The influenza pandemic designated Influenza A (H1N1) has spread to 29 countries with more than 3440 affected individuals. The spread and mortality has not been as devastating as was feared when the outbreak spread in Mexico. How it evolves in future remains to be seen. But without doubt ‘swine flu’ has been used as fuel …
Author Archives: pithy
Doctors influenced by Rest and Fluids Industry
This physician enjoyed an all-expenses-paid trip to Aspen, just for telling his patients to “relax.” I have noticed that medical satire from theonion.com is awfully good. Hats off to the writers(?writer). In keeping with the current flaying of pharma-physican backslapping ties; The Onion investigates and finds ulterior motive in prescription of just fluids and rest …
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Spot the helmet
In news from Nigeria is something quite familiar to Indians. People are refusing to wear helmets while riding two wheelers which was made compulsory from the first of January this year. Police in Nigeria have arrested scores of motorcycle taxi riders with dried fruit shells, paint pots or pieces of rubber tire tied to their …
End (Edge) of life issues –
Sometime back, when I was a trainee, we used to get patients at the end of their life. They would come to us tired and dejected (and angry) after treatment from premier hospitals all over the country; having tried various form of alternative therapies and charlatans. And we would evaluate them and send them back …
Drug marketing and dichotomy
When I began my practice following residency I became aware of the cesspool that medical and associated profession have become. Each day was (is) a learning experience. Not that one is completely unaware of the ground realities- but first hand experience is humbling. I was reading a blog post by Jim Sabin wherein he comments …
I was reading
I just finished Grisham’s latest novel The Appeal. His latest book is much better than his last few offerings which I found a bit dull. The story reolves around desperate measures to influence the legal procedure, tort reforms and a mega corp willing to bend any rule for profit. Set in the state of Mississippi,U.S. …
On Generics and Drug affordibility in India.
I had previously written about compulsory licensing of expensive anti cancer drugs in India and the expected benefits to the patients. Just after this news came out, there was reaction from the Govt. sources stating that no they had no plans for such measures as cancer was not an “epidemic or national emergency”. There is an …
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Patients Overcrowding in ER? Lets hangout in Hallways!! few are in cafeteria-
(Image from dailylife .com) I came across this article while surfing which made me read it again carefully. The health blog in the wall street journal describes a novel way of managing Emergency overcrowding Here’s one way to ease overcrowding in the emergency room: Move patients to the hallway. Some hospitals are giving it a …
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Burnout in Medical Students
As every whining medical student knows- life as a medico is tough and trying. This was well documented and analysed in an article in Annals of Internal Medicine(abstract). The article has been reviewed by Sydney Spiesel at Slate.com The study included more than 2,000 students at seven medical schools and looked for evidence of burnout …
Lessons from Sharks on reducing infections.
Interesting article in the Wall street journal health blog The ocean is full of slow-swimming creatures covered with algae and barnacles. But some slow-swimming sharks stay pretty clean. A University of Florida researcher thinks that has to do, at least in part, with the microscopic pattern of shark skin, which makes an inhospitable environment for …
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