Medical Marijuana

When I was an Intern I took care of an elderly gentleman who was dying of lung cancer.  Mr. Washington had spent much of his life as a sharecropper in the deep South.   Mr. Washington was alone without family and his cancer had spread to his bones and his brain.   He no longer had a wife and his grown son had died several years ago. He had stopped eating and was just skin and bones.  I could see

Happy Halloween

Red Yeast Rice Supplements for High Cholesterol

People are always on the search for "natural" ways to stay healthy and reduce cholesterol.  Chinese red yeast rice supplements have been touted as a natural, safer way to lower cholesterol compared to statin medications.  The yeast that grows on a particular type of rice contains a family of substances called monocolins, which lower cholesterol by inhibiting cholesterol production in the liver in

The Man with the Eyeball Tattoo

There seems to be no end to stupidity and this man from Toronto, Canada is right up there at the top for crazy ideas.  He actually tattooed his eye by injecting the sclera with ink.  It took 40 injections of ink to complete the color transformation.  Despite the painful appearance, the eye can be easily anesthetized (numbed) so the needle does not hurt.

Despite the fact that this is reported as

What Caused This Woman to Faint?

 Dear Dr. Brayer;
My mother, age 66, fainted while she was at work.  She was taken to the emergency room and was evaluated for hours, including a CT scan of her head.  They could not find a reason and sent her home.  Could it have been a stroke that didn't show up?  
Thanks, Heidi

Dear Heidi,
The medical term for fainting or sudden loss of consciousness is syncope.  It occurs when the blood flow

First Do No Harm

One of the ancient principles of medicine is Primum non nocere, the Latin phrase that means "First, do no harm".  It means that sometimes doing nothing is a better decision than doing something that might cause more harm than good.  It is an ethical precept for physicians, but it becomes harder and harder to adhere to as more and more exotic tests and treatments are at our disposal. 

But just

Cholera in Haiti

I still follow the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake closely and have continued contact with our Haitian interpreters that I met this year on the Sutter Health Helps Haiti medical mission.  Our physicians and nurses worked in St. Marc, (three hours north of Port-au-Prince) at St. Nicholas Hospital, the epicenter of the new Haitian Cholera outbreak.  Boston based Partners in Health (PIH) runs the

How Do You Hide $100 From a Doctor?

How do you hide $100 from a surgeon?          Put it in the patient's chart, next to the lab.How do you hide $100 from an orthopedist?          Put it in a text book.How do you hide $100 from a neurosurgeon?          Tape it to his kid.How do you hide $100 from an OB/Gyn?          Tape it to the patient's head.How do you hide $100 from an internist?          Stick it under the patient's

How Not to Raise a Baby

I seem to be on a baby theme.  Here are Baby Dont's.  Remember to be safe with Baby.

Should You Share a Bed With Baby?

I've watched the pendulum swing back and forth on the wisdom of mom sharing her bed with a baby.  The American Pediatric Society has come out against the practice, because of a higher incidence of Sudden Infant Death.   But nearly half of all British moms sleep at times with their baby and 1/5 share a bed regularly during the first year.


According to a British study published in Pediatrics, the

Cool Medical Apps

The best thing about the iphone and ipad are the cool apps.  I am learning about new ones all the time but here are a few Medical Apps that I like and I think they are all free.

Lose it!  This is a great app for dieters.  It is easy to use and intuitive and you can track your caloric intake and exercise.  Just set your goal and how many calories you want to eat a day and it maps out how long it

Medicare Fraud

There are few things that grind my gears more than Medicare Fraud.  These scams pop up every couple of years and I am so glad when the perpetrators get caught and arrested.  The latest is a large crime syndicate lead by Armen Kazarian, the godfather of Armenian gangsters.  More than $160 million fake  Medicare invoices were generated from 118 fake medical clinics in 25 states, said U.S. Attorney

Drug Shortages in the United States

One of our pharmacists asked me "Are we now in Sudan?"

It seems like we are a third world country because we are dealing with serious and nationwide pharmaceutical shortages for needed drugs.  Medications like Propofol (yes, the one that killed Michael Jackson) and Succinylcholine, a neuromuscular drug that is commonly used in surgery, are in such short supply that we are canceling surgeries and

Get Healthy Compliments of Uncle Sam

It makes my blogging life easier if I can just direct readers to a cool site compliments of....drumroll...the U.S. Government! 

This site, called Smallstep Adult and Teen,  is filled with great health, eating and exercise tips.  Check it out and click around a bit.  Don't ya' just love the internet?

Positively Quit Smoking

I hold my breath when I walk into the hospital and see a small group of people in the "smoking area" puffing hard on cigarettes. The hospital (and other office buildings) are smoke free, but that doesn't mean everyone has stopped smoking.  They just have to stand out in the fog or the cold like lepers.  I know in other parts of the country, smoking is more tolerated and even more smoking occurs.

Internal Medicine Poem

I am frequently asked:  What is Internal Medicine?  The answer: "I am the doctor for adults" or I am the primary care physician", just doesn't seem to cover it.  I think this poem from the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) does:

Today I Saw

diabetes in a brown pantsuit
recently widowed, bringing her daughter
for the first time.

Bladder cancer still working
full time after surgery

Flossing Toothbrush

Being the world famous popular blog it is, EverythingHealth gets lots of solicitations to place ads, promote books, authors, medical supplies, drugs and other websites.  The answer to most of these requests is "Thanks, but no-thanks".  I like to keep the blog pure and you know that my advice is not tainted by outside influence. (Also known as $$$$)

But since October is National Dental Hygiene

Why You Should Get Enough Sleep

1915 Anti-Smoking

They had the right idea back then.  I wonder how cigarettes became so popular as the Century progressed?