Sep 23 2024

Blind Spots by Marty Makary

Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong and What It Means for Our Health

One of my favorite books in the past half decade is also by Dr. Makary, The Price We Pay, which was about how the healthcare system, especially hospitals, drives up prices and often bankrupts the patients. While that is still an issue, some policies and laws have been updated in an effort to stop fleecing the public. Clearly, Makary wants to shine his light on problems in healthcare, and propose positive changes.

Now, in Blind Spots, the author takes on fellow doctors, medical schools, academia, government, and especially professional publications. Why? Because medical dogma can make patients miserable or dead. Each chapter of this important, well-written, and well-researched book takes on various aspects of healthcare that got it wrong in the past or still gets it wrong. The author discusses why fearful pediatricians caused the peanut allergy problem in the United States, why fearful gynecologists quit prescribing hormone replacement therapy for many women, why some cardiologists still believe that eating cholesterol causes higher blood cholesterol (it doesn’t) and why so many babies were harmed or killed by accepted and bad practices in what he terms “the white coat era” of neonatal care. That chapter was hard to read. Really! Starving infants, blinded infants, tortured infants. I almost didn’t make it to the stories of doctors who intervened.

In addition to other dogmas, the author also takes on the problem of funding. I’ve known for quite some time that one reason chemo is the standard treatment for so many cancers is that other treatments fail to be funded, either by the government or by big pharma. That is just one small problem in the healthcare system, because doctors and researchers who do not adhere to accepted doctrine have their papers rejected, they lose their funding, their jobs, and in one state, their medical license. Apparently, censorship is costing a lot of money and a lot of lives.

Makary’s focus on these Blind Spots, with examples from the past as well as the present, is an attempt to get patients to ask more questions and for researchers to be more honest, rather than manipulating data to confirm previous bias. He has taken on a huge industry, but the stakes are very high. Your own life might well depend upon whether or not the doctor in the ER is up to speed on what really works and what is just protocol.

May 28 2024

Sand Dune Pony— a retro review

Sand Dune Pony, by Troy Nesbit was one of my “annual reads” when I was a kid. The reader must suspend disbelief rather a lot, but I re-read it recently, and I still enjoyed it. Yes, there was a bit of nostalgia for me, but the story is fun.

When I perused a few reviews on Goodreads, I saw that some folks had the same affection for this little yarn that I have, while others took a modern view and were either skeptical or horrified. The plot, which is nothing like the AI garbage on big A’s site, is simple: A youngster named Pete has come to spend the summer at his uncle’s large ranch in Colorado. Pete had been looking forward to having his own horse for the summer, along with the promise of learning how to be a real cowpoke. However, his Uncle Lem and Aunt Clara lost their barn to a fire, so Lem has had to sell off almost all of his horses to cover the cost of replacing it. Pete is stuck doing chores and watching one of Lem’s hands try to break a stubborn horse, because there is no horse available for him to ride.

Kids have shorter attention spans, so Nesbit’s narrative moves swiftly. A new character, Hatsy, enters the picture in the second chapter, and the older gentleman takes an interest in Pete and his situation. Hatsy offers to take Pete along on a fishing trip, which Lem and Clara agree to, but the goal is not just catching fish. No, Hatsy has in mind catching a horse for Pete. No spoilers, but there’s a mystery interwoven with the finding a horse for Pete plot, and there is enough suspense to keep the pages turning.

Being somewhat chronologically gifted myself, I know that kids were not nearly as sheltered in the era of this tale as kids are today. Probably not many parents would allow an underage child do most of the things that happen in this book in the time it was written, and certainly not modern parents. No, today, Pete would have to play video games on an iPad and wait for Uber eats to deliver, instead of camping beside an old-fashioned covered wagon, eating canned corned beef warmed over a fire, while planning to capture a wild horse with a septagenarian mentor. Fortunately for the reader (and Pete) things were different in back then, and there are many details about the West, horses, and people sprinkled into the story. In short, this is an adventure, and safety isn’t much of a consideration.

Parents or grandparents could read this one aloud to younger kids, or just hand it to a third (or later) grade student. There’s a Kindle version available on big A’s website, for that kid who has a tablet instead of a horse. My daughter bought me a copy off of eBay, as a gift, when we were talking about books that we had enjoyed as children.

