In the News

Sexual Desire: Risky Drugs With Minimal Benefit Being Used to Treat Dubious Conditions – Wisconsin Journal Sentinel

Read article – Quotes Lisa Schwartz, professor of medicine, community and family medicine, and of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about the world of illness inflation and how the eight common conditions that were not part of mainstream medicine 20 years ago are now said to affect more than 180 million Americans. “The formula is you have to convince people there is an incredibly prevalent problem that has been totally ignored and now, all of a sudden, we are on the verge of developing miracle treatments to fix it,” says Schwartz.

Weigh the Pros, Cons of Taking a Gap Year Before Medical School U.S. – News & World Report

Read article – An opinion piece by Cassie Kosarek, Geisel ’20, about how students taking a gap year before medical school could save more money – but they might lose good study habits. “Mixed opinions on the gap year abound, with some arguing that there is little point in delaying the plunge into medical training. Others counter that the gap year allows students to recharge and determine whether medicine is truly right for them,” says Kosarek.

My Stupid Thyroid, and My Fraught Decision to Monitor My Cancer Rather Than Cut It Out – WBUR

Read article – Cites a book by H. Gilbert Welch, professor of medicine, community and family medicine, and of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, where he talks about the problem of cancer over-diagnosis and how not all cancers are fast running rabbits that need to be caught, but some are like turtles that were never going to hurt you anyway. The article also cites a Geisel School of Medicine study that found most people survive thyroid cancer, regardless of whether they have their thyroid out.

How to Save Time and Money Managing Multiple Doctor Visits – U.S. News & World Report

Read article – Quotes Julie Bynum, associate professor of medicine and of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about a new study that shows those on Medicare who have two chronic conditions come in contact with the health care system an average of 33 days per year. She argues all that time in the system might not be necessary. “What’s the difference in places that are using a lot more [days]?” asks Bynum.

Transgender Personal Trainer Builds Strength and Community – NBC News

Read article – Quotes Leslie Henderson, senior associate dean for academic affairs and associate dean for diversity and inclusion, and professor of physiology and neurobiology and of biochemistry, about how transgenderism isn’t an innate problem, it’s an innate disposition. “There is good evidence that there is a fundamental biological basis to gender identity. We may not understand all the factors, but we do know there are critical periods in development right around birth when hormones can permanently change the brain: sexual orientation and gender identity may be established in those early times,” says Henderson.

Buying Lunch Might Help Drug Makers Win Over Doctors Who Have Little Reason to Prescribe Their Brand – Forbes

Read article – Quotes Steven Woloshin, professor of medicine, community and family medicine, and of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about a new study that found that doctors who accepted even a single free lunch (or, for that matter, free dinner) from pharmaceutical companies were more likely to prescribe their host’s pricey brand-name drug to Medicare beneficiaries instead of a cheaper, equally effective generic alternative. Woloshin was not involved in the study.

Do Women Who Donate Their Eggs Run a Health Risk? – The Washington Post

Read article – Quotes Judy E. Stern, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and professor of pathology, about the potential health risks of egg donation. “I think if there had been huge health risks [from IVF], we would have seen that over the last 30 years,” says Stern. “That suggests the absolute risk is fairly low. But we don’t know anything about the donors,” whose risks may differ from infertile women undergoing IVF. “These are presumably fertile women and they may respond to medications [differently] than infertile women.”