Top News: Skyrocketing Insulin Prices, 1,000 Polling Sites Closed, Grocery 'Happy Hour', More
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Dear friends,
Explore below key excerpts of revealing news articles on skyrocketing insulin prices in the U.S. prompting allegations of price fixing, the closure of over 1,000 polling sites in U.S. jurisdictions once monitored by the justice department for racially discriminatory voting practices, statements by Jeffrey Epstein's defense attorney suggesting the convicted pedophile may have been murdered in his jail cell, and more.
Read also wonderfully inspiring articles on a Finnish grocery store's use of a grocery 'happy hour' to reduce food waste, indications that many businesses are switching to more environmentally sustainable practices in secret, the passage of a bill in California banning private prisons in the state, and more. You can also skip to this section now.
Each excerpt is taken verbatim from the major media website listed at the link provided. If any link fails, see this page. The most important sentences are highlighted. And don't miss the "What you can do" section below the summaries. By educating ourselves and spreading the word, we can and will build a brighter future.
With best wishes for a transformed world,
Fred Burks for PEERS and WantToKnow.info Former White House interpreter and whistleblower
Special note: Explore an inspiring article suggesting that about 10% of Westerners are spiritually awake (more than ever before), and that's enough to create a new Earth. Check out this most fascinating US patent for a "triangular spacecraft." Read an excellent article titled "Central Bankers' Desperate Grab for Power." Explore powerful testimony on the dangers of wireless technology.
Quote of the week: "If you love the sacred and despise the ordinary, you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion." ~~ Lin Chi
Life, Death and Insulin
January 7, 2019, Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.
The global insulin market is dominated by three companies: Eli Lilly, the French company Sanofi and the Danish firm Novo Nordisk. All three have raised list prices to similar levels. According to IBM Watson Health data, Sanofi’s popular insulin brand Lantus was $35 a vial when it was introduced in 2001; it’s now $270. Novo Nordisk’s Novolog was priced at $40 in 2001, and as of July 2018, it’s $289. The companies appear to have increased [prices] in lockstep over a number of years, prompting allegations of price fixing. All three companies denied these charges. (In 2010, Mexico fined Eli Lilly and three Mexican companies for price collusion on insulin, an allegation Eli Lilly also denied.) In the United States, a federal prosecutor and at least five state attorneys general are currently investigating the companies’ pricing practices. There is also another, less known corporate entity in the mix: pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which include Express Scripts, OptumRx and CVS Health; all are now named in lawsuits on high insulin prices. These corporate entities are powerful special interests. In 2017, the pharmaceutical and health product industry ... spent nearly $280 million on lobbying, the biggest spender by far of 20 top industries, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The industry also has a revolving door to government. Alex Azar, the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, was the president of Eli Lilly’s U.S. division until 2017.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on pharmaceutical industry corruption from reliable major media sources.
More than 1,000 US polling sites closed since supreme court ruling
September 11, 2019, The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers) https://www.theguardian.com/
Jurisdictions once monitored by the justice department for racially discriminatory voting practices have collectively closed more than 1,000 polling places since a watershed 2013 US supreme court ruling released the jurisdictions from oversight, according to a new watchdog report. In 757 counties and county equivalents that formerly had to pre-clear voting practice changes with Washington, 1,173 polling places disappeared between 2014 and 2018, a study by the Leadership Conference Education Fund, part of the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights coalition, found. The closures could disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color, especially when combined with restrictive voter ID laws, gerrymandering and aggressive voter roll purges, the report warned. Last month, a separate study found that US election jurisdictions with histories of egregious voter discrimination have been purging voter rolls at a rate 40% beyond the national average. “Closing polling places has a cascading effect, leading to long lines at other polling places, transportation hurdles, denial of language assistance and other forms of in-person help, and mass confusion about where eligible voters may cast their ballot,” the report said. “For many people, and particularly for voters of color, older voters, rural voters and voters with disabilities, these burdens make it harder – and sometimes impossible – to vote.”
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on elections corruption from reliable major media sources.
Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyers highly ‘skeptical’ of suicide ruling, say he wasn’t ‘despairing, despondent’ before death
August 27, 2019, CNBC News https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/
A defense lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday expressed deep skepticism that the wealthy financier died by hanging himself in a Manhattan federal jail while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges, as a medical examiner has ruled. The injuries suffered by Epstein are “far more consistent with assault” than suicide, the lawyer, Reid Weingarten, told Judge Richard Berman in U.S. District Court in Manhattan during a hearing. Weingarten cited the defense’s own medical sources. Broken bones were found in Epstein’s neck during an autopsy after he died Aug. 10. Such fractures are somewhat more common in cases of strangulation than in hanging. Weingarten told the judge that when he and other defense attorneys spoke to Epstein shortly before his death “we did not see a despairing, despondent, suicidal person.” Weingarten’s comments came during a proceeding where prosecutors were seeking the dismissal of child sex trafficking charges against the Epstein as a result of his death. More than 20 alleged victims of Epstein spoke or had statements read during the hearing. Weeks before his death, Epstein was found semiconscious in his cell in the Manhattan Correctional Center with marks on his neck. That incident led to him being placed on suicide watch, but he was taken off of that status about a week later. Weingarten also pointed out that “we’ve heard that” the surveillance video at the jail around Epstein’s cell “were either corrupted or not functioning.”
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on Jeffrey Epstein from reliable major media sources.
Jeffrey Epstein's body reportedly sealed in unmarked crypt alongside his family
August 23, 2019, New Zealand Herald https://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Jeffrey Epstein's body has reportedly been laid to rest in an exclusive, leafy memorial chapel in Florida, after his remains were snuck in via mini-van on the Sabbath. According to reports from The Daily Mail, Epstein, the high-risk, registered sex offender, who took his own life after being jailed on international child sex trafficking charges, has had his remains placed in a crypt next to his deceased parents. Next to Epstein's unmarked remains are the names of numerous other deceased Jewish people, who have now been laid to rest next to one of contemporary history's most notorious and hated figures. Epstein, a mysterious financier, whose wealth was believed to be in the billions, cavorted with royalty and powerful politicians, including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. According to ... The Daily Mail, a memorial plate, formerly in place at the IJ Morris Star of David Cemetery of the Palm Beaches, in Palm Beach, Florida, was removed and replaced with a blank slab. When Epstein's brother, Mark Epstein, was contacted to confirm whether his paedophile brother had been entombed at the Jewish crypt, he said ... "It's a private family matter, you got that? I'm not going to answer your question." The IJ Morris at Star of David Cemetery is a large site for burials, cremations and tributes, housing dozens of crypts and community vaults, according to their website. The Palm Beach Cemetery is a half-hour drive from one of Epstein's many properties, where he is believed to have abused numerous underage victims, according to unsealed court documents.
Note: This news supports the belief of many that Epstein may have been killed or even that he was taken and the body of a double put in. With his body being hidden, an independent autopsy may never be possible to determine if the body was indeed Epstein and if the injuries to the body suggest suicide or murder. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on Jeffrey Epstein from reliable major media sources.
Jeffrey Epstein signed new will to shield $577m fortune days before death
August 22, 2019, The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers) https://www.theguardian.com/
The will that disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein signed just two days before his jailhouse suicide puts more than $577m in assets into a trust fund that could make it more difficult for his dozens of accusers to collect damages. “This is the last act of Epstein’s manipulation of the system, even in death,” said attorney Jennifer Freeman, who represents child sex abuse victims. By putting his fortune in a trust, he shrouded from public view the identities of the beneficiaries, whether they be individuals, organizations or other entities. For the women trying to collect from his estate, the first order of business will be persuading a judge to pierce that veil and release the details. From there, the women will have to follow the course they would have had to pursue even if Epstein had not created a trust: convince the judge that they are entitled to compensation as victims of sex crimes. The judge would have to decide how much they should get and whether to reduce the amounts given to Epstein’s named beneficiaries, who would also be given their say in court. Attorney Lisa Bloom, who represents several Epstein accusers ... said attorneys for the women will go after Epstein’s estate in the US Virgin Islands, where the will was filed and where he owned two islands. Bloom said it was “gross negligence” on the part of Epstein’s lawyers and jail personnel to allow him to sign a new will, given that he had apparently attempted suicide a short time before.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on Jeffrey Epstein from reliable major media sources.
