BOGUS Happy Sperm

A typical 19th century phrenology chart. Phren...

In the journal of Make Sh*t Up…oh, wait, I mean the Journal of Bioscience Hypotheses…an author throws out an idea (completely divorced from any reality) and then the news  – specifically LiveScience and Fox News – report it as scientific fact.  This latest pseudo-science reporting is so BOGUS, it almost makes those of us [...]

Farrah and Michael

6 25 09 Bearman Cartoon Michael Jackson Farrah...

It’s been a big week for celebrity sorrow. As you’re contemplating the loss of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, be sure to head over to SFGate to check out the Doc Gurley health tips we can all learn from celebrity health coverage.

1) First, there’s Farrah’s Gift: Outing the Tumor That Dare Not Speak [...]

Let Sleeping Hypertensives Lie

A child sleeping.

A well-designed recent study showed just how important sleep is to your blood pressure. Other studies in the past have revealed an association between time-spent-sleeping, and high blood pressure, but none of those studies actually measured a person’s sleep (they were, instead, based on self-report) and almost none looked at blood pressure over time.

[...]

Gather Round for Grand Rounds!

A meeting of the College of Physicians in the ...

This week’s Grand Rounds is over at ACPInternist. Since the AMA is in the news so much this week, it’s good to head over and visit the ACP (American College of Physicians) to remind yourself that there are several important (and large) doctor organizations in this country. The American College of Physicians has some [...]

Insider Secret – Why It’s So Hard To Get A Doctor’s Appointment

Stethoscope

We’ve all had the experience – that perky voice on the other end of the phone who says “sure, we can give a new-patient appointment with your assigned primary care doctor – how’s eight months from now? Does that work for you?”

Even then, most of us look around the packed waiting rooms, seething [...]

9 Sex Myths Busted!

Teen Read Week reading room

Here’s a great, medically accurate article about sex myths – safe sex and sexual health. Kudos to author Amanda MacMillan at Health.com for a job well-done. The article points out that many people – especially teens – rely on websites for sex information. Unfortunately, a lot of that online info is wrong. Check out [...]

Is Conan O’Brien Killing You?

Silhouettes representing healthy, overweight, ...

There’s an (ahem) eye-opening study this week looking at the reasons why Americans aren’t getting enough sleep. Turns out that, of those not getting enough of the good stuff, 50% of us are losing approximately 2 hours of sleep a night due to…TV. The article also notes that many of us are also getting [...]

Well Worth It: CBT for Depressed Teens

Teen´s quintessence

Here’s a nice alternative and effective intervention for teens exhibiting early signs of depression – cognitive behavioral therapy. There’s a lot to like in this study, and its results. Cognitive behavioral therapy is different from what most of think of as “therapy” – CBT is focused on coping strategies, and changing both your thinking [...]

Well Worth It: Ginger with Chemo

Ginger cross-section

Excellent news on the Well Worth It front – a superbly-designed study shows that even small amounts of ginger, taken three days before the start of chemotherapy, can significantly reduce nausea. For many patients, nausea is a profound form of suffering associated with chemotherapy – anything that can help is a Halleluyah moment.

The [...]

Giggling Gorillas, Chuckling Chimps

little cheeky chimp

There were several neat articles this week about whether or not animals actually laugh. I got a real charge out of it – the idea that chimps chuckle when tickled, that even gorillas can guffaw – and then we got to the part where a cat’s purr is called a laugh, plus the claim [...]

About The Author

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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