Well, I’m a finalist in the medblog awards… but I need your votes to win. I’m pretty sure that I’m going to be crushed by Respectful Insolence – but it’d be nice to give him a run for his money. Any takers?
Thanks! đŸ˜€
My friend Kerri Morrone Sparling is also in the running for best patient blog.
The Washington Post reported today that Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s medical correspondent, is being considered for the office of Surgeon General by President-elect Obama. This came as quite a shock to me, as I’ve met and interviewed 3 of the recent Surgeons General over the past few years. Of course, I like Sanjay Gupta as a reporter. He’s a fine communicator and does a good job covering subjects for a consumer audience. But I don’t think he has the gravitas or appropriate experience for the role of Surgeon General of the United States.
I spoke with one source close to the nomination proceedings, and he said that most senior people were secretly disappointed with the choice. My source requested that I not reveal his name.
If Sanjay Gupta is confirmed as Surgeon General he will achieve the immediate rank of admiral, even though he has no previous military or public health experience whatsoever. It will be difficult for Gupta to be taken seriously by peers at the Pentagon and State Department. The office of Surgeon General is a very important position given only to the most senior and experienced medical professionals with decades of achievements in their fields. Gupta is a good reporter, he should consider a role in public relations for the U.S. government, not the office of Surgeon General.
When the Bush administration chose an inexperienced person, Mike Brown, to head FEMA – it was a disaster. I hope that the Obama administration doesn’t make a similar mistake with Gupta. However, a nomination is not a confirmation – Gupta still has to be approved by Senator Kennedy’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee before taking the office of Surgeon General. Unfortunately, it’s possible that the committee will feel pressured to confirm Gupta to maintain a good relationship with the new administration, rather than to vote their conscience. But I can tell you that many people are not pleased with this nomination, and feel that there are more appropriate choices that are being overlooked.
It will be interesting to see how far this nomination goes, and if there will be an outcry from the military and medical community over Sanjay Gupta’s apparent nomination. What do you think?
The Office on Women’s Health (which is part of HHS) recently sent me a book to review: The Healthy Woman – A Complete Guide For All Ages. It is on sale at the U.S. Government bookstore. The book says that it provides “easy to understand information from the nation’s leaders in women’s health.” And I agree that it lives up to that promise.
When I receive a general consumer health book there are a few sections that I generally read first to determine whether or not the book is trustworthy: complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), nutrition, and hormone replacement therapy. The Healthy Woman passed my test on these subjects, though I could quibble with some of their content. For example, they suggest that homeopathy requires “more research” to determine it’s potential therapeutic uses – one could say the same for fairy dust I suppose, though I wouldn’t waste tax payer dollars on that research. I also think they overstate the literature on salt consumption (for people without renal failure, CHF, or severe hypertension, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to worry about salt intake in my opinion).
However, overall the book does an admirable job of synthesizing the scientific literature in a simplified and consumer-friendly form. Compared to other books I’ve been sent by supposed “health experts” (which were so filled with pseudoscience that I declined to review them), this one is outstandingly good. By and large it can be relied upon by readers to provide an accurate introduction to the various diseases and conditions likely to affect women at various ages and stages of life.
A few shortcuts were taken in creating this book – Getty images replaced original photography in many instances, questionnaires were adapted from research literature without careful thought being given to the likely readership (one screening questionnaire asks the reader if they’re “living in prison” or “blind”), no original research studies are cited in the reference section of the book, and the medical glossary is quite sparse (I noted only 6 entries under the letter “v,” one being “voyeurism.” I had not expected that particular v word would make it into the top 6 in a general medical text, but I digress.)
The book is written at a sixth grade reading level which is appropriate for the general public. It is a fine introductory reference guide to women’s health – though I doubt that women will want to read it cover-to-cover, but rather delve into the sections relevant to them.
The strength of the book lies in its plain writing and accessible format. Its weakness is that, because it covers all diseases and conditions that affect women, it does not offer the kind of depth necessary to master any of the health topics.
In the final analysis, I’m grateful that this book exists as a counterbalance to the sea of misinformation constantly churned out by publishers looking to turn a profit on “miracle cures your doctor won’t tell you about.” Thank you, HHS for making the effort.
Well this is really exciting! Thanks to the readers and judges at Medgadget.com for acknowledging my blog for a 2008 Blog Award in the category of Health Policy and Ethics. (This blog won the “Best New Medical Blog” of 2007 award last year.) This year’s winner will be determined by popular vote, which begins tomorrow. I know that my chances of winning the majority of votes in this category are pretty slim, thanks to Respectful Insolence. I am a huge fan of Orac’s blog and have no doubt that his contributions in this category far exceed mine. Orac is a devoted crusader against pseudoscience and misleading health information. Good luck, Orac – I’m sure you’ll win this one!
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