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Today, the multi-talented Cyndi of Layers Upon Layers is limping in with her Dear Doctor letter.
Dear Doctor,
How come when I came in with pinched nerves in my feet from marathoning, you suggest surgery to me but won’t discuss orthotic inserts for my running shoes? How come you’re so willing to cut into my flesh for […]
The American Council on Science and Health has issued a report on trans fatty acids and heart disease. Kathleen Meister writes:
As part of an overall effort to reduce risk factors for heart disease, advice to the public to limit consumption of both saturated fatty acids and TFAs by substituting polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats whenever […]
Dr. Michael C. Hebert has woven this week’s Grand Rounds collection of medical and health posts into a spooky poetic tale. Very impressive!
While I was visiting the participants’ haunts, I found this Parade Magazine article at GruntDoc:
How To Survive Your Local ER
For anything that might be life-threatening—a wound spurting blood, chest pains—call an ambulance. In […]
A couple of months ago, I wrote about the connection between patent foramen ovale (PFO) and migraines. PFO is a common defect of the heart (close to 20% of the population) where the opening between the two upper chambers don’t seal shut.
When blood returns to the heart, it’s supposed to go to the […]
The LA Times last week had an in-depth look into the workings of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) overseeing organ tranplants in the U.S. The news is not good. As much as I love congratulating people who’ve received a heart transplant, the truth is that many heart patients are doomed to a […]
Boston Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach died of a heart attack yesterday at age 89. He had undergone an angioplasty in May 1993, then one month later, had quintuple heart bypass surgery on five coronary arteries. Perhaps related to his heart troubles, Auerbach was also suffering from kidney problems a couple of […]
Dr. JP Cartailler emailed me last week about Symphony Medical’s Fibrisyl-AF kit for the prevention of post-operative atrial fibrillation, currently in phase II multi-center clinical trial. I found it particularly interesting because they have a video demonstrating the use of Fibrisyl-AF in open heart surgery. For anyone not accustomed to seeing the inside of a […]
Three years ago, swimmer Dana Vollmer was diagnosed with Long QT syndrome, a disorder of the heart’s electrical rhythm, but that didn’t stop her from winning a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
In the spring of 2003, Vollmer’s heart began to race. Soon after, dizzy spells began.
Her parents, Les and Cathy Vollmer, […]
In today’s Dear Doctor letter, Tammy Powley of Fat and 40 has few complaints about her doctor but does wish they could spend a little quality time together.
Dear Doctor,
I think you’re a wonderful doctor for the most part. You remember me, ask about my writing, ask “how are you?” when I see you and when […]
After Beatrice Vance died of an undiagnosed heart attack in the waiting room of her local emergency department this past summer, the coroner’s jury ruled her death a homicide. But hers was not an isolated case. USA Today has an in-depth article featuring James Pettry who died of a heart attack the day after being […]
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