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Thoughts on Doctors Going On Strike
I read Dr. H. Steven Moffic’s two articles in Psychiatric Times about the strike by mental health workers at Northern California Kaiser Permanente (August 16 and 26, 2022). So far, no psychiatrists have joined the strike. However, this piqued my interest in whether psychiatrists or general physicians have ever gone on strike. I have a…
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FDA Removes N95 Respirators from Shortage List
I think it’s ironic that about the same time a PLOs One study and news articles came out announcing a new method using 8-inch rubber bands for improving the fit of the surgical mask to approximate that of the N95 respirator, the FDA removed the N95 respirator from the medical device shortage list. This is…
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Hepatitis C Testing and Treatment Update from a Retired Psychiatrist
There is a very informative CDC media briefing transcript about why so few Americans are getting tested and treated for Hepatitis C. I’m a retired consultation-liaison psychiatrist and I used to be the go-to consultant to the hepatology clinic back when the only treatment was interferon-alpha. Because interferon-alpha was associated with neuropsychiatric side effects, notably…
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Seven Questions Men Ask Before Vasectomy
Here are some answers for men who have questions before having a vasectomy.
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What to Do if Someone in Your Home Has Covid-19
Here are some tips for what to do if someone in your home is infected with Covid-19.
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Why Vaccinated People Still Get Sick with Covid-19
Important information about why those vaccinated against Covid-19 can still get sick with the virus.
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Novavax Covid-19 Vaccine Gets CDC Green Light
The Novavax Covid-19 vaccine was approved by the CDC a few days ago. University of Iowa Health Care was one of the sites in the multi-site Phase 3 trial. The vaccine is not based on mRNA technology; it uses a more traditional method similar to the flu vaccine, which is familiar to more people.
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Exercise for Brain Health
University of Iowa research shows that exercise could help for protecting us against Alzheimer’s disease. After age 65, our risk for this category of dementia doubles every 5 years. Even if scientists develop effective and safe senolytic compounds that could allow us to live to be 200 years old, that won’t be happening in the…
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Overdiagnosis of Psychiatric Disorders Still Happens
I read an excellent article in Clinical Psychiatry News recently in the Hard Talk section. The title is “A prescription for de-diagnosing” by psychiatrists Nicholas Badre, MD and David Lehman, MD in the July 2022 issue (Vol 50, No. 7). The bottom line is that too many psychiatric patients have too many psychiatric diagnoses. A…
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Stay Safe as Hot Weather Returns
The temperature will climb into the 90s and beyond beginning early next week. Please stay safe. Follow these guidelines about how to keep well-hydrated when the humidity soars. Be prepared to prevent heat illness.
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