Heme/Onc; NHL/HL/CLL. Adj Professor U of SC; Host: the
#HealthcareUnfiltered
& the
#HemOnc
Pulse podcasts. Author of "TOXIC EXPOSURE" & “THE CANCER JOURNEY.”
If you’re looking 4 a book 2 read/listen, consider
#ToxicExposure
@JHUPress
describing the first 3 Monsanto trials.
Available everywhere: link:
Taped this video in SF 2 weeks ago in the courthouse where 1st trial took place.
Check the book out.
It’s important to recognize that as long as you’re eating and drinking on a plane, you’re protected from all viruses.
The minute you stop doing so, you can be exposed.
Please be careful.
Regarding school closures: an observation:
Public schools go virtual
Private schools stay open .
This virus is fascinating. It affects teachers only in public schools. Somehow it spares private schools.
Amazing.
Scientific Advances:
1980-1990: people read entire manuscripts
1990-2000: people read abstracts only
2000-2010: people read only conclusions of abstracts
2010-2015: people read title of the paper
2015-2020: people read tweets about the paper
2021 & beyond: no more reading.
The
@NFL
stadiums were filled today.
Restaurants are all open pretty much all over. Players not being tested.
Bars R open all over.
Planes R filled W flying passengers.
Airports R crowded.
And yet, I read and hear people advocating closing public school.
How is this logical?
Situation in NYC with
#COVID19
#COVID
is unbearable; need every kind of support possible 2 not only save patients but also frontline HCWs. the HEROES battling this everyday R desperate 4 solutions. This is screenshot of a txt I just got posted w permission.
#MOREPPEs
#MOREVENTS
Some of the absolute best physicians I have ever encountered have not published any scientific article or research reports.
Being a good doctor is not always equated by the number of papers published.
Forget “personalized” medicine...
Forget “precision” medicine...
What patients want is “humanized” medicine..
To be listened to..
To be heard uninterrupted...
And cared for the same way we want to be treated.
There R many amazing top notch physicians who never published a peer-reviewed paper & who I trust W my life
There R many physicians W hundreds peer-reviewed papers that R mediocre clinicians
Being an excellent clinician should never be judged by the number of papers someone wrote
Did we really need the CDC to tell us that fully vaccinated people can visit and be with each other? Wonder how many committees and sub-committees were formed for this.
Next: CDC recommends you wear a winter coat when it’s freezing outside.
Thanks for enlightening us
@CDCgov
At a doctor’s appointment w Dad.
The doctor listened
Did not click while in room
Lots of eye contact
Glanced at screen only 2 verify facts
Instead of prescribing new medicines, offered some modifications to timing of current meds.
It’s like some alien was examining dad.
Two years into the pandemic…
With all vaccines available….
With so many vaccinated…
With lots of PPEs availability and proper use by HCWs…
Having a no visitor policy in hospitals won’t ever make sense to me. This is the time to be with our loved ones; when they’re sick.
Cleaning around my office today and came across my absolute favorite greeting card sent to me this year on my birthday.
Thank you to the sender. Totally accurate.
This Tue AM, I host the epic discussion btw
@AaronGoodman33
and
@RichardBaron17
on the MOC of the ABIM exclusively on
#HealthcareUnfiltered
podcast.
This is a clip from the pod that U will NOT want to miss. It all started with a petition, now with >11k signatures. watch it all
My children just asked me if they should go to school. Apparently their great great great grandparents never went to school. Why should they?
Any suggestions how to respond.
A friend was vaccinated with JNJ 6-7 weeks ago.
Tested himself for antibodies 4 weeks after and he had none. Tested today again and he had none.
What would you do?
100 years ago, everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars.
Today, everyone has a car and only the rich have horses.
How the stables have turned.
@OncoAlert
1- Does this help PTs & docs in Russia?
2- penalizing PPL 4 governmental decisions is not productive.
3- R u going 2 not collab with India & Pakistan BC Kashmir?
4- shld U not collab W Chinese investigators?
5- Middle East conflicts?
This is political & we shld stick to science.
My BOOK is out
The story of the first 3 trials against Monsanto & their herbicide Roundup linked 2 developing
#NHL
.
I was an expert on behalf of the pts
This is the story
Toxic Exposure: The True Story behind the Monsanto Trials & the Search for Justice
I’m going to say this for the 1000 times...
Journals should stop charging $$$ for articles that have been published years ago.
There should be a time limit.
If I’m looking up a paper from > 10 years ago, it should be free.
There should be some law mandating this.
My prediction:
Twitter will be fine and even better in 6-8 months. There will be more users on the platform.
More
#MedTwitter
folks will join.
