How alternative medicine may have killed Steve Jobs

Conditions and Diseases
October 30, 2011

When they first discovered the tumor in his pancreas in October 2003, his doctors told him an immediate operation was necessary, and could lead to a cure.

As first reported by Peter Elkind in 2008, Jobs decided to think different, declined surgery, and explored alternative medicine treatments for his disease.

Nine months later, in July 2004, the tumor had grown. Only then would he allow his doctors to operate.

Would Steve Jobs be alive today had he consented to surgery when they first discovered …

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How alternative medicine may have killed Steve Jobs

How a medical student uses an iPad for patient care and education

Health Technology
October 23, 2011

iPads have been introduced into medical education mostly during the pre-clinical years. I’d like to share my experience using an iPad during my clinical year. I’ve found it to be exceedingly useful and versatile.

I have an entire medical library in my pocket. With the touch of a button I can pull up essential texts such as Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine or William’s Endocrinology. I get these books and …

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How a medical student uses an iPad for patient care and education

The problem with round the clock hospitalist coverage

Physician
October 21, 2011

Two recent articles, one from the New York Times, the other from The Hospitalist, initiated some 24/7 staffing issue rumination on my behalf.  It stems originally from a recent op-ed by Lucian Leape: “Given the accrediting council’s reluctance to act, the federal government needs to get tougher. If we are serious about curbing the tide of injuries stemming from medical errors, Medicare should make its funding of graduate medical education …

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The problem with round the clock hospitalist coverage

Makes you want to pull your hair out: Treating trichotillomania

Conditions and Diseases
October 21, 2011

One of the saddest, but more treatable, causes of hair loss in patients is trichotillomania, the impulse control disorder in which a person repeatedly pulls out hair from their body for non-cosmetic reasons. While some people have never even heard of trichotillomania, according to the Trichotillomania Learning Center, as many as ten million Americans (or 4% of the U.S. population) suffer from the disorder.

According to the Diagnositic and Statistical Manual …

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Makes you want to pull your hair out: Treating trichotillomania

Why radiology is the cornerstone of any hospital

Physician
October 19, 2011

Radiology is the cornerstone of any hospital. An efficient, high-quality, well-run radiology department increases patient satisfaction as a result of its ability to improve patient care. Over time, a well-run radiology department adds significant patient volumes to the hospital, which, of course, favorably enhances the hospital’s bottom line. Regardless of whether the hospital is not-for-profit or for-profit, a smooth-sailing radiology department vastly increases the profitability of the hospital. The …

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Why radiology is the cornerstone of any hospital

tPA is the standard of care for stroke but with significant risks

Conditions and Diseases
October 17, 2011

Under current guidelines from the American Stroke Association, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA, commonly known as a “clot buster” drug) should be administered within 3-4.5 hours of “last seen normal” – and 1 hour of patient arrival – to potentially ameliorate a new onset stroke.  (“Last seen normal” means exactly what it says. A patient who went to bet at 10 PM and awoke with slurred speech at 6 AM was …

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tPA is the standard of care for stroke but with significant risks

The decision not to become a surgeon

Physician
October 12, 2011

Every medical student goes though a process of elimination when deciding what kind of doctor they want to become. We hear the old saying, “Internists know everything and do nothing; Surgeons know nothing and do everything; Psychiatrists know nothing and do nothing; Pathologists know everything and do everything but it’s too late.” We hear that pediatricians wear bow ties, are short, and love to laugh and play; that surgeons …

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The decision not to become a surgeon

The life of a medical resident in Mexico

Medical Education
October 12, 2011

The average week for a medical resident training in Mexico can easily exceed 90 work hours. Mexico is a country that takes pride in offering full health coverage for 100 million citizens. This is a new policy and free public medical care is being pushed to the limit. The situation is simple, the work load in outpatient clinics, operating rooms, the wards and emergency rooms across the country is …

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The life of a medical resident in Mexico

Three major cognitive errors physicians make

Physician
October 9, 2011

As physicians, we all dread missing a diagnosis: indigestion that turns out to be angina, back pain that signals an aortic aneurysm, migraine that proves to be a brain tumor. Although it is only an estimate, several studies in the medical literature indicate that misdiagnosis occurs in 15% to 20% of all cases, and in half of these, there is serious harm to the patient.

Researchers have found that the vast …

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Three major cognitive errors physicians make

Health related questions about plastic

Conditions and Diseases
October 4, 2011

Susan Freinkel is the author of the new book, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story.

She was kind enough to answer some health related questions about plastic based on her research for her book.

Is all plastic toxic?

There are lots of different kinds of plastic and some may pose more of a health hazard than others. The two experts are most worried about are:

Polycarbonate, a hard, clear plastic …

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Health related questions about plastic

The decision to pursue a rare illness

Conditions and Diseases
October 1, 2011

Patricia Daly, FACP, of Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal, Va., told us about the case of a 49-year-old man who presented with marked weight loss. A year prior, the patient had weighed about 220 pounds and intentionally put himself on a diet, but after losing 45 pounds, he developed poor appetite and early satiety.

He continued to lose weight to a nadir of 143 pounds. He found it increasingly difficult …

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The decision to pursue a rare illness