“Let’s see what we’ve got here. The chart says that you don’t like your ears. Are they too large, too small, lopsided, what can I do for you?” “It’s my earlobes. I’ve always hated them. They’re just too big.” “Let me take a look. They don’t look that bad. I’ve certainly seen bigger. Now that…

We received a very remarkable phone message the other day from the local library, informing us that a book that I had checked out had been returned by United Airlines. Apparently, I had left the book on the plane, and some kind souls at the airline had taken the following series of unlikely steps: 1)…

Health care rationing for family pets has struck me as an interesting contrast to the emotional and unsolvable issue of health care rationing for humans.  Pet owners routinely make budgetary decisions on when to put a pet down, or how aggressively to treat a chronic disease.  Veterinarians typically required up front payment for pet surgery, concerned that owners will…

Tonight we turn our clocks back, and the general consensus is that everyone should enjoy an extra hour of sleep.  While true when I was in college, it hasn’t quite been the blessing ever since.  When I was in medical school we would scan the “on call” schedule and pray that it was not our…

My friend Marion gave me a little news article about harnessing the power of the dog’s extraordinary nose.  We are all familiar with dogs that can sniff out bombs, cocaine and other contraband, but now there is a dog that can smell colon cancer in a human stool – and according to this article, the dog…

Yesterday I saw an ad for Purina dog food that touted a “landmark” study claiming that Purina Dog Chow “extended dogs’ healthy life by 2 years.”  The word landmark  caught my eye since this term is well known in human medical research, generally reserved for a kick-ass randomized study trial reporting unassailable proof that immediately changes…