Summary: On today's episode of the Dr. O show, we have several new segments that I'm introducing to you, the listener. The first is Inside Medicine, which will be my commentary on the complexities, the frustrations and joys of medicine. As you might guess, there will be some political talk here in this segment. I can never totally get away from politics, no matter how hard I try, so I have to engage. Ignoring or dropping out is NOT an option. So expect in the future that I might get a little hot under the collar, so to speak, during some of my commentaries. There is a big discordance between practicing physicians like myself who look to patients for wisdom, and academians who spend their time commenting on pie charts and graphs. Unfortunately, practicing physicians like myself, have no time and even less desire to spend at administrative meetings picking over doughnuts and sandwiches. I would like to expose this disconnect, as I've tried to expose several disconnects in the medical field. But today, I'm going to talk about the simple joy of being a doctor-- taking care of and helping one patient. And really, I like to focus on the positive parts of being a doctor because ultimately, that's why I'm in it. I also am making a call out to you, the listener, to help me with the show. I want you to send me your questions, comments, and the desultory ramblings if you so choose. You can record them on your computer and send them to doctor_ostric@yahoo.com and I will do my best to answer them. Go ahead and make it fun, and if you want to be harsh, that's fine. Even though I have the last word, I will try to be fair and my response, and not resort to personal attacks (which of course, would probably get me ratings in the short term, but I'm looking for a long-term education and betterment of not only myself but you, the listener). So go ahead, send me some questions. I'm also asking you to send me your low-carb recipes. Send it to the same e-mail address, and if it's good enough, that I want to ask you to come on the show and will have little back-and-forth talking about you, your low-carb life, and of course your recipe. Paleoheads are of course, welcome, as are non-denomination omnivores. Heck, I'll even feature you if you are a vegetarian and you have a great recipe! This podcast is much more than talking about food and health. It's about relationships. And finally, our featured guest, Laurence Chalem, is a person who I think you will enjoy listening to. He is an average guy, like you and me, who happened to get diabetes when he was in his 30s. He did the whole high carb and insulin routine, and then asked himself,' what if I just cut the carbs?' He had amazing results. But it really didn't stop there because Laurence Chalem decided to write books about his experience sharing his knowledge and his ideas with others in order to maybe help them. He has written two books about diabetes, Thrive with Diabetes and Essential Diabetes Leadership. They are excellent books, and I highly recommend that you get them on Amazon. He also has a website which is also called thrivewithdiabetes.com Laurence also happens to be a love story writer, and we talk about this as well. I really enjoyed my interview with Laurence Chalem. He is the type of patient that makes a very knowledgeable doctor and passionate doctor into a great doctor because of what he brings to the table. I have always thought that that was the key element in excellent health care-- a great patient. You know, to bring this back it's not unlike being a great writer, you need to have great readers. And I think that's one of the major roles that a doctor has to master to be effective, he/she has to be a great reader. And certainly, that becomes a very easy and enjoyable task when you have patients like Laurence Chalem. Enjoy!
