Second Opinion

2022 End of Year Recap 31.12.2022 4:59 ↓

A look at some of the topics we covered throughout the past year.

“We got it all” 25.12.2022 4:32 ↓

These four words may not mean the same thing to all people

Putting technology ahead of the evidence 18.12.2022 4:49 ↓

Too often the use of expensive and risky technologies catch on before we have good data suggesting benefit.

Injustice Disorder 11.12.2022 4:41 ↓

When a person is a victim of systemic injustice does that constitute a medical diagnosis?

Insulin production in California 04.12.2022 5:00 ↓

The state of California is about to take on pharmaceutical companies by producing safe, effective, FDA approved insulin.

Time for a new approach to Alzheimer’s Disease 27.11.2022 4:56 ↓

For over 100 years we’ve had a similar approach to understanding Alzheimer’s disease which hasn’t produced many benefits. Perhaps it’s time to cast the net more broadly?

The Limits of Specialty Care 20.11.2022 4:24 ↓

In medical care job specifications are often blurred and a focus on the person can get lost

Microplastics and human health 13.11.2022 4:48 ↓

Until we know more, it makes sense to avoid microplastics as much as possible

Monitoring poor air quality 06.11.2022 4:24 ↓

Using participatory science to examine local air quality.

The Care Cascade 30.10.2022 4:57 ↓

Unnecessary medical testing often leads to a “care cascade” that results in real harm and sky-high costs.

The problems with body mass index (BMI) 23.10.2022 4:52 ↓

Often medicine gets hooked on using simple tools of measurement only to discover, after they have become entrenched, that they don’t measure what they are supposed to measure. 

Code Lavender 16.10.2022 4:31 ↓

A unique way to focus on reducing stress in moments of great need.

Reproductive Coercion 09.10.2022 4:37 ↓

Often reproductive autonomy is undermined by our partners.

Medical Waste 02.10.2022 4:31 ↓

Big polluters are not just cars and power plants - they include the American health care system.

Recommendations to screen for anxiety in adults 25.09.2022 5:00 ↓

When we screen for any disease, we need to make sure acceptable treatments are available.

The move toward remote home monitoring 18.09.2022 4:56 ↓

Remote monitoring devices are now capable of tracking our health behaviors including the pills we consume, the food we eat, and the step we take.  Is this an advance in health care?

Abortion: States vs the Federal government 11.09.2022 4:54 ↓

Nationally, emergency departments have become the latest battle ground around issues related to abortion.

The health benefits of Camellia Sinensis (black tea) 04.09.2022 4:16 ↓

A very large preliminary study suggests that there may be some health benefits to regularly drinking black tea.

The link between soil and health 28.08.2022 4:59 ↓

Soil is something that often gets ignored as we think broadly about health.

Variations in the consumption of dairy products 21.08.2022 4:59 ↓

It turns out that even what we chose for breakfast can have a biological origin.

Limitations of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 14.08.2022 4:48 ↓

The new legislation offers some major successes, but with regard to drug pricing it is not close to what it could have been.

Informing relatives of genetic risks 07.08.2022 4:44 ↓

We currently have no good communication systems to assure that those at risk for serious inherited diseases are informed of their risk.

Anti-depressants needs a major “rethink” 31.07.2022 4:49 ↓

It turns out that much of what we’ve been told about antidepressants is wrong or misleading.  The prevailing thinking has led to huge sales with little evidence of effectiveness.

Video recording surgical operations 24.07.2022 4:59 ↓

Video recordings in the OR have a chance to improve quality but they also open a can of worms.

Wild and domestic pigs 17.07.2022 5:28 ↓

With changes in domestic pig farming we may solve one problem of inhuman care, but risk another problem by exposing pigs to diseases that can impact our health.