MIT Computer Scientist Richard Stallman Resigns After Claiming Epstein Victim Was ‘Entirely Willing’
September 17, 2019, Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/
Computer scientist Richard Stallman has severed his connections with MIT after he claimed that Virginia Giuffre, one of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking victims, presented as "entirely willing." A leading voice in the free software movement, Stallman on Monday resigned as a visiting scientist at the Institute’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) and as president of Free Software Foundation. In a message circulated to an MIT CSAIL mailing list and revealed last week by MIT grad Selam Jie Gano, Stallman wrote that Giuffre, who has testified that she was forced to have sex with MIT professor Marvin Minsky on Epstein's private island aged 17, most likely “presented herself to him as entirely willing.” The email was in a response to a Facebook event calling for MIT students to protest over Epstein’s secret donations to the institution, which were revealed by the New Yorker this month. In the emails Stallman claimed that the term “sexual assault” in relation to Minsky, as used in the Facebook post for the event, was “absolutely wrong.” He added that the term “presumes that [Minsky] applied force or violence.” Stallman also implied that being 17 and therefore underage, was a “minor detail.” The MIT Media Lab has been racked by the revelations that it solicited cash from the disgraced financier and had sought to present his donations as coming from anonymous donors to duck the university’s ban on receiving money from Epstein.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on Jeffrey Epstein from reliable major media sources.
Key Articles From Years Past
Is 'The Five Eyes Alliance' Conspiring to Spy on You?
June 25, 2013, The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/
Did you know that the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand participate together in an electronic eavesdropping cooperative called "The Five Eyes Alliance"? Or that Britain "has secretly gained access to the network of cables which carry the world's phone calls and internet traffic and has started to process vast streams of sensitive personal information which it is sharing with its American partner, the National Security Agency"? One key innovation has been GCHQ's ability to tap into and store huge volumes of data drawn from fibre-optic cables for up to 30 days so that it can be sifted and analysed. GCHQ and the NSA are consequently able to access and process vast quantities of communications between entirely innocent people, as well as targeted suspects. This includes recordings of phone calls, the content of email messages, entries on Facebook and the history of any internet user's access to websites - all of which is deemed legal, even though the warrant system was supposed to limit interception to a specified range of targets. Say you're the NSA. By law, there are certain sorts of spying you're not lawfully allowed to do on Americans. (And agency rules constraining you too.) But wait. Allied countries have different laws and surveillance rules. Put bluntly, intelligence agencies have an incentive to make themselves complicit in foreign governments spying on their own citizens.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on intelligence agency corruption and the disappearance of privacy from reliable major media sources.
Child abuse files lost at Home Office spark fears of cover-up
July 5, 2014, The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers) https://www.theguardian.com/
A dossier compiled by an MP detailing allegations of a 1980s Westminster paedophile ring is one of more than 100 potentially relevant Home Office files destroyed, lost or missing, it has emerged. The government faced fresh calls for an overarching inquiry into historical cases of paedophilia as it was revealed that a total of 114 Home Office files relevant to allegations of a child abuse network have disappeared from government records. David Cameron has already ordered the Home Office permanent secretary to look into what happened to a lost dossier given earlier in the 1980s to Leon Brittan, then home secretary, by the campaigning Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens. Dickens, who died in 1995, had told his family that the information he handed to the home secretary in 1983 and 1984 would "blow the lid off" the lives of powerful and famous child abusers, including eight well-known figures. In a letter to Dickens at the time, Brittan suggested his information would be passed to the police, but Scotland Yard says it has no record of any investigation into the allegations. The Home Office's permanent secretary, Mark Sedwill, admitted, however, that a further 114 documents relevant to allegations of child abuse were missing from the department's records. That discovery was made last year by an independent review into information received about organized child sex abuse but was not published in its report. Sedwill [said] the missing documents were some of the 36,000 records which officials presumed were lost, destroyed or missing.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on government corruption and sexual abuse scandals from reliable major media sources.
