A report issued this week by JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, reviews a study done by Harvard about the health of Americans and their access to health insurance. More than 7,000 people ages 55 to 72 were studied. More than 2,200 of them had no health insurance to begin with, but were […]
Health Insurance = Better Health (No kidding) Read More »
In 2003, after taking Zoloft for six weeks to help him sleep, Woody Witczak, a vivacious, intelligent, energetic and happy man, hung himself — and died. ………………….. Last evening I leafed through my December issue of Consumer Reports. There on page 65 was my friend and colleague Kim Witczak, Woody’s widow, and one of the
Psych Drugs, Shady Practices and One Fixer Read More »
I read news reports relating to health and medicine every day. Many of them are medical research study reports — usually interesting — but they also make me question how they are being interpreted. Here’s what I mean: We are a nation of statistics, and statistics are the standard of proof. They are the foundation
One-Third of Readers Will Shake Their Heads Read More »
As I am often reminded when discussing treatment options with patients, there are plenty of good alternative and complementary treatments available for many diseases and disorders. Lots of good preventive CAM remedies, too…. One of the frustrations for many patients is the emphasis placed by their allopathic (mainstream, western) physicians on using “evidence based” medicine;
Medical Research Studies Take a Hit Read More »
Sometimes my best contribution to the topic of the dysfunction of the American health care system has more to do with asking questions that can’t be answered than providing answers. Remember — I’m not a medical professional. I’m simply an empowered patient who reflects on this dysfunction daily. This week there was a sudden flurry
Kids, Colds and Bad Assumptions Read More »
Those of you who read this blog know my mother has Alzheimer’s Disease. We began to notice problems almost 10 years ago, and my father, sisters and I have suffered along side her. Last February, I watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, when Ellis Grey, the mother of the main character, “woke up” from her
Alzheimer’s Patient “Wakes Up” Read More »
Those of you who read this blog know my mother has Alzheimer’s Disease. We began to notice problems almost 10 years ago, and my father, sisters and I have suffered along side her. Last February, I watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, when Ellis Grey, the mother of the main character, “woke up” from her
Alzheimer’s Patient “Wakes Up” Read More »
My mom turned 80 years old on Wednesday. She lives 1500 miles away in an Alzheimer’s Memory Center. We did the usual things; sent a card, flowers, phone calls…. and she sounded good on the phone, although she couldn’t have told you it was her birthday, or who we were on the other end of
Study the Studies: Too Good to Be True? Read More »
