Can statin drugs impair your fitness?
Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins – medications such as Zocor, Crestor, Lipitor, and Pravachol – have been getting their share of bad publicity. Recent press reports have shown possible links between the use of statin drugs and the development of dementia and...
The IRS and Obamacare: a marriage made in hell
The United States Constitution was printed on 6 pages of paper. You can carry a small copy in your pocket and nobody will even know. By contrast, the IRS Tax Code is now 73,954 pages long. The Tax Code is so complex and fraught with pitfalls that I do not even attempt...
80% of Americans don’t get enough exercise
According to a recent CDC report, only 1 in 5 Americans get enough exercise! Shocking! And like most of you, I can’t wait to read the next report that documents how many of us fail to eat the number of recommended servings of broccoli each week. As most of you...
Preparing for the collapse of Obamacare: some advice on timing for doctors
The difference between a hero and a martyr is timing. A hero takes charge and leads his people to victory. A martyr loses his life in defense of his beliefs. When ObamaCare collapses under its own weight, which type of doctor will you be? Reading the Tea...
The most important word
I was recently asked to give a talk to a group of doctors who were frustrated with their professional lives. They were attending a conference called Medical Fusion, where they would be exposed to a group of colleagues who had somehow found professional job...
Will Doctors unionize?
Dr. David Leffell, the former president of the Yale Medical Group, recently wrote an editorial for the WSJ in which he discussed the unintended consequences of the new healthcare law. Specifically, Leffell discusses what the law is doing to change the practice...
What is concierge medicine?
What is Concierge Medicine? Concierge medicine, boutique medicine and direct practices are all terms used to describe a new form of medicine in which patients pay a doctor directly for enhanced medical care. In return for payment, the patient...
A nasty flu season
As you have all learned by now, this has been a particularly ugly cold and flu season. The flu epidemic hit the country about 5 weeks early this year. Fortunately, this epidemic has peaked and the number of cases is declining. However, you are still at risk of getting...
Electronic medical records save 80-billion-dollars, lol!
Almost 4 years ago, the government announced it would require doctors and hospitals who accept Medicare to implement electronic medical records (EMRs). At the time, I posted a blog about the pitfalls of this decision. I said that EMRs would not save money, and that...
Hope comes in small packages
One thing I have learned as a doctor is that hope – legitimate hope – is often good medicine. It can be a powerful antidote to pessimism and cynicism. It is a tonic without side effects. When situations appear hopeless, it is never wise to give up. It is always better...
Obamacare is deemed a “tax” – what it will mean to patients and medical care
And thus ends one of the most contentious legal arguments in recent times, settled by Chief Justice, John Roberts and four liberal members of the Supreme Court: ObamaCare is constitutional, because the personal mandate is a tax. It is not a penalty. It is a tax. I’ve...
Do z-paks really kill?
Many of you have read recent press reports regarding a study that concluded that the commonly used antibiotic called azithromycin, the “Z-Pak”, is associated with an increase in cardiovascular death. Ouch! Really? Since this study was published in the New England...