Only 2 months old, New York’s legislative session is already producing head-scratching ironies. They are heading for a ban on vaping flavors like mango, while promoting vaping chemicals like THC. There are good intentions in banning flavors in nicotine vapes. After all, tobacco companies use flavors (to borrow a line from Tom Leher) because they know…
New York State has a looming $8 billion deficit from ballooning Medicaid costs. Governor Cuomo, an astute politician, did what he does best. He formed a committee, called the Medicaid Redesign Team. That way he can avoid responsibility for failure, yet take credit if the plan succeeds. “Cuomo has instructed the team to impose zero impact on…
The other day, I saw a tweet advertising an online medical school. It read, “Become part of the future of primary care as a Medical Doctor. Carson-Newman offers an online MD degree. Clinical placement support is provided.” I never heard of a school offering online medical degrees, so I went to their website. Enjoy stress-free…
I saw 4 patients with upper respiratory infections. Three got Z-Paks, one got Tamiflu. I performed one nasal influenza swab. Little did I know how much I saved insurers until I read the story “For Her Head Cold, Insurer Coughed Up $25,865.” Apparently, $25,000 is the going rate at one Manhattan Park Avenue office. Not…
The Lancet just published a report warning of impending death and destruction from unchecked global warming. The authors focused on the effect of heat waves on older and vulnerable populations. Yet, nowhere in the 43 page manifesto did they find room to mention a previous empirical study from the same prestigious journal that showed cold weather kills…
One recent morning while rereading Napoleon Hill, I came across this quote. Now, he has it in quotations too, but does not attribute it to anybody else. “Life is a checkerboard and the player opposite you is time. If you hesitate before moving, or neglect to move promptly, your men will be wiped off the…
I thought I was going to read another story about evil insurance companies and why we need socialized medicine. Instead, this clinical vignette makes a great case for the free market as a way to provide good care at a reduced cost. James Schlieper drove five hours from Central Texas to a surgery center across…
NBC reported on new guidelines about CBD released by the Arthritis Foundation. Given that CBD is sold everywhere from gas stations to flea markets, information from a supposedly reputable organization should be welcome. The Arthritis Foundation started off reasonably enough, saying CBD may help, but there aren’t rigorous controlled studies to confirm this notion. That should have been enough for a prudent…
This story, a press release really, contains two of my pet peeves, a self-aggrandizing medical conglomerate, and the myth that marijuana is an accepted medicine. Northwell Health, one of the major hospital networks in the greater NYC area, held a press conference to advertise their treatment of a patient for Vape Lung and advocate against…
Another day, another article about physician burnout. Today’s solution is water aerobics. Dr. Peter Zwerner, chief medical officer for the physicians group at the Medical University of South Carolina, explained that prancing around in the water fed into “MUSC’s goal of building resilience among doctors.” The doctor exercise program was so important that it was one…