In our rush to make our lives more efficient, productive, and pleasurable, we outsource our every-day, mundane tasks to someone or something else. We use credit cards to avoid counting money and holding on to change. We order our groceries online to be delivered so we can use our time doing something we want to do without wasting valuable time shopping. We order take-out, we buy gym memberships, we hire tour guides, we watch Netflix, we invest online, we donate […]
I remember growing up hearing the phrase, “The devil that you know is better than the devil that you don’t”. Or something like that. In other words, when we know who and what we are dealing with, when we have already been given some kind of secret knowledge about someone or something, we can more properly and more systematically handle the situation we are presented with. If I know a certain patient is scheduled to come in who I have […]
I have a lot of patients ask my opinion about natural supplements and vitamins to treat certain ailments. I suppose it’s because of my reputation of being an open minded judge in regards to analyzing the significance of the effect of traditional or alternative treatments for any number of ailments. Sometimes the best treatment is the traditional Western approach using FDA-approved medicines and procedures, prescribed and administered by medical physicians. Sometimes the best treatment is the non-traditional Eastern approach using […]
Being a frontline actively practicing doctor who likes to do medical research has provided me with unique perspectives, especially in the age of COVID. I have never in my lifetime witnessed the intensity and speed of disintegration of the foundation of scientific inquiry to the scientific process. This breakdown has led to what appears to be unprecedented tribalism both in the medical and other scientific fields. Let’s take one issue: Vaccines. Do I support COVID vaccines or not? If I […]
As you know, I like saving you money on your healthcare. I despise wasting healthcare dollars on things that don’t help you or me determine if you have some covert deadly disease lurking in the background, until it’s too late. Screening for deadly diseases is a very tricky business. As a patient, your gut instinct might be to say, “Hey, the more information I have about my health, the better, right?” The problem with this thinking is that you have […]
Me: “Good morning! What brings you in to the office today?” Patient: “I’m here because I have a headache” Me: “OK, can you tell me a little bit about your headache? When did it start? Has it happened before? Where is it located? Is it off and on or continuous? What makes it better or worse? What type of pain–throbbing, burning, sharp/stabbing, achy? Is the intensity mild, moderate, or severe?” Patient: “I don’t know the details, doctor, but I typed […]
The more you are able to avoid white flour and white sugar, the easier it will be to obtain, and maintain a healthy weight. Another reason to avoid white flour/sugar, is that after you eat it, it artificially increases your desire to eat again. It’s a rebound effect. It’s like the drug heroine in a way–by hitting all your pleasure centers quickly, and then releasing just as quickly–leading you to want more. This is why white flour/sugar is a double […]
I have been practicing medicine for 20 years now, and I’ve learned a few things. First, people are always on their best behavior when they come to the doctor’s office. This is especially true for those who want to lose weight. Almost nobody comes into my office saying how horribly they eat (or anything else for that matter). I have not done an official study on this, but I would say somewhere around 92-96% of patients who come in to […]
This is a series of posts between myself and Steven Novella, MD, who writes for Neurologica, a science communication blog. I fired the first shot, as posted previously on this blog (I will put a link to it here for your convenience). He responded to my first post (link here). I will post my most recent response below. Hi Steve, and thank you for your timely response, and for even considering hosting this debate. There has been, and continues to […]
Why do people distrust doctors? I’m not talking about all people. But a lot of people. And it’s growing. I have been practicing medicine for about 20 years now. I’ve practiced in the upper Midwest, the southwest, and now the mid south region of the U.S. And I’ve talked to a lot of people over those years. My perception is that people are generally starting to distrust us as a profession of doctors, much more than in years past. What […]
I heard back from JAMA and unsurprisingly, they will not be publishing my letter. Here is their response: Dear Dr Hastings: Thank you for your recent letter to the editor. Unfortunately, because of the many submissions we receive and our space limitations in the Letters section, we are unable to publish your letter in JAMA. After considering the opinions of our editorial staff, we determined your letter did not receive a high enough priority rating for publication in JAMA. We […]
