I think the world has reached its quota of medical memoirs.If you’ve read one, you’ve read them all.Formulaic stories of quirky patients, crises of conscience, awkward med students coming-of-age and overbearing superiors are all too much for me at this stage of my medical career. So why I might have been drawn to Gabriel Weston’s Direct Red – A Surgeon’s View of Her ... Continue Reading about Direct Red – A Direct Look
Autism Rising
A national survey of parents published in today’s issue of Pediatrics suggests that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is 1 in 91 U.S. children. The study, “The Prevalence of Parent-Reported Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children in the United States, 2007,” draws on data from a survey conducted jointly by the Health Resources and ... Continue Reading about Autism Rising
Babies, Burps and Breastfeeding – October 1st 2009 in The Woodlands, TX
If you’re in the Houston broadcast area and you’re expecting a baby, be sure to come to Babies, Burps and Breastfeeding: Expert Advice on Newborn Feeding and Digestive Health at the Marriott Waterway in The Woodlands, TX, Thursday October 1st at 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30). Look for me and lactation consulant Nancy Hurst RN, PhD, IBCLC to brief the next generation ... Continue Reading about Babies, Burps and Breastfeeding – October 1st 2009 in The Woodlands, TX
To Unfollow is Human
Recently on Twitter I unfollowed a friend who had become too noisy. Long strings of banal tweets were interfering with those in my stream who had something to say. I launched a tweet reflecting my decision but didn’t disclose the perpetrator. I then received a handful of direct messages reflecting anxious concern (“I hope it wasn’t me”). Interesting, but not ... Continue Reading about To Unfollow is Human
When Doctors Think Out Loud
I recently had dry erase boards installed in my office exam rooms.I didn’t give it much thought but felt on a whim that it might help with diagrams and things.As it turns out, the result has been dramatic.Parents are crazy about them. Here’s how I use them: After my history and physical I summarize the 4-5 key points of a child’s story in the upper right part of the ... Continue Reading about When Doctors Think Out Loud
Wakefield’s Last Stand
In an attempt to save what remains of his ramshackle reputation, Andrew Wakefield took to the airwaves tonight in Dateline’s A Dose of Controversy to pitch his long-disproven theory linking autism to the MMR vaccine. For the unaware, Wakefield’s crafted study published in Lancet in the late 1990’s sparked a worldwide panic over the MMR and its relation to autism. The ... Continue Reading about Wakefield’s Last Stand