Do you ever have those days where you are completely lacking for inspiration? Well, today is my day. Try as I may to come up with something to write, words escape me. So, for this blogpost I thought I’d mix it up. The images aren’t fancy, but each one makes a point countering a common … Read more
As a family physician, I not only have the pleasure of discussing vaccines with my parents of young children and teens but I also get to walk my adult patients through their ongoing need for immunizations as well. Almost all adults need the following (check with your primary provider for individualized recommendations): a yearly flu … Read more
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that there’s a measles epidemic brewing in the United States. As of April 26th, 704 cases of measles have been documented in 22 states across the country. This is the largest number we’ve seen since 2000, when measles was declared no longer endemic in the … Read more
In my last blogpost, I discussed the unique relationship that doctors have with their teen patients. I also highlighted the fine line that we (doctors and parents of teens) have to walk between giving teens autonomy and reigning in their “that won’t happen to me” nature when it comes to making healthcare decisions, like the … Read more
I am the mother of two amazing boys, ages 15 and 12. Well…sometimes I want to sell them to the gypsies and would offer a very reasonable price. But, mostly they’re amazing. I am also a family doctor. That means I take care of people through all ages and stages of life, including adolescence. So, … Read more
The Clark County measles outbreak (in and around Vancouver, WA) is still going! The most recent case was confirmed on Tuesday, March 13. This brings the grand total thus far to 72 infected individuals. Of these, the majority are under 10 years of age with only 4 cases being over the age of 18. 63 … Read more
If you have been paying attention to the news of late, you may have noticed headlines like… How Pinterest Jumped Into the Fight Against Health Misinformation – NPR, Audie Cornish, Feb. 22, 2019 Amid measles outbreaks, Facebook considering how to reduce spread of anti-vaccine content – CNN, Jacqueline Howard, Feb. 15, 2019 YouTube pulls ads … Read more
Dear Legislators, My name is Gretchen LaSalle and I am a family physician in Spokane, Washington. I am unable to attend the hearing on House Bill 1638 in person but wanted to express my strong support. While you may not see as many white coats outside of your chambers as you do people gathering to … Read more
We’ve had Flu 101 and HPV 101 and it seems we now desperately need Measles 101. Despite the fact that we have one of the safest and most effective vaccination programs in the world, we are beginning to see return of vaccine-preventable disease. And measles is the mother of all vaccine-preventable diseases. And let’s just … Read more
I think we can all agree that cancer is bad. If there is any possible way to prevent cancer, we want to do it. Now, thank God and thank science, we have a vaccine that does that! So why is the HPV vaccine so apparently “controversial”? The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) causes tens of thousands of … Read more