July 13th, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Announcements
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Congratulations to Better Health blogger, Dr. Rob Lamberts, for landing a regular podcasting gig.
Here’s the press release:
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The HOUSE CALL DOCTOR’S QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS FOR TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH, hosted by Dr. Rob Lamberts, joins the highly successful Quick and Dirty Tips iTunes podcasts on July 14, with free content also available for download at www.quickanddirtytips.com.
How can I lower my cholesterol? Is Tylenol really safe? Why do my bruises itch? No topic is off limits for the House Call Doctor—the newest addition to Macmillan’s Quick and Dirty Tips self-improvement franchise. Dr. Rob Lamberts practices full-time in his primary care private practice in the southeastern US. He is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics, and has doctored for the past 15 years. Lamberts’ recent involvement in the advocacy of electronic medical records has received national recognition and his popular medical blog, Musings of a Distractible Mind, was named one of Tara Parker-Pope’s “favorite medical blogs” in her New York Times Well blog.
With his trademark sense of humor and straightforward advice, Dr. Lamberts answers a wide variety of questions in this QDT podcast, mixing his extensive experience in the medical field with accessible advice that is both accurate and easy to understand. Filled with friendly and in-depth answers on listeners’ most pressing health issues, House Call Doctor offers progressive and innovative ways to look at medicine and the healthcare industry as a whole.
The House Call Doctor’s first series of podcasts will cover a wide range of health concerns and medical inquiries, including:
– What do I really need to know about cholesterol?
– How do I talk to my doctor about medical information I’ve found on the Internet?
– Where do bruises come from, and how can I get rid of them?
– What are the dangers of using popular pain relievers, such as Tylenol?
– What should I look out for to prevent the over use of antibiotics?
Dr. Lamberts’ expert tips will give listeners the tools they need to understand their bodies better and improve their health and quality of life. His goal with the House Call Doctor is to “make medical things easier to understand and hopefully to offer a little entertainment in the process.” As Dr. Lamberts says, “People want to understand their health, but unfortunately many of the explanations out there are either confusing or boring.”
Quick and Dirty Tips, known for both its friendly and informative style and its innovative digital content distribution, has already introduced fourteen fascinating experts on a variety of subjects to millions of fans via podcasts, audiobooks, and online interaction. Popular Quick and Dirty Tips shows include: Grammar Girl, Sales Guy, The Dog Trainer, and Money Girl.
July 11th, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Announcements
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I’m in Las Vegas at the Science Based Medicine (SBM) conference – where I helped to explain the reasons why science is critical in separating fact from fiction. Following the SBM event, critical thinkers from across the US and Canada gathered to discuss myth-busting in various forms… I really enjoyed meeting up with SBM bloggers, Adam Savage (from the hit TV show, Mythbusters), Jennifer Ouellette (a physicist and Director of The Science and Entertainment Exchange at the National Academy of Sciences), astronomer blogger Phil Plait, and The Amazing Randy – a magician devoted to exposing medical fraud and the tricks of the trade.
Blogging will be a little light this weekend… please enjoy the pics! (I did get to interview both Adam Savage and James Randi… so stay tuned for those!)
Adam Savage (Mythbusters) & Dr. Val
I'm amazed by Randi
The Novella Brothers & Friends
July 9th, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Announcements, Health Policy, Humor
9 Comments »
To join the event live, please contact john.briley@getbetterhealth.com Seating is limited…
Congressman Paul Ryan
Media Personality Rea Blakey
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 9, 2009 |
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Health Care Reform: Putting Patients First
Elected Officials Join America’s Top Medical Bloggers to Discuss the Real,
Clinical Impact of Health Care Reform
WHAT: As the health care debate heats up on the Hill, join Representative Paul Ryan as he sits down with top medical bloggers from across the country to discuss health care reform and its impact on practicing clinicians. This keynote discussion will be followed by two panels of physician and nurse bloggers who will highlight the importance of putting patients first. Topics covered will include key barriers to health care quality, affordability, and access as well as the potential pitfalls of a new public plan and ways to fix the current system without investing billions in a new one.
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Friday, July 17, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. |
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The National Press Club, Broadcast Operations Center 4th Floor, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, DC |
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| WHO: |
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Keynote: Representative Paul Ryan, (R-WI), House Budget Committee Ranking MemberModerator: Rea Blakey, Emmy award-winning health reporter and news anchor, previously with ABC, CNN, and now with Discovery Health
Host: Val Jones, M.D., CEO and Founder of Better Health
Policy Expert: Robert Goldberg, Ph.D., co-founder and vice president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI)
Primary Care Panelists:
Kevin Pho, M.D., Internist and author of KevinMD
Rob Lamberts, M.D., Med/Peds specialist and author of Musings of a Distractible Mind
Alan Dappen, M.D., Family Physician and Better Health contributor
Valerie Tinley, N.P., Nurse Practitioner and Better Health contributor
Specialty Care Panelists:
Kim McAllister, R.N., Emergency Medicine nurse and author of Emergiblog
Westby Fisher, M.D., Cardiac Electrophysiologist and author of Dr.Wes
Rich Fogoros, M.D., Cardiologist and author of CovertRationingBlog
And Fixing American Healthcare
Jim Herndon, M.D., past president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Better Health contributor |
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For more information on Better Health, visit https://www.getbetterhealth.com.
