I got a chance to interview Jesse Mendoza of Jordan International Aid who is in Japan right now doing relief work. You can listen to the live interview, below. Numbers and reports from the area are changing all the time. Jesse gave me some idea of what it is like there right now in the [...]

In tandem, both ambulance, and fire truck, red lights strobed across the narrow cave-like doorway to the Tom Waddell clinic. The images flashed in the dark, like red-tinted, stop-motion animation. Inside the narrow space the six of us from needle exchange creaked zombie-like to our feet from where we’d been bent over bodies. Two men [...]

1. Part II: A Modest Proposal
2. Part I: Could You Just Die Already?
3. Homeless Triangle Part One

I have a new best friend. She’s cool and smooth and adaptable. Kind of like a Dragon-Tattooed-urbanite who can deal with any situation, from a tweaking guest at a rave, to the post-modern gut-angst of intellectuals. She’s slow to rile too – give her a nudge and all she does is gurgle at you.

She’s [...]

1. Tragedy: Cholera Is Back In Haiti
2. Haiti Journey: Clinic time begins
3. Time To Blawg…

It was kind of amazing how little coverage the recent report on healthcare in our prison systems got. Heck, you may be thinking, I don’t think that’s amazing – why waste airtime on that topic – why should I fret and worry about the healthcare that prisoners get when my child is burning up with [...]

1. What’s missing in the California legalize marijuana initiative?

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First, it was the opening of a Kroger in East Oakland. Now it’s the announcement that Tesco’s Fresh and Easy is heading to the Bayview. What exactly, you may be asking yourself, makes these stories major headline news?

And why is a doctor spending time writing about grocery stores too?

Turns [...]

1. Starving In The Financial District: Ken and food insecurity
2. Junk Food Can Make Men Less Fertile
3. Live Chat from Haiti – hopefully

Another in a sobering series of food-borne outbreaks is recognized. This time, Typhoid Mamey was identified as the cause of smoothie (and milkshake) induced episodes of life-threatening typhoid fever here in California, as well as in Nevada.

Why the big alert, if only a few cases have been identified? First, typhoid is a serious infection. [...]

The last two days’ news have made it feel like cocaine week: President Obama finally signed a long-overdue law equalizing mandatory sentencing between powder cocaine and crack cocaine users. On a truly tragic note, a 21 year old UC student is reported to be brain damaged and living on life support after lying for three [...]

As the six-month mark has arrived, there’s suddenly been more about Haiti in the news, tales of paralysis and corruption and despair. But almost all of these reports are from people who’ve flown in for a quick visit – one Esquire reporter even starts his story describing how he didn’t step outside his hotel during [...]

1. This Friday – you can ask questions about Haiti LIVE, to people working there now
2. Doc Gurley Interview – Good Medicine, Bad Drugs…
3. Swine Flu/H1N1 Now Most Common Strain – But People Still Can’t Get Vaccines

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As a whooping cough epidemic hits California, you may be asking yourself, “hey, weren’t we all vaccinated for that?” Even as the headlines imply a Victorian-level outbreak of hacking and coughing, perhaps you’re looking around and wondering where, exactly, this epidemic is located. And what you should know about whooping cough [...]

1. Whooping Cough Vaccine – Still Effective But Not For As Long
2. Medical News Of The Weird
3. 8 Quirky Health Facts for Which You Can Give Thanks

It finally happened. Last night, in a close vote along party lines, the Senate failed to block a scheduled 21% cut in Medicare pay to doctors. While there’s nothing less appealing than a doctor whining about their pay, keep in mind that this Medicare pay cut now means that your primary care doctor will be [...]

1. Superstitious Doctors–Part II
2. Superstitious Doctors–Part I
3. What percent of doctors should be sued? One-tenth? Three-fourths? All of them?