Mastodon’s fate is like clubhouse.
Let’s see how this tweet ages.
Most common used phrases in 2020 (not in particular order):
- R U on mute?
- Could U unmute urself?
- Can U hear me?
- If you’re not speaking, pls mute urself.
- Let’s do quick round of introduction (NEVER quick)
- I can’t hear you
- Sorry; kids in background
- Hope all is safe
No one on their death bed wishes they published one more paper, gave one more talk, or wrote another chapter.
But mostly everyone wishes they had spent a bit more time with their family, parents, children, and their loved ones.
Give time.
#HappyFathersDay2021
#HappyFathersDay
I interview Dr. Birhiray who asked a critical & provocative question at yesterday’s
@ASH_hematology
#ASH21
session.
Why allow an abstract at a plenary if enrollees at the study presented do NOT represent US demographics?
Hear proposed solutions.
#HealthcareUnfiltered
Just because someone is asking questions about possible vaccine-associated myocarditis does not mean that such individual is an anti-vaxx or anti-science.
Asking questions to better understand safety on “anything” including vaccines should never be frowned upon.
Today, I am numb
Today, I am sad
Today, I am angry
Today, I am upset
Today, I am speechless
Today, I feel that nothing else matters
Today, I tear as I watch the devastation, loss of human life, and tragedy in
#lebanon
#PrayForLebanon
#prayforbeirut
I share an encounter with a dear patient of mine who left us last year in
@JCO_ASCO
@ASCO
in an essay titled “Last Hug”
I know many of you will relate to such event.
Guidelines can never determine what matters most to patients and their physicians.
It was last year in the midst of our raging
#COVID
pandemic.
I received a text message from my patient’s daughter. My patient was nearing the end.
I had transitioned her care to a colleague who determined that she had no more options. /1
I am going to strongly recommend that every physician be a “secret shopper” and calls his/her own front-desk or scheduling desk to make an appointment. Assess wait times & friendliness of staff, then see if u r happy w how ur patients r being treated.
Worst part about of being an immigrant is not being able to be there for your family and loved ones at the drop of a hat when they need you.
I’m sure many immigrants here share this same sentiment.
Patients may never know how many lectures U gave, how many papers U wrote, how many admin titles U held, or how many plenaries U appeared in.
But they’ll always remember how U listened to them, how responsive U were, and the compassion U showed.
Inspired by my Dad’s experience.
Every physician, every healthcare provider, and everyone on this platform and other platforms
#MedTwitter
should be demanding MORE way MORE from the current US administration when it comes to dealing with the tragic situation in India.
And I mean everyone. Where is the outrage?
Pet peeve Saturday:
Just because an oncology drug is administered orally, it does not mean it’s not chemotherapy and it does not mean it will have less toxicity than an IV given drug.
Oral drugs can have more toxicities than IV drugs and vice versa.
I can’t predict the future, but someone out there is going to do some retrospective analysis of
#COVID19
patients to show that patients who consumed vitamin D had better outcomes and lived longer than those who didn’t.
I’m trying to understand what changed between 2 weeks ago and now.
What new data emerged that suddenly most governors and politicians are abandoning mask mandates and no longer demanding what was once called “vaccine passports”?
Any new scientific study/report that I missed?
The way 2 get more ppl vaccinated is by simply explaining that vaccination leads 2 normalcy of our lives; not by saying nothing will change after vaccination.
You wanna know how many ppl told me they won’t vaccinate BC “experts” say everything stays the same even post vaccines?
KIDS belong in schools... that’s inside the schools...
Not one day a week or 90 minutes a day.
How is it that kids in private schools are safe but not safe in public schools???????????
I have always attempted to bring two people with opposing views to the same topic so that we debate the issue.
This is the first time I wasn’t able to find ONE physician who would defend the MOC & recertification & I mentioned that point on the podcast.
Prof. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
@nntaleb
joins
#HealthcareUnfiltered
on this special day; the day “TOXIC EXPOSURE” book launches everywhere.
Grateful to Dr. Taleb’s endorsement of the book as he shares his wisdom & experience w Monsanto & GMOs.
Listen here.
I met someone today....
His wife has cancer on chemo
Lost his brother 2 months ago
Going to his sister funeral today
Job not going well & challenging
Still: sincerely asked me how I was and managed a smile.
People sometimes amaze me. We could learn so much from each other.
This is a waiting room at a hosp. I am with an elderly parent. No one is around. I am masked (granted 1 not 4 masks).
I’m being told I need 2 leave the room BC
#COVID
“Following science” means leaving ur elderly parent alone (when they need u) despite 0 ppl around & masks.
