You remember that fable, don’t you? The one where six blindfolded men each describe an elephant – or at
least the part he could reach. One said the elephant was a fan (the ear), another said it was a giant snake (the trunk), another said it was a tree trunk (the leg), and so on and so on. Well, the diabetes news this week has been similar – lots of people describing one piece of the puzzle from different corners of the research world. Here at Doc Gurley, we think it’s time to take off the blinders and look at the whole picture. Like an elephant in the room, it’s pretty impressive.
Continue reading Blind Men and The Diabetes Elephant
This is a public service announcement: To our viewing audience – stay tuned while we attempt to reanimate your host. Doc Gurley learned today that Dave Barry (himself!) answered two (count them, two) of her Dave Barry for President Forum questions, and, faced with a double Dave, she did what any self-respecting fan possessing a valid California medical license would do. She emitted a high-pitched squeal that only dolphins can hear, and swooned. Please do not adjust your dial. Regular programming will commence shortly, if somewhat breathlessly.*
Question #1 by Doc Gurley:
Submitted 06/10/08 19:09:55 by Dave from Florida.
Q Your site asks me to “verify” my information before I submit a question. But in fact I can be any darn thing I want to be. I can be Ozzy, Obama, or even an ovary. I could be you. Where’s the quality control?
Answered 06/11/08 10:48:17 by Dave Barry
A: This site is equipped with special cameras, so when you submit a question, we can actually see you, Mr. Trump.
Question #2 by Doc Gurley: Continue reading Double Dave!
Here’s a provocative study – but one that we should maybe take with a grain of salt. It fits the Doc Gurley criteria for interesting studies in that it: 1) deals with a common problem, 2) offers a low-cost, low-risk way of improving that problem, 3) uses an approach that already has known health benefits, and 4) is unlikely to get a lot of press because there’s no drug company profit at stake (so no PR machine to push the issue). So what’s this latest discovery? It’s that reducing salt in your diet may improve your asthma. Who would have thunk it? Even if you (or someone you love) only has exercise-induced asthma, here’s what to keep in mind before you reach for that shaker:
Continue reading A Grain of Salt
Grand Rounds this week is a British extravaganza! None other than the famous NHS blog doc, Dr. John Crippen, is hosting. And – wow – what an entertaining read. Check it out for the latest round-up of fun, provocative, and wide-ranging medical information from all corners of the world – this time presented with [...]
Summer heat and longer daylight hours often mean the loss of an hour or two of sleep a day. Add onto that the end-of-school frantic rush, and the loss of school-related bedtime/awakening routines, and you can easily find yourself staggering through your days in a sleep-deprived fog. It’s a good time of year to remind ourselves how crucial rest is for your body (and sanity!). A Doc Gurley Mixed Message Award goes to this otherwise wonderful article about the importance of sleep. It contains a nice review of all the (science-based) serious problems that can occur with too little sleep – but then ends with the statement “Anxiety over not being able to sleep can make it harder to fall asleep.” Ahem. Are we tossing and turning yet? However the good news is that the article does contain some realistic, practical tips for how to improve your sleep. Here are a couple more that also might help you regain the rest you could be losing this time of year:
Continue reading Hurry Up And Sleep! Hurry!
It’s that time of year again – when we can take simple steps to prevent West Nile disease. So why don’t more of us do it? Could it be that many of us are Living in the Land of West Denial? The unfortunate truth is that the West Nile virus has quickly spread across most of America – we all need to pay attention. Like all mosquito-borne illnesses, the best way to prevent West Nile is to go after its whiny little carrier. Now is the time of year to take some easy, sensible steps to make sure you or someone you know does not fall victim to West Nile. This year’s massive increase in foreclosed homes also means that the risk of West Nile is likely to go way up. Why do foreclosed homes mean more West Nile? How can you prevent this disease? And what are the symptoms of West Nile? Continue reading The Land of West De-Nile
Here’s a great article for all of us – it’s a science-based review of effective techniques for optimizing your exercise/weight loss approach. In other words, fitness advice for we Every Day Athletes. This clear, breezy Prevention article was billed as an article that addresses the “plateau” that people hit just as their initial enthusiasm [...]
Grand Rounds is up! The Happy Hospitalist leads us through another week of the best from medical blogs – and he’s taking the opportunity to prove that there are six (or less) degrees of separation. In our case there are three…
There is a really interesting an illuminating comment to the “I’m NOT Going To Suck It Up” post about how to do something about the drug company inhaler scam. Basically a drug company insider is letting us know that not only is the new formulation an end-run around the possibility of a cheaper generic, [...]
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. 
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