Healthcare Policy
    3 days ago

    FEDERAL DIETARY CHANGES CHALLENGED

    Recently, I wrote a post about ultra-processed foods and how they have become commonplace in the “normal” American diet, and…
    Drugs & Medications
    4 days ago

    GLP-1’S AND SLEEP APNEA

    Sleep Apnea is a huge problem. Between the ages of 30 and 69, 936 million people meet the criteria for…
    Human Interest
    5 days ago

    SYNOPSIS OF NEW FEDERAL DIETARY GUIDELINES

    In 2025, the USDA and Dept. of HHS released “updated dietary guidelines,” which in essence was a totally new take…
    Aging
    6 days ago

    SENIOR HEALTH HABITS

    Since we ditched cable and went to You Tube TV, a whole new horizon of information has become available that…
    Human Interest
    7 days ago

    INDIANA vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY

    The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers from Bowling Green, Kentucky made a visit to Bloomington Saturday afternoon to take on the number…
    Drugs & Medications
    1 week ago

    MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY DRUGS REDUCE CVD

    It’s no secret a lot of patients do not tolerate statin drugs. They have side effects that just can’t be…
    Cancer
    2 weeks ago

    AMERICANS LAG IN COLON CANCER SCREENING

    Colorectal Cancer (CRC) affects literally millions of Americans. Everybody knows about it, and  everybody knows how important it is to…
    Drugs & Medications
    2 weeks ago

    TRUTH IN OTC DRUG ADVERTISING

    Television is littered with pharmaceutical advertisements. And I do mean littered because there are so many of them. And littered,…
    Human Interest
    2 weeks ago

    MY NEW FAVORITE ATHLETE

    Avid sports fans, like me, always have an athlete they describe as their favorite. Of course, over time this “favorite…
    Human Interest
    2 weeks ago

    INDIANA ROUTS HOWARD!

    The second game of the 2026 college football season for Indiana University was played yesterday. IU  had a home game…
    Bone & Joint Problems
    2 weeks ago

    YOU DON’T WANT TO BREAK THIS BONE!

    The anatomy of the bones of the wrist leaves one of the bones vulnerable to injury. Or saying it another…
    Human Interest
    3 weeks ago

    ANOTHER BIG SEASON FOR INDIANA FOOTBALL

    The third season of Indiana University football under the coaching genius of Curt Cignetti got underway this past Saturday, and…
    Physician Office Issues
    3 weeks ago

    HEALTH INSURANCE EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS

    Have you ever taken a close look at the receipts you receive from Medicare or your Medicare supplement insurance company?…
    Surgery
    3 weeks ago

    HIGH TECH SKIN SUTURE: THE WOUND TALKS

    Here’s a novel idea: Surgical suture material that is coated with either an antimicrobial drug (an antibacterial) or an anti-inflammatory…
    Dermatology
    4 weeks ago

    HERPES ZOSTER: SHINGLES

    Surprisingly, I have not written a post about Herpes Zoster, AKA shingles. I’ve written about the two shingles vaccines available,…
    Human Interest
    4 weeks ago

    THE MAGIC OF COMPOUND INTEREST

    Compound interest is one of miracles of economics that has the proven ability to create wealth without sacrifice. Albert Einstein…
    Physician Office Issues
    4 weeks ago

    AI-ENHANCED STETHOSCOPE IS A DIAGNOSTIC BOON

    I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a physician and never use a stethoscope. The stethoscope, after all, has…
    Infectious Diseases
    4 weeks ago

    CHILDHOOD VACCINE SCHEDULE UPDATE

    On January 5, 2026 the US Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the acting director of the CDC…
    Foot & Ankle Problems
    August 28, 2026

    DOCTORS NEED A SIDE JOB: REALLY?

