Star Wars fans will recognize this iconic line from Star Wars Episode VI, Return of the Jedi. It came to mind when I was reading this editorial from the Journal of the American Medical Association. I had previously mentioned the…
The FDA cancelled their meeting today to discuss next year’s flu vaccine. No explanation given. This is very disturbing as it was announced that this is the worst flu season in 15 years. Here is some data from infectious disease…
My advice to take precautions against mosquitoes was timely. America’s most famous infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, was hospitalized with West Nile Virus. I believe he has been released from the hospital. As expected, the FDA approved two new…
As Covid 19 cases have risen, I checked under my sink, which is where I have kept my supply of Covid 19 tests, to see if any were expired. Many of them were and I haven’t found any useful advice…
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we (the medical community) have wondered why some people get very sick from the virus and others do not. W assumed that there must be subtle genetic differences that account for this. Now there…
I was watching a lecture on YouTube, another adaptation to the pandemic. I am a member and past president of the Texas Club of Internists, an almost 100 year old organization dedicated to continuing medical education for Texas internists. https://www.texasclubofinternists.org/.…
Bottom line: Maybe. The jury is still out. It may come as a surprise that we don’t have a lot of proof that treating older individuals with cholesterol lowering medications in a class called statins, reduce cardiovascular disease and mortality. …
There have been some studies showing that in patients with stable heart disease caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries, stents and bypass surgery don’t necessarily improve mortality. The following is the last salvo in that debate. This is a…
According to flu surveillance, there is an increase in Influenza Like Illness or ILI (formerly known as FLI) around the state. Most of it isn’t the flu. It’s a respiratory virus with flu-like symptoms. We treat the symptoms with rest…
Shingrix The short version: As many of you know, a new shingles vaccine (“SHINGRIX”) was introduced in the past year, and is recommended for all adults over 50 years of age. The new vaccine is much more effective than the old…
