Author Archives: Laura Newman

As Chicagoans Vote for Mayor, A Trauma Center And
A Presidential Library Hang in the Balance

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Laura Newman

The national discussion of whether #blacklivesmatter or which lives matter comes into sharp focus when you consider the lack of trauma centers on Chicago’s southside. That’s where the vast majority of gun violence occurs and where a trauma center is … Continue reading →

Posted in trauma center | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

On Brian Williams and You and Your Doctor’s Memory

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Laura Newman

Guest post by Blair Bolles Memories are back in the news these days. Folks are lambasting NBC’s Nightly News Anchor, Brian Williams, as a Pinocchio, building up a record of having led a more exciting life than truth allows. Williams … Continue reading →

Posted in memory | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Seeing Your Doctor for Prevention,
Treating On Your Own: A Report from the Field

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Laura Newman

First off, let me be clear: what I report below I am not recommending. My first obligation is to my readers. Also, I am grateful to Brooke Binkowski, a stellar journalist-friend, who spontaneously emailed me this story this morning. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Patient stories | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nursing Homes for People of Color:
Still Segregated, Still Unequal

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Laura Newman

If Martin Luther King, Jr. was alive today, he would be 86. If he was like many elderly black Americans, he might well end up in a nursing home ranked lower in quality and with less well-trained nursing staff than … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, disparities | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Happy Dogmatic New Year’s: Here’s How You Lose Weight

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Laura Newman

I don’t have any magic bullets on weight loss to show you here, but in the spirit of this blog, I give you some voices from the street. When the topic of weight loss came up in a phone call … Continue reading →

Posted in obesity | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

2014 Drug Issues: Where’s the Data, Product Hopping, Inappropriate Use, and What’s Come and Gone

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Laura Newman

For 2015, I’d love to see headway in clamping down on drugs that don’t work, tighter regulation of inappropriate drug marketing, and more open data and transparency from industry. Is it pie-in-the-sky? Maybe. But let’s work towards it. Patients need to … Continue reading →

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Don’t Be Too Quick to Diagnose Yourself

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Laura Newman

Learning all you can to manage your health is clearly a good thing. Today we have more at our disposal to learn a huge amount about our health status, how to intervene to avoid a crisis, and optimize our health. … Continue reading →

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In Stunning Reversal, Unnecessary “Preventive” Mastectomies Are Surging in Young White Women with Insurance

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Laura Newman

I remember the first time that I heard about an unexpected rise in unnecessary mastectomies in young white women, who were privately insured. About five years ago, I was at the largest cancer meeting of the year, the annual meeting … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Second Look at the European Randomised Study Of
Screening For Prostate Cancer

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Laura Newman

Last week, The Lancet published 13-year follow-up results from the European Randomised study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC), an international trial of PSA testing in seven countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland). (Unfortunately, the complete … Continue reading →

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Screening For Prostate Cancer

4 Short Summer Reads: Concussion in Girls, Adult Diapers,
Gay Conversion Therapy with Electric Shock, and Chronic Pain

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Laura Newman

We’re halfway through the summer, when perhaps you have more time for reading and considering new ideas. I want to draw readers’ attention to four issues that sharpen the focus on overlooked population groups that should be part and parcel … Continue reading →

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Gay Conversion Therapy with Electric Shock, and Chronic Pain