Germs And Kids

Everyone knows that when it comes to germs and kids, it sometimes can be difficult to limit the spread of infection - especially in the day care setting. In the video above, I talked with local TV news last week about this topic and also the topic of trying to prevent infection in college students during finals week. If you find the above video helpful, I invite you to check out my other videos over at MikeSevilla.TV. Enjoy!

Comeback Is King

Here in Youngstown, Ohio, football is king. There is a great tradition at the high school, college (Jim Tressel won national championships at Y'town State before heading to Columbus), and professional level. But, if the press had a number 2 sport in this town, it would have to be boxing.

Yesterday, in the midst of the Black Friday news coverage, people talking about their Thanksgiving, and continued complaints about TSA security at airports, there was a small story in Yahoo Sports which has a lot of local people talking.

Former middleweight boxing champion Kelly Pavlik has been in the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., since Nov. 4 for treatment of a problem with alcohol, the fighter’s father, Mike Pavlik, told Yahoo! Sports on Friday. The 28-year-old slugger’s boxing career is in doubt, said co-manager Cameron Dunkin, who said, “I don’t know if he’ll ever fight again.”

The article goes on to say that after Pavlik won the title, he didn't quite know how to deal with his new found fame.

“The kind of kid Kelly is, he doesn’t want to say no to anyone. It was kind of like the Mickey Mantle syndrome here. Everywhere he went, everyone wanted to buy the champ a beer. He didn’t want to disappoint anyone or say no and it wound up causing him a pretty serious problem.”

Now, don't get me wrong, people are responsible for their own actions. However, in this town, successful sports figures are elevated to such a high pedestal, it's definitely understandable about how this situation played out.

What will be interesting for me to see now is how Youngstown, Ohio responds to news of this nature. Since he lost his title 6 months ago, there has not been too much local press on this guy. Has this town now abandoned this guy since he is no longer the champ? Does this town now consider him damaged goods since he is now in rehab?

C'mon Youngstown, you're better than that. This is the time to rally around this guy again, but not because he's fighting for a titie. Now, he's fighting for his life. His father says it best at the end of the article.

“My whole concern for him is for him is to get healthy and be a good husband, a good father, a good son, a good citizen and a respectable man,” Mike Pavlik said. “That’s what I want from him. We’re all supportive of that goal. As a father, it’s destroying me to see this. Here is somebody that God has shed His blessing on and he had everything right at his fingertips.

In its heyday, Youngstown, Ohio was one of the leading steel towns in all of the world. Many local business and thought leaders are trying to write its comeback story. But, how nice would it be for the community to come together for one if its favorite sons to help him make a comeback of his own. We'll have to see if this community has the courage to do just that...

Happy Thanksgiving!

For those of you who remember WKRP in Cincinnati, this was a classic episode. Gobble, gobble! Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Dr. A on Radio Rounds Ep416

You may remember a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to the studios of the Radio Rounds program which is a show/podcast exclusively created and produced by medical students in Dayton, Ohio.

On Sunday, November 28th, 2010 at noon eastern time, I invite you to tune in live at RadioRounds.Org for Episode 416 where yours truly will be the featured guest. Thanks so much to the Radio Rounds crew for letting me hang out with them.

In the video above, you'll see portions of episode 410 featuring Howard Dean. If you miss she show live, that's ok. You'll be able to download the podcast later next week through iTunes. Enjoy!

Dr. A Show 194 Wrap-up

Even though it's Thursday, there is not going to be a Doctor Anonymous Show tonight. However, in the video above, you can see a segment from last week's Show 194 which was on Saturday night. It was a really fun show with my co-host Kat. On our Saturday nite shows, we talk about the news of the week when it comes to current events, health/medicine stories, and some not-so-serious news. In the video above, Kat and I talk about the recent observance of Veteran's Day 2010.

You can listen to the entire audio podcast in the sidebar of the blog. Or, you can download Show 194 by going to the iTunes page for the show, and then listen anytime. I also encourage you to check out the show's Facebook page, and click the big "Like" button at the top. Finally, you can check out other videos of my on my YouTube page. Enjoy!

Great American Smokeout

The Great American Smokeout is an annual event that encourages smokers to quit for at least 1 day in the hope that this might challenge them to stop permanently. The American Cancer Society and other organizations observe this event. This year, the Great American Smokeout is Thursday, November 18, 2010.

In the video above, I was interviewed by local TV news about the event, the risks of prolonged tobacco use, and what to do to prepare for your quit day. One of the most important things, I think, is to make sure that you have a good support system with friends and family - when you're trying to quit smoking. For more information, I encourage you to check out the American Cancer Society site. Did you know that 2010 is the 35th year of the event? If you found the video above helpful, then I encourage you to check out other videos on my youtube site. Enjoy!

