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 …
Continue reading “An OB/GYN’s opinion on the Supreme Court, Hobby Lobby, and contraception”
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 …
Continue reading “Emu oil, schmaltz is the new cure for everything!”
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 …
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. …
Continue reading “The best Pi of all. The lessons of Frieda-Pi”
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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First of all, it is important to understand that there are no studies telling us exactly how to use gentian violet in the vagina. The information below is extracted from a variety of sources and should be considered a “best guess” based on bench research, some clinical experience, anecdotal reports from patients, an assorted collection …
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I hear it over and over again… From a nurse, “She can’t have providine prep, she has a shellfish allergy.” From the patient, “I can’t have the contrast because I’m allergic to iodine and shellfish.” The list of allergies placed in the chart by a doctor, “Radiocontrast. Iodine. Shellfish.” It’s not the fault of the …
Continue reading “Shellfish, iodine, and radiocontrast allergies: medical mythbusters”
The coat hanger isn’t sterile. It isn’t even clean. If the woman, or girl, is alone she thrusts it blindly upwards into the vagina. She’s hoping it will get into her uterus and do something. She may or may not know that to get into the uterus the coat hanger has to navigate the small …
Henry Morgentaler died this week. He was the man who almost single handedly brought down the Canadian abortion law. Sickened by what was happening in filthy, clandestine clinics he began doing safe, albeit illegal, procedures in his office. He was arrested but always maintained that a jury would never find him guilty. And he was …
“Tell me about grandpa and World War 1,” I asked my dad. “Well, he didn’t talk about it much,” he replied. “He said it was hell. He was in France, for three years I think, first in the cavalry and then he was a sniper. I believe he was quite a good shot.” And so …
Dr. Jen Gunter 