Cure Talk
Dr. Matthew Mintz
I am board certified in internal medicine and have been practicing for over a decade. I am also an Associate Professor of Medicine at an academic medical center on the East Coast. My time is split between teaching medical students and residents, and caring for my patients. 
I was not able to watch the 2012 Olympic opening ceremonies until last night. Though we are only half way through the spectacle on our DVR, I was remarkably surprised to find that featured among some of the UK’s proud traditions (the Queen, James…
ABC News and other media outlets are reporting the results of a small, but very important study regarding a new treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. Most Americans are familiar with Alzheimer’s because it is so common (President Reagan had it), so …
Now more than ever, the growing consensus among many is that doctors should avoid seeing pharmaceutical sales representatives, otherwise known as drug reps. A position statement from the AAMC, the head organization of all USmedical schools and residenc…
I am not a huge baseball fan to begin with, and when I am, I route for the Nationals. Thus, I pay little attention to the New York Yankees, and was not aware that Yankee player Mark Teixeira had been suffering with a cough for the past month…
“Suck” is a word I seldom use. It’s a word I ask my children not to use. However, in this case the word is appropriate. If as a patient, you have ever had a delay in getting a medication or a test your doctor ordered, it was probably du…
In our world of 24/7 media, where we seem to hear about the next big cure, important dietary change or very dangerous drug virtually every day, it is hard to believe that the news people, tweeters and bloggers could miss anything that is goin…
One of the advantages of having a blog has given me incredible opportunities to works with so many doctors, patients and others interested in health care. However, one of the disadvantages is the solicitiations. I get at least one email a d…
As my tween daughter would say, “OMG!”The media is a buzz with the news that the FDA is changing the warnings on statins.The New York Times claims “Safety Alerts Cite Cholesterol Drugs’ Side Effects.”According to the Wall Street Journal “FDA Warns on…
In today’s Wall Street Journal, and article that is getting a lot of attention is More Doctors ‘Fire’ Vaccine Refusers. The article discussing the increasing frequency of pediatricians who are “firing” patients/families from their practices becau…
Today on NBC’s today show, celebrity chef Paula Deen confirmed she had Type 2 diabetes. She was diagnosed 3 years ago, but only decided to come out today. She also mentioned that she is a paid spokesperson for drug company Novo Nordisk, mak…
Here is another example of less than responsible journalism. Both the Wall Street Journal and Fox News report “Quit smoking: A new case for going cold turkey.” Even NPR asked Do Nicotine Patches And Gum Help Smokers Quit? Other reports simila…
Health care is in crisis. Reimbursements from insurance companies continue to dwindle, while the expenses of running an office continue to rise. Looming cuts in Medicare are only weeks away, and many physicians may stop taking Medicare. If …
The Wall Street Journal is reporting on a study published in the journal Cancer, and described by Reuters that links statins to reducing the risk of prostate cancer. According to the report:The researchers found that men who died of prostate canc…
There is a new study reported in Bloomberg this morning that Sanofi’s Lantus Doubled Cancer Risk in Study of Diabetics. The study, which was presented yesterday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium retrospecitvely evaluated medical records of 2…
Fortunately, the 27% reduction in Medicare payments to physicians that is set to take place in a matter of weeks unless congress acts is getting some press. Fox News published this piece yesterday, as did the Washington Post. Writer Merrill Goozn…
One of the advantages of being a blogger is the comments, feedback and communications I receive from readers. Though not all of it is positive, many of these interactions with people from across the globe that I do not know has been quite enjoyab…
There has been much confusion/concern/media attention since the recent announcement (see the NY Times article US Panel Says No to Prostate Screening for Healthy Men) that PSA tesing was no longer recommended by the US Preventative Services Task Force. …
Before I took over one of the classes that now teach at the medical school, I asked students why the value of that class was so low. One of the reasons they gave was that it was so hard to do well in the class, and there were so many other things…
In my recent post All in for Crestor, I discussed how the SATURN study comparing Crestor to Lipitor was likely a make or break study for AstraZenca’s cholesterol pill. As mentioned, because Lipitor will soon go generic in November, AZ needed to g…
The American Heart Association will be holding its annual meeting this November. Cardiobrief.org just posted the announced “late-breaking” clinical trials. These are the big name trials that usually grab a lot of headlines. One of the trials is t…
