March 25th, 2010 by Harriet Hall, M.D. in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Dr. Gerald Imber, Dr. William Halsted, Drug Addiction, General Surgery, Modern Surgery, Science-Based Surgery
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One night in 1882, a critically ill 70-year-old woman was at the verge of death at her daughter’s home, suffering from fever, crippling pain, nausea, and an inflamed abdominal mass. At 2:00AM, a courageous surgeon put her on the kitchen table and performed the first known operation to remove gallstones. The patient recovered uneventfully. The patient was the surgeon’s own mother.
This compelling story is the beginning of an excellent new biography of William Halsted, the father of modern surgery, Genius on the Edge: The Bizarre Double Life of Dr. William Stewart Halsted, by Gerald Imber, M.D. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
March 22nd, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Cardiology, Health Insurance, Healthcare Systems, Heart, uninsured
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Being at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, I had a unique opportunity to meet with an interventional cardiologist from “across the pond” in England: Sarah Clarke, MD.
Sarah is a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge UK. Her undergraduate years were spent at the University of Cambridge, UK and postgraduate training was undertaken in the region. She attained an MD from the Univeristy of Cambridge. She was awarded a Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and returned to take up her Consultant post in the UK in 2002. In 2006 Dr Clarke was appointed the Clinical Director of Cardiac Services at Papworth. Papworth Hospital is a 240ish-bed hospital that performs about 2,000 interventional cardiology procedures per year.
We thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast two heart patients — one with insurance and one without insurance — from our two health care systems, to illustrate how these patients obtain health coverage, might be managed, and how things look from the patient’s perspective. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
March 21st, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Book Reviews, Health Tips, True Stories
Tags: Anxiety, Dance, Depression, General Practice, Physician Burnout, Relaxation, Stress
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By Susan Biali, M.D.
Ten years ago, I was an emergency medicine resident and wanted to die. Today, I’m a general practitioner in part-time practice and in love with life. What made the difference? I signed up for a dance class.
Reports on physician burnout list the personality traits that set us up for trouble: we’re excessively conscientious, feel overly responsible, want to please everyone, and function on an extremely high level –- even if we’re overloaded, exhausted, or our personal life is falling apart. We burn out because we bend over backwards to help others, until something (like our minds or our health or our marriages) finally snaps. Now imagine this: what if we took some of that deep caring and hyper-responsibility, and turned it on ourselves?
When my depression hit bottom and I became a serious risk to myself and my patients, my chief resident asked me to take a stress leave. On impulse I went on a solo tropical vacation and one night at the resort, as I watched an exuberant group of salsa dancers burning up the stage, my eyes filled with tears. I suddenly remembered that when I was a little girl, I practiced incessantly in the basement to my ABBA records, preparing myself for the moment that I would live my dream and finally become a “Solid Gold Dancer.” That night, in that darkened tropical theater, I knew how I would save my life. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
March 21st, 2010 by DaveMunger in Better Health Network, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Global, Population Control, Population Growth
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Last summer, my wife Greta and I spent a glorious week with old friends in a lovely home on the coast of Maine, immersed in wilderness and beautiful isolation. Isn’t it just wonderful?
Yet a home like this is completely out of reach for the vast majority of the world’s population, isn’t it? Even if everyone could afford such a place, there simply isn’t enough land on the planet to house everyone in such luxury, right? Maybe not. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Daily Monthly*
March 21st, 2010 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips, True Stories
Tags: Dietitian, Eating Healthy, Fish, General Medicine, Heart Disease, High In Protein, Low Fat, Mediterranean Diet, Nutrition, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Wonder Foods
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By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA
Last week, I returned from Italy — Florence (Firenze) to be exact (a magical city in Tuscany) — only to realize how much I miss the delicious Mediterranean food. Trattorias (little informal restaurants) can be found along the cobblestone streets through the narrow alleyways. The trattorias boast magnificent Mediterranean cuisine — it’s healthy and ingredients are simple. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
