A New York Times analysis of CDC data released this week showed that, in contrast to falling death rates among black and Hispanic adults, drug overdoses are driving up the death rate of young white adults in the United States to levels not seen since the end of the AIDS epidemic more than two decades agoContinue reading “Rising death rates in young white adults due to overdoses”
Tag Archives: Health
The WSJ as purveyor of evidence on echinacea and flu
An article in this week’s Wall Street Journal‘s Health column–Can Echinacea Melt Winter’s Colds and Flu? –is illustrative of some limitations of the media’s role as a purveyor of scientific information. Specifically, the writer opted to highlight two scientifically flawed trials, without mention of a 2014 Cochrane Database Systematic Review on the topic, a review that encompassed 24Continue reading “The WSJ as purveyor of evidence on echinacea and flu”
On Doctors Who Have Depression
Also appearing in the New York Times Upshot column, this Incidental Economist blog post on the prevalence of depression, addiction and suicidal thoughts among doctors provides a great overview of the literature. The post is also compelling because the author draws on his own personal experience with this condition during his own residency, including this moving postContinue reading “On Doctors Who Have Depression”
On LEAN principles in medicine
Perspective from The New England Journal of Medicine — Medical Taylorism Source: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1512402
Personalized preventive medicine
Much research and media attention have focused on personalized medicine. The National Cancer Institute defines personalized medicine as “a form of medicine that uses information about a person’s genes, proteins, and environment to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease.” Although this definition includes prevention, much of the focus of personalized medicine has been on treatments, with aContinue reading “Personalized preventive medicine”
2015 Dietary Guidelines: a gallon of lobbying and a pinch of nutrition science?
New federal dietary guidelines issued last week by the Agriculture and Health and Human Services Departments, urge Americans to drastically cut back on sugar, and for the first time have singled out teenage boys and men for eating too much meat, chicken and eggs. The biggest change is restricting added sugar: Americans consume up to 22 teaspoons aContinue reading “2015 Dietary Guidelines: a gallon of lobbying and a pinch of nutrition science?”
Limerick version of In Defense of Food
This poem is inspired by Michael Pollan’s PBS documentary In Defense of Food, available here for free viewing until the end of the month: The wisdom Michael Pollan incants– Eat food, not too much, mostly plants— Is simple declared Yet we’re easily ensnared By the food industry’s science-y dance. So here are some other wise rulesContinue reading “Limerick version of In Defense of Food”
The stethoscope is dead?!
A Washington Post piece this week features a prominent cardiologist’s contention that stethoscopes must be–and are being–replaced with echocardiography. “The stethoscope is dead,” he states. The article presents as counterpoint a pediatric cardiologist who states that cardiac auscultation won’t be replaced with costly imaging. The article notes that the easier availability of echocardiography and otherContinue reading “The stethoscope is dead?!”
Will prevention ever be sexy?
As a pediatric emergency medicine provider, many of the reasons patients show up in the Emergency Department are related to symptoms–a fever, cough, rash, ache, nausea, runny nose, diarrhea, etc. What is this causing it? What will make it go away as soon as possible? A commentary on NPR’s Shots series notes that, often, despiteContinue reading “Will prevention ever be sexy?”
Times Square and Influenza
On this New Year’s Eve, I wanted to share this factoid from the CDC on the benefits of influenza vaccination in the 2014-15 flu season. As you see the nearly one million people counting down to 2016 in Times Square, remember that the flu vaccine prevents that many people from needing medical visits in oneContinue reading “Times Square and Influenza”
Marion R. Sills, MD, MPH 