I always test my bath before I sitAnd I’m always moved to wondermentThat what chills my finger not a bitIs so frigid upon my fundament.Ogden Nash, 1902-1971
As I sat reading a New York Times piece in the Week in Review section, “The Cost of Doing Nothing,” Ogden Nash’s verse sprang to mind.
Then [...]

Texas board urges pardon in wrongful conviction
The Associated PressSaturday, February 27, 2010; 5:30 PM

LUBBOCK, Texas — The Texas pardons and parole board has recommended clemency in the case of a man who died in prison after he was wrongly convicted of rape.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported Saturday the recommendation in Tim [...]

Here’s the skinny from Medscape.
Anyone expecting some glorious “eureka!” moment at the White House healthcare summit today that would forge a compromise on contentious reform proposals between Democrats and Republicans has to be disappointed…
Was anything substantive decided at the summit? Obama and Democratic leaders strongly indicated that they may resort to the parliamentary procedure known [...]

In yesterday’s blog, “Doctor Tail Wags Health Reform,” I said the laws of supply-and-demand for physician services puts doctors in good negotiating position.
Several physicians have asked for details.
Here are some bare facts gathered from two books.
Book One, In Their Own Words, 12,000 Physicians Reveal Their Thoughts on Medical Practice in [...]

Systematically checking postprandial (after-eating) blood sugars is providing some great insights into crafting a better diet for many people.
I last discussed the concept of postprandial glucose checks in To get low-carb right, you need to check blood sugars.
Here are some important lessons that many people–NON-diabetic people, most with normal blood glucoses or just mildly [...]

As a physician, I have been trying to figure out what Obama is trying to tell the American people. After the summit, the President and fellow Democrats seem to be saying. We are going to push ahead with our reform plan even though two-thirds of you oppose it, and even though through [...]

Almost 3 years after the safety hoopla raised by Nissen’s NEJM meta-analysis the issue has resurfaced. It seems a report on the Avandia controversy by Senators Grassley and Baucus was recently made public and covered by the New York Times. The Times piece was distorted and inaccurate (maybe I’ll write a separate post [...]

I believe that we can all agree that the commonly obtained Friedewald LDL cholesterol (what I call “fictitious” LDL cholesterol) is wildly inaccurate. 100%–yes, 100% inaccuracy–is not at all uncommon.
This flagrant inaccuracy, unacceptable in virtually every other discipline (imagine your airplane flight to New York lands in Pittsburgh–close enough, isn’t it?), is highlighted in the [...]

When evaluating patients for heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) we commonly order two tests: antibodies to heparin-platelet factor 4 complex and a serotonin release assay (SRA). Both tests are sensitive but the antibodies are nonspecific. Invariably the antibodies come back first. If they come back positive you’re faced with a dilemma: [...]