I trained as a Family Doctor so that I would be ready to help patients with any challenge. The old school family doc used to take that skill set out into the community on house calls, sports sidelines, and town hall meetings. At some point the job description was boiled down into a job that started and ended with a 7 minute office visit. That setup is not good for patients, and it's not good for doctors. In this column I hope to start to push the boundary of where the doctor patient interaction takes place - onto the page, into the community, and beyond 7 minutes.
As a family doctor I try to stay up to date on the most recent research. The most interesting article I have read in some time was in the New Yorker magazine, “The Promise and Price of Cellular Therapies.” It talks about advances in cancer treatment. There is some interesting research going into using the body’s natural immune defense to fight cancer. The research is still in its preliminary stages but could change the way we treat people with cancer.
Read More
