There are many reasons doctors suffer from burnout and compassion fatigue. One of the least-mentioned of these reasons is that much of what we do is so damn unnecessary. In the US, the land of excess everything, caregivers, especially cardiologists, spend most of our time treating human beings that didn’t need to have disease. Let’s […]
CW: Athletes teaching heart rhythm doctors?
What could competitive athletes teach a group of heart rhythm specialists? Cyclists, runners and yes, even triathletes, know something that we wizards too often forget. I’ll tell you what it is in good time. Keep reading. I just returned from a giant gathering of heart rhythm doctors. It was, as all national meetings are, an […]
He proved his point
“Your health account is your wealth account…Long live living long” –Jack Lalanne Though many triathletes try, few succeed in registering higher on the goofiness scale than the satin-skin-suit-clad fitness guru, Jack Lalanne. I just couldn’t help grinning while I watched tonight’s evening-news recaps of his life; his grin and energy were infectious. Just looking at […]
Middle-age…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” An intermission, the curtain has closed on youth, but the next act awaits. Caring for hiccups of the heart, like atrial fibrillation for example, often throws me in front of the mirror, of middle-age that is, and sadly the reflections show imperfections. Since […]
A really bad idea…
It’s terrible news. Speeding through college to save 10,000 dollars. Seriously? As a mid-forty year old solidly ensconced in the mini-van era of life, it saddens me to see young people–in an effort to save a few dollars–rushing through the finest of times, life in college. Treating college as some sort of right of passage to […]
No skin in the game..
Nearly every day an email comes with medical news and it is truly remarkable how many repetitive studies are done, which show adherence to the usual lifestyle factors, diet, exercise and cessation of smoking improve outcomes. This past week the Go Red for Women Hearts is yet another proclamation, specifically to women, to get with […]
A quest for intelligence. A long way off…
While perusing the aisles in Kroger, to an English professor and dean at a local university, I inquire about a writing course, so as to improve the blog. This author labored to a C in English in high school and despite excelling in the sciences in math, struggled like a muscleman on a cx course […]
Observations from the Outback…
November marks the annual American Heart Association (AHA) meeting. This is one of the few major heart meetings each year. AHA focuses on the newest technologies for the treatment of ongoing cardiac disease. Termed, “secondary prevention,” this year there were studies on implantable devices for heart failure, new blood thinners to assist in the squishing […]
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