Recently, I sent a letter to the editor for the Journal of American Medical Association regarding their review of ivermectin on COVID-19 outcomes. Hopefully they will print it, but I’m definitely not holding my breath here. I have included it for your perusal: To the Editor: I read with interest the article, “Effect of Ivermectin vs Placebo on Time to Sustained Recovery in Outpatients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19, A Randomized Clinical Trial” published October 21, 2022 JAMA online. [1] […]
Full disclosure, I have no financial interest in the Journal of American Medical Association, pharmaceutical companies, or anything else for that matter. I’m a doctor who sees real, live patients every day, and I try my best to practice evidence-based medicine. I was perusing the latest study regarding ivermectin and COVID outcomes in the October 21, 2022 edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) the other day. I usually lazily read the conclusions first (don’t we all […]
Recently, I asked to host a debate regarding the health effects of climate change with Dr. Steven Novella MD, neurologist and host of his own blog, Neurologica. He accepted my challenge, so I went first. I will post my side of the argument below. As of yet, he has not responded to my argument. We’ll see where this goes, but so far it’s not going anywhere. Here it is in it’s entirety: Hi Steven, first of all, I am tremendously […]
Now that California has passed AB 2098 into law, which states, “the dissemination of misinformation or disinformation related to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, or ‘COVID-19,’ as unprofessional conduct”, California doctors could face losing their license for knowingly misleading their patients regarding COVID related information, including (mainly) vaccine information. California Governor Gavin Newsom stated, “To be clear, this bill does not apply to any speech outside of discussions directly related to COVID-19 treatment with a direct physician patient relationship…”I am concerned about […]
I’ve noticed a pattern. It seems almost too coincidental, really. But looking at it in scientific research terms, let’s use correlation between two variables here. It appears to me that the more an article refers to “medical misinformation” the less that same article uses actual scientific research to support their own claims. In other words, don’t throw rocks from the porch of your glass house. Additionally, the more an article references “medical misinformation”, the more they refer to ad hominem […]
I talk about diet and nutrition quite a bit when consulting with patients regarding their health. Sometimes I feel like a broken record when it comes to dietary practices. But let’s get real here–we all fall short of our desired goals and aspirations every day, especially when it comes to what we put in our mouths. As humans, we all have in our minds the picture of what we want to be. Sometimes reconciling what we want to be and […]
Please click the link below so you can see the references as well. Who gets to decide what _medical disinformation_ is_
I read almost every issue of American Family Physician, a peer-reviewed family medicine journal that I use along with other medical journals like the Journal of American Medical Association, Consultant, and the Journal of Family Practice to keep up with the latest practice guidelines in family medicine. I usually find the content relevant for staying up to date in my profession as a family doctor. While I don’t agree with everything that is included, I do agree with most, and […]
Here are some solutions I see that can help bridge the widening gap between academic and real-world medicine. We need to address our own biases. I see a whole lot of political mud-slinging going on, especially around highly controversial and politically charged issues. We must constantly be asking ourselves as we investigate, “What if I’m wrong?” “What am I not seeing here that is so obvious to the other side?” “What can I learn from the other side that I […]
I’m a physician who sees and treats patients every single day. Yes, when I’m not in the clinic seeing my panel of patients that span a large spectrum of ages and medical conditions, I’m on call for them, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week (unless I’m on vacation, and even then I’m still on call a lot of the time). I say this not to complain at all about my chosen profession, or how much easier it is […]
(Part 2 in a 2 part series…) Here are my opinions based on my experience, of why masks are nowhere to be seen, despite growing numbers of COVID infections. Granted, I, just like you or anyone else, am subjected to my own biases, but at least I’m telling you up front instead of spouting tribal groupthink ideas that imply “this is how it is, I’m right, they’re all wrong” sort of attitude. N95 masks do help prevent infection very minimally. […]
It’s summer, 2022, and COVID is rearing its ugly head again. I can see it in the slowly creeping numbers of positive tests, every day, little by little. No state is spared. While not at peak levels experienced in the delta and omicron waves of last fall and winter, the sheer numbers of new daily infections assures us that COVID is back in the swing of things. Back in April of 2020, many state governors, including those of Maryland, Connecticut, […]
