As Breast Cancer Awareness Month Draws to a Close

As breast cancer awareness month draws to a close, I wanted to highlight a few breast cancer posts from other medical bloggers:

Suture For a Living asks: "Is Breast Cancer Over-Diagnosed?"

Bayblab writes about research on a diabetes medication killing breast cancer stem cells.

Science Update Blog discusses claims that we are "Two years from breast cancer cure".

Highlight Health's Allison Bland says "The Review is in: Lifestyle Changes Prevent Breast Cancer
and Healthcare Hacks discuss the benefits of weightlifting in breast cancer survivors.

If you've found any interesting breast cancer blogs or posts, link to them in the comments!

Related posts:
Does Vitamin D Help Prevent Breast Cancer?
Breast Cancer Risk & Alcohol
Cancer Stem Cells and Familial Cancer Risk for Breast Cancer

Recent Posts from Great Medical Blogs, Part 3

School’s out for the summer! And as summer vacations begin, it’s time to review some recent posts from some of my favorite blogs.

One of the best pediatrician voices on the web, Dr. Gwenn, offers some great advice to parents whose kids have the summer off. Parents today, and I’m certainly guilty of this, tend to overschedule their children. Dr. Gwenn reminds us of the importance of free time, for kids to do what they want in the moment and to just be kids.

One of the highlights of summer vacation is Independence Day. Fireworks are an integral part of the celebration. When I was a pediatrics resident, I saw my share of fireworks-related injuries. Dr. Bates routinely sees such injuries in her practice as a plastic surgeon, which is why she offers us important advice for fireworks safety.

One of my favorite blog subjects is patient stories. I think we learn so much from the people who entrust their health and their lives to us, and we medical professionals sometimes undervalue that. I think people like to read heartwarming stories, to help remind them of all that is good in the world. Dr. Val posted a great story that I think you’ll enjoy reading.

Maybe it’s just coincidence, but have you ever noticed how certain themes seem to run through medical blogs from time to time? One recent theme I’ve noticed is postings about internet medicine. White Coat Rants posted this interesting commentary on second opinions over the internet. As if offering opinions over the internet, without the benefit of a physical examination wasn’t bad enough, apparently there is now a website that will make a diagnosis without the benefit of a doctor’s input. Dr. Val has this to say about the dangers inherent in someone trying to use such a site to diagnose themselves.

With the health care system under the stresses we read about daily in the papers (note: subscription required for full article), some of my colleagues are becoming disillusioned with the practice of medicine. Fortunately, Rural Doctoring offers this list of reminders of why it’s great to be a doctor. In case this list convinces you to go to medical school, you may want to read this list of 100 things you should know before you enroll. Already a doctor? Then read The Happy Hospitalist’s list of 20 rules for practicing good medicine.

The past month has brought its share of loss, too. Tim Russert’s sudden cardiac death caught people by surprise and many medical blogs addressed the issues raised by his death, including Purple Medical Blog, Kevin MD, and many others.

One of my favorite comedians, George Carlin (don’t follow the link if you are offended by graphic language or don’t care for his comedy), also died this month. Although there were no particular medical lessons to be learned (he had a history of heart problems and substance abuse), several of my colleagues, including Suture for a Living and the folks at PalliMed, offered tributes to one of the great comedic minds of our generation.

And finally, it seems it’s time to say goodbye to one of my favorite medical bloggers, Sid Schwab, who is “hanging it up” after two years. I really enjoyed reading his blog, and he will be sorely missed.


Well, I guess that’s a wrap for this month. I’m looking forward to a bright, sunny summer, full of fun, camping, walks on the beach, and postings to my favorite medical blogs.

Recent Posts from Great Medical Blogs, Part 2

Last month, I began my own monthly roundup of posts I think are worth checking out. Unlike a Blog Carnival or a Grand Rounds, this is just one blogger’s thoughts about what my co-bloggers are saying. Please take a look. You’ll be glad you did.

Basic Science
One of the enduring controversies regarding the development of cancer is whether your immune system protects you from cancer or not. This concept has been referred to as “Immune Surveillance.” Ian York has what I think might be the best name for a blog: Mystery Rays from Outer Space. In this post, he addresses the role Natural Killer Cells (another awesome name… I’m not making this stuff up!) play in protecting us from the development of tumors.

Sometimes the link between basic and clinical science seems … distant. But sometimes it’s glaringly obvious, as in the case of the finding by folks working at “Baltimore’s other great medical center,” who discovered the reason why African-Americans with heart failure don’t respond to a class of drugs known as beta blockers as well as Caucasian patients do. This is a fascinating discovery, and is the tip of a coming iceberg of information on how genes affect the way individuals respond to drugs (and to diseases) and will lead to a revolution in the way we treat illness.