Honestly, I was amazed that the one I got looked so good, considering the 1952 copyright. Whitman Publishing books were inexpensive items for kids, so the quality of the binding and pages lacks that heirloom feel! While the cover looks good, the pages are darkened with age and crumble on the edges if the reader isn’t careful. This is an old book! There are several cover art versions, but I chose to display the cover on the book I lost decades ago, rather than the one I received.

Apr 3 2024

When All Bleeding Stops—a brief review

All Bleeding Stops is a mostly autobiographical book written by an experienced trauma surgeon, Stephen M. Cohn. During the course of the book, the reader learns how a trauma surgeon differs from other surgeons, how being a military doctor influenced the author, and quite a bit about the different ways that people end up in an emergency room. Chapter titles include “What Exactly is a Trauma Surgeon” and “Dealing with the Worst Injuries” which are the main focus of the book, but the author also has chapters on “Preventing Injuries” and “Managing the Public” which includes the author being involved in a high profile case.

I chose this title, in part, due to a mishap wherein I ended up in an ER and had orthopedic surgery. As Dr. Cohn says, patients choose elective surgeons and develop a bit of a relationship prior to their procedure, but in an emergency, whoever is on call becomes the doctor. I certainly didn’t choose the guy who rebuilt my shoulder, as I certainly didn’t plan to break it into four pieces! Anyway, I identified with some of the patients described in this book.

While I’d like to say this is a five star read, the not-so-linear organization takes it down a notch for me. That said, I really enjoyed this book, as it provides many anecdotal stories about trauma surgery, not only those performed by the author, but also those he heard about from colleagues. Many of the cases described survive, but there are those who don’t make it, and there is a certain dispassionate tone in this narrative. That’s not intended as criticism, but an acknowledgement that doctors who deal with trauma must maintain some distance in order to remain sane.

Again, I enjoyed reading this book, and for those who want to know more about how lives are saved and people put back together after terrible trauma, this book is quite enlightening.

Apr 17 2023

Body Suit by Suzanne Hagelin

Titles are important, as is the case with this trilogy opening novel’s title, but I almost didn’t read this one. Body Suit? Sounds like a fashion mistake from my youth. Once I began, the narrative style didn’t grab me from the outset, as the point-of-view characters switched back and forth between a soon to be indentured servant/colonist and a rather prissy seller of space suits. Hold on, y’all, because it gets better! Or maybe the author’s style grew on me. Anyway, the switching back and forth continues as the two-fold adventure develops, but each character fleshes out so well that I genuinely enjoyed each character’s time as POV.

The purchaser of the body suit, Silvariah Frandelle, initially travels to a space station called Guam, where she learns both how to navigate being a servant (called a Contractor in the book) and how to use the fancy body suit of the title, and then to Mars, as a miner at the new Resnik colonial facility. Back on Earth Walter Cuevas, who sold the suit for far less than its MSRP in exchange for some tips on how the suit performs, learns to act on the suggestions that the business savvy Sil Frandelle communicates to him. His fortunes grow by leaps and bounds as Sil helps him get lucrative advertising deals, then offers tips on which stocks to purchase based on her observations while in space.

Both Sil and Walter must deal with Artificial Intelligence entities, too. Sil is introduced to the Companion while on Guam, and the AI is also present with her on Mars. The Companion is really her Taskmaster, but the programmers chose a more benevolent title for the AI, as its job is multifunctional, assessing (or perhaps spying on) her, while also directing her industrial activities on behalf of those who own her contract. Walter, as he grows more wealthy entrusts Daisy, a personal assistant AI who is styled as a young female human, to assist him in his business matters as well as being a loyal and undemanding companion, unlike his ex-wife. But, like any program, even a personal assistant can be hacked….

There are almost too many minor characters to keep straight, quite a bit of action, and sufficient suspense to keep the reader swiping the pages. Sil’s stay on Mars only starts out boring. The plot moves along quite well, actually. I really liked this story, once I got into it, and I am tempted to buy the rest of the trilogy, although the book stands alone well-enough.

Body Suit is science fiction, obviously, but in the manner of great sci-fi, because it delves into some really controversial aspects of the role of artificial intelligence in society. As programs such as Chat-GPT are growing in popularity, the moral questions broached in this novel are timely. Without spoiling the suspense with specifics, the novel also touches on how eugenics might change society, too. But, more than that, there are some interesting word choices in this novel, which let the reader know that some thought went into this one! I highly recommend it.

