Wall Street Journal: Where Have The Good Men Gone?

Kay S. Hymowitz argues that too many men in their 20s are living in a new kind of extended adolescence

Not so long ago, the average American man in his 20s had achieved most of the milestones of adulthood: a high-school diploma, financial independence, marriage and children. Today, most men in their 20s hang out in a novel sort of limbo, a hybrid state of semi-hormonal adolescence and responsible self-reliance. This "pre-adulthood" has much to recommend it, especially for the college-educated. But it's time to state what has become obvious to legions of frustrated young women: It doesn't bring out the best in men.

Between his lack of responsibilities and an entertainment media devoted to his every pleasure, today's young man has no reason to grow up, says author Kay Hymowitz. She discusses her book, "Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has Turned Men Into Boys." "We are sick of hooking up with guys," writes the comedian Julie Klausner, author of a touchingly funny 2010 book, "I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Felons, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters and Other Guys I've Dated." What Ms. Klausner means by "guys" is males who are not boys or men but something in between. "Guys talk about 'Star Wars' like it's not a movie made for people half their age; a guy's idea of a perfect night is a hang around the PlayStation with his bandmates, or a trip to Vegas with his college friends.... They are more like the kids we babysat than the dads who drove us home." One female reviewer of Ms. Kausner's book wrote, "I had to stop several times while reading and think: Wait, did I date this same guy?"

For most of us, the cultural habitat of pre-adulthood no longer seems noteworthy. After all, popular culture has been crowded with pre-adults for almost two decades. Hollywood started the affair in the early 1990s with movies like "Singles," "Reality Bites," "Single White Female" and "Swingers." Television soon deepened the relationship, giving us the agreeable company of Monica, Joey, Rachel and Ross; Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer; Carrie, Miranda, et al.

Retina Specialty: what does a retina specialist do?

Physicians Specializing in Retinal Eye Disease and Macular Degeneration:

. Retina Specialist: A retina specialist is an ophthalmologist who has completed additional training of 2 year-long fellowship in vitreo-retinal surgery and diseases. They commonly treat people with blinding conditions if left untreated such as diabetic eye diseas, macular degeneration, retina detachment, traumatic eye injury, inflammatory diseases of the eye.

: Light-sensitive layer in the eye that converts images from the eye's optical system into electrical impulses that are sent along the optic nerve to the brain.

Catch Me If You Can: A Pilot has played as a cardiologist

Milwaukee, WI - A former educator and researcher at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan has been exposed as a bogus cardiologist [1]. While there is no suggestion that William Hamman—who is a trained pilot—took care of any patients, the news that he does not hold the medical and postdoctoral degrees or have the clinical experience he claimed to have has embarrassed many cardiologists and institutions.

Hamman, who is 58, led seminars teaching cardiologists what they could learn from simulation training and from his experience as a pilot. The irony is that he could have done this job without ever claiming to have a medical degree, Dr Douglas Weaver, former American College of Cardiology (ACC) president, told Marilynn Marchione of the Associated Press (AP) yesterday: "He could have been successful without titling himself. He really didn't need to be a physician to do what he was doing. He made a very serious mistake."

Via TheHeart.org: Pilot posing as cardiologist ran training seminars

That is very impressive that he was able to fool every credentialing process, very burdensome to physicians, and claimed to be a cardiologist for some 20 years. Credentialing process for a physician to practice in a new state usually takes between 6-12 months.

How Meditation May Change the brain

But now, scientists say that meditators like my husband may be benefiting from changes in their brains. The researchers report that those who meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. The findings will appear in the Jan. 30 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.

M.R.I. brain scans taken before and after the participants’ meditation regimen found increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory. The images also showed a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such changes.

Via New York Times: How Meditation May Change the brain

The pathways to become a DO or an MD: Subtle Differences

The medical curriculum of MD and DO is very similar except that DO students receive an extra 200 hours of training in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) and one month core-clerkship of OMM in their 3rd year of medical school. Upon graduation, physicians are required to complete one year internship and will be eligible for full licensure to practice medicine and surgery. This old rule or law is still in effect across the country. However, the reality is much different than what is in the law book. As there are more regulations imposed by healthcare insurance companies, physicians have to be board-eligible or certified, i.e, physicians must have completed residency program, in order to be on the insurance panels.