Rounding out the Basic Science category is this interview with Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel. Dr. Kandel taught the introductory neuroscience course I took as a second year medical student. He was a phenomenal teacher, a brilliant scientist, and a great mentor. He also plays tennis on the court next to mine every day I’m on vacation on Cape Cod each summer.

Translational Research
Far from being just a buzz word, translational medicine refers to those of us who work hard to make discoveries in the lab and then convert those findings into new therapies. One of my friends, Jeff Toretsky, a talented musician as well as scientist and physician, recently presented the results of his work aimed at therapeutic targeting the fusion gene that is responsible for the development of Ewing’s sarcoma. Drug development like this will hopefully one day lead to more specific, less toxic treatments for cancers. Thanks to Elizabeth from Survived 2 B Alive for posting about this.

General Medicine
Ramona quilts. Ramona blogs. Ramona does surgery. When she’s done with her surgery, her patients have wounds that need care. Ramona posted an excellent piece about wound care.

What do doctors do? Among other things, doctors prescribe medicines. As health care costs continue to rise, more and more people are looking to use generic medications to cut costs. But are generics and brand name drugs equivalent? Although their active ingredients are the same, there may be important differences between them. Dr. Val, from Revolution Health, discusses these differences here and here.

What else do doctors do? They provide emotional support. Some of us provide end of life care. These two things are tightly connected, as palliative and end-of-life care are emotionally charged endeavors. Doctors are human, so they are not immune to these emotions. Dr. Christian Sinclair, over at Pallimed, addresses the issues surrounding a doctor showing emotion when patients do poorly in this excellent post.

Speaking of health care costs, Kevin Pho, of Kevin, MD, created quite a stir with this Op-Ed piece in USA Today discussing the contribution of “defensive medicine” to the rising cost of health care. Check it out, so you’re not the last person to read it!

Humor and Humanism in Medicine
Paul Levy is the CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. His blog contains this excellent piece about cultural differences and their impact on medical care delivery.

In addition to humanism, the medical blogosphere contains an abundance of humor. Sometimes, patients say and do pretty funny things. Often on purpose! Check out these “quotes of the week” from a Highly Trained Monkey (a close second in the race for best blog title). Sometimes the humor is a coping mechanism, as in this comment shared by #1 Dinosaur from one of his mastectomy patients, who clearly has a strong self-image.

And finally, bridging the gap between comedy and medicine… well… nothing I could say would do this justice. So I’ll let Seinfeld and his friends do all the talking. Thanks for sharing, Dr. Anonymous!

Recent Posts from Great Medical Blogs

Since I started this blog last June, I’ve come across a number of incredible medical blogs written by patients, medical students, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. My "Blogs of Interest" lists only a fraction of the high quality medical blogs out there.

Here are a few of the many engaging entries recently posted in the medical blogosphere:

General Medicine:
Dr Rob of the excellent medical blog, Musings of a Distractible Mind, writes an informative ‘patient handout’ on the Common Myths About Infections and Antibiotics.

On Medical School:
Ben Ferguson humorously discusses the differences between graduate school and medical school on Medscape. Ben also maintains /weblog.

Oncology:
Dr. Bates from Suture for a Living discusses Silicone Breast Implants and Health Issues (including breast implants and cancer)

Elizabeth writes a short history of Sarcoma in the 19th century on Survived 2B Alive.

In her moving entry entitled “Wonder”, Onc RN, an oncology nurse, writes about how she copes with the deaths of two of her patients while on vacation.

Cancer Prevention and Supplements:
Kathy Shattler at Red Scrubs breaks down some recent research on supplemental vitamins and whether or not they decrease cancer risks.

Dr. Benabio also discusses supplemental vitamins in The Dermatology Blog but focuses his discussion on antioxidants in ‘Cancer Myths Debunked: Antioxidants Protect You From Cancer’. This post in particular has generated a lot of rather lively debate so far.

In fact, I think that it's probably worthwhile to read this fact sheet from the National Cancer Institute about antioxidants.

Rants: General Medicine, Healthcare Policy, and Hospital Administrations
In commemoration of National Eating Disorder Week, Kris of CrazySexyCancer writes two posts (called ‘The Scale’ Part 1 and Part 2) on her own battle with eating disorders pre and post cancer. It is entertaining, personal, and a worthwhile read.

The popular press has been full of renewed discussion this week about a supposed link between autism and vaccines (for the record, there is no such link). This post on Over My Med Body does a great job of demonstrating how correlation does not equal causation. Indeed, as pointed out here, diagnosis of autism is on the rise as the use of thimerosal (the preservative accused of causing the disorder) is declining.

But I digress…

Although originally intended to protect the rights of patients, HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) has caused more problems than it has solved. And, according to Dr. Wes, some disability insurance companies have rendered it “Worthless.”

And finally, a fabulous ER nurse writes about how administrative pressures to provide “good customer service” often result in the delivery of poor patient care. She does a great job pointing out that good care (a skilled nurse who is not overburdened) is far more important than a warm blanket and a TV.