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Comedian Louis CK on the Conan show talking about how spoiled we are now - Hilarious!

Dr. A Show 82: MudPhudder

Thursday, March 12th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time (0200 GMT)

The Doctor Anonymous Show is happy to welcome the blogger named "MudPhudder" to the show. You can find the following description of this mysterious person on the blog of the same name:

So I’m new to the blogging community so let me tell you a few things about myself. I am an 8th year MD/PhD student at a large academic center. I have been a medical student, then a graduate student–my PhD was in immunology, and now a medical student again. I will hopefully be graduating from medical school this May and I am currently in the exciting process of applying for a residency position for next June/July. My main hobbies usually revolve around some kind of exercise–mostly weightlifting. That’s me in a nutshell (sadly?). Perhaps more like an onion with many layers underneath each one peeled back. I don’t know if that’s anymore appealing.

We're going to talk a little about the blog and a little about how it is to be a medical student these days. MP has asked me to keep the anonymity and I totally understand that. So, you the devoted Dr. A listener will see how I can skillfully ask these questions during this interview as not to jeopardize that request.

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen later.

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the green "Chat Now" button. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. If you have a headset microphone, you can "call" into the show by looking for the "Click To Talk" button at the top of the chat box to try out the BTR VoIP option. Hope these tips are helpful!

Update: Thanks so much to KevinMD and to Ramona for spreading the word about the show. I appreciate it!

Video Blog Bloopers

One of our favorite bloggers out there, Kerri from SixUntilMe, is at it again. In addition to great video blog posts about her diabetes, every once in a while, she puts together a blooper reel for our enjoyment. For this one, I'm only going to say this: Garbage Truck! Garbage Truck! - You'll get the idea. Great job Kerri!

Show 82 Preview

The Doctor Anonymous Show is happy to welcome the blogger MudPhudder to the show. Mudphudder is a senior medical student who has a blog of the same name. In addition to the blog, we'll be talking about the upcoming Match Day which will be next week. Match Day, as most of you out there know, is when soon-to-be-graduating medical students learn where they will do their residency.

In addition to checking out the promo video above, I also encourage you to check out the MudPhudder blog. There was an interesting blog post this week talking about the President's overturning previous policy on the use of stem cells:

You know, I’m sure we all understand the moral and ethical ramifications of stem cell research–and every other kind of research we do. Anytime we file an IRB application for human or animal research, we are faced with moral considerations. In the case of stem cell research, religious beliefs have caused substantial controversy. But I think this was a good thing–anytime conversation is stirred up about potentially dangerous or morally questionable research, it’s a good thing. It forces us to think about it and make sure we have the right regulatory steps in place.
But, when the president effectively dictates the cessation of this research then there is no longer any conversation, it is simply the execution of the president’s religious beliefs. It has been an unfortunate situation borne of ignorance and an obstinate belief; and ultimately put us eight years behind in unlocking the potential–or lack thereof (see, I’m open-minded)–of stem cell technology to address numerous human health problems.

So, join us on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at 9pm Eastern Time for Doctor Anonymous Show 82. It's going to be a great conversation! Finally, thanks to those of you who have checked out Show 81 which was "The Night Show with Dr. A.." I did a little something different with sound bytes and news reports. Check it out. You'll be glad you did!

Show 81 Wrap-up

Thanks to Kat for being my co-host for The Doctor Anonymous Show 81 tonight. It was, of course, "The Night Shift with Dr. A" where we talked about a bunch of news stories. (You can listen to the show on the player above, or you can even download the show here and listen anytime) Want more detail of what we talked about tonight? Well, check out the video above. Something else I did different was play a bunch of audio clips and then Kat and I did some commentary on them - which worked out great for the show.

Show 80 Wrap-up

Thanks to Dr. Brian from the blog "Parenting Solved" and to Dr. Gwenn from "Pediatrics Now" for being on The Doctor Anonymous Show Number 80. (You can listen to the show on the player above, or even download the show here and listen anytime) We had a great conversation about Dr. Brian's blog, his book called "Colic Solved," and the role of new media in medicine.

