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Articles by Jeff Kane
Dr. Jeff Kane: Post-mature birth syndrome: The subtle crippler
If you're one of those people who are chronically late, here's good news: you're not rude, but actually suffer a congenital illness. The Journal of Human Behavior recently published a paper revealing that numerous people have a malady never before described: post-mature birth syndrome, or PBS. Until now, perpetual lateness was considered a moral shortcoming, leaving latecomers shamed and those around them peeved. One sufferer--let's call her Meredith--explains, “I was never on time to anything.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Research breakthrough: You're really okay! Self-esteem boost soon available
Scientists announced this week that they've discovered a chemical that dramatically raises self-esteem. Dr. Raymond McFarquhar, chief researcher at the University of Alberta's Human Attributes Laboratory, told journalists, "We isolated an agent from broccoli which in large doses makes people feel better about themselves. When general self-esteem rises, we can expect lower rates of depression and suicide.
Heritage and Viability: A Farm Processing Use Case
Cherry blossoms on Carpenter Hill on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo Feel free to share this post... To view or leave comments on this story, click HERE. (Editor’s Note: Jeff Kane, who owns Harpers Ridge Farms and Little Long Ears Provisions on the OMP, offers a balanced take on the township zoning debate, sharing the real costs of a licensed food facility and proposing a path that supports agriculture while preserving community character.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Breakthrough immunization now available
Stanford University researchers recently announced development of an immunization against greed. Yes, you read that correctly. We don't normally consider greed an illness, but according to Dr. Aleister Crowley, director of Stanford University's Human Character Laboratory, it is now a treatable disorder. Dr. Crowley explained, "Most of us think of greed as a sin, or at least immoral behavior, like lying.
Ideas & Opinions - Jeff Kane: Toddler with loaded gun
After President Trump ramblingly addressed 800 generals at the Quantico Marine Corps base last week, Rep. Madeleine Dean remarked to Speaker Mike Johnson that Trump is “unwell.” Johnson responded, “A lot of folks on your side are, too...” Indeed, both aisles of Congress might be riddled with the addled. But only the president holds the nuclear codes, and that’s increasingly scary. As Trump spoke, I wondered what the generals might be thinking.
Ideas & Opinions - Jeff Kane: Big stick, little stick
The Trump administration has reduced federal spending largely by firing thousands of workers. Next month, these newly unemployed Americans will have the opportunity to line Constitution Avenue to witness how their jobs have morphed into a wasteful military parade similar to those of tyrants like Putin and Kim Jong Un. The parade is planned to occur in Washington D.C. on June 14 to honor Trump’s 79th birthday and the Army’s 250th anniversary.
Ideas & Opinions - Jeff Kane: School board resolution not about DEI
By a 3-2 vote on April 9, the Nevada County Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees rejected a resolution to support all staff and students regardless of race, gender, and other categories. Nay-voting trustees reasoned that if the resolution were approved, the Trump administration would consider it a DEI (diversity, equity, inclusivity) flag, and eliminate the district’s federal funding. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Op-Ed | Jeff Kane: School Board Resolution Not About DEI
By a 3-2 vote on April 9, the Nevada County Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees rejected a resolution to support all staff and students regardless of race, gender, and other categories. Nay-voting Trustees reasoned that if the resolution were approved, the Trump administration would consider it a DEI (diversity, equity, inclusivity) flag, and eliminate the district’s federal funding. Mentioning nothing about DEI, the resolution simply offered support to all persons.
Ideas & Opinions - Jeff Kane: We can plan better
There’s something we see daily that wastes resources, pollutes the environment, and dissolves communities by separating us from each other. It hides in plain sight by appearing quintessentially American. I’m talking about commercial drive-thrus. In-N-Out burger pioneered drive-thrus in 1948. They multiplied as our car culture grew, and especially as we’ve gotten more private: we’re working in cubicles, moving to gated neighborhoods, and absorbing home entertainment instead of going out.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Dr. Gelbard cannot see you now
When I was a kid with a sore throat and fever, my mom summoned Dr. Gelbard, our family physician. GPs were the ERs of their day. He sat on my bed, expressed concern, asked a few questions, looked down my throat, and felt my neck. Suddenly the fire went out and I could swallow again. In my kid mind, his touch had healed me. My mom handed Dr. Gelbard a twenty dollar check, and he went on to his next house call. I’m sure he gave me a shot of penicillin, but I only remember the instant magic of his care.