July 9th, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Book Reviews, Medblogger Shout Outs, Opinion
2 Comments »
Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is probably best known for his leadership of the Human Genome Project, though his discoveries of the Cystic Fibrosis, Huntington’s, and Neurofibromatosis genes are also extraordinary accomplishments. Dr. Collins is a world-renowned scientist and geneticist, and also a committed Christian. In his recent best-selling book, The Language Of God, Dr. Collins attempts to harmonize his commitment to both science and religion.
Some critics (such as Richard Dawkins) have expressed reservations about Dr. Collins’ faith, wondering if it might cloud his scientific judgment. Since Collins was rumored to be the most likely candidate for directorship of the NIH (and he was nominated for the position yesterday, but must be confirmed), and because I wanted to know if Dawkins et al. had any reason for concern, I decided to read The Language Of God.
First of all, Christians are a rather heterogeneous group – with a range of viewpoints on evolution, science, and the interpretation of Biblical texts. On one extreme there are Christians (often referred to as “young earth creationists” or simply “creationists”) who believe in an absolutely literal interpretation of the Genesis story, and see evolution as antithetical to true faith. Dr. Collins suggests that as many as 45% of Christians may actually be in this camp.
On the other end of the spectrum are Christians who embrace evolution, accept and promote scientific thinking, and understand the Bible to be a blend of poetry, allegory, and historical literature. While they see the Genesis account of creation as poetic, the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings are considered to be more literal.
Collins’ views are very representative of the scientific end of the Christian spectrum. In fact, he spends several chapters attempting to help creationists embrace evolution. He takes great pains to explain how irrational it is to deny the evidence we have (both from a genetic, and an archeological/basic science perspective) for evolution. He argues that evolution is not an enemy of faith, but rather an enlightening look at how God’s creative process works.
Collins also takes on “Intelligent Design (ID),” exposing it as a PR play, not a true scientific theory. He suggests that ID is an “argument from personal incredulity” expressed in the language of mathematics, biochemistry, and genetics. Furthermore, Collins explains that ID proponents have confused the unknown with the unknowable – there is no current “irreducible complexity” that cannot be explained by evolutionary theory. We don’t need a “God of the gaps” to explain what we’ve yet to learn.
One of the more interesting parts of the book is Dr. Collins’ mathematical review of the incredibly low odds of the right blend of atoms/elements and the correct rate of expansion of the universe to occur by chance. He argues that certain atomic particles needed to be present in unequal and varying amounts at the earliest moment of the Big Bang to produce – eventually – the right conditions for life as we know it. He uses this analogy: it’s possible that a poker player could randomly obtain a straight flush in 50 consecutive hands. However, a more plausible explanation is that he’s cheating. In the same way, the universe could have come into being by coincidence, but it’s more likely that it was a coordinated event.
Collins’ argument for the existence of God is compelling to me. His explanation of why he chose to become a Christian is a little less so. Collins often resorts to lengthy quotes of C.S. Lewis in lieu of his own theological rationale – but I suppose we can forgive him for this. He is first and foremost a scientist, not a theologian, and his book simply reflects that fact. [Those interested in a more compelling theological rationale for Christianity might try Timothy Keller’s, The Reason For God: Belief In An Age Of Skepticism.]
In summary, Collins claims to believe in “theistic evolution.” He says that few people have heard of it because it harmonizes science and religion – and “harmony is boring” and doesn’t have a PR agenda. Nonetheless, he finds it internally consistent and intellectually satisfying. The material world is best understood through scientific inquiry, the spiritual world cannot be tested or understood by science. Matters of conscience, morality, and a yearning for answers to questions that may not be resolved empirically (What happens to us after death? What existed before the Big Bang? Is there a soul?) are matters best left for religion.
After reading The Language Of God, I feel confident that Collins is a reasonable person. He embraces science more successfully than many people of faith, and I didn’t notice anything about his beliefs that would make me question his ability to lead the NIH in true, scientific inquiry. In fact, The Language Of God may embolden other Christians to join the Science-Based Medicine movement by offering them a rational way to allow faith and science to co-exist. I hope that scientists who hold atheist or agnostic religious views will embrace this small group of evolutionary theists as religious moderates who fully support scientific orthodoxy.
