The American Board of Family Medicine celebrated its 50 year anniversary this past weekend in Lexington, KY. The event commemorated the official start of the discipline in 1969 when the board began certifying general practitioners and resident graduates, and became specialists in Family Medicine. I was a member of the Board of Directors of the […]
Author: Charles Smith M.D.
Care at your convenience
In an article today in the NT Times, researchers have found that previous admonitions to avoid red meat because of deleterious effects on heart health were likely to have been significantly exaggerated. They further note that, if there is any benefit at all of avoiding red meat, the effect is small at best. Bravo! I’ve […]
The People’s Pharmacy reports a study in which home blood pressure measurements are more accurate than those measured in the office. If you have hypertension, you likely have faced a situation in which your blood pressure during an office visit is above target and your doctor recommends increasing your antihypertensive medication or suggests adding another […]
View this important TED talk to hear more about the four questions you should ask your doctor: Is it really necessary? What are the risks? What are the alternatives? What would happen if I choose to do nothing? Dr. Mjaset makes a very important point that medical providers (often in good faith or in ignorance […]
My good friends, Joe and Terry Graedon, published an article yesterday on their website, The People’s Pharacy, about mistakes physicians make. In this article, they state that research shows that about 5% of diagnoses made by primary care physicians are erroneous, affecting about 12 million patients per year. Since this was a facebook post, I […]
This report appeared in the news yesterday, so I wanted to pass it on to my patients and others who may read this blog. The article indicates that it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to stop taking Zantac but, since there are other alternatives for persons who may be on it, I see no […]
We’re hearing a lot from candidates about affordable health care and the current cost of care. Do you, or anyone you know, struggle with affordable health care? If so, consider this option: 1. Sign up for Dr Smith Direct Care for $700.00/year for all of your primary care and meet the overwhelming majority of your […]
An article in today Wall Street Journal suggests that one in every five procedures done in the US is unnecessary. I believe this is accurate and, possibly, an underestimate of what is actually occurring. Most physicians are ethical and conscientious and committed to doing what is right and appropriate for patients. However, there are some […]
Today, as I hear the news of one of my long-time patient’s end-of-life, I’m remembering a list of the things I enjoy and admire about her, and it causes me to reflect on the meaning of relationships with patients. My conclusion is simply this: Every patient affects me, in some small way or, often, in […]
Vaping has been in the news a lot lately, with reports of at least one death from respiratory complications and a number of cases of patients who develop acute respiratory problems, requiring hospitalization. In some cases, these were thought to be due to persons who were vaping THC, rather than a nicotine source. Studies have […]
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