    Here’s a statistic I find hard to believe. According to an article in medscape.com, 39% of physicians work a side…
    Preventive Medicine
    August 27, 2026

    ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS AND CHRONIC DISEASE

    For the past 16 years, nutrition experts and public health officials have been increasingly concerned about the ingredients of, and…
    Human Interest
    August 26, 2026

    NET WORTH: A FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

    Net Worth is a concept of which most readers of DrGOpines.com have a reasonable understanding. It’s a simple concept that…
    Human Interest
    August 25, 2026

    FAMOUS QUARTETS IN MY LIFETIME

    They say “Music makes you smile!””Music makes the world go around!” and “Music is the soundtrack of your life” When…
    Cancer
    August 24, 2026

    PSA TESTING AFTER AGE 70, 80

    The “enigma that just won’t go away” has come up again. In late May, 2026, I published an article with…
    A Day in the Life Scenarios
    August 21, 2026

    RETIRING CAN BE A TOUGH TRANSITION

    During the many years a physician is in practice, he/she enjoys a solidly established identity that places the him/her in…
    Physician Office Issues
    August 20, 2026

    DOES DIRECT PRIMARY CARE REDUCE BURNOUT?

    I’ve read numerous articles on physician burnout, the causes, the warning signs, and the solutions. Rarely do those articles address…

      COVID-19
      October 27, 2025

      MEDICAL “MISINFORMATION”

      I fear I may be “wading into shark-infested waters” when I approach the subject in the title of this article.…
      COVID-19
      September 23, 2025

      LONG COVID STILL AFFECTING DOCTORS, NURSES

      The serious, deadly phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended along with the frequency of acute cases. It’s been over…
      COVID-19
      September 3, 2025

      VACCINES PROTECT CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

      COVID-19 and the vaccines developed to combat it did more to erode trust in old, well-established, standard vaccines than any…
      Cancer
      July 27, 2025

      COVID-19, VITAMIN D, CANCER, GLP-1’S, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

      MEDICAL NEWS BRIEFS #29 COVID-19 has a greater effect on kidneys than pneumonia: Natural aging causes a gradual decline in…
      COVID-19
      September 16, 2023

      CDC RECOMMENDS ALL AMERICANS 6 MONTHS AND OLDER RECEIVE AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF UPDATED COVID-19 VACCINE

      The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved “reformulated” COVID vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. That prompted a CDC Advisory…
      COVID-19
      March 18, 2023

      MOST COVID-19 DEATHS WORLDWIDE WERE AMONG OLDER PEOPLE.

      The high mortality rate from COVID-19 among the elderly was a fact everyone knew, but a lot of people ignored.…
      Preventive Medicine
      January 18, 2023

      STROKE AND PFIZER VACCINE

      Have you heard the latest about the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster? There’s always something, you know! This time, there are serious…
      Healthcare Policy
      December 26, 2022

      LIFE EXPECTANCY LOWERED—AGAIN!

      The CDC just announced the life expectancy of Americans recently dropped to a 25-year low. People born in 2021 have…
      COVID-19
      May 27, 2022

      mRNA VACCINE EFFICACY

      Who really knows how effective mRNA vaccines are for COVID-19. All degrees of outrageous claims about them are made back…
      COVID-19
      February 4, 2022

      MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES: What are they? What do they do?

      This is a difficult subject to write about. Difficult because to understand it, you must possess basic knowledge of the…
      COVID-19
      January 23, 2022

      “COVID-19 VACCINE BOOSTERS SAVE LIVES”

      Yes, they really do! And The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is proud to report that fact. Two…
      COVID-19
      January 5, 2022

      COVID-19 VACCINE-MYOCARDITIS LINK INSIGNIFICANT

      Last summer, there was a lot of fuss about a link between mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 and the occurrence of…
      COVID-19
      October 11, 2021

      NATURAL IMMUNITY TO COVID-19: IS IT A REALITY?

      Why can’t today’s viruses play fair? Why can’t viruses like SARS-CoV-2 behave like the viruses of old—the varicella-zoster virus or…
      COVID-19
      September 28, 2021

      PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINE AND MYOCARDITIS

      In July, I wrote a blog about the incidence of myocarditis in young males after vaccination with Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine.…
      COVID-19
      September 17, 2021

      COVID-19 VACCINATION AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

      I’m having a bit of trouble with the current attitude of a lot of people. I’m referring to the 80…
      COVID-19
      August 15, 2021

      VACCINE HESITANCY: WHY PEOPLE REFUSE COVID-19 VACCINE

      I’m old enough to remember what life was like before vaccines. As a child I had measles, mumps, and chicken…
      COVID-19
      July 12, 2021

      MYOCARDITIS AFTER COVID-19 VACCINE

      Much ado has been made on cable news programs about the adverse effects attributed to COVID-19 vaccines. In particular, there…
      COVID-19
      March 6, 2021

