As discussed here and elsewhere, the big medical-related news last week was California's new end-of-life law. After the law was signed, Karl Lorenz, MD, a professor of …
Month: October 2015
Close-up look at mutinous mutant molecule implicated in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
The healthy human heart is a hard-working muscle: Beating just over 100,000 beats per day, it pumps five quarts of blood per minute - enough …
Why are so many lives affected by cancer?
I’m a regular reader of The New York Times obituaries. I don’t read them because I’m a morbid person; rather, the obituaries offer me a …
Higher blood sugar in pregnancy tied to heart defects in baby, even if mom isn’t diabetic
For many years, doctors have known that women who had diabetes during pregnancy faced an increased risk of giving birth to a baby with a …
Experts and 8-year-olds agree: It’s worth getting a flu shot
If you're around my young daughters these days and happen to mention the flu shot, you're likely to get an earful. "We got ours too …
Survey of e-patients offers insights on patient engagement and access to health care
People who seek out medical information and want to have a more active role in their health care are increasingly becoming the norm. To learn …
Stanford Neuroscience Institute’s annual symposium captured on Storify
When I talked to William Newsome, MD, PhD, director of the Stanford Neurosciences Institute, about its annual symposium last week, he told me one of the …
Diagnostic errors: “A complex problem that requires a many-pronged, multi-level attack”
A landmark Institute of Medicine report released last last month showed that despite dramatic improvements in patient safety over the last 15 years, diagnostic errors have been …
Anna Deavere Smith explores “crossing the line” of being sick and dying
The New York Times has written that Anna Deavere Smith, playwright, actress and professor, is the “ultimate impressionist. She does people’s souls.” It was Jonathan King’s …
Stanford Medicine magazine tells why a healthy childhood matters
I've forgotten most of my childhood experiences - which is perfectly normal. But apparently my body remembers many of those experiences - and I learned …
At first-ever Stanford Medicine 25 Symposium, a focus on bedside medicine and a call for community
On his first day as an attending physician at Stanford, Abraham Verghese, MD, noticed something unusual. “I was struck by the fact that the house …
Does medical school unfairly glamorize the medical profession?
Stanford Medicine Unplugged (formerly SMS Unplugged) is a forum for students to chronicle their experiences in medical school. The student-penned entries appear on Scope once a …
Stanford bioethicist weighs in on California’s new end-of-life law
Earlier this week, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the controversial "End of Life Option Act," which will take effect in 2016 and allow medically assisted …
A reminder to parents to be careful of open windows
Preventing falls from windows may not be something that's on the mind of every parent - especially this time of year. But as the Indian summer continues here in …
Can cute cat texts motivate patients to take their medication?
The right kind of motivation is key when you have a difficult or mundane task at hand. For example, when I wanted to learn Spanish, …
Pharmaceutical adventures in India
In the course of a recent trip to India, I developed some minor health problems and found myself doing what many locals do: consulting with …