The DO profession/ Osteopathic Graduate Medical Education (OGME) still requires its physicians-in-training to complete a year of rotating internship or an internship with emphasis track to their respective residency specialties. The MD profession/ Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has eliminated the internship year for most specialties, with a few exception, in which the specialties are too specialized like ophthalmology, orthopedics, radiology, pathology and etc.

Earlier Communications with the same MD Professor at UNTHSC

As several readers have questioned the entirety of the content and the context because they do not believe how a professor could only provide such a pointed and short reply. Some seems to start accusing the ‘bashing” of one of the best professors, even though I never revealed the identity. I believe in the debate of issues rather than personal attack. Therefore, the following communication exchanges, the name will be crossed out.

Early August 2010, I sent a letter to the faculty and staff members at UNTHSC, who are educators, to urge them to take a stand against the prejudice and discriminations against their students.

The professor was prompt in his reply as follow:

Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 06:28:21 -0500
Subject: RE: Letter from Tayson DeLengocky, DO-TCOM2002

The addition of the allopathic school in FW under the UNT flag will ONLY enhance the TCOM brand.  Dr. Ransom's success in gaining financial commitments to this program shows the support this concept has in the community.

If, as expected this gains approval from the UNT BOR, AOA/TOMA would be FOOLISH to continue this ludicrous campaign.  Both the Tech system and the UT system will be more than happy to continue moving the process forward.

Name and Title 

Healthcare Reform: How to Be Better Patients?

The following excerpt from the Book "Healthcare Solved" by Debra A. Smith, DO

Becoming better patients

Many well meaning people have not seen a doctor in years, primarily because they do not want to be a hypochondriac like …. Fill in the blank with the name of whatever family member who nearly drove the rest of the family to madness complaining of their real or mostly imagined symptoms and illnesses.

Patients have the greatest responsibility for their own health. No one else has more to lose. This is not being a hypochondriac. Good health is so often taken for granted, until it is not there.

As an occupational medicine physician, I have done many pre-employment physicals. These exams are generally on healthy people who have been offered a job contingent on passing the physical. Most of the time, they are fairly healthy. But on occasion, I will find new-onset diabetes, hypertension, skin cancer, poor lung function (usually due to a history of smoking for more than 10 years) or any number of other problems. I tend to find most of the patients with positive findings do not have a personal physician or have not seen a doctor in years. When asked why, they generally say “I am healthy,” or “I don’t want to be a hypochondriac like…” More goofy family members have stopped patients from getting preventive check-ups and early diagnosis than any lack of health insurance.

Patients have an obligation to themselves to have a periodic preventive health examination as recommended by the US Guide to Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).[1]

A Response from a MD professor at UNTHSC to my letter: How should I reply to his comments?

A personal appeal letter was sent out to the UNTHSC faculty members to urge them to take a better look at the UNTMD proposal from all angles.

Here is a response from a M.D. and  Ob/Gyn professor at UNTHSC; this is the entire content of the email, nothing else except it was cc to president Ransom.

• " You are barking up the wrong tree...and your concerns are based on the past, not the future. Being an osteopath has little or nothing to do with being a vitreo-retinal surgeon."

Last time I checked, I am a DO, an osteopath, an osteopathic physician, a physician and surgeon, an ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon, and a clinical assistant professor of surgery at an MD school. Last time I checked, DOs specialize in all fields of medicine and surgery.

Believe it or not, the 90s was the decade of Lasik surgery in ophthalmology. The next decade is Retina decade in ophthalmology as there have been so many new modalities to treat and improve vision of blinding conditions.

I am puzzled and do not know how to answer to his comments. Would anyone help me how to reply to such a comment!

Appeal to UNTHSC Faculty Members to Say "No" to UNTMD Proposal

Dear Faculty Members at UNTHSC and TCOM:

I would like first to apologize to you for taking the liberty of contacting you regarding the direction of our beloved institution, UNTHSC. I am writing to you on behalf of no one else or on behalf of any associations such as Texas Osteopathic Medical Association or American Osteopathic Association. Yes, I am a member of those associations, but do not hold any leadership position or do not seek any leadership position in a future because i do know my own limitations.

