Hey, I had an article published in Salon, titled “Honey, I Shrunk My Breasts.” It’s about the fallacy of doctors claiming diseases–and I claimed one all for myself. Check it out.
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The Doc Gurley BOGUS Award is traditionally given to a Bonehead, Overhyped, Groundless, Unverified Study. This week, however, we’re awarding a special Bogus Award, to a case in the news of supremely flawed reasoning. Our BOGUS award this week is given for Bombastic Obfuscating and Grandstanding Under Scrutiny. The winner is America’s CIA chief, Michael Hayden. Director Hayden was in the news because he was asked to explain the CIA’s new practice of snatching a person walking down the street, and then, without evidence, warrant, police, judge, or jury involvement, secretly shoving that person onto a plane, flying them captive to the other side of the world and then leaving them—without a trace—as a prisoner in a foreign state. Apparently, the parting words “Here, do what you want with him, and, please, take your time,” is believed to be part of the process. Continue reading A Special BOGUS Award  “Wow, it sure is quiet today.” No phrase is more likely to strike terror in the heart of a physician than that innocent comment, made by a patient, a nurse, or, even worse, another physician. Saying a shift is “quiet” is believed by many in health care to be the surest way to bring destruction on your head. Most patients don’t know it, but there is no breed of human more superstitious than a doctor doing shift-work. Continue reading Superstitious Doctors–Part I Let’s taken it as a given that doctors are superstitious (don’t believe me? read Superstitious Doctors, Part I–then try this: ask your doctor if she has a white cloud or a black cloud and see what happens). Well, first, the questions has to be asked–is there any basis in fact to these weird superstitious beliefs? No, seriously, is there? Continue reading Superstitious Doctors–Part II I met God last week, and boy, did he have a bad case of foot fungus. I work in a clinic for the homeless, and we see a lot of mental health problems—besides God (who was a bit pudgy), I’ve met a man who believed he was God’s father (although he seemed a tad young to me), another who was, of course, God’s son. In an interesting twist, I’ve even talked to a man who believed he was God’s fiancée—his major concern was planning the wedding. As he explained it, just the seating issues are a nightmare. Continue reading Socks, God, and foot fungus Congratulations! The winner of this week’s BOGUS (Bonehead Overblown Groundless Unverified Study) Award is (drum roll please)… Stressed-Out Moms Carry Babies on the Right Okay, let’s get a few things straight, right up front. First, carrying your kids “on the right” is not about politics. Second, what mom is not stressed out? Third, how many of you moms read that and immediately started worrying about how you carry your kid? Raise your (left? right?) hands please. Continue reading Our First Bogus Award You Know That Mothers with Babies are Stressed Out If– 1) She smells of Eau de Week-Old Spit-up with just a small, insouciant hint of B.O. 2) She has tremors that could put a withdrawing alcoholic to shame, due to the eight daily espresso shots she’s using to compensate for twelve weeks of no sleep Continue reading Doc Gurley’s Subtle Signs of Maternal Stress I read the section in Yahoo Health about anxiety (listed on the front page as one of the top ten health topics), and by the end, I’ve got to tell you, my palms were sweating. Every so often there is a massive drug-company (boo, hiss) marketing push for a new usage for an existing drug. The ads that work best are the ones that can convince people they’ve got a problem they never knew about before. If you’re going to rope in the most Cosmo-type questionnaires are the mainstay of drug company ad hacks— 1) When lying in a supine position on the sofa, do you— a. have an urge for beer and pretzels? b. after three hours, feel stiff in the neck and shoulder region? c. after two days, get a dull headache and notice a smell? If you answered yes to any of the above, see your doctor about important treatment information. Continue reading Take This Test To See If You Suffer From The Heartbreak of…Overdiagnosis |
 Doc Gurley is a Board-certified Internist physician and the only Harvard Medical School graduate to have been awarded a Shoney’s Ten-Step Pin for documented excellence in waitressing. Find out more. |
 
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