Hypnotic Experimentation and Research
February 10, 1954, Declassified CIA Document (Verify using note below) http://www.wanttoknow.info/
A posthypnotic of the night before (pointed finger, you will sleep) was enacted. Misses [deleted] and [deleted] immediately progressed to a deep hypnotic state with no further suggestion. Miss [deleted] was then instructed (having previously expressed a fear of firearms in any fashion) that she would use every method at her disposal to awaken Miss [deleted] (now in a deep hypnotic sleep) and failing this, she would pick up a pistol nearby and fire it at Miss [deleted]. She was instructed that her rage would be so great that she would not hesitate to “kill” [deleted] for failing to awaken. Miss [deleted] carried out these suggestions to the letter including firing the (unloaded) gun at [deleted] and then proceeding to fall into a deep sleep. Both were awakened and expressed complete amnesia for the entire sequence. Miss [deleted] was again handed the gun, which she refused (in an awakened state) to pick up or accept from the operator. She expressed absolute denial that the foregoing sequence had happened.
Note: This text is quoted from page 1 of declassified CIA document MORI ID 190691. To verify the statement in the text, make a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request as described here, or directly view a scanned copy online here. To access thousands of pages of declassified CIA mind control documents online, click here. For lots more reliable information on this crucial topic, click here. For many revealing news articles on mind control, click here.
Inspiring Articles
The World Wastes Tons of Food. A Grocery ‘Happy Hour’ Is One Answer.
September 8, 2018, New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/
“Happy hour” at the S-market store in the working-class neighborhood of Vallila happens far from the liquor aisles and isn’t exactly convivial. Nobody is here for drinks or a good time. They’re looking for a steep discount on a slab of pork. Or a chicken, or a salmon fillet, or any of a few hundred items that are hours from their midnight expiration date. Food that is nearly unsellable goes on sale at every one of S-market’s 900 stores in Finland, with prices that are already reduced by 30 percent slashed to 60 percent off at exactly 9 p.m. It’s part of a two-year campaign to reduce food waste that company executives in this famously bibulous country decided to call “happy hour” in the hopes of drawing in regulars, like any decent bar. About one-third of the food produced and packaged for human consumption is lost or wasted, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . That equals 1.3 billion tons a year, worth nearly $680 billion. The figures represent more than just a disastrous misallocation of need and want, given that 10 percent of people in the world are chronically undernourished. All that excess food, scientists say, contributes to climate change. Mika Lyytikainen, an S-market vice president, explained that the program simply reduces its losses. “When we sell at 60 percent off, we don’t earn any money, but we earn more than if the food was given to charity,” he said. “On the other hand, it’s now possible for every Finn to buy very cheap food in our stores.”
Note: Explore a treasure trove of concise summaries of incredibly inspiring news articles which will inspire you to make a difference.
Why industry is going green on the quiet
September 8, 2019, The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers) https://www.theguardian.com/
There’s a factory in Asia that uses only a single litre of water to make a pair of jeans. That’s 346 litres less than Levi-Strauss estimated it took to make a pair of its jeans in 2015. The manufacturer in question does not want to tell anyone about its groundbreaking water-conserving techniques – not even the companies it supplies. It is one of many practicing “secret sustainability”, whereby innovations are silently enacted and kept from the rest of the industry. This phenomenon is not limited to the clothing industry. Why would firms spearheading sustainable practices not publicise their good work? It’s a question that puzzles Professor Steve Evans ... at Cambridge University’s Institute for Manufacturing, who suggests that such examples are widespread. He believes this stems from a common perception that there must be some kind of downside to the introduction of sustainable practices: either a reduction in product quality, or an increase in the price of manufacturing, or both. Companies and consumers seem unable to accept that sustainability does not have to cost more to create an equally good product. This is despite an increase in evidence that actively investing in sustainable practices helps business thrive. An example is provided by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, a series of benchmarks assessing the sustainability of companies around the world. Research has repeatedly shown that those at the top end of the benchmark outperform those at the bottom.
