Category Archives: Health

Soon you may need that Happy Light for SAD

Sleep specialists recommend the use of a 10,000 lux “happy light” for 15-30 minutes each morning during the dark days in northern climates like ours. Choose one carefully because they are not FDA regulated. Here is one reviewer’s selection. The … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Health, sleep | 1 Comment

Every Older Patient Has a Story. Medical Students Need to Hear It.

Ed Note: The lecture I remember most from medical school was by an aging senior professor who interviewed a patient in front of our entire class saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to present a very interesting case.” Then he … Continue reading

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Flawed – falling in love with a plastic surgeon

Posted in Art, Essays, happiness, Health | 1 Comment

The importance of medical touch

Ed note: I remember feeling somewhat puzzled and annoyed that during my first Medicare annual checkup that my doctor never touched me. An assistant checked my BP, weighed me, checked my meds and did a cursory dementia screen. Then is … Continue reading

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It’s time for that flu shot

Here is a version of the well known in-flu-Enza nursery rhyme in “Our Paper” Vol. 10 (1894) by Massachusetts Reformatory (Concord, Mass.): There was a little girl, and she had a little bird,  And she called it by the pretty name … Continue reading

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For Elderly Women With Breast Cancer, Surgery May Not Be the Best Option

Ed Note: The thoughtful geriatrician will approach his aging patient with the “do no harm” principle. Perhaps the intervention might work in a younger person; perhaps the medication dose should be halved or even stopped; perhaps the aggressive management of … Continue reading

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Is stress good for teenagers?

Ed Note: When my kids were in Junior High, the Principal felt that stress and competition was not good for the kids. Hence, there were no school sports teams and grades were deemphasized. The object was to build up the … Continue reading

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Ken Burns – the Mayo Clinic: Faith – Hope – Science – tonight 9 PM on KCTS

From Dick Dion: Take a timely look at how one institution has met the changing demands of healthcare. The Mayo Clinic: Faith – Hope – Science is a new two-hour documentary executive-produced by Ken Burns and directed by Burns, Erik Ewers … Continue reading

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FDA Approves Sale of Prescription Placebos – from the Onion

FDA Approves Sale Of Prescription Placebo – the Onion ^ | September 17, 2003  (forwarded by Ann Milam) WASHINGTON, DC—After more than four decades of testing in tandem with other drugs, placebo gained approval for prescription use from the Food and … Continue reading

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The Obecalp Effect

Betty was complaining at an escalating rate. She’d been in her nursing home for four years and wasn’t happy. She kept coming up with new symptoms like aching, fatigue, nervous stomach, tingling, dizziness, etc. Her daughter Nancy was getting daily … Continue reading

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Build strength, fall less and live longer – just two training sessions a week can reverse age-related cellular damage

Ed note: There is repeated evidence that weights and resistance training can help with our health in multiple ways. It’s a good idea to check in with our Fitness Team before embarking on a strenuous program. Here’s some suggestions in … Continue reading

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Why (or why not) that daily baby aspirin?

Ed note: After talking to a Cardiologist friend several years ago I asked him why he didn’t take a daily baby aspirin. He said he didn’t have any risk factors and felt the risk of a hemorrhage was greater than … Continue reading

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‘The right trousers’: Wallace and Gromit inspire artificial muscle clothing

Ed note: Frank Conlon writes: “Given that we have folks pursuing a goal of dynamic support clothing, the attached story from The Guardian of Sep. 11 might be of interest.” It will be interesting to see how/when/if this technology really … Continue reading

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Factfullness: Ten reasons we’re wrong about the world – and why things are better than you think

Ed note: Hans Rosling has written a fascinating book that Bill Gates called the most important book he’s ever read. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think. Rosling explains how and why our thinking … Continue reading

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Stories for Getting Back to Sleep with Diane Gillespie, author & psychologist

Skyline residents welcome Tuesday, September 25 7:30 PM, Anderson Hall Horizon House, 900 University Street Ever have trouble falling back to sleep in the middle of the night? Find yourself stuck in stories that make you anxious? Educational psychologist Diane … Continue reading

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Blame Emergency Rooms for the Out-of-Control Cost of Health Care

Ed Note: The article below about ER costs reinforced my bias against going to an ER unless we really have an emergency. Our medical system (if you can call it that) really breaks down in terms of urgent care after … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Health | 1 Comment

Preventing Muscle Loss (Sarcopenia) as We Age

Jane Brody is the personal health columnist, a position she has held since 1976. She has written more than a dozen books including the best sellers “Jane Brody’s Nutrition Book” and “Jane Brody’s Good Food Book.”  From the NYT: “Use … Continue reading

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Have you ever used a Canadian Pharmacy?

Have you ever thought of buying an expensive prescription drug from Canada? Actually it’s legal and not that difficult – and often there is free shipping. I have recently been able to purchase Prednisolone eye drops at 20% of the … Continue reading

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Fact check on Bernie Sander’s claim that Medicare for All (M4A) will save 2 trillion dollars

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4 ways the Trump administration wants to change Medicare

By Tami Luhby – Senior writer for CNN After unsuccessfully trying to overhaul Obamacare and Medicaid, the Trump administration is now trying to put its stamp on Medicare. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a slew of … Continue reading

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“You can breathe as long as you don’t inhale”

Ed note: Remember Tom Lehrer’s song called Pollution? Coming true? Seattle is now in the “unhealthy” range in terms of air quality – at least through tomorrow. Cliff Mass gives us some perspective (Beijing better than Seattle!) as reported in … Continue reading

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Warning! Stay inside due to unhealthy smoke haze

From the Seattle Times today: “Regional wildfires have made the air quality so bad that five public-health agencies are jointly warning the public to beware of the haze. “The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA), alongside Kitsap Public Health District, King … Continue reading

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Have you signed up for Smart 911?

Ed Note: Almost by definition when you dial 911 you are in a panic. You want the operator to understand the situation – but the operator needs to gather some data – name, location, medical history, medications, etc. Using Smart911 … Continue reading

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In a Haze About e-Cigarettes? 5 Things to Know

Ed note: The battery powered nicotine vaporizing delivery system called e-cigarettes is gaining in popularity. There are many unknowns. How much safer is it than cigarette smoking? How harmful is second hand “vape.” It’s one more addiction for our addiction prone … Continue reading

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Organ donation myths – by ZDoggMD

Ed note: ZDoggMD posts many satirical and funny videos about the medical scene. Working in the ER and ICU he has many experiences to relate. This one however is a serious commentary on organ donation. The oldest known donor, by … Continue reading

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