When Your ‘Regular Doctor’ Could Be Anyone
“Will you be my regular doctor?” a new patient seeing me in my primary care clinic asked. “Sort of,” I honestly answered. She looked back at me quizzically. “Technically speaking I will be your doctor,” I explained. “But you may have trouble scheduling an appointment with me and may have to see another doctor here […]
The Trap of Treatment Dogma
New research showing that certain women with early-stage breast cancer may be able to skip chemotherapy has created understandable excitement: Avoiding the side effects of chemotherapy without compromising one’s prognosis is highly appealing for women diagnosed with this difficult disease. Interestingly, such an approach would have been of little surprise to a group of largely […]
The Death of the Doctor’s Dog
Our dog’s brain tumor had worsened to the point that she was restless at all times and often walked in circles. She had mostly stopped eating and was partially blind. Like so many pet owners, our family finally decided to intervene rather than having “nature take its course.” Akeela, our beloved boxer, had had her […]
Falling Asleep At The Wheel: A Confession
It turns out that I have something in common with Anson Williams, who played Potsie Weber on the long-running 1970s television show “Happy Days.” No, not that we were both nerds in high school, he fictional and I actual. Both Williams and I have fallen asleep while driving and narrowly averted a major crash. Nov. 5-12, […]
Whoa, Tiger! Early Thoughts About Tiger Woods’ DUI
While details are still forthcoming, Tiger Woods has been arrested on the charge of driving under the influence (DUI). It’s hard to think of another public health problem that has gotten so much attention, that is so avoidable and that yet still persists. What are some of the likely reasons that Woods did what he […]
Should Hospitals Be Upbeat?
Would you appreciate being cheerfully greeted when you step into your local clinic or hospital? How do you feel about signs announcing, “It’s a great day,” replete with stickers and hearts, on an inpatient ward? And what about a passageway between two hospital buildings labeled the “Compassion Tunnel”? The Affordable Care Act is in trouble […]
John Bailar’s Righteous Attack on the “War on Cancer”
When then-President Richard Nixon launched the “war on cancer” in 1971, there was no more admirable cause to support. The dreaded disease was the second leading cause of death that year for Americans, after heart disease, and has maintained that spot for decades. Yet John C. Bailar III, a physician and epidemiologist who died in […]
Who Gets a Paid Obituary in the New York Times–and Why?
Getting an obituary in the New York Times is about the best posthumous status symbol there is. It connotes having lived a significant, important life. There are at least three books that reprint or examine these obituaries. But what about the paid obituaries, the death notices in a tiny font adjacent to the stories of […]
Five Myths on Presidential Health
When Hillary Clinton announced a diagnosis of pneumonia last week, soon after leaving a Sept. 11 memorial service, she elicited a predictably partisan response. Fans of Donald Trump speculated that she wouldn’t survive the year, while her own supporters pointed out that hardworking people get sick all the time. Both presidential candidates have been pressured […]
How One Family Is Bringing Attention to Hydrocephalus
It is hard enough to support a seriously ill child through a devastating and poorly understood illness. But it is quite another thing to start an organization devoted to raising money to publicize the disease and raise money for research. That, however, is just what the Finlayson family did when their daughter Kate was fighting […]