Medical Lessons

Pink’s OK With Me

February 7, 2011March 28, 2019 Elaine Schattner, MD

On Sunday, Feb. 20, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure will host its seventh annual Pink Elegance on Parade fashion show at the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel, reports the Scranton Times Tribune. The fundraiser will feature breast cancer survivors and others modeling fashions from Coldwater Creek, Lee’s Denim Diner, Luna Bleu and Suburban Casuals.

Some BC survivors, thrivors, thrivers, in-the-throws-ers and whatever we might call ourselves (I still can’t make up my mind on this) express disdain. Others, lately, convey cynicism, if not frank contempt, for the pink cancer culture in its entirety. Pink is tacky, pretty and possibly too rosy a color to link with the fate of so many sick and dying women.

I half-agree. But then again, I’ve never favored pastels:

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer awareness, Essential Lessons, Oncology (cancer), Women's HealthTagged Breast Cancer, breast cancer awareness, cancer culture, fundraising, pink, Susan G. Komen Foundation8 Comments

Contemplating Diet and Nutrition: A First Look at the USDA’s New Guidelines

February 6, 2011May 28, 2012 Elaine Schattner, MD

On Sunday afternoons I tend to think about food for my family. Sometimes that’s because we’re having a few more than usual at the dinner table. Also, it’s a time when I order the bulk of fish, meat, produce and other ingredients for the week ahead. Since I had cancer, I’ve paid much more attention […]

Posted in Homemaking, Life, Medical News, NutritionTagged cooking, family meals, food, homemaking, nutrition, USDA, USDA 2010 report, USDA guidelines, vitamins2 Comments

Doctors Enjoy Smoking Camels, in an Old Cigarette Ad

February 4, 2011May 28, 2012 Elaine Schattner, MD

A new Twitter follow led me to LongartsZwolle, a blog by a pulmonologist in the Netherlands. A February 1 post needs no translation: More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette The clip is said, on YouTube, to be a 1949 commercial for Camel cigarettes. I tried to find more on this, first by clicking […]

Posted in Communication, Public Health, Social Media, VideoTagged Camel cigarettes, doctors smoke Camels, doctors smoking Camels, doctors' lives, R.J. Reynolds, smoking, tobacco, TV ads, YouTubeLeave a Comment

A New Twist on Peanut Allergies and Other Allergic Reactions

February 3, 2011May 28, 2012 Elaine Schattner, MD

The current New Yorker unfolds an engaging story on childhood food allergies. As related by Dr. Jerome Groopman, there’s a shift in how some doctors think about how these conditions are best managed and, even better – might be prevented. The article feeds into the recent discussion that medical science, and even dogma, too-often turns […]

Posted in Allergy, Magazine, Medical NewsTagged Bamba, childhood allergies, food allergies, Jerome Groopman, LEAP study, medical science, peanut allergies, the New YorkerLeave a Comment

Discovering Google’s Art Project

February 2, 2011May 28, 2012 Elaine Schattner, MD

Today’s Wednesday web sighting ranks high in awesomeness. I discovered Google’s Art Project through molecular biologist Jessica Palmer’s always-gorgeous Biophemera blog. The find is Google Art: I couldn’t make up my mind which image to capture for this post. So take a break and explore some of the world’s finest art collections, right at your […]

Posted in Exhibits, Life, Social Media, Wednesday Web SightingTagged art history, Battle of the Nile, De Loutherbourg, Google art project1 Comment

Considering the Significance of a Doctor’s White Coat

February 1, 2011March 28, 2019 Elaine Schattner, MD

A while back, a first-year med student asked me if I think physicians should wear white coats. There’s a debate about it, she mentioned. Indeed, in the spring of 2009 the AMA considered an unenforceable mandate that physicians in the U.S. not wear white coats. The news was getting around that doctors spread infection from […]

Posted in Essential Lessons, Life as a Doctor, Patient-Doctor RelationshipTagged doctors, hygiene, life as a doctor, patient-doctor relationship, physicians, professionalism, white coats9 Comments

A Note on Positive Thinking

January 30, 2011January 30, 2011 Elaine Schattner, MD

Today I came upon a Jan 24 op-ed, A Fighting Spirit Won’t Change Your Life by Richard Sloan, PhD, of Columbia University’s Psychiatry Department. Somehow I’d missed this worthwhile piece on the sometimes-trendy notion of mind-over-matter in healing and medicine. Sloan opens with aftermath of the Tucson shootings: …Representative Giffords’s husband describes her as a […]

Posted in Ideas, Life as a Patient, Medical EthicsTagged literacy, mind over matter, positive thinking, psychology, public education, quackeryLeave a Comment

An Oncologist Considers Rare Lymphomas in Women With Breast Implants

January 28, 2011February 23, 2011 Elaine Schattner, MD

I have to admit that when I first read about the FDA’s report tying rare cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma to breast implants, my mind raced with a strange blend of excitement, intense interest and concern. My thoughts shifted from “wow, that’s really interesting” to “exactly what did the FDA find” to “should I be worried?”

So I’ve decided to write this morning’s post from my perspective as an oncologist

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer treatment, Informed Consent, Medical News, Pathology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Women's HealthTagged ALCL, ALK, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, anaplastic lymphoma, breast implants, CD30, immunology, implant risks, lymphoma, reconstructive surgeryLeave a Comment

FDA Reports on Association of Breast Implants and a Rare Form of Lymphoma

January 27, 2011May 28, 2012 Elaine Schattner, MD

It’s a Pandora’s box, but one that needs be opened. The problem is that if we biopsy every abnormality – such as a minor thickening or fluid accumulation adjacent to a breast implant – we’ll hike up the costs and, more importantly, the complications associated: With every needle stick there’s a risk of infection, additional scar formation and more. On the other hand, you wouldn’t want to overlook a treatable, early-stage lymphoma. Women need to know of the risks of implants, which can only be determined if doctors thoroughly investigate these sorts of complications.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer treatment, Medical News, Oncology (cancer), Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Women's HealthTagged ALCL, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, anaplastic lymphoma, breast implants, FDA alert, informed consent, lymphoma, mastectomy, reconstructive surgery1 Comment

Another Brooklyn (and how I feel when I look in the mirror)

January 26, 2011January 26, 2011 Elaine Schattner, MD

The image of Brooklyn Decker, a real woman and model from Middletown OH, streamed through my Google news feed this morning. I have to admire any person named Brooklyn, the place where I was born. From a post on my BlogHer health RSS: The BlogHer subject is Decker’s diet and exercise secrets: “…no matter how […]

Posted in Fitness, Magazine, Wednesday Web Sighting, Women's HealthTagged beauty, Brooklyn Decker, exercise, fitness, self-image, Sports Illustrated cover, Women's HealthLeave a Comment

Medical Lessons

Medical Lessons

Pink’s OK With Me

Contemplating Diet and Nutrition: A First Look at the USDA’s New Guidelines

A New Twist on Peanut Allergies and Other Allergic Reactions

Considering the Significance of a Doctor’s White Coat

A Note on Positive Thinking

Another Brooklyn (and how I feel when I look in the mirror)

About the Author

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