Rod G.

The website of the Medical Library Association has put together a great resource for the general public in terms of helping them learn how to evaluate medical information people find online. There are so many medical websites out there it is challenging to say which ones have accurate information, so their guide serves as a method for people to figure out if a site has reliable information on it. Here is a link to the page that discusses how to evaluate the content of a medical website

http://www.mlanet.org/resources/userguide.html

NIH (National Institute of Health) put together MedlinePlus which helps people evaluate internet health related websites. They have compiled lists of topics that people should be looking for when they are reading about health care online. The problem is that many medical website on the internet do not contain medically accurate information and this is dangerous to the general public. Following guidelines such as listed on the link below can help people stay clear of medical information that may do more harm than good.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthywebsurfing.html

Learning about a physician's medical license is another great way to check out their credentials. If you are reading about what a doctor wrote online or if you are seeking a new provider, you want to know if they have ever had their medical license revoked or if they have lawsuits against them. The state board will probably also list their medical school. This type of information is all available to the general public and is usually listed on the state medical board's website. The AMA has done a great job of listing all of the websites of the state medical boards. Follow the link below (cut and paste if needed) and you can select the state you are in. Then when you go to your state's medical board you can enter in the doctors name and see if they are properly licensed and if they have ever had any disciplinary action against them.

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/education-careers/becoming-physician/medical-licensure/state-medical-boards.shtml

When you are looking online to find medical information on any given subject or if you are looking to find a new doctor, it is important to see if they are board certified in a specific field of medicine. The American Board of Medical Specialties allows you to look up a doctors board certification if you have their name. So, if you are on a health care website and interested in seeing if the medical information is coming from a board certified doctor, visit this abms.org and look up the doctors credentials. If you are wondering why it is important to learn about a doctor's board certification, I would encourage you to read this link here.

http://www.abms.org/About_Board_Certification/means.aspx

One day after my new car was driven off the lot, some big truck completely destroyed my front bumper. The car dealer recommended that I take the car to Sunnyvale Collision. The car needed special parts as it was a new model and it had to be special ordered from Germany and Sam took extra special care to make sure the car was restored to factory new condition. He worked with the auto insurance companies to ensure that everything went through smoothly. Getting into an accident is traumatic and I can definitely say that Sunnyvale Collision is a great place to go when that happens.

Very useful site for everyone to read and learn about medical terminology as well as how to prevent diseases. Every day you can learn about a specific disease and you can receive that information via email, RSS or even twitter. As a physician myself, I appreciate the effort that it took to create this site and deliver medical information to the masses. Great job!

We buy all of our office supply / food from safeway.com and it is much easier than other online delivery services. Our office buys everything from paper towels to cases of diet coke and they deliver it right to our office. They also will give you free products via email if you order online. The delivery is free and there is no minimum fee. Everyone in the office can easily make their requests and add to the shopping list. Great service!

Great site for information on how to shoot digital video. This site is geared more for the professional or semi-professional shooter. The forum is a wealth of information on everything from lighting equipment to gear.

Do you want a genetic test to see if your hair is going to fall out? This company markets a genetic test to see if the patient has a genetic marker for hair loss. Most people wait too long to start treating themselves for hair loss and have already lost up to 50% of their hair by the time they visit their doctor. There are great treatments, even new laser treatments, that can prevent and restore hair loss, so if you think you are going bald... try taking this test. Our office has used it on many patients already and all of them were happy to have taken the test. Either they discovered they had the genetic marker and now can do something about it before it is too late OR they don't have it and can relax that they probably won't lose their hair.

Dysport is the new Botox that was recently approved by the FDA. It is also derived from botulinum toxin just like Botox, but it is a new drug recently developed by Ipsen a French company. Medicis licenses the drug and distributes it in the US along their top selling Restalyne and Perlane. This is the first real competition Botox has faced in the injectable market.

If you are looking for a compact camera for indoor photos, especially indoor portraits of babies/kids, the Sigma DP2 is perfect as it has a 35mm f2.8 fixed focal length lens which is a fast enough prime for artistic shots of family members. For more landscape type photos the DP1 is a better choice as it is a wider focal length and f4. Both blow away pretty much any other compact camera on the market right now. The sensor in this compact camera rivals that of pro level DSLRs, so the noise level is very low. Can't recommend this line of cameras enough.

Finally removable tattoo ink has been released and will be available. Currently if you get a tattoo, it takes anywhere from 5-20 treatments to completely remove the tattoo and even then it isn't always completely gone. Certain colors are especially difficult for us to remove. Now, Infiniti Ink along with the help of key pioneers in the laser industry have created an ink that can be removed in just a single laser treatment (requires a specific laser currently being developed by Candela). Now, you can get a tattoo and not fear the consequences if you change your mind down the road.

29 inches is the now the fastest way to ride a mountain bike and this site has the best collection of reviews out there for 29ers. No longer just a fad promoted by Gary Fisher, it has become more of a reality and many forks including Fox are now designing for this larger ride. Who needs full suspension if you have 29er?

The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine is currently the only organization that approves physicians to practice anti-aging medicine. They have the most up-to-date information on anti-aging news and a directory of physicians who are certified by their organization. This site is a great resource for both patients and physicians who are interested in anti-aging medicine.

One of my favorite TV channels is the travel channel and it is a great way to find your next vacation. Nothing better than actually seeing where you might be going. The website is just as good as watching the TV channel and you can specifically look for your next trip there. Be sure to check out Bizarre Foods by Andrew Zimmerman.

Great software for your iphone or ipod as you can easily convert youtube videos or basically any video you watch on your PC to an mpeg4 video. All you do is watch the video on your computer while Audials is running in the background and the video is downloaded and automatically converted to mpeg4 for downloading into your iphone. Same feature works for internet radio as well, basically you listen to the internet radio and the MP3 is created automatically.

Great dentist and wonderful staff - Dr. Uyesugi has been my personal dentist for years and has an excellent staff and is a highly respected dentist. As a physician myself, I definitely appreciate his "bedside manner" in taking his time and carefully explaining all of his procedures. His top of the line technology is very evident throughout the office.

Very personable photographer and blogger in SF - I met Carla briefly at the BlogHer conference in SF and she had a very easy and charismatic personality. Being a photographer myself, I can definitely appreciate this in a professional photographer. She has a great site and some terrific cards that are available. If you are looking for a portrait photographer in SF, definitely check out her work.

Great company which can streamline your medical office - We have used JMA for years and have been exceptionally pleased with them. They are a great resource and have allowed us to focus more on the business and medical aspects of our office rather than HR issues.

The definitive book on baseball literacy - Dave Martinez is one of the most well versed authors of baseball and he has a book called "The Book of Baseball Literacy" and I have spoken with the author and he has told me he has another book in the works, which is great for baseball fans out there.