Following the interview, I shared some thoughts with regard to the Health Care Summit which took place at the White House on Thursday. You could maybe figure out my position on this stuff by reading this previous post, or this previous post. But, to really find out, I encourage you to listen to Show 80.

Finally, I invite you to check out the next exciting episode of "The Night Shift with Dr. A" which will be Saturday, March 7th, 2009 at 9pm Eastern Time. I will be joined by my co-host Kat. And on The Night Shift we talk a little about health, medicine, entertainment, pop culture, new media, and whatever else comes up. Have a great weekend, everybody!

White House Health Care Summit

On Thursday, the White House will be conducting a "summit" to discuss health care issues. As he mentioned in his remarks to the join session of Congress, the president has placed health care reform near the top of his list of agenda items. Some, including myself, are concerned about the vision that the White House and Congress have for the US Health Care System. You can check out more in my video commentary above.

Update: Thanks so much to MedCityNews for linking to this blog post today. I appreciate it!

Dr. A Show 80: Parenting Solved

Thursday, March 5th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time (0200 GMT)

Join me for The Doctor Anonymous Show as we re-broadcast the interview with Dr. Bryan Vartabedian who is the author of the blog called "Parenting Solved" and also the book entitled "Colic Solved: The Essential Guide to Infant Reflux and the Care of Your Crying, Difficult-to-Soothe Baby." Dr. Gwenn O'Keeffe, author of "Pediatrics Now" and "Dr. Gwenn Is In" was the special co-host for this interview. This interview was recorded about a month ago.

In the video above, you have a kind of behind the scenes look at what happens right before the show. It was from last week's show with Dr. Gwenn and Vicky & Jen. The video also shows the first few minutes of the show from my perspective. Dr. Gwenn will also have her first BlogTalkRadio show this afternoon called "A Dose of Dr. Gwenn."

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Dr. Gwenn Show Premieres Tomorrow

One of our favorite pediatricians (and past co-host of The Doctor Anonymous Show), Dr. Gwenn O'Keeffe is starting her own BlogTalkRadio show tomorrow afternoon. The show is called "A Dose of Dr. Gwenn."

According to today's blog post on "Dr. Gwenn Is In", topics for show number one include the following: News You Can Use, What's Going Around, Mom Musings, Networked Families, Sports Stories, and Dr. Gwenn's Weekly Dose. She's also recorded a promo video above.

Best of luck to Dr. Gwenn as she starts "A Dose of Dr. Gwenn." And, her first show will be LIVE on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 at 4pm Eastern Time on BlogTalkRadio. Even if you cannot catch it live, you can download it later as a podcast and listen to it anytime. So, check it out! I know that I will....

Double Digit Unemployment

All politics is local, right? Well, this morning, in our local news paper, it was announced that this NE Ohio county has almost 13 percent unemployment. That's definitely not good.

Columbiana County's estimated unemployment rate skyrocketed by nearly a third in January to 12.8 percent, well above the state and national averages. According to figures available Tuesday from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 6,900 county residents are listed as unemployed compared to 4,800 in December, when the local unemployment rate was 8.9 percent.
The estimated unemployment rate in January for Ohio was 9.7 percent and 8.5 percent for the United States. These are not the seasonably adjusted rates, which are lower and the ones commonly reported by the national news media. The unemployment rate was the highest in the county since April 1984, when it stood at 12.9 percent and was declining from a peak of 21 percent reached in January 1983 at the height of the 1981-82 recession.

I definitely see that in my patients. We talk about it a lot. You may have heard some news reports recently about people losing sleep over their financial situation. We're definitely seeing it here. Just a sad situation. Another thing we're seeing is that people not coming into the office, because they lost their health insurance when the were laid off. Or, people not coming into the office as often stating that they cannot afford it. That's how it is here in grassroots America.