It’s Time to Scare People About Covid — We need a Campaign of Fear Our public messaging about the virus should explain the real costs — in graphic terms — of catching the virus. by Elisabeth RosenthalNY Times Dec. 7, 2020 Link to Article. (If the link doesn’t work — here is the article.) I still remember exactly where I was sitting decades ago, during the short film shown in class: For a few painful minutes, we watched a woman talking mechanically, raspily through a hole in her throat, pausing occasionally to gasp for air. The public service message: This is what can happen if you smoke. I had nightmares … Continue reading
As Seen in the Dermatology Office
COI: Alive & Thriving at NEJM
COI: Alive and Thriving at the NEJM by David J. Elpern, M.D. Abstract: As a reader of the New England Journal of Medicine for more than 50 years, I have observed its growing entanglements with the pharmaceutical industry. This analysis of a recent NEJM research article highlights authorial and editorial conflicts of interest (COI) and discusses how the Journal benefits financially from pharmaceutical advertisements for the very drug reported on in the Original Article. What does this say about top tier medical publishing when the world’s most prestigious medical journal is clearly intertwined with the drug industry? The December 3, 2020 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), … Continue reading
Thrissur’s Culinary Delights
Remembrance of Kerala Repasts: Thrissur’s culinary delights By Ravi Shankar* Food is an important aspect of the culture of a place. Doctors should be knowledgeable about the rich traditions which have developed around food. As a trainee in Kerala, the author reveled in the rich and varied local cuisine. May his memories whet your appetite and perhaps you’ll recall some long dormant gustatory delights of your yesteryears. ************** I carefully opened the banana leaf in which the ‘ada’ was wrapped. The delicate aroma of freshly steamed coconut and jaggery with a hint of clove and cardamom wafted to my nostrils. Each bite was a poem, a symphony of flavours. Ada/adai … Continue reading
Tomisaku Kawasaki – Obituary
“Not many physicians have a disease named after them. Tomisaku (“Tomi”) Kawasaki, who has died in June 2020 at the age of 95, was one of the few. Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory autoimmune disorder found in young children, is his namesake. In recent months, this syndrome has been in the global media spotlight as pediatricians discuss its similarity to the complications of covid-19 in children.” The October 16, 2020 issue of the British Medical Journal has a moving obituary of this humble, but iconic pediatrician. A pdf of the BMJ obituary is attached below.
All The President’s Doctors
All the President’s Doctors: Walter Read and the Collusion of Anonymityby A.R. Pito Even today, Michael Balint’s seminal book, “The Doctor, His Patient and the Illness” is essential to understanding how patients are managed and treated by physicians and caregivers. When one considers Team Trump at Walter Read we see this on a granular level. Excerpts from Balint’s book: Chapter 7: The Collusion of AnonymityIn difficult cases, the general practitioner [PCP} does not, as a rule, carry the burden of responsibility alone. The appearance of consultants introduces a number of new factors in the doctor-patient relationship The term the collusion of anonymity refers to who is responsible for the patient … Continue reading
Reducing Health Disparities in Dermatology: The Free Clinic as a Model and What We Can Do
By Christine P. Lin* *Keywords: Free clinic, Health disparities, People of color, Skin cancer *The author has no conflicts of interest to report Nestled at the intersection of 34th Street and Boston Avenue, The Free Clinic at Lubbock Impact has diligently served over 5,300 uninsured patients in the past 10 years. Every Wednesday evening from 6 to 9 PM, our clinic offers free primary care services to the uninsured Lubbock and West Texas population ages 19 to 64 years old. Specialty nights such as Dermatology, Ophthalmology, and Physical Therapy are also held every month. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC)-affiliated volunteer physicians, residents, medical students, nurses, pharmacists, social … Continue reading
Coconut Oil’s “Miraculous” Effects On Skin
By Adam Vo* Keywords: coconut oil, skin disease, personal experience, doctor-patient communication, eczema, moisturizer, skin care, dermatologist, skin, natural, doctor’s apostolic function Abstract This is a personal vignette of a student’s unusual encounter involving coconut oil, while shadowing the local dermatologist in Southern California. The narrator juxtaposes his childhood experiences as a dermatology patient with his adolescent experiences as a medical shadow. On a journey to discover the role of coconut oil in dermatological practice, the student learns about the various benefits of coconut oil, ranging from treatment for an array of skin disorders to a daily moisturizer. After an extensive literature review, the narrator’s appreciation for coconut oil increases, … Continue reading
Tracking Dermatological Articles in PubMed 1980- 2019
The past 20 years has seen progress in treating some skin disorders, in particular psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. PubMed shows a big increase in the number of articles published on atopic dermatitis and psoriasis in contrast to those on other common skin disorders, such as warts and contact dermatitis. PubMed Psoriasis
Marketing Pharmaceutical Science for Prestige and Profit
Marketing Pharmaceutical Science for Prestige and Profit PREPRINT By David J Elpern, M.D. As a dermatologist, I have observed the profusion of research articles on psoriasis over the past two decades. A graph of these from PubMed illustrates the five-fold increase in references since the first biologic, infliximab, was approved by the FDA in 1998. (Figure 1) This increase in scientific studies has coincided with a profusion of new therapies for psoriasis and may reflect the pharmaceutical industry’s interest in developing and promoting costly new treatments for this common chronic skin disorder. With this in mind, a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, “Trial of Roflumilast Cream … Continue reading
