Andrew Griffith's Blog, page 25
October 31, 2012
Clearing up confusion on advance directives – amednews.com
A good piece on some of the limitations of advance directives and Do Not Resuscitate (DNRs) instructions i real-life scenarios, and some of the confusion that results. There is also the development of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST), which travels with the patient’s medical records (and is brightly coloured, in this still paper-based age, [...]
Dear Leona Aglukkaq: Researchers write the health minister on clinical trials – Macleans.ca
A number of opinions on the Canadian government’s proposed web-based registry to clinical trails. The main point of contention is whether transparency only applies to successful trials, or to all trials, successful or not. Following commentary by Matthew Herder of Dalhousie University provides one of the better elaborations on the issues involved in making transparency [...]
October 30, 2012
Once cancer has touched your life, nothing will ever be the same
Good post on the challenges of ‘moving on’ post-treatment that captures the mixed emotions well. Quote: Once cancer has touched your life nothing will ever be the same. Life is uncertain for all of us, but those with a cancer diagnosis have a heightened awareness of that uncertainty. Cancer lays bare your vulnerability and underlines [...]
Help your doctor understand where you’re coming from
A reminder of the risks of desensitization through humour, and that as patients we need to understand how doctors and medical teams may react to us. Groopman’s How Doctors Think has some good examples of patients who defused this risk through preventive remarks (‘I know I may sound a bit crazy….’). Quote: Humor is an [...]
Cancer fight stalls amid push for profits, doctors say | The Guardian
A sobering assessment from the recent World Oncology Forum on the potential and results from some of the new targeted and personalized drugs. Quote: Only a few years ago, many cancer experts thought the arrival of targeted medicines, designed to attack the genetic makeup of the tumour, would make dramatic inroads into cancer deaths. That [...]
Four Myths About Doctor-Assisted Suicide – NYTimes.com
A good opinion piece on doctor-assisted suicide, citing four myths or assumptions: reduced pain, impact of advanced technology in prolonging life, mass appeal while it is mainly the well-educated and affluent, and a good death. Concluding quote: Instead of attempting to legalize physician-assisted suicide, we should focus our energies on what really matters: improving care [...]
U.S. Cuts Estimate of Sugar Intake of Typical American – NYTimes.com
From 100 to 76.7 pounds per year, in the latest estimates. Unfortunately, no international comparisons or domestic historical comparisons, or assessments whether the lower number is still a cause for concern (I suspect it is) or not. While I tend to believe that reasonable methodology was followed, the quote below makes a valid point: “There’s [...]
October 28, 2012
Year 1, Week 11: Back in Ottawa
1:11 An uneventful trip back to Ottawa, flights not full, but still wore a mask to reduce the risk. The focus this week was getting my book launched with both mass and targeted distribution of the press release (here) and a ‘click-based’ campaign on Goodreads. Some signs that search engines are reflecting this but the [...]
October 27, 2012
Textbooks round the world: It ain’t necessarily so | The Economist
For history buffs, an interesting survey of world textbooks, and how they reflect and influence the societies they serve. Some good examples cited from a wide range of countries. One of the better books I have read is The Uses and Abuses of History by Margaret MacMillan, which most countries grapple with as they balance [...]
Exercise May Help Preserve Memory and Thinking Skills – NYTimes.com
While only an association, not a causal relationship, nevertheless worthwhile acting upon. Interesting that there is a greater association with physical exercise than with mental exercise (e.g., Sudoku), although, again, to play it safe, as well as make life more interesting, both are better. Quote: …. using imaging scans, the scientists found that the subjects [...]