Note: Explore a treasure trove of concise summaries of incredibly inspiring news articles which will inspire you to make a difference.
California bans private prisons – including Ice detention centers
September 12, 2019, The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers) https://www.theguardian.com/
The private prison industry is set to be upended after California lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday banning the facilities from operating in the state. The move will probably also close down four large immigration detention facilities that can hold up to 4,500 people at a time. The legislation is being hailed as a major victory for criminal justice reform because it removes the profit motive from incarceration. It also marks a dramatic departure from California’s past, when private prisons were relied on to reduce crowding in state-run facilities. Private prison companies used to view California as one of their fastest-growing markets. As recently as 2016, private prisons locked up approximately 7,000 Californians, about 5% of the state’s total prison population, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. But in recent years, thousands of inmates have been transferred from private prisons back into state-run facilities. As of June, private prisons held 2,222 of California’s total inmate population. The state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, must still sign AB32, but last year he signaled support for the ban and said during his inaugural speech in January that the state should “end the outrage of private prisons once and for all”. The bill’s author, the assemblymember Rob Bonta, originally wrote it only to apply to contracts between the state’s prison authority and private, for-profit prison companies. But in June, Bonta amended the bill to apply to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s four major California detention centers.
Note: Explore a treasure trove of concise summaries of incredibly inspiring news articles which will inspire you to make a difference.
'Magic Mushrooms' Can Improve Psychological Health Long Term
June 16, 2011, Time Magazine http://healthland.time.com/
The psychedelic drug in magic mushrooms may have lasting medical and spiritual benefits, according to new research from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The mushroom-derived hallucinogen, called psilocybin, is known to trigger transformative spiritual states, but at high doses it can also result in "bad trips" marked by terror and panic. "The important point here is that we found the sweet spot where we can optimize the positive persistent effects and avoid some of the fear and anxiety that can occur and can be quite disruptive," says lead author Roland Griffiths, professor of behavioral biology at Hopkins. Giffiths' study involved 18 healthy adults, average age 46. Nearly all the volunteers were college graduates and 78% participated regularly in religious activities; all were interested in spiritual experience. Fourteen months after participating in the study, 94% of those who received the drug said the experiment was one of the top five most meaningful experiences of their lives; 39% said it was the single most meaningful experience. Their friends, family member and colleagues also reported that the psilocybin experience had made the participants calmer, happier and kinder.
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The United States has been a slow brewing cauldron of gender bias for years. With increasing tensions and an unspoken, formidable energy in most workplaces and educational institutions, women have grown restless. The culmination has and is resulting into an empowering movement for gender equality (#womensrights). And the medical profession is not immune. I wasn’t […]
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Do you ever wonder what the staff in hotel conference rooms think about what we talk about in presentations and lectures? I talk about sensitive stuff — sexuality, fertility, etc. — and I use words that many people have not said out loud in front of hundreds or thousands of people. I’m used to the […]
Made mistakes? How to spin them for your medical school applications
Despite more than a dozen years in medical school admissions consulting, I still clearly recall a bright advisee who had improved her grades considerably throughout her college career. But I, unfortunately, had a less than stellar freshman transcript. After calculating her AMCAS GPA with me, she lamented, “I feel like my grades are a criminal […]
It’s time for AI-enabled solutions in health care to live up to their buzz
Artificial intelligence is incredibly buzzy in health care right now, and for a good reason. Other industries are already experiencing AI-enabled radical transformations, like real-time fraud monitoring and detection in banking and finance and instantaneous image recognition across the web and social media. Health care now stands similarly positioned to capitalize on the transformative power […]
Let’s end surprise billing without a Trojan Horse
With August recess at a close, Congress has yet to find a solution to end balance (or “surprise”) billing, where patients are charged the remainder of their medical bill for out-of-network (OON) expenses not reimbursed by their health plan. About the only compromise for-profit health insurers, hospitals, and physician groups can agree on is that […]
How pneumatic tubes symbolizes our health system
About once or twice a day, everyone on our hospital’s computer network gets an emergency message that scrolls across the bottom of our screens, highlighted in the colors of danger and warning. They include things like a notification that a particular data system is down and that a backup on paper will have to be […]
When patients die, physicians mourn as well
I was driving to work one morning, and as part of my new routine, I listen to The Moth podcast. If you do not know it, it’s a wonderful community of storytellers — compelling stories, told by people from every walk of life. I often find myself drawn into the program (like a moth to a flame, […]
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Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. Sponsors Over 450 health care professionals shared their firsthand insights on how hospitals support their care teams with communication technology. Read this extensive visual report to better understand the challenges and opportunities for mobile communications in health care. How can an analysis of 649 closed malpractice claims against physician assistants and nurse practitioners help you? It identifies underlying issues, provides insights, and outlines strategies for mitigating risk. More logins, more problems. Lack of integration between multiple tech solutions ranks as health care providers' biggest technology frustration. Download our new data report for more insight. Neurosurgeon Mark McLaughlin, MD is a powerful, inspiring presence on stage, with a storytelling skill that moves audiences. Mark is available for keynote opportunities in 2020. Find out more.
