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Progress on the Single Leg Sit to Stand Exercise
Well, it has been since late July since I first tried the single leg sit to stand exercise. Recall the videos of that effort? I couldn’t really do much except collapse in the chair. I’m doing better lately but it’s hard to figure why. I haven’t really been practicing that much. You’ll notice that I’m…
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FDA Approves Antipsychotic with New Mechanism of Action for Treatment of Schizophrenia
I just noticed the FDA announcment of the approval of an antipsychotic with a new mechanism of action for the treatment of schizophrenia. The drug is Cobenfy and it interacts with cholinergic rather than dopaminergic receptors. It has a number of side effects which are anticholinergic. This could lead to psychotic symptoms that consultation-liaison psychiatrists…
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Notes on the Blues and Rivers of Whiskey
I listened to the Big Mo Blues Show last night on KCCK radio (88.3 on your dial) as I usually do on Friday nights. It runs from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm and you can learn a lot from Big Mo (aka John Heim) about the blues. He also has a podcast called the Big…
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We Got Our Vaccinations
I saw the headlines about how some people are skipping the Covid-19 and flu shots this year. But we decided to get them anyway. Sena got both but they were pretty close together and one bandaid covered them.
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Can Artificial Intelligence Learn from My Book?
Recently the publisher of a book co-edited by me and my former psychiatry chair Dr. Robert G. Robinson asked me to sign off on a proposal to involve Artificial Intelligence (AI) in using the work. The book, “Psychosomatic Medicine: An Introduction to Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry,” is 14 years old now, but is still a practical tool…
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Excessive Heat Watch!
There will be an excessive heat watch today. Stay cool!
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FDA Approves Updated Covid-19 Vaccines to Better Protect Against Currently Circulating Variants
On August 22, 2024, the FDA authorized new Covid-19 vaccines (2024-2025) “to include a monovalent (single) component that corresponds to the Omicron variant KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been updated with this formula to more closely target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization…
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Thoughts on the Homeless Mentally Ill
The homeless man who lives on the sidewalk outside our hotel reminds me of a couple of things. One is Dr. Gerard Clancy, MD who is University of Iowa Health Care Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Senior Associate Dean of External Affairs. I remember Gerry, who was in the department of psychiatry…
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Alcohol is Bad for Old Guys
I took a quick peek at the study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that a few news agencies are reporting on which says alcohol in moderation is bad for older persons. So much for moderation. Actually, the full abstract is: Ortolá R, Sotos-Prieto M, García-Esquinas E, Galán I, Rodríguez-Artalejo F. Alcohol Consumption Patterns…
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Excelsior!
The health benefits of climbing stairs are well known and I’ve talked about them before. However, you haven’t really seen stair climbing in action until you’ve watched Sena ascend the stairs in our hotel. There are 4 flights of 10 steps each. Doing it just once can puff you out. The keyword for this is…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 