In which Orac struts his stuff elsewhere...

Believe it or not, I’ve had two weekends off, which is why there won’t be a full post today. Basically, what happened is that I’m an idiot. I took a long weekend last weekend, worked a couple of days last week, and then took a three day weekend at a cottage near a lake this weekend with my family. (Yes, believe it or not, I have a family, complete with a couple of incredibly cute nephews whom I love and who amuse the hell out of me, given that they are six and two years old.) I should have just taken the entire week off, but I had agreed to attend a Komen function on Wednesday night and things have been slow enough in my practice that I didn't want to miss my Thursday clinic. Ah, well, stupidity won out last week, and now I'm beat even though I did go away for two weekends. Such is life. Maybe next year, I'll have learned from this year.

The result is that I don’t have a post for Monday on this blog. Fortunately, I did manage to find time for a couple of podcasts. First, I was honored to be a guest rogue on the Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe last week, even in spite of my USB headset having died, a death I only discovered just before going on the air with Steve Novella and crew. Fortunately, we managed to find a solution, and I had a hell of a good time as the guest rogue in The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe. Check it out, if you haven’t already, and comment below.

Also, I did The Prism Podcast, discussing the difference between evidence-based medicine and science-based medicine. Check it out and enjoy (hopefully).

I also did the Point of Inquiry podcast on Friday, but it’s not yet posted online. It will be soon.

Orac will definitely be back tomorrow with the usual Insolence.

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It was a long day in the operating room again, albeit unexpectedly so as a case that I had expected to be fairly straightforward turned out to anything but. Let’s just say, when I’m peeling tumor off of a major blood vessel, my anal sphincter tone is such that if someone were to stick a lump of…
Here’s a little shameless self-promotion, which we editors at Science-Based Medicine indulge in from time to time. This time around, I’d just like to mention that I’m the guest on the latest episode of the Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe, where I was permitted to pontificate about children with…
I’ve been a bit of a bad, bad boy. Well, not exactly. Rather, I’ve just been a bit lazy and/or forgetful. I know, I know. How can the ultimate Tarial cell-fueled supercomputer in the neat, compact form of a Plexiglass-encased cube of multicolored blinking lights be lazy or forgetful? Maybe “lazy…

How dare you take time off to relax with your family! What do you think that you are, a human being?
Oh wait, you are. ;)

Seriously, time off is important, it reduces stress and hence, makes for a much healthier life.
We miss spending entire weekends with our grandchildren. Alas, they're 1800 miles away and videoconferencing isn't quite the same.

Did you ever pull Whitaker's finger?

By Bob Blaskiewicz (not verified) on 15 Aug 2016 #permalink

^ Heh. I'd like to know what Whitaker was doing/saying.

By Science Mom (not verified) on 15 Aug 2016 #permalink

I recently noticed on one of my popular blogs, banner ads for Dr Whittaker selling supplements they don't want you to know about. That crook ripped off a dear friend of mine desperate to find anything to relieve her MS.
I love the look on Dr Novella's face with that quack pointing at him. It's classic. Whittaker was on his own turf with the "Freedomfest" conventioneers. That was pretty courageous of you guys to crash and wreck their party.

By Mike Callahan (not verified) on 15 Aug 2016 #permalink

Post went into moderation, but that is Orac who is laughing.

Everyone,

Way off topic. I should be able to continue to add my sometimes bad, sometimes good comments to this blog.

Last Wednesday, after my workout at lunch, I began having severe chest pains. Luckily, I work in a Health Center for the Quinault Indian Nation. I walked into our medical wing and told them I had chest pain. They ran an ekg strip and the expression on Liz's face was: oh, crap. I was then shipped to Grays Harbor Community Hospital ER, who was only a quick pit stop. I was then shipped to Providence St. Peter in Olympia and sent almost directly to the cath lab. A stent was place in LCA, which was 100% block.

I have been told that less than 10% of people with this issue survive. I am home and it looks like I am going to recover fully.

A large shout out to the Roger Saux Health Center med staff, Grays Harbor Community Hospital ED staff, Providence St. Peter ED staff and cardiac staff and my cardiologist Dr. Jimmy Swan.

I hope I can continue to write comments for a long to come.

Rich

Wow, Rich Bly! What a lucky man you are. Similar to my dad (except he ended up with a triple bypass), who felt fine but had an abnormal EKG at his annual exam.

So glad you had the surgery and may you write comments for many more years!

Rich, that's great to hear. Get well soon.

By Bob Blaskiewicz (not verified) on 15 Aug 2016 #permalink

You should probably stop eating dead animals.

By Richard Clarke (not verified) on 15 Aug 2016 #permalink

The living ones make too much of a fuss. Or they try to make a meal out of you.

I went and mistyped my handle once again! Oh, the humanity!

By Old Rockin' Dave (not verified) on 15 Aug 2016 #permalink

Rich - get well soon!

On Whittaker - he sells the "supplements that work as good as diabetes meds without side effects" that cost the earth that Mr Woo takes three times a day. He refuses any diabetic medication except insulin, and with lantus (30 units daily) his fasting blood sugars are between 150 and 180 most days (he only tests any other time maybe once a week). I am sure I will not be able to sue when Mr Woo dies from diabetes complications..

It makes me so angry!

It is interesting to me the hypnogogia thing is always menacing. Mine change, and have changed considerably from when they first started. At first they tended to be menacing, now they tend to be more socratic and constantly questioning me and picking my brain over. In some ways it isn't a bad thing, it points out areas I can improve on and helps ingrain things I've learned. They have actually grilled me on the things I've read on this blog, and about Orac's credentials.