KevinMD Plus: Sep 23, 2019
A parent shares health care lessons with her son as he begins medical school Dear Alex, As you realize your destiny, I want to share the lessons I have learned in my 45 years on the front lines of health care. I am hoping they will serve you well on your journey. First and foremost, love what you do. Have fun with the people who surround you. Know that […] The orthopedic objectification of women A recent uproar in Twitterverse regarding the publication of certain images has sparked further debate after the response from publishers. The images represent scantily clad women with socially “ideal” body-types, seductively eyeing the camera and would, unfortunately, be commonplace in glossy magazines meant to sell products using these women’s sexual appeal. Body positive activists in […] Getting into medical school: Q&A with an admissions officer Whether you’re hoping to become the first doctor in your family or you hail from a long line of physicians, navigating the path to medical school can be a daunting experience that takes years of preparation. Providing a peek inside the mind of an admissions officer, associate dean of admissions, Karen M. Murray, MD from […]
7 questions every doctor asks about locum tenens
When it comes to locum tenens, doctors have a lot of questions. Maybe you even have some of your own. But first, let me ask you a few: Did you know that there are more than 50,000 doctors working locum tenens in the U.S.? Or that 90% of health care facilities use locum tenens each […] A psychiatrist closes his practice After practicing psychiatry and behavioral health for nearly 25 years, I’m done. I feel sick, and especially sicker from my occupation. Not merely burned out, but ill. Primarily mentally. I’ve always had complex post-traumatic stress disorder. And depression and generalized anxiety, and many other diagnoses from the DSM. But, I’ve covered my illnesses so I […] Clearing up the confusion surrounding Medicare for all The Democratic debates this summer demonstrated massive confusion around Medicare for all. Does it mean Medicare for all who want it? Medicare Advantage? A “public option” on an Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange? Democrats need to get their story straight. The confusion is understandable. Medicare for all has been an aspiration since at least the […] The randomness of cancer: bad luck or something else? Randomness in life is inevitable because the universe is a pretty random place, although the extent to which you believe that depends upon your own value system. This notion comes into play almost every day of my practice in the PICU because many of the critically ill and injured children I care for experienced a […] When hospitals are like prisons Some weeks ago, this writer visited with a friend who had been admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit of a New York hospital. The friend had been there for a few weeks. Other patients have been there for longer. After spending approximately an hour with his friend, this writer was not allowed to leave the […] Overcoming the challenges prosperity can bring to teens and young adults They received a call that their 19-year-old son had been transported to the local hospital, extremely agitated and intoxicated, with a blood alcohol level of .245. What they learned over the next few days was that this wasn’t the first time their son had been drinking heavily on a weeknight. He confessed that the pressure […] Invest in real estate with money you have already saved for retirement So you’ve done your research and you are sold on the idea of investing as a limited partner in real estate syndications such as apartments, mobile home parks, or self-storage facilities. “But,” you lament, “that means I need to have at least $25,000 just lying around!” Once you have decided to start investing in real […] My patients teach me, guide me, and remind me that I am here It’s an odd thing doing what I do sometimes. Dichotomies of highs and lows, life and death, joy and sorrow. In the past 15 years that I have been in health care — a nurse’s assistant, to registered nurse, to now pediatric nurse practitioner — I have had the strange experience of all this emotion. […] Health care facilities are difficult to navigate for older adults A month ago, during a visit to her doctor’s office in Sequim, Wash., Sue Christensen fell to her knees in the bathroom when her legs suddenly gave out. The 74-year-old