Dr. Jeff Kane: What to do about Obesity?
Since the early 1960s our obesity rates have tripled. Now 60% of adults and 15% of children and adolescents are overweight or frankly obese. I’m not fat shaming here; everyone has a right to their shape. Collectively, though, it’s a national health problem, as obesity leans into diabetes and cardiovascular disease, costing us all plenty in dollars and grief. Its causes are no mystery: we eat more calories than we burn, and the extra is stored as fat.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Strong and silent seniors
“How the hell can a person go to work in the morning and come home in the evening and have nothing to say?” That’s a line from “John Prine’s song, “Angel From Montgomery.” It’s sung by a fictional woman frustrated with her husband’s emotional reserve. She sings for those who have had enough of the strong, silent man, the self-reliant guy who rejects help and denies vulnerability. The style pervades our culture.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Dr. Kane's indispensable aging tips
Share As Boomers aged, healthcare prepared for the oncoming gray tsunami by developing a whole new field, geriatric medicine. These specialists understand that age is not “just a number.” Seniors are more vulnerable and fragile than their younger selves.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Dr. Kane's indispensable aging tips
As Boomers aged, healthcare prepared for the oncoming gray tsunami by developing a whole new field, geriatric medicine. These specialists understand that age is not “just a number.” Seniors are more vulnerable and fragile than their younger selves.
Dr. Jeff Kane: What? You cancelled your appointment?
I’m encountering an increasing number of older folks who say they plan to limit their medical contacts. One friend told me, “I canceled two appointments last week. I love my docs, but I’ve decided that I don’t want to spend so many of my waning days in waiting rooms, undergoing tests, or suffering side effects.” Another said, “My doctor told me that if I drop this medication I’ll be taking a risk.
Dr. Jeff Kane: You scream, I scream...
We all scream for ice cream, right? It doesn’t just taste good, but confers a sense of contentment as well. No wonder most of us think of it as a comfort food. Even better, that mint chip you’ve been hankering for may actually be good for you. A 2018 study concluded that diabetics eating half a cup of ice cream daily enjoyed a lower heart disease risk. Another study, done twenty years earlier, arrived at the same conclusion, and still baffles its epidemiologist author.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Older patients enjoy better outcomes with female doctors
Having examined 1.6 million hospitalizations involving 58,000 physicians, Harvard researchers found that patients cared for by female doctors were less likely to die or return to the hospital after discharge.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Moral injury in healthcare
We commonly hear that healthcare practitioners are “burning out.” I’ve been describing the problem not as burnout as much as abuse by their bosses. A more accurate recent characterization is “moral injury.” Here’s an example. I once sat in on a meeting between an internist and her patient, a young woman crying in pain from advanced rheumatoid arthritis. The doc told me later that her patient’s misery saddened her such that she just wanted to hold her.
Dr. Jeff Kane: When doctors and patients part
As a patient, I fired a doctor a few years ago when I realized, as he typed into his computer with his back to me, that he had no notion of me as a person. I fired another one because it was impossible to communicate with his office without going through third parties and with a two-week lag. Some friends think I’m fussy. “I want someone who’s technically competent,” they say. “I don’t need Dr. Warmandfuzzy.” Well, I demand both, valuing the relationship as vital to my well-being.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Community is medicine
A new medical specialty arose during my training years. A natural outgrowth of public health services, “community medicine” consisted of developing mini medical centers in poorer neighborhoods. Now the term has come to mean not just treating sickness, but genuinely preventing it by applying what we’ve learned about health. For example, we’ve discovered that people live remarkably longer lives in certain regions of the world.
