Fear can show up at inappropriate times uninvited and unexpected, like a knock on the door in the middle of the night. We have all felt it. Sometimes, it can stop us from an adventure or getting into trouble. Sometimes, it can prevent us from living up to our potential or considering a new path. Sometimes, it can stop us from taking care of our health.
I had the pleasure of attending two pharmacy conferences over the last two weeks and wow! I couldn’t be more excited about the future. I saw it all, from gene therapy to digital marketing to pick up kiosks. Yes, many are very worried about what’s to come. There’s so many changes in healthcare now-a-days so I can completely understand the fear of the uncertain. But there really is so much to be excited about. I want to share some take-a-ways of some recent experiences.
In a word: yes. In two words: of course. But crossing a street is dangerous to your health. Driving a car or riding a bike is dangerous to your health. So that’s not really very helpful information.
It is back to school season, so let’s start this with a pop quiz:
You might think that screening for breast cancer by mammography is a slam-dunk. It was not the last time I wrote about it; and it is not now.
Walking through the dark construction zone of my now demolished kitchen, I made my way to the garage and out into the still, hot, humid July night. The air felt so thick, it was hard to breathe. At 1 a.m. I was headed to the hospital for a patient that just arrived in active labor. On the drive in, I had the air conditioner blasting to cool off the car and to wake the slumber from my head. By the time I reached the bright lights of the hospital 20 minutes later, I was fully awake. It was time to work.
In any political campaign season, fidelity to facts is often sacrificed for the persuasiveness of propaganda. In this campaign season of roiling discontent, that is only all the more so. In particular, the identification of every act of terrorism or violence as a systemic failure of the current power structure is as specious as it is seductive. Preventive Medicine can lend some very relevant perspective.