was in an accessible stall with her walker, an older model that doesn’t have brakes. On her left side was a grab bar; there was […] How better nutrition helps this physician get through the day Take a stroll through any emergency department or hospital break room, and what do you see? Chips, pop, candy bars, and different flavors of junk food. Working in the trenches of medicine requires stamina and mental fortitude. Fueling the body and mind is critical for optimal performance and patient care. Unfortunately, many health care professionals […] MKSAP: 52-year-old woman with chest pressure Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 52-year-old woman is evaluated for a 6-week history of chest pressure. The symptom occurs when she walks up an incline on her daily 2-mile walk and is relieved with rest. She also had chest pressure during a stressful meeting at […] Is it physician burnout or perimenopause? I am an experienced OB/GYN, well-versed in obstetrics, infertility, gynecology, surgery and — yes — menopause, or so I thought. So why was I so blindsided by my own menopause transition? I thought I was going through burnout, with anxiety, anger, mood swings, irritability, and depression. I was at a point in my career as […] Why pediatricians must talk to their patients about diversity “I don’t understand, and no one will explain why it happened.” Jake, my adolescent patient, lamented his experience to me during his well-child visit. “Those boys say that people like me are the devil. They don’t even know me. I’m a good person.” Hours before seeing me in clinic that day, a group of minority […] Resiliency in the face of despair, as told by an orphaned Drexel fellow I was on my honeymoon in the Bahamas when I first heard the news: Hahnemann hospital was closing, and so was my child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program — along with every other fellowship and residency program in the hospital. I was actually running outside enjoying the beautiful weather of the tropics and getting ready […] Neurosurgeon keynote speaker joins Physician Speaking by KevinMD I’m really excited to introduce Mark McLaughlin, MD, the newest speaker at Physician Speaking by KevinMD. Mark is a practicing board-certified neurosurgeon, a national media commentator, author of the book Cognitive Dominance: A Brain Surgeon’s Quest to Outthink Fear, and acclaimed keynote speaker. He is the founder of Princeton Brain and Spine Care where he […] Vapers may be using more nicotine than they realize Lucas McClain started smoking cigarettes in high school but switched to vaping after he heard e-cigarettes were a safer alternative. His vape of choice became the Juul, the king of electronic cigarettes — which comes with a king-size nicotine hit. Now 21, McClain wants to quit so badly that he’s turning back to the problem […] It takes a village to be a physician today After my second child was born, I realized a harsh truth: I could not be everything to everyone. It took me almost 30 years to understand this. I was working as a full-time physician with unpredictable hours. I was trying desperately to make it all work; juggling hospital burdens with the ever-demanding job of being […] Should the government regulate hearing aids as consumer electronic products? As a pharmacy technician, I watched countless individuals speak with a pharmacist about how different drug therapies work, and what they should know before taking any pharmaceuticals. But I also have a hearing loss, and as a patient myself, I am struck by how confusing it is for consumers to find the right treatment. Hearing […] An American doctor in Rome An excerpt from Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome. When I migrated from the banks of the East River to the Tiber shores the path was strewn with bureaucratic boulders, land-mines, and pitfalls. I offer the tale of my odyssey as an object lesson to would-be fellow cosmopolites in that art of abandoning all hope the […] A mercy killer in the ER An excerpt from Mercy. I love kids. Pretty kids. Nice kids. Normal kids. Not this. This is not a kid. This is thirty pounds of human flesh kept alive by devices. Peg tube, tracheostomy, ventilator. He’s got contractures everywhere. He’s so folded he’d fit in my carry on. Not that I’d want to take him anywhere. […] 345 Hudson Street New York NY 10014 USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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