      SIX COVID-19 VACCINES IN PHASE III TRIALS

      We’ve heard repeatedly about the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for COVID-19. Those are the two vaccines in use locally; if…
      COVID-19
      March 5, 2021

      ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO PFIZER-BIONTECH VACCINE

      Today’s media seems to have difficulty reporting the good news that comes from developments in the COVID-19 pandemic. Such is…
      COVID-19
      January 12, 2021

      COVID-19 VACCINE: MY EXPERIENCE

      The Maricopa County (Arizona) Health Department began administering COVID-19 vaccine in late December. Maricopa County has the bulk of the…
      COVID-19
      December 5, 2020

      AT-HOME COVID-19 TESTING

      These days news travels fast so you may already know the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the…
      COVID-19
      November 21, 2020

      PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINE 90% (95%) EFFECTIVE!

      By now you’ve surely heard the good news about the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company in collaboration…
      COVID-19
      July 5, 2020

      HERD IMMUNITY? What’s That?

      Lately, there have been many references to the term HERD IMMUNITY. Public health officials use it in their communications about…

      CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

        Bone & Joint Problems
        December 1, 2024

        MEDICAL NEWS BRIEFS #24

        Does a cortisone shot help a frozen shoulder? Adhesive capsulitis is the fancy term for a frozen shoulder. The bones…
        Preventive Medicine
        August 5, 2022

        BREAKFAST HELPS US LIVE LONGER!

        It used to be said, breakfast is the “most important meal of the day.” “They” said eating a good breakfast…
        Heart Disease
        May 25, 2023

        CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY STAGNANT, RISK FACTOR PREVALENCE WORSE!

        Most of us are aware of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. We hear about them in public service announcements,…
        Heart Disease
        May 5, 2024

        CARDIAC EJECTION FRACTION

        Do you understand what is meant by heart failure? As the name implies, people with heart failure have a heart…
        Heart Disease
        August 5, 2023

        MORE ABOUT SUGAR IN OUR DIET

        Recently, I reported information that certain amounts of sugar in our diet were tied directly to increased risk of a…
        Heart Disease
        January 2, 2021

        HYPERTENSION AFFECTS COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE

        An article I read today had some disturbing information about hypertension and the effect it has on memory, verbal expression,…
        Drugs & Medications
        January 2, 2025

        MEDICAL NEWS BRIEFS #26

        Losing weight does not improve health. Really? Yes. Losing weight via GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs will improve your BMI (Body…
        Heart Disease
        March 26, 2026

        MANAGEMENT OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION

        The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the two largest organizations dedicated to the prevention and treatment…
        Cancer
        October 14, 2025

        LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN AND CANCER PREVENTION

        Is there no end to the creative imagination of medical researchers? Some amazing revelation of a new, life-altering use for…
        Heart Disease
        February 24, 2021

        HEART ATTACKS IN WOMEN: Are They Really Different?

        For many years, the mantra has been that heart attacks in women are different; they are harder to diagnose, the…
        Heart Disease
        August 3, 2022

        HEART TRANSPLANT: FINDING DONORS IS DAUNTING!

        A heart transplant is unquestionably the most serious operation a human can have. Removing a person’s heart is a terminal…
        Drugs & Medications
        March 28, 2022

        TYLENOL AND BLOOD PRESSURE: THERE’S MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!

        Most people think of Tylenol (acetaminophen) as a safe drug. They substitute if for aspirin because they are continually reminded…
        Preventive Medicine
        May 27, 2021

        COMMON SENSE TREATMENT OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

        Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a very common problem. I treated patients with high blood pressure every day, and many…
        Drugs & Medications
        December 25, 2023

        ANTI-ARRHYTHMIC DRUGS AFTER ABLATION: DO THEY HELP?

        If you’re one of the ever-increasing number of folks who have undergone ablation for atrial fibrillation, you may be wondering,…
        Heart Disease
        March 20, 2020

        BLOOD THINNERS AND ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: Who Should Take What?

