The most notable way the U.S. differs from other industrialized countries is the absence of universal health insurance coverage – Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 2014 Update: How the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally, the Commonwealth Fund, executive summary This summer I took my 11-year-old twins to England to visit family and we ended …
Yearly Archives: 2014
An American doctor experiences an NHS emergency room
You know it’s going to be one of those days when one of the first tweets on vacation inquires about the closest hospital. Victor, one of my 11-year-olds, had something in his eye courtesy of a big gust of wind outside of Westminster Abby. He was complaining enough to let me flip his eyelid and …
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An OB/GYN reviews Obvious Child, the movie
On Saturday I went with my boyfriend and his teenage son to see Obvious Child, (written and directed by Gillian Robespierre and staring Jenny Slate). The movie is billed as an abortion romantic comedy. I think a better descriptor is a pretty-close-to-real-life romantic comedy. In fact, Ms. Slate’s performance and many of the scenes were …
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An OB/GYN’s opinion on the Supreme Court, Hobby Lobby, and contraception
The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, sided with Hobby Lobby (and much of the religious right in the United States) and ruled that a closely held private corporation does not have to provide insurance coverage for certain birth control methods. Justice Alito, speaking for the majority wrote: “The owners of the businesses have religious objections …
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Emu oil, schmaltz is the new cure for everything!
Emu oil is making the rounds (again) as a cure for just about everything. Those who sell it bolster their claims with technical sounding but medically imprecise terms such as “anti-inflammatory properties” and “natural healing” (what is unnatural healing?). Even the New York Times has been in on the emu oil action with an article that …
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Your bra is not killing you
The myth that bras cause breast cancer is apparently coming ‘round the barn again. The latest scare-you-out-of-your-brassiere “article” claims there are “five research studies” that show a strong correlation between bra wearing and breast cancer. Well, that certainly sounds all scientific. Why the bra hullaballoo? A couple of anthropologists wrote a whole book about their incorrect …
The best Pi of all. The lessons of Frieda-Pi
Today on Pi day, March 14, in addition to celebrating the mathematical Pi and pies my family also celebrates the 15th (approximately) birthday of our marvelous dog Frieda-Pi, so named because she looked like a Frieda and because she is missing most of one of her back legs. Including her stump she has 3.14 legs. …
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The effect of texting on Mario Kart performance, new study
Hypothesis: Distracted driving from performing other tasks in the car is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents. Does distracted driving from texting similarly affect Mario Kart performance? Methods: Nine subjects willing to play Mario Kart and text in exchange for taco night were recruited from a pool of young adults, children, and two parents …
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Dr. Jen Gunter 