Jul 23 2022

Why Medicare Advantage Plans are Bad by David W. Bynon

Right after my last post, I was injured, quite badly, in a fall. While I had read the title above, hubby had convinced me that Medicare Advantage was the way to go, because “we are healthy.” And, I was, until I broke my shoulder and damaged the nerves which traverse the Brachial Plexus. Within a month of my fall, I tested Medicare Advantage and soon found that I wish I had opted for traditional Medicare.

In Why Medicare Advantage Plans are Bad the author begins by explaining Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Even the name sounds good, right? They call it Medicare Advantage because there are certain perks, which vary depending on which insurance company provides coverage. For instance, mine has vision benefits, which I have used, and gym benefits, which I have not. This book also has a chapter explaining why the government actually prefers that people choose Medicare Advantage.

For those about to reach the age to file, this book, especially the opening chapters, would be most helpful. Also very helpful now (although I wasn’t concerned prior to my accident) is the 6th Chapter, which explains the downside of Medicare Advantage plans for those with chronic illness. The answer is quite simple: co-pays. As a holder of Medicare Advantage, I have to pay $25 (or more) every time I visit a healthcare facility. Right now I am seeing multiple therapists every week. Some days I pay $25 to the hand therapist, then walk to another therapist in the same complex and pay $25 again. Then I do it again a couple of days later. Medicare requires that medically necessary therapy be covered for unlimited visits. Medicare would not require those co-pays, however.

Perhaps I will get “better” although I have pretty much given up on being “well.” But, with multiple providers for everything from therapy to tests, this journey will be expensive. I wish I had read Bynon’s book before I signed up for Medicare Advantage. And, although I read this book, I probably wouldn’t have reviewed it if I had not become a victim of what a nurse in the ER described as a “life changing” event. I started out quite healthy, but that can change, and quickly.

For those who are just going down this path, this book is certainly worth reading.

Dec 28 2019

Want a book? Check eBay before you check out!

My daughter and I have been using eBay as our “go to” bookstore lately. As an eBay seller, I’ll assure you that the fees are far less when selling used items, including books, on eBay. When selling via the big A marketplace, the fees start at about $4, and go up incrementally. Obviously, selling anything other than textbooks or other high end items on the big A marketplace is not worthwhile. However, eBay’s current fee structure is 12% for books, which means sellers can offer better prices to customers. Also, big A has a flat fee of $3.99 to ship a book, unless the seller offers “free” shipping. As USPS offers “media mail” rates for smaller books, the shipping can be cheaper via eBay. Win-win, right?

Here’s an example of a book that I have placed on the marketplace for a client; basically big A gets $6 of the $17 price:

The fee for that book on eBay would be $2.04. The difference between selling via eBay vs big A is 23%, which is about $4 on a book that costs $17.

Let’s say you’re a bottom feeder looking for a deal. Here’s what happens with a $5.50 book listed via the big A marketplace:

The sale price is $5.50 and the fee for selling it via the marketplace is $4.21, which means the seller gets $1.29. Not many sellers will opt for such a small amount, which is bound to drive up the prices of used mass market paperbacks and/or popular hardcovers. By the way, as of this post, this same book is available for $3.34 on eBay, while the lowest possible price on big A is $4.75. Clearly, bottom feeders need to go to eBay for book purchases. And, while there, check out all the other goods available, from electronics, to clothing, to collectibles— often at better prices than you’ll find anywhere other than the neighborhood yard sale.

One reason buyers flock to big A is the user reviews. Unfortunately, those reviews are not particularly reliable. Big A is purported to fighting this issue, whether banning reviews by customers who have not purchased the item being reviewed, or attempting to control “paid” reviewers. Lately, the issue with reviews on big A is a problem with “hijacked” reviews, where in a product’s reviews are actually for a different product. Certainly, if you must read those reviews, really read them, and don’t be fooled by the number of stars highlighted. All in all, while there may be more variety available on big A, the prices are probably better on eBay.

As a matter of full disclosure, I sell on both big A and eBay. My eBay store is here:

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Visions and Revisions

A Blog by Author Pamela J. Dodd

Category Amazon