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Seasons and kids change as they will
A beautiful Midwestern morning. The temperature is tolerable, the grass is actually green from the rains. Tomorrow PalKid leaves for summer camp. For two weeks. She’s excited and we’re excited for...
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I want to ration your health care
I want to ration your health care. Well, I don’t want to do it personally, and not to you specifically. And that’s the problem. Policies on the individual and societal levels feel very different. We...
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Homophobic chickens and other oddities
In case you haven’t been following this, the CEO of some crappy fast food chain has come out publicly against marriage equality. That’s one homophobic dude. One. So really, who cares? Except he’s...
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Domestic terrorism or business as usual?
From Arizona to Virginia, from Colorado to Texas, from Wisconsin to everywhere else, mass murders are much in the news. All of these incidents one common factor: the victims were injured or killed by a...
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Will Obamacare create a two-tiered healthcare system?
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, John C. Goodman argues that Obamacare will inevitably lead to a two-tiered healthcare system. He correctly points out that the shortage of primary care doctors...
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What did the sperm say to the walnut?
The media love sexy studies, and what could be sexier than nuts? According to a new study, walnuts help boost quality output from your own huevos. So should guys run to the store and start stuffing...
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NRO to GOP: “You’re a bunch of un-American wusses”
Yeah, it’s shootin’ fish in a barrel, going over to the National Review Online for blog-fodder. A more wretched hive of scum and villainy organized in the defense of hate is hard to find. But this...
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Stop wasting money on fake medicine
The United States arguably has the most innovative and successful biomedical research community. Through our universities, corporations, and our ability to recruit native and imported talent, many of...
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Jacques the Axeman
The tradition of summer camps in North America goes back about 150 years. Cities were seen as dirty and dangerous (which they often were) and nature was idealized. Religious groups set up summer...
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West Nile stages a comeback
In the summer of 2002 I was still a fairly new attending physician, leading groups of residents around the hospital while our patients taught us about medicine and humanity. The public hospital where I...
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Piss whiskey and bad medicine
As you tip your glass on the holiday, here’s a little piece from the archives for you. Originally posted September 7, 2010–PalMD Chasing around wild internet stories is a full time job, and I already...
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Holiday mornings
I love quiet mornings. Usually, I roll out of bed, shower and shave, and bust right out the door. My drive to work gives me a few minutes with NPR or CBC, but it’s a short drive until I’m neck deep in...
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Like my doctoring? Thank my wife
Sunrise yesterday was beautiful. Maybe it was my mood, or the tail end of Hurricane Isaac. Either way, coffee and a sunrise is a nice way to start a day. Medicine was particularly good to me and my...
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How pot causes delusions
Today’s Times is carrying a wacko Op-Ed piece. Titled “Pot for Parents”, I thought on first read it was a humor piece. I ran it by a few other people who think it’s the real deal. Either way, it’s...
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The responsibility of atheists
For the last ten years or so, North American atheists have been coming out of the closet and declaring their lack of belief. Reflecting American’s fear and scorn, some of atheism’s most literate and...
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Happy New Year
I’m particularly upset about our health care system this month. I’ve seen a number of patients whose outcomes would have been much better had they been insured. It’s not just the fact of being...
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Working title
I lost a colleague last week. I’d taken my daughter to him a few times at the after-hours clinic and he was wonderful with her. He seemed to love kids. He used to make ice cream and bring it in for us...
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Is low magnesium wearing you down?
In the ongoing battle to gain from our society’s scientific illiteracy, Dr. Oz has nocked another arrow. This time, he as the cure for all fatigue. I hope he’s got this right because this is one of the...
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Fungus on the brain
One evening a few years back I stepped out of the shower and felt a twinge in my lower back. The twinge became an ache, and the ache pulled me sideways until I stood like a warped kichel. My leg began...
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It’s not only the economy, stupid
It’s common knowledge that what this presidential election will come down to is “the economy”. Nothing else really matters when you’re suffering the effects of poverty, unemployment, lack of health...
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