Ideas & Opinions - Jeff Kane: Community is medicine
A new medical specialty arose during my training years. A natural outgrowth of public health services, “community medicine” consisted of developing mini medical centers in poorer neighborhoods. Now the term has come to mean not just treating sickness, but genuinely preventing it by applying what we’ve learned about health. For example, we’ve discovered that people live remarkably longer lives in certain regions of the world.
Modi will be reincarnated …
Modi will be reincarnated … 2h as a Muslim in Indian in his next life and get persecuted in the very country he created. Karma is a bit¢h 67 PARTICIPANTS SELECT ONLY ONE ANSWER VOTE VIEW RESULT
What’s next after product management?
What’s next after product management? Yesterday Where do people go next other than being a people leader? I want to grow my career and make more money without being a manager of teams. What careers do ppl pivot to after product management?#productmanager #pm #product
Dr. Jeff Kane: Tell me about you
New York Times columnist David Brooks recently wrote that coming home from a part, he realized that of the many guests he chatted with, not a single one asked him a personal question. He meant no one asked him about his inner world, like what’s it like to work under a deadline? What gives you the most joy? How are you handling aging? Having verified this phenomenon myself, I doubt anyone will ask me how I feel about it.
Ideas & Opinions - Jeff Kane: At last - Final Idaho-Maryland Mine hearing February 15
At last: Final Idaho-Maryland Mine hearing February 15 Tired of the Idaho-Maryland mine struggle? Then good news: Thursday, February 15, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors will finally decide whether to grant Rise Gold a permit to re-open the mine. So far, Rise Gold’s application has suffered two well-earned defeats. One was when our County Planning Commissioners voted unanimously last May to recommend that the Supervisors reject both its Environmental Impact Report and the permit.
Dr. Jeff Kane:The genuine wonder drug
A placebo is a medically inert substance we take and then often feel better. A paper in the British Medical Journal reported that placebo responses in over 140,000 patients in pain were 50 to 75 percent as effective as genuine drug treatments. That’s a natural boon, and in addition it’s harmless by definition, obeying Hippocrates’ dictum, “First do no harm.” Now new research indicates that we might be able to placebo ourselves voluntarily. First, how do placebos work?
Dr. Jeff Kane: Doctors on strike?
Last March a group of more than 100 doctors at a Minneapolis hospital voted to unionize. They expressed frustration about unsustainable workloads and diminishing influence over their practice. The organization that represents them, the Service Employees International Union, says it’s getting an increasing number of applicants. Not only doctors, but nurses and pharmacists complain they’re being asked to do more with fewer staff.
Ideas & Opinions - Jeff Kane: Encourage Supervisors to reject Rise Gold's "vested rights"
Rise Grass Valley (RGV), a foreign corporation, wishes to re-open the Idaho-Maryland mine. In May, the Nevada County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that our County Supervisors reject RGV's Environmental Impact Report and deny it a use permit, as the project would materially impair our community's water, air, traffic, and peace over the next eighty years.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Mental health (what, again?)
In the late 1970s I taught a course called “Philosophy of Health” at Diablo Valley College. Hardly anyone attended until I changed the title to “Philosophy of Holistic Health.” The power of a word: after that it was standing room only. In one session we were discussing the notion of personal reality. Suddenly the door opened, a woman ran in, threw a pie in my face, and took off. It wasn’t a pie, really, but shaving cream on a paper plate. The woman was my wife, and we had rehearsed the stunt.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Support (or is it friendship?) groups
When acquaintances learn that my career consisted of facilitating cancer support groups, many tent their eyebrows. “Oh, that’s so sad,” they say. Or, “It must be miserable, all that suffering.” This makes me suspect that the popular image of “support” is victims sobbing onto each other’s shoulders. Had that been the exclusive case, I’d have shifted into a more upbeat practice, like dermatology, as my mother advised.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Toward a longer health span
When Dr. Scott Neeley, the CEO of Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, talks about “life span” he throws in a parallel concept, “health span.” Having been in this biz over five decades, I was surprised I’d never before heard that term. It’s spot on, though, and I understood it instantly. There’s a time between how long we’re healthy and how long we’re alive. Much of that particular time is spent in medical offices, hurting, weakening, and on numerous drugs.