Alcoholic Energy Drinks

In the video above, you will see an interview I was asked to do on Thursday, November 11, 2010 on local TV news about alcoholic energy drinks like four loko that has been in the news recently. I talk about the potential harmful effects of the ingredients of a product like this. As of this posting, there have been a number of states, colleges, and universities who have taken steps to ban these type of beverages.

At the end of my interview, I talk about how I don't think banning a product like this is going to solve the problem. In the article, "Banning Four Loko Doesn't Solve Problems," by Alex Belz from The North Wind explains:

It seems these health officials are either unaware of or choosing to ignore the fact that combining a caffeinated beverage with an alcoholic one is a time-tested formula for a decent drink. So far, they’ve not proposed banning drinks like Jager Bombs and vodka and Red Bulls from being served in bars, but perhaps that’s just around the corner.

As of this post, it has been only hours since the ban was announced in Washington State has been announced. Since the ban does not take effect for about seven days, guess what is happening? According to The Seattle Times, a "Buying Rush Follows Washington Ban On Four Loko."

Now, don't misunderstand. I have read the stories of the sickness, illness, and tragedies that have occurred associated with this product. However, it wasn't due to the product. It was due to irresponsible use of the product. An editorial from The New Hampshire sums it up the best, "If you want to discourage something, educate us on its risks. It makes more sense to convince us to follow a practice than to force it upon us (particularly in this case, when it's not that hard to get across the state's border). Education is the way to go."

Thanks Med City News!

Wanna know why social media matters? Here's why. Yesterday afternoon, I was contacted by Brandon Glenn from Med City News in the Cleveland, Ohio area about my post called "NEOUCOM Restructuring." I encourage you to check out article posted today entitled "NEOUCOM cuts 8 workers, plans to add more for strategy’s sake." The really cool phrase was at the end of the article.

News of the layoffs began spreading primarily from the Doctor Anonymous blog, which is maintained by Youngstown-area family physician Dr. Mike Sevilla, a NEOUCOM graduate.

Something that is still really interesting to me is that there is no official press release on the NEOUCOM school website (as of this posting). But, yet it looks like news organizations like Med City News, Akron Beacon Journal, and Ravenna Record Courier (local newspaper where the med school is located) received a some kind of press release and/or talked with their PR people (I would guess the med school PR people are really not happy with me right now)

One of the things that I hope comes out of this incident is that the med school consider being a little more transparent when it comes to major decisions and major moves like this. The perception of a coverup or the perception of deception really doesn't help build bridges with the people and the stakeholders who are supposed to be your supporters. Thanks again to MedCity News for following up on this story!

AMA Social Media Policy

In San Diego this week, the American Medical Association announced some guidelines to help physicians navigate social media:

• Use privacy settings to safeguard personal information and content to the fullest extent possible on social networking sites.
• Routinely monitor their own Internet presence to ensure that the personal and professional information on their own sites and content posted about them by others, is accurate and appropriate.
• Maintain appropriate boundaries of the patient-physician relationship when interacting with patients online and ensure patient privacy and confidentiality is maintained.
• Consider separating personal and professional content online.
• Recognize that actions online and content posted can negatively affect their reputations among patients and colleagues, and may even have consequences for their medical careers.

About a month ago, my home state Ohio State Medical Association released a "Social Media Toolkit" to assist physicians which goes a little bit deeper as far as practical steps and tips.

The importance of these two moves at a state and national level from organized medicine cannot be overstated. This is HUGE. Hopefully my professional organization, the American Academy of Family Physicians, will follow suit with some guidance for their physician members.

I have said all along that people like professional organizations will not be the ones to push physicians to social media use. It will ultimately be patients who drive physicians to social media. However, I agree with Doctor_V in saying that this major step by a physician organization will help solidify the importance of the use of social media.

NEOUCOM Restructuring

As regular readers of this blog know, I'm curious and sometimes have an opinion of what happens at my medical school alma mater - as exhibited by this post, this post, and this post. I was recently informed of another situation that occurred on Election Day 2010. And, before I go on, I should tell you that this information is 2nd hand information and may well be inaccurate. However, as of when this text is posted, there is no official word from the school on their website and no word in the press about the statements made in this post. (Also check out the video post above)

Anyway, the school is like a lot of other state schools out there in that there is no money in education. So, according to what was told to me, the school chose to "downsize" or restructure - which basically means eliminate some positions to limit costs. The interesting things about this story are when it happened - Election Day - Why? Was it to try to avoid press coverage with all the national and state elections going on the same day? That's possible.

The other interesting thing that I heard was the manner in which it happened. You hear about this in other aspects of corporate America and see on TV/movie dramas - The people who are let go - They are told they are let go - And then immediately asked to leave the premises - Essentially escorted out of the building. Does that actually happen? Apparently (according to reports) - It did happen.

