As a radiologist, being the butt of jokes in the doctor’s lounge about light sensitivity and the risk of developing decubitus ulcers is par for the course. The “banker’s hours” jokes have fallen off since the advent of 24-hour radiology service, but as for the rest, I’ve found it’s best just to smile and nod. Jokes aside, I spend half my time doing image-guided procedures, and over the past 20 years sticking needles and other devices into people, I’ve come to realize that there’s no subs...

Attention Californians!  Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom wants to eliminate your right to self-defense.  His legislation will eventually end your right to own a firearm in the Golden State. Newsom believes that just owning a gun means an undue interest in "massacres and hate".  Now, being a clever fellow, he'll stop short of trying to ban guns at a stroke.  Instead, he's going to subject all gun owning Californians to death by a thousand cuts.   If you're a professional cage fighter, knife figh...

Surviving a Mass Killer Rampage: When Seconds Count, Police are Still Minutes Away, by Chris Bird (Privateer Publications, 2016, 408 pages).  Review by Dr. Timothy Wheeler, Director of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership. Any reasonably informed American can tell you who Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were.  Their names are indelibly linked with the name “Columbine” as the vile mass murderers of 13 people in the April 1999 incident of that name.  But few know of Joel Myrick, Tracy Bridge...

[Editor's note: The following letter by Gary Gonsalves, MD (assisted by Rob Morse) was originally published August 29, 2016 in CSA Online First,  by the California Society of Anesthesiologists. It is reproduced here by permission.]   Last week’s blog post, “Gun Violence:  When will we make a change?”, made an emotional appeal for legislative and research solutions to gun violence. However, extensive research already exists. (more…)

[Editor's note: The right to carry in health care facilities is gaining mainstream medical recognition. Following publication of In the Crosshairs: Are Our Hospitals Targets for Terrorist Attacks?, DRGO Membership Director John Edeen, MD, was asked about patients carrying guns to appointments. From Medicare Part B News, August 8, 2016—Vol. 30, Issue 31.] Question: We’re in Texas, a state with open-carry gun laws, and one of our patients wants to bring his gun to the office. He says he wo...

The mission of the Food and Drug Administration is ostensibly to protect Americans from potentially harmful substances.  Likely you’ve seen the agency come under fire for a variety of reasons—they’re too slow to approve new drugs and devices, they deny access to experimental treatments for terminal patients. The list goes on. As with any labyrinthine and glacial bureaucracy, the anger and frustration we feel is logical and appropriate.   It’s repugnant for government at any level to deny ...

Some people have faith—a steadfast belief in something, often despite a lack of concrete evidence.  Or perhaps even in the face of evidence to the contrary.  And that’s okay. For many people, faith is a powerful force, a source of comfort and strength.  For some people, faith is everything.  For me, what you believe, who you love, what you eat or smoke, however you want to live your life—whatever it is, and whatever your reasons—is fine with me.  As long as it remains only your business, ...

The online physician magazine Medical Economics deals with practice management and technology subjects of concern to doctors.  Last week it provoked its readers with an emotional rant against the American civil right of gun ownership, written by Los Angeles doctor Monya De.  De demonstrates no qualifications on the subject other than ignorant contempt for gun owners and a gift for self-promotion.  She has a checkered past as an actual doctor, having failed to complete her residency training ...