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Category Archives: Elpern, David J.
Fat Matters and Marketing
On January 1, 2023, the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes aired a segment on Obesity. It featured a promising new weight loss medication that is in short supply and often is not covered by insurance. This was a good piece, but it made me a uneasy. Is weight loss as simple as taking a shot once a week? The medication is semaglutide and it comes as Wegovy and Ozempic. Wegovy is approved for weight loss and Ozempic for Type 2 diabetes; although both are the same drug. The 60 Minute section reminded me of the quote, “There’s a pill for every ill.” Wegovy’s price on GoodRx is ~ $1400 per … Continue reading
Providing Hats and Sun Safe Information to Galveston’s Homeless
Practicing Safe Sun in Galveston Title: Providing Hats and Sun Safe Information to Galveston’s Homeless Andrea Francis BS1, Richard F. Wagner Jr MD21. The University of Texas Medical Branch, School of Medicine2. The University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of Dermatology Corresponding author:Andrea Francis BSEmail: asfranci@utmb.e Keywords: Sun safety, Sun Protection, Homeless Health, Dermatology. INTRODUCTIONGalveston, Texas has a higher rate of homelessness than most U.S. and other Texas cities. The most recent point-of-time survey identified 326 homeless in Galveston during January 2020. The homeless population in subtropical Galveston is at increased risk for facial skin cancer due to daily unprotected outdoor exposure to sunlight. This Quality Improvement Project (QIP) was … Continue reading
The name — of it — is “Autumn”
The name — of it — is “Autumn” —The hue — of it — is Blood —An Artery — upon the Hill —A Vein — along the Road — Great Globules — in the Alleys —And Oh, the Shower of Stain —When Winds — upset the Basin —And spill the Scarlet Rain — It sprinkles Bonnets — far below —It gathers ruddy Pools —Then — eddies like a Rose — away —Upon Vermilion Wheels — Photos channeling Emily Dickinson taken on the weekend of October 8 – 9, 2002 in Williamstown, MA.
Protected: The American Academy of Dermatology’s Conflict of Interest Problem: a cross-sectional study
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Vaseline, Slugging and TikTok Docs
Videntium cave Vaseline, Slugging and TikTok Docs Makayla Power David J. Elpern Keywords, Vaseline, Aquaphor, CeraVe, social media, TikToc, xerosis, social influencers For 150 years, people been coating their faces and other body surfaces with Vaseline®, the ubiquitous, cheap, commonplace product that was awarded Patent No. 127,568, on June 4, 1872.1 It is such a useful product that, tongue-in-cheek, we call it Vitamin V. In a parallel universe, great masses of people are hearing about expanded, anecdotal uses for Vaseline®. One, in particular, “slugging,” is being plugged on the video-focused social networking service TikTok. Launched in 2017, TikTok hosts a variety of short-form user-videos for iOS and Android devices in … Continue reading
Functional Dermatological Symptoms: Hiding in plain sight
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. – Hamlet (1.5.167-8) By David J. Elpern, M.D.The Skin Clinic 12 Meadow Street, Williamstown, MA 01267djelpern@gmail.com Keywords: medically unexplained symptoms, medically unexplained dermatological symptoms, MUDS, functional symptoms, dermatology All dermatologists see patients with complaints that defy definitive medical diagnosis. They consult us with hopes for a conclusive diagnosis and treatment, or even just for someone to listen to their symptoms with a supportive ear. Some of our patients have baffling, unexplained symptoms often related to cutaneous pain, pruritus, unexplained skin sensations or excoriations. These patients frequently have other symptoms: headaches, chest pain, gastrointestinal disorders, … Continue reading
The world shut down
By Elise Danielle Machrone* The pandemic hit, the world shut downWhat should do stuck in my town?At first we smiled, gave high fivesNott knowing how long we we’d be trapped in our hives One case, two cases, three cases, fourWe wondered how many more?My grandma has Covid, does yours too?We didn’t know what to do People at home cooking new foods In hospitals a national emergency ensued I was cocooned in numbing silenceDoctors tried to understand pandemic science Restaurant dining’s not resumed College lectures only Zoomed Get tested, vaccinated, boosted too What’s all this supposed to do? So now we’re here Still much to fearWill we ever get out? What … Continue reading
Palliative
by Vivian J. Hua* Beneath our fingertips, your bruises ripen under lamplight.We offer you small morselsof grief – you takeinside your mouth.You offer usyour wound –Inside, the soul soaks in silence.Your body closes.We, who can offer younothing but facilitationsof pain, sit quietly amongthe whirring machines.Meaningless gods, we thinkof tombs. Vivian Hua is a 5th year medical student at Stanford School of Medicine. She is pursuing a career in dermatology and is passionate about the intersection between dermatology and the medical humanities. Email: vhua@stanford.edu.
The EMT, the Woman, and her Ankle
By David Williams* Abstract: An aged EMT learns that emergency medicine consists of more than controlling hemorrhage, dispensing nitroglycerin, and splinting bones. Occasionally, he finds that leading an active life yields rewards that cannot readily be measured. A Spartan race, a young woman, an injured ankle, and an aged EMT. Note the adjective: aged. I am not a young man. I am also an EMT. I got into the field really late. I got my EMT license at a time in life when most people in the field have left it decades ago for something better paid and less rigorous. I started my career at a point when most people … Continue reading
