Can we trust our own medical research?

Wine and chocolate are great and horrible

I’ve had a personal morbid fascination with the medical literature since medical school. I’ve lived long enough to see several things be portrayed in the professional and layperson literature as miraculously beneficial treatments only to be the polar opposite in the next study or after failing to be replicable long term. It’s nuts. I’m not a statistician but I’ve been trying to become more facile with statistics (I highly recommend this amazing little book) and especially the many kinds of bias that can influence the “conclusions” of studies.

Medicine as humanity

The good physician knows his patient through and through, and his knowledge is bought dearly. Time, sympathy, and understanding must be lavishly dispensed, but the reward is to be found in that personal bond which forms the greatest satisfaction of the practice of medicine. One of the essential qualities of the clinician is his interest in humanity, for the secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient.” -Dr. Francis Weld Peabody, 1927

The Hippo Education crew took a well-deserved retreat to New Orleans this past week. As a remote company we treasure the opportunity to come together IRL. The company was wonderful, the city fascinating, and the beignets plentiful.

Thank you Dr. Canalis

I have had a task on my to-do list for forever, inspired by all kinds of deep people, to write thank you notes to people who had a profound impact on my life. I don’t know why I never get to it. But, the other day I did one. I happened upon the email address of a doctor named Rinaldo Canalis. I’d been looking for a place to send him a note that wouldn’t get thrown away (like a hospital address might) for years.

Waking Up

I use this meditation app called Waking Up by Sam Harris (we are in no way affiliated). Today someone asked me, what is the most important app on my phone (an existential question?). Waking Up might be it. There are lots of other good meditation apps.

Grateful

A few weeks ago I woke up with that strange feeling of health and energy that comes from the absence of discomfort. After an epic 10 day trip to Indonesia focused on surfing in an environment at times paradise-like and at times very polluted, I got slapped down for a week or so by a combination of jet lag and some sort of severely crampy GI bug. The first morning I woke up not feeling horrible, felt amazing.

Good Medical Education: Part 2

(If you happened upon this post without reading Part 1, do that first.)

The Beginning

I am Aaron Bright and I am an emergency physician and the CEO and founder of Hippo Education. You can find out a little more about me here.