SMH
I invite
@RichardBaron17
of
@ABIMcert
on
#HealthcareUnfiltered
2 answer Qs all MDs have about the value of recertification.
@AaronGoodman33
efforts R excellent and I urge all to put similar pressure on their own hospitals 2 not mandate the recertification for staff privileges.
@VincentRK
I couldn’t agree more. The prob in academia currently is that the culture promotes and respects “number of pubs” & papers & research grants; funding etc etc....not empathy & being really a good doctor.
There are no awards for empathy although it’s the thing patients want most.
Just because someone worked at an institution for 20+ years and was a successful physician/researcher doesn’t necessarily mean he/she will be an effective leader and/or administrator.
Why is this so hard to digest?
Who is at a higher risk of dying from
#COVID19
?
A. 50 YO healthy oncologist who sees patients once/week W proper PPEs in a controlled environment
B. An 83 YO man, Ex smoker, DM, COPD, prior CABG, and h/o prostate cancer.
Which of the 2 would have gotten vaccinated so far?
Our cancer patients sometimes just need a hug. Sometimes we do too.
Events reminded me with this piece I wrote several years ago. I share it because I think it will resonate with patients, families, and physicians.
U can have 500 pubs, 1000 invited lectures, 100k twitter followers, & hundred of thousands in grant money....
UR PT will know in minutes if U truly care, truly listen, & are genuinely empathetic.
And if you’re not, none of that stuff U thought matter, mean anything 2 the patient
Young age of a cancer PT should not be the sole reason for “aggressive” therapy.
Old age of a cancer PT should not be the sole reason for “palliative soft” therapy.
Therapeutic decisions should be based on biology of cancer & goals of the patient.
Let’s not use age 2 justify Tx
The most “innovative”, “disruptive”, and “valuable” intervention in medicine & the best “precision” and “personalized” medicine is:
LISTENING to the patient.
You keep hearing exaggerated numbers about
#medicalerrors
as 3rd cause of PT death in the US. Inflated & inaccurate.
@BenMazer
and I try to explain it all in this paper. The hype over medical errors needs to end. Take some time and read our opinion.
My tribute to the amazing Dr. Arti Hurria whom we lost too soon.
#DrHurriasLight
#ASCO19
@ASCO
published in
@JGeriOnc
It was truly very tough to write this piece. I only wish I was able to tell Arti how grateful I was when she was with us. Gone too soon & forever remembered.
I realize that all hospitals (almost) have no visitors policy now; it’s understandable & it is absolutely the right thing to do.
It’s just really hard to think of dying patients w
#COVID19
who will die alone in their rooms with no family around.
Hard not to get emotional about it
Monsanto, Roundup, and my book "TOXIC EXPOSURE" W Dr. Nassim Nicholas... via
@YouTube
U can also watch the entire
#HealthcareUnfiltered
W
@nntaleb
on my YouTube.
Apologies for my “10” mins long intro but I don’t publish a book everyday.
Watch it all.
My heart breaks every time I read a tweet that someone is leaving twitter because their life in ending and have exhausted all treatments. They’re leaving twitter bc they’re leaving life.
CANCER SUCKS.
I can confidently say that US airlines carriers
@United
@AmericanAir
@Delta
have shown lack of empathy, more greed, and lack of flexibility during this
#COVID19
#COVID
ー19
#COVID
crisis.
The convo I had with
@United
shows they could care less. No refunds & outrageous change fees
This Thursday evening, I am taping a special episode of
#HealthcareUnfiltered
on the MOC of the ABIM. Both
@AaronGoodman33
&
@RichardBaron17
will appear on the podcast taking all question you’ll be sending me.
Send your inquiries my way by DM or email. Thank you.
Trials on hydroxychloroquine in Sweden halted.
Remind me again (Cuz I forgot) who was saying and tweeting that it has no side effects and causes no harm?
#COVID
Impossible not to get emotional every time I land in Boston, the first American city I ever saw when I came to the US 30 years ago.
I literally get palpitations every time I land in Logan airport.
@VPrasadMDMPH
The debate on schools is how long until we see the “real damage” to kids:
1- year
2-3 years
That’s the only viable debate in the school opening debacle.
Every Time I commit to a lecture or a talk, I regret it...
Why do I need to get you my slides 3 weeks ahead of time??????????
I’m done. I’m saying no to all future talks.
Progress in science is based on asking questions; all questions, on investigating theories, on finding facts, on separating signal from noise, on not being judgmental when others inquire and disagree with your views.
There are very few true scientists on this platform.
I think I am going to wtite-in Fauci for the 2020 presidential election. Is there anything this guy says that doesn’t make you admire him more??
#COVID19
#COVID
ー19