Ep 5: High 5! Atul Gawande, probiotics & skin health, and inside medicine…Dr. O speaks!

Summary: Right-click to Download audio. Okay everybody give yourself a high 5! We've  made it to episode number five! I'm learning a lot of things about podcasting as I do it – trying to find interesting subjects for the show, and trying to execute each segment/interview in a way that is both entertaining and professional. It's definitely a challenge that really stimulates my creative juices – something which the practice of medicine doesn't always do, mainly because of all this oppressive bureaucracy that is creeping in slowly and strangling what's left of the good. Podcasting can also be draining at times – and I only do one podcast a week! I can't imagine what it's like for a guy like Jimmy Moore! It makes me respect his level of enthusiasm and energy even more because he puts out a quality product just about every single show five days a week! Anyway, today show is a little bit of a hodgepodge. As I explain, I wanted to get my daughters on the show but they started school this week, and so they were tired when I tried to interview them. Hopefully I can get that done this weekend sometime. The fact of the matter is they have taught me more about nutrition and health as well as courage them perseverance and most importantly the essential  dignity of humanity than any medical textbook or scientific study.  That's how it is. You learn the most profound lessons from your patients, which, in a way, my daughters have been. And of course they have been my daughters, and as their father, I have learned a lot as well – probably much more than being their 'doctor'! In the first segment of the show, I review the article "BIG MED: Restaurant chains have managed to combine quality control, cost control, and innovation. Can health care?" by Atul Gawande about his suggestions on how to make medicine more efficient by following the same model that a restaurant does, namely the Cheesecake Factory. There are some problems with Gawande's reasoning, which I point out, because although his reasoning to a great degree is correct the problem is that he starts from a faulty premise – namely that efficient and medical care should actually begin in the hospital. I reject that premise, and I explain why. The next segment of the show is a true hodgepodge. I talk about riding my bike in my neighborhood, being a plastic surgeon, and the vital importance of nutrition to beauty and in particular, healthy & ageless skin. You'll have to tell me what you think about it. Don't forget that the show line number is: 276.299.1010 Go ahead and tell me what you really think, especially if you think it was terrible. I'll put it on the air if it's entertaining enough! Why not? The main reason I'm doing this is because I'm having an enormously good time, and I find it extremely fulfilling to not only help educate and inform others, but to also educate and inform myself. And as you know, I make it no secret that I learned the most from other people! So go ahead. If you have something nice to say, then thank you. If you are not so pleased refined things confusing, let me know. My goal is to put out the absolute best podcast that I possibly can, and I need your help to do it! Finally, on the inside medicine segment, I talk about my training as a medical student. I hope to revisit that many times during this podcast because I think if you're going to train doctors who are actually able to prevent diseases and use the most cost efficient methods available that are the least toxic and risky (ie food, nutrition, lifestyle), then you are going to have to really start with medical school. And as I point out in this segment, medical school gives you a ton of information – but it doesn't always provide the integration necessary to combat disease before it rears its ugly head! If you find me pedantic, boring, and repetitive in regards to my assessment of medicine and what I think should be done to help make it better and face the challenges of the 21st century,