header image

Monthly Archives: November 2007

Yet Another Reason Why Money and Medicine Make Bad Bedfellows

November 29, 2007 – 10:54 pm

First, here’s a practical (and important) financial article by Liz Pulliam Weston, titled Why Medical Debts Shouldn’t Count. Read it to find out about a vastly under-reported issue that is affecting thousands of lives: the recent, widespread selling of medical debt to collection agencies, often for pennies on the dollar. To add insult to injury, [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in In the News, Practical Medicine | Comments (0)

Dave Barry’s Prostate

November 26, 2007 – 9:25 am

We love Dave Barry here at Doc Gurley (in a purely platonic, stalker fan, restraining-order kind of way). With teenager squeals and bouncing and hand-flapping, we share an actual response from His Daveness to Doc Gurley (O.M.G.) to a question I submitted to the Dave Barry For President Q&A Forum. Check it out while I [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in In the News, The Joy Habit | Comments (1)

Black Friday (shudder) Health Tips

November 23, 2007 – 10:44 am

For those who started the (pre-dawn) day with a list of stores to hit, all I can say is…wow. A Walmart on Black Friday is the purest example of survival of the fittest ever devised. I’ll admit it up front, I’m not woman enough to Black Friday. I don’t believe the obviously false propaganda that [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in In the News, Practical Medicine | Comments (0)

BOGUS Benefits

November 21, 2007 – 9:10 pm

Our latest Bogus Award winner is a real doozy, folks. What would you do if you got fired from a job, and then received a valid insurance card in the mail, with your name on it? But wait–what if you got that card, and you had ovarian cancer and multiple sclerosis and spinal problems? Would [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in BOGUS Awards, In the News | Comments (0)

8 Quirky Health Facts for Which You Can Give Thanks

November 21, 2007 – 12:10 am

1) Giving thanks improves your mood and your quality of life, both of which have a tremendous positive impact on your health. Seems like a cheat, doesn’t it, but who am I to question? We can give thanks for gratitude.
2) You can bulk up in your geriatric years. It’s never too late to start. No [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in Doc Gurley Lists, The Joy Habit | Comments (0)

10 Creative Ways To Get Your Doctor To Wash His Hands

November 16, 2007 – 3:59 pm

Are you worried about catching the horrifying MRSA super-bug when you go see the doctor? I’m embarrassed, as a physician, to say that there are legitimate reasons to be worried. Doctors actually do a bad job of washing their hands, with observed rates of hand-washing in the ICU as low as 28% (urg). On average, [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in Doc Gurley Lists, Insider Info | Comments (4)

You Can Die From A Cold. Eek.

November 15, 2007 – 1:35 pm

A new one to add to the scary list of emerging infections: The CDC announced today that a new strain of “cold”–AKA adenovirus–has emerged that can kill young, healthy people. Unlike the potential “bird flu” scare, there are already ten documented deaths from this virus in the past year. So what can you do, besides [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in In the News, Practical Medicine | Comments (1)

Medical Clearance and Kanye West’s Mom

November 14, 2007 – 3:47 pm

The one sure fact about the news of Dr. Dondra West’s death, even from a distance, is the tragic loss to the world of a wonderful person. I extend my heartfelt condolences to those who knew and loved her. While the media speculates about the circumstances of her death, I’d rather, instead, focus on a [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in In the News, Insider Info, Practical Medicine | Comments (2)

Gender Germ Warfare

November 13, 2007 – 5:04 pm

The long-simmering gender wars have escalated to a whole new level—germ warfare. Qualified inspectors searched high-value targets and reported shocking results in the health news —one third of men are leaving bathrooms without washing their hands, a number that’s actually getting worse. One hot-spot that was searched was the Atlanta Stadium bathrooms, where only 57% [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in In the News | Comments (0)

When It’s Not In Your Head

November 10, 2007 – 11:40 am

This week’s news saw two extraordinary health tales–both of them reminders to trust yourself and report odd symptoms, even if they seem embarrassingly weird. The first story is the horrifying news that Bindeez toys can convert to the date-rape drug when swallowed. How likely does that seem? Imagine being the mother who has to take [...]

By Doc Gurley | Posted in In the News, Practical Medicine | Comments (0)