June 6th, 2011 by BobDoherty in Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: ACP, Cynicism, Engagement, Improving Healthcare, Ivory Tower, Professional Societies
1 Comment »
“We can destroy ourselves by cynicism and disillusionment, just as effectively as by bombs.”
This observation, from the late, great British historian Kenneth Clark, could be a warning sign to the medical profession. Some of the more incendiary commentary in blogs, editorials, and medical publications today display the classic characteristics of cynicism, which is a profound pessimism accompanied by a deep distrust and even the disparagement of the motivations of others. Physician cynics not only direct their anger at the usual suspects – members of Congress, insurance companies, and government “bureaucrats”—but even at their own colleagues, including the leadership of their own professional societies.
Now, to be clear, I am not talking about principled disagreement and debate over the best policies or course of action, which is good and healthy. It is only when such disagreement becomes “personal”—assuming the worst motivations of others, even when you don’t personally know them—that it becomes the type of self-destructive cynicism described by Clark.
Take the cynics’ charge that the leaders of physician professional associations, including ACP, are living in “Ivory Towers” disconnected from the “real world” of practice, and that they “sold out” the rest of the medical profession by their actions. Really? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
June 5th, 2011 by Dr. Val Jones in Opinion
Tags: Ads, Advertising Campaigns, Barbie, Diet, Dove, Fitness, Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Living, Nutrition, Obesity, Primary Care, Ruby, The Body Shop, Weight Loss, Women's Beauty, Women's Health
4 Comments »
I just learned (yes, I’m a little late to the party) about the Body Shop anti-barbie controversy from a post on Facebook. The ad to the left has been banned from most countries, because it was believed to be in bad taste. For me, it raises some very interesting questions.
First of all, it’s been my experience that the media has been relentless in its portrayal of feminine beauty as being a dress size zero. This is an unattainable goal for most of us, and a very narrow view of what is truly attractive and physically healthy. I can’t imagine how many young girls feel deeply flawed when they compare themselves to Barbie et al. If unchecked, that self-doubt and insecurity can become a lifelong self-esteem issue or worse. Eating disorders are becoming more and more common, and carry with them the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
That being said, I’ve often had mixed feelings about the few “love your body as it is” campaigns* that have tried to push back against the rail-thin ideal. While we all have different body types, it’s still not healthy to be obese. Just as our favorite pets are born with different natural shapes (Chihuahuas, Whippets, Golden Retrievers, and Great Danes), we humans are different sizes too. But that doesn’t mean it’s “ok” to be excessively fat. Read more »
June 5th, 2011 by Shadowfax in Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Blunt Chest Trauma, Dilemma, Emergency Medicine, Establishing Capacity, Ethics, Intubation, Life And Death Decisions, Mentally Competent, Patient Autonomy, Psychiatry, Right To Choose
1 Comment »
In my Monday post, I posed a challenging real-life dilemma we recently faced in the ER. As always, I modified the posited case from the actual facts but the broad outlines were true to life: A young person of questionable capacity wants to refuse lifesaving treatment.
Short answer, for those not interested in the discussion: This case is a no-brainer. You intubate. In this case, sadly, the outcome was not good. As I hinted, early hypoxia in the setting of blunt chest trauma is a bad sign. The patient was intubated, but became progressively more difficult to ventilate over the next couple of days and subsequently died. The family was at the bedside and, from what I understand, they were very happy to be able to be with him in his final hours. On the other hand, due to his drug abuse, he proved extremely difficult to sedate (even on max propofol!) and was agitated and combative, in restraints, until hypoxia began to take its toll. While I am confident I did the “right” thing, the tally sheet is decidedly mixed as to whether was beneficent in its effect.
Discussion: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*
June 5th, 2011 by Edwin Leap, M.D. in Opinion
Tags: Costs, Disability, Finances, Medical Liability Insurance, Myth, Overhead, Physicians, Retirement, Rich Doctor, Wealthy Physician
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This is my column in June’s EM News.
‘But you’re a rich doctor, right?’ Have you had that conversation? There’s a certain expectation of physicians, that we’re all just filthy rich, overflowing with boxes of cash tucked neatly away beneath our gilded beds.
When we were building our house, our builder talked with my wife: ‘Jan, I want you to meet me to look for counters and cabinets. Don’t bathe the kids. Put them in dirty play clothes and don’t wear anything nice. Don’t ever tell them your husband is a doctor.’ He’s a wise man. What he knew was that the word ‘doctor’ means ‘cash.’ Or at least, means ‘cash’ to the popular mind.
I wonder if this perception is the reason patients come to the emergency department and say things like this: ‘I don’t have any money to go to the dentist, so I came here.’ It’s the belief that we come to our jobs already in possession of large amounts of money. Granted, there are some physicians who come from wealthy families. The majority, however, do not. And no one does that to any other professional. ‘I’d like a house built to order, and I know you’re a rich contractor. I can’t pay you, so get to work! Or else I’ll sue!’
Nevertheless, from patients to insurers, real-estate agents to contractors, attorneys to government and hospital officials, the belief is straightforward. MD means ‘Mucho Denaro.’ Witness the hospital in Pennsylvania that recently began Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at edwinleap.com*
June 4th, 2011 by ChristopherChangMD in Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: Anecdote, Efficacy, Hair, Home Laser Treatment, Laser, Medical, Treatment, TRIA
1 Comment »
Without going into TOO much detail of how I know this… I have personally observed that the TRIA Laser Home Removal System
does work after observing its use and its effects over a 6 month period of time. And before anybody asks… no… I was not paid to write this nor did I get a free one to try. Rather, someone I am close to bought it off Amazon.com and I was a skeptic on-looker.
In any case, the caveat being that I know it works (admittedly anecdotal) as long as the hair is dark (ideally black or brown) on very light colored skin (ideally white).
The way laser hair removal works is Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog*