Mitigating physician burnout: Rediscovering your dignity
Treating patients with dignity is a fundamental cornerstone of our profession. Although we can all cite situations where we or our colleagues fell short, most of us aspire to helping our patients feel safe and respected. Yet the flip side of this equation is rarely mentioned. And the truth is that physicians are often not treated with the same dignity by their systems or their patients.
Patient complaints prompt hospital to reevaluate doctor's bedside manner
Tom, a doctor friend, recently told me he was reprimanded by Michael, his hospital’s medical chief of staff, after two patients lodged complaints against him. One instance involved a man whom Tom informed of a cancer recurrence. When the man cried, Tom put his hand on the man’s knee, attempting to comfort him. However, the man didn’t find it comforting. He said nothing to Tom but complained to administration, stating that the touch was unwelcome and made him feel worse.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Words and action in healthcare
One of our culture’s characteristics is that we prize objectivity over subjectivity, words over feelings. Chronically reliant on verbiage as our major world mediator, our facility for internal sensation atrophies. Worse, we begin to distrust our feelings. This imbalance deforms the nature of healthcare. I observed as an internist friend saw a patient, a young woman with rheumatoid arthritis who complained of intractable pain. My friend warned that raising her pain-killer dose would be dangerous.
Dr. Jeff Kane: The whole brain
In healthcare, communication is currently regarded as the transmission of information. The patient says, “It began to hurt yesterday” or asks,”How did this happen?” The doctor explains a drug’s potential side effects or how kidney failure progresses. This exchange is beneficial, of course, since knowledge is definitely power.
Valves for Oilfields, Pipelines, and Refineries
Case Studies and Resources Critical system components, such as check valves, must have excellent durability to reliably and efficiently withstand pressure, wear, and damage. Although quality and durability are often overlooked in exchange for low upfront costs, the return on investment (ROI) of quality products significantly outweighs the long-term costs of using less expensive, inferior quality products.
Gas Transmission Check Valves
With millions of people worldwide depending on gas for commercial and residential energy needs, the gas transmission industry is critical to modern life. Gas transmission systems consist of a complex network of compressor stations, distribution pipelines, storage facilities, and more. Check valves are an integral component of gas transmission systems, preventing reverse flow, dangerous gas mixtures, and the risk of pulsating pressures.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Corporate medicine
I often hear friends complain about medical visits. Whatever criticisms they have of their docs, they more heartfully lament the tone of current practice. They bristle at being treated with rushed impersonal attention, ostensibly in the interest of efficiency. I recently reminisced with a friend who retired from a long medical school professorship, teaching students how to relate to patients. Many call this “bedside manner” or “doctoring.” She simply calls it respect.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Dr. MedBot again
Oh oh. We suspected it would come to this. An artificial intelligence language program, ChatGPT, has been shown to communicate to patients better than doctors. The AMA Journal recently published a study in which medical advice written by both doctors and ChatGPT was rated by a panel of healthcare professionals — blinded as to source — for both information and empathy. The software trounced the docs. The panel preferred ChatGPT’s responses to those given by a human doctor 79% of the time.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Paging Dr. MedBot
Hello. I’m Dr. MedBot. Please don’t be concerned that I’m not a person. I’m artificial intelligence at Alpha level, which means I’m not only 21% more accurate in diagnosing than human doctors, but I’m empathetic, too. Now, what can I do for you? Well, let’s see. Please hold your SmartPhone against your chest. Just relax and breathe normally. Um hm. Now would you take a couple of selfies for me, please? One of each eye and one of the back of your throat. Hmm. By the way, how are things going?
