General Medicine

Intelligent Medicine Radio for January 21, Part 1: Will your next doctor be a robot?
January 23, 2023
The reason vitamin D trials sometimes come up short; Pros and cons of “blood flow restriction training”; Can supplements help reduce dependency on asthma meds? UK health officials urge statins for all adults after heart attacks and strokes surge during Covid; New JAMA study highlights myocarditis risk for young male vaccine recipients; Health administrators salaries soar as physician earnings stagnate; AI-assisted computers ace medical licensing exam—will your next doctor be a robot? Click HERE for part 2. Click HERE for articles and resources relating to this podcast episode.

ENCORE: Intelligent Medicine Radio for December 31, Part 2: The Benefits of Tea
January 2, 2023
The many benefits of drinking tea; Convict poses as doctor on dating sites, scams 30 women; Should we still bother taking calcium supplements? Omega 3s preserve telomere length, fight aging; The doctor will see you now—after 28 days of waiting; Surgeons say stop all supplements before an operation—REALLY?? Can chiropractic adjustments bolster the immune system? Click HERE for part 1. Click HERE for articles and resources relating to this podcast episode.

ENCORE: The Latest Threat to the Doctor/Patient Relationship, Part 1
November 3, 2022
"Big Brother in the Exam Room: The Dangerous Truth about Electronic Medical Records," by Twila Brase, RN, PHN, President and Co-Founder of Citizens for Health Freedom (www.cchfreedom.org). She describes the latest threat to the doctor/patient relationship. While seeming to improve efficiency, Brase asserts that electronic medical records are actually a means of insurance company and government control. The records are insecure, decidedly not confidential, widely shared, and subject to hacks. They’re burdensome, time-consuming, and a major reason for physician burnout. They change the nature of the doctor/patient encounter, with physicians spending more time peering into a screen and less time making eye contact with patients. Brase discusses alternatives, and how medical care can be made more affordable and more efficient without reliance on an ever-growing cadre of benefit managers and government bureaucrats. Click HERE for part 2.

ENCORE: The Latest Threat to the Doctor/Patient Relationship, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Twila Brase, RN, PHN, President and Co-Founder of Citizens for Health Freedom (www.cchfreedom.org). Click HERE for part 1.

Navigating the US Healthcare System, Part 1
October 25, 2022
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.

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.

Intelligent Medicine Radio for October 15, Part 2: Long Covid Breakthrough?
October 17, 2022
Colonoscopy screening underperforms in first-of-its-kind evaluation; Why blood pressure, blood sugars sometimes soar on awakening; Could nattokinase deliver a breakthrough for Long Covid sufferers? Eat meals together to lessen stress, improve nutrition; Review highlights problems with off-brand curcumin/turmeric products offered on Amazon; World’s oldest doctor works weekdays 9-6, has no retirement plans—at 100! Click HERE for part 1. Click HERE for articles and resources relating to this podcast episode.

Intelligent Medicine Radio for September 3, Part 1: Constipation Cure
September 5, 2022
California moves to penalize doctors for “misinformation”; New Omicron vaccine faces headwinds this fall; Vibrating capsule approved by FDA as constipation cure; Leg tattoo fells Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman; Simple fix for knee osteoarthritis—lose weight! Latest emotional support animal is an alligator; Vitamin IVs for Covid (but easy on the folic acid!); Natural support for gastritis and dry mouth. Click HERE for part 2. Click HERE for articles and resources relating to this podcast episode.

ENCORE: Q&A with Leyla, Part 1: Modern Medicine
August 17, 2022
Is modern medicine overrated?; I have osteopenia and shattered my tibia requiring a plate and screws. Am I good candidate for strontium?; About contrast dyes for MRI: Is it more likely to DIE from the DYE or to DIE from a misdiagnosis because we refused the DYE? Click HERE for part 2.

ENCORE: Medical Errors and How to Minimize Them, Part 1
August 16, 2022
Dr. Danielle Ofri, author of "When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error," discusses how mistakes occur—and what steps are being taken to minimize them. Medical errors were once estimated to account for nearly 100,000 deaths per year, the third leading cause of death, tantamount to the toll of a fully-loaded jumbo jet crashing every single day. But is it really that clear cut? Can checklists minimize mistakes? How might elaborate “failsafe” electronic medical records actually contribute to the stress and overwork that leads health professionals to err? Can artificial intelligence systems come to the rescue? Why our current malpractice system is an inefficient deterrent. Dr. Ofri is also author of a just-released article in the New Yorker entitled “A Bellevue Doctor’s Pandemic Diary." Click HERE for part 2.