That part of the story made me sad. The other part of the story that made me sad is that the people who were let go. People who have been loyal to the school and people who gave a lot of themselves to a school and employer that they enjoyed - they were shown the door and told to get out - Why? - Because they were too expensive to stay on. Meanwhile, according to this news story, the new university president has a base salary of $375,000. According to this news story, the new dean has a salary of $350,000. And, according to this story, five years ago, a name change cost a school about $300,000. Interesting, huh?

Now, I admit I don't know all the ins and outs of medical education. From what I do understand, it is a tough game. But, what do I know, I'm just a doctor? It will be interesting if and when people like alumni hear about this story. What will their reaction be? Has the school anticipated that? Probably not. I understand that tough decisions have to be made in corporate America. But, this is just another example of a school and an institution who will do whatever it takes to achieve its final vision and goal - Even if it means alienating those people who care about the school the most...

Video: Digital Pharma East 2010 Wrap-up

Last week, the digital pharma site called Pixels and Pills released what they called their "Highlights Reel" for the 2010 Digital Pharma East meeting. I was pleasantly surprised to make their highlights in the video above. You'll find my soundbite at about 2 minutes into this highlight reel. Thanks again to Pixels and Pills for including me!

Change Is Constant

I want to apologize up front for this rambling post. I have been doing a lot of thinking over the past month. And, boy, let me tell you, I have never done as much traveling as I have done in October 2010 with destinations including Seattle, Columbus, Dayton, Philadelphia, and Hershey. I had a lot of fun, but I do feel a little burned out when the month was over(and still a little bit now as well).

I guess, I should also say right away, that NO, I'm not giving up blogging, or podcasting, or any of my current projects. It's just that every once in a while, I like to mix it up a bit and try some things out. I appreciate your patience as I do things out of my usual routine.

That being said, the podcast is going to take a little bit of a break from the usual schedule. I'm still going to be doing shows, but not exactly with the days, or times, or people that you're used to. I'm going to be experimenting with doing a little more video to tell a social media story. And, I really miss writing. So, text blogging may return in the near future.

One of the things that I have learned over the past month is that even though there are not as many comments on the blog as there once was, and even though there appears that there is not a lot of public dialogue going on with my projects - I have received a lot of personal messages of appreciation for what I do out here for social media and social health.

And, for that, I sincerely thank you. Welcome to those of you who have met me and this site in the past month, and thanks to all of you out there who have followed me from the beginning. Change is constant and I want to continue to stay ahead of the curve on things. This is still fun for me, and when it is no longer the case, I'm outta here. Til then, I will continue to try to innovate and have even more fun out here on the internet...

Dr. A Show Tonight

Thursday, November 4th, 2010 at 9pmET

I invite you to join me for Doctor Anonymous Show 192 tonight where I will talk about my experience at the 2010 Family Medicine Education Consortium meeting in Hershey, PA. I had a fun time learning more about what great stuff Family Docs are doing out there when it comes to patient care. I got to sit in on the Health Care Innovator's network where Family Docs talked about unique health care models that not only deliver high quality care, but also do this at a cheaper price than what we're doing now.

I also was part of a panel discussion where the topic was Family Medicine and Social Media. As you know, I love talking about both these topics, and if you get a chance to check out the video, you'll see how passionate I am about these two topics. One of the really fun things was watching the REACH kids as they danced and performed during the meeting.

Following talk about the meeting, I have a little commentary about how a school - just fired a bunch of people this week - without no one in the press knowing about it. How was this able to happen? Well, they were fired on Election Day this week where the press was focused on other stories. I'll tell you what I know. And, if you have been reading this blog, you won't be surprised which school I'll be talking about.

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Family Medicine & Social Media

I was very happy to be part of a presentation last weekend at the Family Medicine Education Consortium meeting in Hershey, PA. In the video above, you'll see the highlights of my portion of a presentation having to do with Family Medicine and social media. I want to apologize for the poor lighting and fair sound quality of this video. I'm still a novice at being a videographer, but I hope that the content will keep you watching.

The big picture point of my talk is that Family Medicine has a unique story to tell as far as our point of view of how we take care of patients. It is my opinion that we as a speciality have allowed others to define who we are and what we do. And, most of the time, we are on the defensive explaining why we are not the stereotype that others characterize us to me. Family Medicine needs to stand up and advocate for itself, and I hope this message came through in this talk. As always, I welcome your feedback. Enjoy!

American Diabetes Month

November is American Diabetes Month and I invite you to check out the American Diabetes Association site for more information about this. In the video above, I talk with a local TV news reporter about the risk factors, complications, and ways to prevent diabetes.

The interview was only about 2 minutes, and there is only so much info that can be covered, but the interview seemed to go ok. If you found the video helpful, I invite you to check out more of my TV interviews on my you tube channel. Happy November!