Category Archives: Health

Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) for Medicare

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: Virginia Mason has sent out this information which I found useful. Due to the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans or standalone Medicare Prescription Drug plans (PDP), are often showing significant changes in benefits … Continue reading →

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How long can you stand on one foot? The answer may predict your fall risk.

Posted on October 23, 2024 by Jim deMaine

“If you can’t stand on your leg for five seconds, you’re at risk of falls,” said Kenton Kaufman, the senior author of the Mayo Clinic study. By Teddy Amenabar in the Washington Post (thanks to Tim and Tony) How long you … Continue reading →

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Resistance to Public Health, No Longer Fringe, Gains Foothold in G.O.P. Politics

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Jim deMaine

The merger of the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald J. Trump campaigns puts the so-called medical freedom movement on the cusp of real power in Washington, with a new slogan: “Make America Healthy Again.” By Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the … Continue reading →

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Resources for discussing and documenting end of life choices

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: Here’s the handout from the recent presentation (which was recorded). The hyperlinks are “clickable” to check out the various resources. In the near future you’ll receive more information in your inboxes about the survey conducted by the Health … Continue reading →

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Trump’s Pardons Crooks Who Stole 1.58 Billion

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Mike C. Judith Negron, the former owner of a Miami-area mental health company who was sentenced in 2011 to 35 years in prison for her role in filing $205 million in fraudulent Medicare claims and ordered to pay more than $87 million in restitution. … Continue reading →

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Contraceptive pill available over the counter for more women in NSW after ‘huge success’ of trial

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Jim deMaine

from The Guardian – Thanks to Pam P. No requirement to go to GP for new prescription for pill, as long as it has been taken for at least two years More women in New South Wales will have easier access to … Continue reading →

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A frightening decline

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Letter in the NYT – thanks to Mike C. At a town hall event in Michigan on Friday, Donald Trump was asked what actions he would take to keep autoworkers’ jobs in America. Here is part of Mr Trump’s answer verbatim: … Continue reading →

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Preventing firearm suicide deaths

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Jim deMaine

In this powerful video, Julie Richards, PhD, discusses her work to prevent firearm suicide deaths and how it is being implemented at Kaiser Permanente Washington.  Richard’s work is funded in part by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and … Continue reading →

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Nasal Flu Vaccine Is Approved for At-Home Use

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Jim deMaine

The F.D.A. authorized AstraZeneca’s treatment to be given outside a health care setting, although it will still need a prescription. By Christina Jewett in the NYT (thanks to Pam P.) The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized at-home use of … Continue reading →

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The Medical Establishment Closes Ranks, and Patients Feel the Effects

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: It’s so hard to give up our established beliefs, even when hard evidence disproves them. I was taught in medical school that, “The questions don’t change, but every few years the answers do.” It’s sad and frustrating when … Continue reading →

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Working definition of long COVID

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: Please see the full article here.

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What Exactly Is Long Covid? — ITT Episode 37

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Published September 11, 2024 in the New England Journal of Medicine Ed note: This discussion below may help those afflicted with long COVID to understand the confusing array of symptoms they may have. I hope this lengthy article may prove worthwhile … Continue reading →

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Does everyone *really* need routine vaccinations?

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Your questions on Hep B, HPV, rubella, measles, and U.S. universal vaccinations Ed note: If you’re like me, you’ve had young relatives ask you, “Why so many shots?” Vaccines are a modern marvel, but young people haven’t seen (thankfully) the … Continue reading →

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Lewis Thomas on Aging

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Jim deMaine

From The Fragile Species: “Florida Scott Maxwell, a successful British actress, a scholar, and always a writer, wrote: ‘Age puzzles me.  I thought it was a quite time. My seventies were interesting and serene, but my eighties were passionate. I … Continue reading →

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CDC Releases 2024-2025 Flu Vaccine Guidance

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to our inhouse expert, Dr. Ed M. Ed note: Please see the recommended timing is toward the end of October (in order to cover the peak of the flu season). The CDC’s ACIP recommended annual trivalent flu vaccines for … Continue reading →

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To Be In Awe

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Diane S. What gives you a sense of awe? You might imagine standing on a wide-open plain with a storm approaching, or holding the tiny finger of a newborn baby. That word, awe – the feeling of being … Continue reading →

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The Story Bench

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: An affable friend of mine had this terrific idea – a Story Bench. Here’s Dr. Bill explaining his socialization project. Something similar is discussed in a wonderful podcast on Hidden Brain–talking to strangers on a train.

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Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed Note: : “The attenuation of mortality observed for wine preference and drinking only during meals requires further investigation, as it may mostly reflect the effect of healthier lifestyles, slower alcohol absorption, or nonalcoholic components of beverages.” So wine in … Continue reading →

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Research study mapping the brain at UW

Posted on August 10, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: I was contacted by the UW researchers who asked me to post this information. Participants will be paid for the visits and travel  costs will be covered.  If you are interested in learning more about  the Brain Map … Continue reading →

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The best bidets of 2024, tested by editors (CNN)

Posted on August 9, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed Note: Bidet toilets are nearly universal in Japan where the best selling Toto brand was established in 1917. As of January 2023, 72% of Japanese households have a bidet-style toilet, also known as a washlet, which is a brand name … Continue reading →

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Let’s honor the past but bid farewell to the Blue Angels

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Jim deMaine

By Breck Lebegue Special to The Seattle Times It’s time to salute and say goodbye to the Blue Angels at Seafair. Although we need skilled fighter pilots to defend our nation and our allies from enemies, these airshows cause significant health … Continue reading →

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Psilocybin Therapy in Palliative Care | An EOLWA Update 

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Jim deMaine

The landscape of psychedelic-assisted therapies, particularly psilocybin, is undergoing significant transformation, especially in the context of palliative care. End of Life Washington (EOLWA) has advocated for the inclusion of psilocybin as a therapeutic treatment for seriously ill patients. Research and … Continue reading →

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Restoring Faith in Vaccines

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Ed M.

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The healing power of the mind

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Ed M. Ed Note: I’ve always been fascinated with the placebo effect, the poorly understood but real connection between mind and body. Click here for my story concerning the placebo effect on one of my own patients. by … Continue reading →

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The Science of Love

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Jim deMaine

John Gottman is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Washington where he founded ”The Love Lab” at which much of his research on couples interactions was conducted. World-renowned relationship expert John Gottman set forth to understand why … Continue reading →

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