well, telomeres protect the integrity of the DNA and shortening of Continue reading
Bye-bye bimanual
When I was the medical director of the Sonoma County Public Health outpatient clinics, which included the Family Planning and STD clinics, I would commonly discuss the lack of need for a bimanual exam of the, typically, young women who used our services if they Continue reading