Tag Archives: health

Politicians Playing Doctor

Posted on July 14, 2017 by

Recently the British baby Charlie Gard has been in the news. Unfortunately he was born with a rare disorder called Infantile Onset Encephalomyopathic Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome. The parents of the 11-month-old boy have been in a court battle with … Continue reading →

Posted in Medical Politics, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Exploring Cuba – Part 2

Posted on April 3, 2017 by

In my prior post, I discussed a trip I made to Cuba in December. In this second part I will focus on some medical aspects. When my patients ask about foreign travel where there may be health concerns, I usually … Continue reading →

Posted in Medical Politics, Travel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Presidential Politics and Influenza Vaccinations

Posted on November 5, 2016 by

Recently a patient of mine expressed frustration with the presidential campaign, saying the other side wouldn’t listen to facts and just believed what they wanted to believe. Knowing that she had repeatedly refused to get a flu shot, I asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Medical Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Let’s be Clear on ClariSpray

Posted on May 27, 2016 by

Bayer, the maker of Claritin, has a new product, ClariSpray. This is a good product, but with a confusing name. It has nothing to do with Claritin, other than they are both used for allergies (allergic rhinitis). It’s actually fluticasone … Continue reading →

Posted in Pharmaceuticals | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Healthy Snacks

Posted on May 9, 2016 by

I was pleasantly surprised to see this sign at the edge of the produce department. Good job, Fred Meyer!!

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged | Leave a comment

Going Viral is Bad for Your Health

Posted on September 20, 2015 by

A few days ago CNN hosted the 2nd Republican presidential debate. Unfortunately, the topic of vaccines came up. Donald Trump had previously suggested that vaccines can cause autism. When asked about this he responded, “You take this little beautiful baby, … Continue reading →

Posted in Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sesame Chicken

Posted on July 16, 2015 by

I often suggest my patients use smart phone apps to help them with their diet, in particular Lose It! or MyFitnessPal. Both progams have the ability to scan a bar code of a food item, which will then show the … Continue reading →

Posted in Medical Humor | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Medicare Payment Formula Finally Changed – Win or Loss?

Posted on April 20, 2015 by

Congress passed a  law in 1977 linking Medicare payments for physician services to growth in the economy.  Because it failed to take into account inflation and other factors, Congress has had to act 17 times to prevents cuts to physician … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of Medicine, Government, Medical Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives

Posted on March 18, 2015 by

  I recently attended the 11th Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives Conference put on by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America. It was a literally delicious combination of lectures from physicians, dieticians,  chefs, and others. … Continue reading →

Posted in Culinary | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

January Resolutions

Posted on January 1, 2015 by

This is the time of year people make New Year’s resolutions. Many goals get made repeatedly each year because it’s hard to sustain changes in habits to make progress in things like losing weight. People start off good, but a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Medicine | Tagged , | Leave a comment