I am writing to you as a TCOM graduate of class 2002 who is appreciative of the opportunity that UNTHSC had given me. As you may have been lead to believe that the proposed MD option is a done deal and has received wide support of the local community. The so-called support does not translate into a real financial support for establishing a new medical school at free of cost to the state of TX for the next 5 years.

I would like to convey to you how much time i have devoted in the effort of exposing the ill-conceived plan of the current proposed 2nd medical school on campus. Revealing the time consumming and sacrifices from my part, i hope to ask you to be open-minded and take the time to study the issue from all angles before buying into the propaganda that the institution cannot enhance its stature without an "MD" school.

Major Philanthropists to the Healthcare Field

Private donations key to major projects

A number of wealthy Americans have contributed to hospitals and medical research facilities in recent years.  These major gifts reduce the need for state and local taxpayer dollars to finance major capital projects, including the construction of new medical schools.  A summary of significant charitable giving (from 2009) is below.  The summaries and amounts are featured in Slate.com’s “Notable Charitable Giving in 2009.”[1]

Major donors to medical schools and medical research facilities in 2009:

9^th Largest: William P. Clements Jr.—$100 million to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Foundation. “Clements, 92, founded Sedco, an oil and gas drilling corporation, and served two terms as governor of Texas. He pledged $100 million to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Foundation to support the university's medical center. Clements, who placed no restrictions on how the money should be used, plans to pay the entire commitment over the next four years.”

15^th Largest: Patrick Soon-Shiong and Michel B. Chan—$65 million to Saint John's Health Center Foundation. “Dr. Soon-Shiong is a surgeon who founded Abraxis BioScience, a pharmaceutical-development company in Los Angeles. Chan is an actress. Dr. Soon-Shiong and his wife have pledged $65 million to Saint John's Health Center Foundation in Santa Monica, Calif. Of the total, the health center plans to use $55 million for research at its John Wayne Cancer Institute and to support joint research projects with other institutions. The remaining $10 million will be used to recruit physicians and scientists.  The couple previously pledged $35 million to the center in 2007. Soon-Shiong and Chan have paid a total of $45 million toward both pledges and plan to pay the remainder over the next five years, said officials at Saint John's.”

17^th Largest: Delores Jordan, who made a total of $52 million in charitable contributions in 2009, “gave $9.8 million apiece to Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland, in California, and St. Rose Hospital, in Hayward, Calif.”

Le Figaro: Coffee may have protective effect on Alzheimer and Parkinson' s Diseases

The effects of caffeine on the brain, heart and some diseases are becoming better known. 

The debate on the virtues of caffeine and coffee is regularly revived at a rate of (many) scientific publications. The latest, published in the Journal of Pediatrics , is concerned about his heavy drinking among children and its disruptive effects on sleep.

This study points out that American children consume a significant amount of caffeine through the colas and other sodas. Of 228 children aged 5 to 12 years, 75% use it daily average of 52 mg per day in 5-7 years, the equivalent of a cup of tea. The average consumption is 109 mg per day for 8-12 years, the equivalent of a cup of coffee. Being American children, we can assume that their consumption is higher than that of young French. But in the absence of national standards, it is better to refer to the maximum dosage specified by the Canadian Ministry of Health: no more than 45 mg / day for 7 years, no more than 85 mg / day for 12 years.

Not everyone is equal before the caffeine

Chemically, caffeine is a methylxanthine such as theophylline and theobromine tea chocolate ... This explains its molecular structure effects bronchodilators (relaxing the bronchial tubes), potentially interesting in asthmatics. And above all its virtues and psycho-awakening, praised by many consumers. At least by those who are sensitive because we are not equal before the caffeine. For some, it would have stimulant effects, among other anxiogenic action. Some enzymes are involved in the body that vary genetically and influence its metabolism. "Caffeine, which has anxiogenic effects, is transformed by an enzyme in liver paraxanthine, a metabolite that is him, anxiolytic, explains Professor ^Dr. Jean Costantin, a pharmacologist at the University Hospital of Rouen (1). This enzyme anxiolytic effects is very active in people who feel particularly psychostimulant effects of caffeine. It is much less in others, which will be very sensitive especially to the anxiogenic effects of coffee. "Unsurprisingly, coffee lovers rather belong to the first group ...

