General Medicine

ENCORE: Navigating the US Healthcare System, Part 1
August 20, 2024
When a health concern arises, the worry is two-fold: first, about the condition itself, and second, how to effectively access proper treatment and care. Even when you know a great deal about how the system works, navigating the US healthcare system is fraught with difficulty and heartache. The ride through a complicated, fractured, confusing, and dehumanizing healthcare system can be maddening. Medical consumer advocate Joyce Griggs is the developer of www.unitedstatesofhealthcare.com, a resource for patients and their families. We discuss how best to prepare for a doctor’s visit, how to make sure all members of your medical team are on the same page, and how to advocate for yourself. For example, it’s important to take advantage of new transparency laws to price out your healthcare. What to do when hit with insurance denials and sticker shock at the pharmacist? What about the pluses and minuses of telemedicine? Why it can be important to bring someone with you to critical doctors’ visits and to advocate for you during a medical crisis. Joyce shares her own experience dealing with the healthcare system on behalf of a sick relative which prompted her to share lessons she learned with the public. Click HERE for part 2.

ENCORE: Navigating the US Healthcare System, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with medical consumer advocate Joyce Griggs, the developer of www.unitedstatesofhealthcare.com. Click HERE for part 1.

ENCORE: A New Way of Understanding Patients With a Wide Array of Elusive Symptoms, Part 1
April 30, 2024
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a diagnosis that offers a new way of understanding patients with a wide array of elusive symptoms, resistant to conventional therapy. Dr. Tania Dempsey, an expert in dealing with complex diseases, has performed extensive research in collaboration with Dr. Lawrence Afrin, author of "Never Bet Against Occam: Mast Cell Activation Disease and the Modern Epidemics of Chronic Illness and Medical Complexity." Dr. Dempsey explains the many manifestations of MCAS, which go beyond mere classical allergies, including headaches, psychiatric symptoms, gastrointestinal problems, and even gynecological and urological complaints. Certain medications can help treat it, along with diet and natural supplements like quercetin, DAO, and luteolin. Triggers may include mold, environmental toxins, stress, and tick-borne infections. There’s even speculation that MCAS may be responsible for some of the symptoms of Long Covid. Click HERE for part 2.

ENCORE: A New Way of Understanding Patients With a Wide Array of Elusive Symptoms, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Tania Dempsey, an expert in dealing with complex diseases, about Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). Click HERE for part 1.

ENCORE: Q&A with Leyla, Part 1: Liver Pain
December 27, 2023
What doctors wish patients knew about dietary supplements...according to the American Medical Association; I feel pain in my liver although my liver enzymes are normal. Should I get a biopsy?; I'm on blood thinners and have a peptic ulcer. Can I take turmeric, fish oil, and collagen?; I think I have nerve damage from a recent blood draw gone awry. Is it permanent? Any intervention you would advise? Click HERE for part 2.

Saving the Art of Medicine with Dr. Allen Sussman, Part 1
December 14, 2023
Medicine is rushing full throttle into the technological and informational age. CAT scans and MRIs have become commonplace, and limb prosthetics have been developed that can be controlled by the mind. Artificial intelligence is assisting doctors in various areas, from clinical diagnosis to surgery. In many ways, the role of the doctor seems to be shrinking. Dr. Allen Sussman, author of "Saving the Art of Medicine: Observations of a Practitioner," argues that medicine should be more than just the treatment of a diseased or broken body part. Rather, physicians must respect the complex interrelationships of mind, body, and spirit, seeking always to connect the part to the whole. Click HERE for part 2.

Saving the Art of Medicine with Dr. Allen Sussman, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Allen Sussman, author of "Saving the Art of Medicine: Observations of a Practitioner." Click HERE for part 1.

Restoring the Patient Focus in our Healthcare System, Part 1
September 19, 2023
Inspired by witnessing and experiencing the changes in healthcare and its delivery system over the past five decades, Dr. Henry Buchwald, author of "Healthcare Upside Down: A Critical Examination of Policy and Practice," comments on the current state of healthcare in the United States. It appears that healthcare has been turned upside down to serve the administrators of the system and away from its basic function of offering the best care for patients. He details ways we can turn the current healthcare system right-side up to serve those who should be the ultimate beneficiaries – all of us as patients. Click HERE for part 2.

Restoring the Patient Focus in our Healthcare System, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Henry Buchwald, author of "Healthcare Upside Down: A Critical Examination of Policy and Practice." Click HERE for part 1.

What’s wrong with the American healthcare system? Part 1
August 31, 2023
What’s wrong with the American healthcare system? We had one of the world’s worst fatality rates with Covid and we trail most advanced countries in life expectancy. At the same time, we spend way more per capita on medical treatments. Matthew Rees, founder of Food and Health Facts, offers his incisive views on how to improve our nation’s health: we need more education, for the public and for health professionals; perverse incentives like subsidies for poor quality food need to be eliminated; and certain forms of food advertising to impressionable kids should be prohibited . Rees addresses the limitations of newly-popularized weight loss drugs. He discusses why health disparities are widening among Americans. And he offers lessons from the pandemic. Overall, his message is that we need to apply the same precision to prevention that we currently leverage toward development of pricey high-tech medical breakthroughs. Click HERE for part 2.