Dr. Jeff Kane: Gun violence and mental health
It’s no news that gun violence is a public health menace. Every year firearms kill nearly 40,000 Americans — by suicide, homicide and accident. That’s 109 every day, greater than the death toll from vehicles. And guns in this country now outnumber citizens. Psychiatrists are the first to admit that what drives gun violence is hardly ever sickness. It’s abnormal, to be sure, but unlike cancer, say, it’s not diagnosable via blood tests, imagery, or microscopic examination.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Where can I find a doctor?
I wish I had a quarter for every time someone asks me for the name of a doctor taking new patients. I often have to throw up my hands. “Yeah, I called her,” said a friend. “Her office says she’s booked till the end of time.” Another friend reported, “He retired last week.” Still another, “Doc says she’s had it with insurance hassles, so now it’s cash only.” Or maybe they do find the ideal doc, but two counties away.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Variable bang for the healthcare buck
Have you ever seen your name on a theater marquee? I have. Many years ago, four-inch red letters blared “Dr. Kane” in front of a movie theater near Fourteenth and Fruitvale in Oakland. Films were no longer shown there, though. The theater had been divided into sad little offices, one of which was a medical clinic run by a pair of podiatrists. Each day they refreshed the marquee according to which doc was on duty. Young and naive, I knew something about medicine, but little about how the world worked.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Online docs
Telemedicine has been around awhile as a service to inaccessible patients and for some emergencies. Innovators are now unveiling the next logical advance, standard medical care via the internet. GoodRx.com, a drug discounter I mentioned in a previous column, has now brought forth GoodRx Care, which will have a remote doctor consult with you for $49 or, if you’ve purchased Gold membership, $19. Its services include treatments for common ailments, prescription refills, and testing.
Dr. Jeff Kane: The pharmaceutical shell game
I’ll sooner understand quantum theory than how drug prices are determined. Here’s the short answer: “Pharmacy Benefit Managers.” PBMs are firms hired by health insurance companies to handle price negotiations, insurance claims, and distribution of prescription drugs. They also negotiate rebates from drug manufacturers and mail-service pharmacies. In theory, PBMs are designed to take advantage of the collective buying power of patients, enabling lower drug prices. Are you still with me?
Dr. Jeff Kane: Contra-Contraception
A prominent source of numerous public health threats is overpopulation. Too many people has long been an issue of concern. In 1729, Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift addressed the issue with a facetious recommendation that the starving poor of Ireland could nourish both belly and purse by eating their too-numerous children.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Denial — A mental health emergency Original
COVID is pandemic, but denial is even more widespread. We’re in denial when we know something to be true but act as though it isn’t. Psychologists call denial a “defense,” since it protects us from what we’re not ready to face. You say I have cancer, Doc? You must have switched my records with someone else’s, so I’ll just stow that news on the back shelf and go back to watching the PGA tournament. Everyone employs denial occasionally. After all, it’s instantly effective.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Please press one
Suffering disturbing symptoms, I dialed Dr. Wamsgann’s number. “Hello. You’ve reached NextHealth, committed to the finest care for our valued patients. If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911. If you’re depressed or have experienced self-destructive thoughts, please hang up and dial 988. If you’re a youth in crisis, please hang up and dial 1-800-448-4663. This call may be monitored for training or by third parties.
Dr. Jeff Kane: Notes on aging
Ah, the revelations of aging. For example, we realize we’re not as cute as we used to be. Our spotless skin begins to look like salami. Getting up off the floor now requires planning, like parallel parking. What worked smoothly yesterday needs concentration today. Ease devolves into strain. With its almost daily changes, aging is like the unpredictability of adolescence, isn’t it?
Dr. Jeff Kane: Progress in healthcare
Healthcare has changed enormously during my lifetime. While it’s gotten outrageously expensive and is generally more corporate and impersonal than ever, it’s improved in many ways, too. When I was in training, for example, childhood acute leukemia was uniformly fatal. Today 85% of children with that diagnosis are alive after five years. Survival gains are equally impressive for many adult cancers.
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