        Since 2014, the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Heart Rhythm Society have recommended a set…
        Drugs & Medications
        1 week ago

        MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY DRUGS REDUCE CVD

        It’s no secret a lot of patients do not tolerate statin drugs. They have side effects that just can’t be…
        Heart Disease
        December 17, 2020

        ABLATION PREVENTS PROGRESSION OF ATRIAL FIB

        Many of you readers of Dr G Opines are familiar with Atrial Fibrillation because you’ve had it, yourself. It’s not…
        Preventive Medicine
        September 5, 2022

        DIABETES, MUSCLE PAIN, ANTIBIOTICS, HEART & INTESTINAL DISEASE

        AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS RESEARCH ARTICLES 2021 Many practicing physicians and family medicine residents in training are interested in…
        Heart Disease
        July 1, 2026

        WHY I NEED A PACEMAKER

        Pacemakers are one type of implantable cardiac device. There are several (see below) such devices, but pacemakers are the type…
        Heart Disease
        May 4, 2026

        CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE AND STENTS

        I just read an article on medscape.com that referred to changes that may be coming in the long-term prevention and…
        Preventive Medicine
        May 25, 2022

        CLINICAL PEARLS FROM “AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN” JOURNAL

        JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS DIABETES: What is the preferred medication in diabetics on dialysis?      …
        Diabetes
        October 8, 2024

        MEDICAL NEWS BRIEFS #20

        Rates of Sudden Death After Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction): After an acute heart attack (myocardial infarction), sudden death rates have…
        Heart Disease
        August 15, 2023

        SHORTNESS OF BREATH

        Doctors call shortness of breath a single, much shorter name—Dyspnea. The Greek and Latin derivatives of dyspnea are “dys” which…
        Drugs & Medications
        November 3, 2025

        LYRICA INCREASES RISK OF HEART FAILURE

        This article pertains only to patients who take Lyrica (pregabalin) and are over age 65. If you don’t fall in…
        Heart Disease
        May 11, 2026

        CHOLESTEROL GUIDELINES CHANGE AGAIN

        We’re all keenly aware of the role cholesterol plays in the development of arteriosclerosis. It forms the core, or the…

        DAY-IN-THE-LIFE SCENARIOS

          A Day in the Life Scenarios
          August 21, 2026

          RETIRING CAN BE A TOUGH TRANSITION

          During the many years a physician is in practice, he/she enjoys a solidly established identity that places the him/her in…
          A Day in the Life Scenarios
          August 11, 2026

          MEDSCAPE SPECIALTY SURVEY

          Medscape is an online source of medical news and information used by DrGOpines.com nearly every day. Officially, Medscape is a…
          A Day in the Life Scenarios
          July 9, 2026

          PHYSICIAN BURNOUT

          Today, the medical media, meaning medical journals and physician newsletters, have an incredible degree of concern about physician burnout. Under…
          A Day in the Life Scenarios
          June 11, 2026

          PATIENTS LOSING TRUST IN DOCTORS

          The medical profession, and in particular family physicians, remain among the most respected professionals in the U.S. According to a…
          A Day in the Life Scenarios
          May 15, 2026

          ABNORMAL LAB RESULTS

          Every day, family physicians have patients with abnormal lab test results. Most of the time, the abnormal results can be…
          A Day in the Life Scenarios
          March 27, 2026

          PHYSICIANS ARE NOT “PROVIDERS”

          Finally, someone besides me has taken offense at physicians being called providers. Since today’s world contains all levels of folks…

          YOUR WELLNESS MATTERS

            August 8, 2025

            FASTING FOR BLOODWORK IS OUTDATED

            Here’s something that might brighten your day. “It really doesn’t matter if you’re stomach is empty” [when you have blood…
            July 5, 2024

            PRIORITIES IN GERIATRIC CARE

            In spite of statistics that show the average life expectancy of Americans has been declining over the past 5-10 years,…
            January 9, 2024

            WHITE TEETH

            Many people today have a significant focus on personal appearance. You might not think so from the way segments of…
            September 1, 2023

            MEDICAL NEWS BRIEFS NO. 5

            Cancer Among Younger Americans is Increasing    A study published on JAMA Network Open using data from the National Cancer…
            August 25, 2023

            WATER FLUORIDATION, CREST TOOTHPASTE

            There’s little or no disagreement with the statement that fluoridation of community drinking water supplies has been one of public…
            August 5, 2023

            MORE ABOUT SUGAR IN OUR DIET

            Recently, I reported information that certain amounts of sugar in our diet were tied directly to increased risk of a…
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