Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Welcome to Bunk!
It's time to get this blog rolling.
My primary goal here is to inform readers (including, but not limited to, some of my own patients) about the perils of following many common practices and ideas about health care. These essays have been culled from innumerable in-office lectures I have given patients in over 25 years of practicing family medicine.
Forgive me if the style seems a little acerbic and supercilious, but, hey, that's how we doctors are when we are passionate about being right.
And I am right. You may disagree with what I say, but then you'll be wrong. (Go ahead -- dare you to comment!)
These subjects are not always about the glamorous leading-edge, high-tech areas of Modern Medicine. But they are about important aspects of living: the way we bathe, the clothes we wear, how we respond to the most common illnesses, the way we make love.
And how we interact with doctors and other HCP's (health care professionals). For that part, I am always in learning mode and invite stories, comments, and questions.
This is not an Owner's Manual. I'm not out to teach you everything about the body (especially since there is a lot we don't yet know), but more to stimulate your mind to question how and why your body suffers from what you think you're doing to help it. Hopefully, you'll learn something, explain it to another, and we'll all become a healthier society.
BUNK -- Myths, Mistakes, and Misinformation that can be harmful to your health -- will discuss specific health care topics.
A future blog (BALONEY -- Don't Believe All You Hear About Modern Medical Science) will tackle Big Pharmaceuticals, health care insurance, and self-promoting "research."
And hopefully, we'll sample from BULL -- The Hype about the "Best" Doctors and Hospitals, which will be something of a guide for medical service consumers.
It's time to get this blog rolling.
My primary goal here is to inform readers (including, but not limited to, some of my own patients) about the perils of following many common practices and ideas about health care. These essays have been culled from innumerable in-office lectures I have given patients in over 25 years of practicing family medicine.
Forgive me if the style seems a little acerbic and supercilious, but, hey, that's how we doctors are when we are passionate about being right.
And I am right. You may disagree with what I say, but then you'll be wrong. (Go ahead -- dare you to comment!)
These subjects are not always about the glamorous leading-edge, high-tech areas of Modern Medicine. But they are about important aspects of living: the way we bathe, the clothes we wear, how we respond to the most common illnesses, the way we make love.
And how we interact with doctors and other HCP's (health care professionals). For that part, I am always in learning mode and invite stories, comments, and questions.
This is not an Owner's Manual. I'm not out to teach you everything about the body (especially since there is a lot we don't yet know), but more to stimulate your mind to question how and why your body suffers from what you think you're doing to help it. Hopefully, you'll learn something, explain it to another, and we'll all become a healthier society.
BUNK -- Myths, Mistakes, and Misinformation that can be harmful to your health -- will discuss specific health care topics.
A future blog (BALONEY -- Don't Believe All You Hear About Modern Medical Science) will tackle Big Pharmaceuticals, health care insurance, and self-promoting "research."
And hopefully, we'll sample from BULL -- The Hype about the "Best" Doctors and Hospitals, which will be something of a guide for medical service consumers.