It is also well known that caffeine accelerates the heart rate slightly, which makes it inadvisable for people prone to tachycardia. It is also mildly hypertensive. "But the epidemiological data are somewhat contradictory, says epidemiologist Tobias Kurth (INSERM U708, Paris). We need more precise studies to understand the cardiovascular effects of caffeine. "

Past UNTHSC President spoke out on the proposed second medical school in Fort Worth

It is very rare that a predecessor would make any comments nor critics on his successor's policy and administration. For instance, former president George W. Bush has been numbed on the performance and the policy of his successor, president Barack Obama, even though Mr. Bush has still remained a punching bag in the political arena after 2 years out of office.

Therefore, it is a very rare occasion a predecessor comes out of his or her reservations. Ronald Blanck, DO, Immediate Past President of UNTHSC, and former Surgeon General of the U.S. Army has made comments on the proposed second medical school at UNTHSC:

Happy Valentine's Day! A Perfect Relationship

A person visited a matchmaking service for marriage, and requested "I am looking for a spouse. Please help me to find a suitable one."

The matchmaker asked,"what are your requirements, please?"

• "Oh, good looking, polite, humorous , sporty, knowledgeable, good in singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour, if I don't go out. Telling me interesting stories when I need companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest."

The matchmaker listened carefully and replied, "I understand you need television."

There is a saying that a perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband, because the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and the deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of the wife. Many couples are blind and deaf at the courting stage and dream of perpetual perfect relationship. Unfortunately, when the excitement of love wears off, they wake up and discover that marriage is not a bed of roses. The nightmare begins.

Valentines from the eye doctor

We are endowed with the five senses. Without sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, a good romantic night might be affected.

The five senses are still incomplete without the sixth one -A Sense of Humor!

It may not seem like it, but health care professionals tend to have great senses of humor. Sometimes the sense of humor can express itself in some pretty morbid or bizarre ways. Other times it can be just funny. Working with the human body can sometimes lead us think of some pretty funny ideas that others may think strange or grotesque. These often have to do with death, bodily functions and many times sex. This makes no excuse why I think this video is funny. But you should be warned, it is not safe for work or any other place that has mixed company. Happy Valentines day.

Help needed for DO students going on medical mission trip.

The O’Kanes

4780 Settles Point Road

Suwanee, GA 30024

(770) 241-2625

jacqui.okane@gmail.com

February 2011

Dear Family & Friends:

“Una alegría compartida se transforma en doble alegría; una pena compartida, en media pena “ 

Translation: “Joy shared is double joy; grief shared is half grief.” –Honduran proverb

In March I will have the honor to share in the joy and grief of the people of Tela, Honduras. Along with some of my classmates, I will be going on a medical mission trip with the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) and Global Health Outreach (GHO) March 12-20. I am excited about the chance to reach out to our Honduran brothers and sisters living in poverty, helping to administer the physical, emotional and spiritual care that they need. Although our impact will be relatively small, we will nonetheless have the opportunity to touch the lives of the poorest of the poor.

Jacqui in Haiti in june 2010





I hope that you will join me in praying for this mission trip. Additionally, if you feel moved to donate to support the cost of my attendance, I would appreciate your financial gift. My goal is to raise at least $2,500 by mid-March. You may make your tax-deductible donation by going to www.cmda.org, then clicking on "Giving" and "Online Giving." Simply put "Jacqui O’Kane, Honduras March 2011” in the memo line so that the funds are directed to the correct place. Alternatively, you may write a check to GHO and mail it to my address, which is in the header of this letter (again, include my name and the trip details in the memo).

Thank you so much for all your love and support!

Cariñosos saludos (kind regards),

Jacqui O’Kane

The incoming spring break, about 12 DO students along with 20 other health professionals are going to Honduras to help the indigents. Please send them some love and contributions!