I would love to say that I, your fearless guide to all things virtuous, true, and noble, am myself, truly virtuous, true, and noble all the time. But alas, this is not so. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see some type of objective instrument show me how unbiased I am. After all, I am not taking any money from anyone to push a narrative. I have nothing to gain from giving you free medical information. I like […]
Me: “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned” God: “Yes, my child, what sin would you like to confess?” Me: “According to the internet, I’m only a mere 3.5 star doctor.” God: “Well, why do you think you’re only a 3.5 star doctor?” Me: “According to the internet, I didn’t prescribe a z-pack to Janie*, because she had a cough since this morning and demanded it while in my office a few hours later. I was a “horrible, uncaring […]
We are now fully two years into this pandemic and the controversy of masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19 continues to rage. Right or wrong, like vaccines and lockdowns, masks use adherence have been a flashpoint dividing the political right and left during the pandemic. It may have taken several months, but those on the right and left of the spectrum seem to have adopted mask wearing (or the lack thereof) as a symbol of political allegiance, the evidence […]
In times of uncertainty and doubt, and COVID-19 is a perfect example of this, a lot of things start happening in our heads. When we are uncertain or begin to doubt, we have a reactive, emotional side to our brain ( the limbic system) that tends to shut down the rational, logical side thinking patterns (the prefrontal cortex). That’s just part of being human. We end up making very otherwise unwise decisions based on these reactions. As humans ourselves, those […]
You know the old adage, “too many chefs spoil the dinner”. Now we can say that about our health, as well. As a practicing family doctor for the past 20 years, I’ve seen countless times how too many specialists can “spoil” a patient’s health. A cardiologist starts two blood thinners to keep the patient from another heart attack, but then finds that the patient died of a bleeding ulcer from the blood thinners. A psychiatrist starts another patient on antipsychotics […]
COVID-19 continues to pose a serious public health threat. A multitude of different prevention and treatment strategies have been employed to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, specifically to reduce length of illness, days of missed work, hospitalizations, and deaths. Ivermectin has been identified previously as having in vitro antiviral properties against SARS-COV-2. Interest in ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 gained traction early in 2020 as a potential inexpensive treatment for COVID-19 patients based on in vitro findings, as […]
COVID Frequently Asked Questions October 24, 2020 I am not a Republican, I am not a Democrat, I am independently minded. There are problems with both political parties, please keep that in mind. Dr. Hastings Question: Did locking down entire economies during COVID lead to fewer overall deaths? Answer: No. Multiple lines of evidence (see here, here, and here) reveal that not only did locking down economies during COVID surge not decrease COVID deaths, it INCREASED OVERALL deaths from […]
FYI: I am neither a Democrat or Republican. I am politically fiercely independent. SUMMARY: While the U.S. leads the world with the UK in testing per population, the U.S. also has one of the highest COVID deaths per million. This appears to reject the scientific consensus that testing more people leads to fewer deaths if the U.S. is one of the world leaders in this area. The states won by Trump in 2016 and states currently governed by Republicans fare […]
There is risk in appearing insensitive by providing you the information below. I understand and accept this risk. Please know that I care about and am concerned about the health, well-being, and safety of each of you reading this email. Thank you in advance for understanding. Please direct any objective, evidence-based responses to our office, I read and consider all of them. Thank you. Over the course of the last several weeks, we have been informed by news media […]
The following is an email sent on May 19, 2020 to the Dr. Diana L. Fite, President of the Texas Medical Association regarding COVID-19. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Fite for responding to my previous email addressing some controversies surrounding COVID-19. Good afternoon Dr. Fite, Thank you for taking the time to respond to my email. We are in agreement in regards to the generally accepted CDC guidelines regarding social distancing in a pandemic. I am aware of the […]
Lockdowns and quarantines are procedures called “Non Pharmaceutical Interventions” that are currently being advocated and used to slow the spread of highly contagious, infectious disease, such as COVID-19. However, despite these “social distancing” measures that appeared to lower death rates in previous pandemics like the 1918 flu, we are not seeing the same benefits that would be expected in the current pandemic. Why are lockdown orders not working like we think they should? I know this is controversial, but stick with […]