"It ain't what you don't know that hurts you; it's what you know that ain't so."
-- Will Rogers
This week's issue of the British Medical Journal has a fun article analyzing seven popular medical myths that even some physicians believe. The article was covered in the popular press including in this
More
May Your Days Be Merry and Bright
... not dark and SAD.
This week I have two quick important points about mood disorders.
First, this Saturday is the winter solstice which is the first day of winter and the day of the year with the shortest daylight. (It's also my wedding anniversary. One of you please remind me on Friday!) Every year in late fall or early winter some people develop increased appetite, sadness, excessive sleepiness and social withdrawal. These are some of the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD)...
More
Maybe We Shouldn’t Lose Sleep Over Insomnia
Insomnia is a very common problem, and sometimes a very frustrating and persistent one. But what if our expectations of an uninterrupted 7 or 8 hours of sleep is unrealistic? What if a night of sleep for 4 hours, wakefulness for an hour or two, and then more sleep for 3 hours is how most of humanity slept before artificial lighting?
In a provocative article last year in Applied Neurology, Dr. Walter Br...
More
Taking Blood Pressure Seriously
I've written many times about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the most unbiased and authoritative group that reviews the literature on preventive healthcare.
Their latest recommendation is not surprising; it's just a good reminder. This week's Annals of Internal Medicine has a USPSTF recommendation statement ...
More