Schedule for the Week of 1/9/2012

Monday - appointments from 9:10AM to 3:10PM with lunch from 12:30 to 1:30
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM
Wednesday - appointments from 2PM to 4:30PM
Thursday - no appointments
Friday - appointments from 8:30AM to 10:30AM

Schedule for the Week of 1/2/2012

Monday - Holiday, no appointments (Happy New Years!)
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM
Wednesday - appointments from 11AM to to 4:30PM
Thursday - appointments from 9:30AM to 12:30PM
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 12/26/2011

Monday - Holiday, no appointments
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM
Wednesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM
Thursday - appointments from 8:30AM to 4:30PM
Friday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM

New Weekly Schedule in 2012

Starting in January of 2012, I will have to drive down to Pleasanton on a weekly basis for meetings.  This means that I will not have any clinic appointments on those days.  I will have extra appointments on Monday and Wednesday to compensate for that.

As before - there are other, more sporadic meetings that I attend as well, so my schedule will still shift around on a weekly basis, so my patients can keep using this blog to get up to the minute information on when I will be in clinic and when I will be out.

Here is my baseline schedule:
Monday - appointments from 9:10AM to 3:10PM with lunch from 12:30 to 1:30
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM (no change)
Wednesday - appointments from 9:50AM to 4:30PM, with lunch from 12:30 to 1:30
Thursday - no appointments
Friday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 12/19/2011

Monday - appointments from 9:10 AM to 12 noon
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 12 noon
Thursday - appointments from 8:30PM to 4:30PM
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 12/12/2011

Monday - appointments from 1:30PM to 3:30PM
Tuesday - day off, no appointments
Wednesday - meeting in Oakland, no appointments
Thursday - meeting in Pleasanton, no appointments
Friday - appointments from 8:30AM to 4:30PM - lunch from 12:30PM to 2:30PM

So, not a lot of appointments this week - if you have an issue that can be handled thru www.kp.org, please send me a message that way. On Tue, Wed, and Thu, I will be answering my emails when I get home in the evening time.

Schedule for the Week of 12/5/2011

Monday - appointments from 9:30AM to 11:30AM, and then appointments from 2:10 to 3:30PM
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4PM
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 12 noon
Thursday - All day meeting in Pleasanton, no appointments
Friday - appointments from 11:10AM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 11/28/2011

Monday - appointments from 10AM to 2:30PM with lunch from 12:30 to 1:30
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4PM
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 12 noon
Thursday - appointments from 8:30AM to 4PM
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 11/21/2011

Monday - appointments from 9:30AM to 12 noon
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4PM
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 12 noon
Thursday - Thanksgiving - have some turkey, but not too much!
Friday - Clinic closed (urgent care only)

A funny video, but with a serious message underneath...

As many of you know, I have been touting The China Study (by T. Collin Campbell) and Dr. Neal Barnard's books for the past few years.  Dr. Neal Barnard recently made a small appearance on The Daily Show with John Stewart.  Obviously, the skit is meant to entertain, but there is an important message underneath all the laughs and gimmicks.

Here's the link: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-november-3-2011/death-from-a-bun

Next on my reading list is Michael Pollan's Food Rules.

Schedule for the Week of 11/14/2011

Monday - appointments from 9:10AM to 12 noon
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4PM
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 4:30PM with lunch from 12:30 to 1:30
Thursday - Meeting in Pleasanton, no clinic today
Friday - appointments from 8:30AM to 12 noon

Schedule for the Week of 11/7/2011

Monday - appointments from 10AM to 2:30PM with lunch from 12:30 to 1:30
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4PM
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 10:30AM
Thursday - appointments from 8:30AM to 12 noon
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 10/31/2011

Monday - appointments from 10AM to 2:30PM with lunch from 12:30 to 1:30
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4PM
Wednesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4PM
Thursday - appointments all day from 8:30AM to 4PM
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 10/24/2011

Monday - appointments from 9:30AM to 2:30PM with lunch from 12:30 to 1:30
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4PM
Wednesday - appointments all day, from 8:30AM to 4:30PM
Thursday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 10/17/2011

Monday - appointments from 9:30AM to 12 noon
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4PM
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 12 noon.
Thursday - day off, no appointments
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 10/10/2011

Monday - appointments from 9:30AM to 3PM, with lunch from 12:30PM to 1:30PM.
Tuesday - day off, no appointments
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 11AM
Thursday - full day meeting, no appointments
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 10/3/2011

Monday - appointments from 9:30AM to 3PM, with lunch from 12:30PM to 1:30PM.
Tuesday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 9AM, then appointments from 11AM to 3PM with lunch from 12:30PM to 1:30PM (meeting from 9 to 11).
Thursday - full day meeting in Berkeley, no appointments
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Slight change coming up to Dr. Wang's schedule...

Patients, starting in October, my schedule will change slightly.  On Tuesdays, instead of seeing patients from 10AM to 12PM, I will be seeing patients from 1:30PM to 4:30PM.

On Fridays, I will alternate between seeing patients from 1:30PM to 4:30PM one week, and seeing patients from 2:30PM to 4:30PM the next.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays will be the same.

As always, my schedule does change quite a bit week to week because of meetings, that, unfortunately, won't change.  So do keep looking at my blog to see my day to day schedule.

Schedule for the Week of 9/26/2011

Monday - appointments from 10AM to 2:30PM, with lunch from 12:30 to 1:30
Tuesday - appointments from 10AM to 12 noon.
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 11AM
Thursday - I'm taking the day off, no appointments on this day
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 9/19/2011

Monday - appointments from 10AM to 12 noon
Tuesday - appointments from 10AM to 12 noon
Wednesday - day off, no appointments today
Thursday - appointments from 1:30PM to 4:30PM
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 9/12/2011

Monday - appointments from 10AM to 12 noon.
Tuesday - meeting in Oakland, no appointments today
Wednesday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM only today
Thursday - appointments from 10:30AM to 12 noon, and again from 1:30PM to 4:30PM
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

Schedule for the Week of 9/5/2011

Monday - Labor Day, no appointments
Tuesday - will only see patients from 10AM to 11AM due to meetings
Wednesday - appointments from 8:30AM to 12 noon
Thursday - appointments from 8:50AM to 12 noon
Friday - appointments from 2:30PM to 4:30PM

The Food Revolution is Back!!!

After a brief hiatus during the month of May, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is back.  It's on ABC, Friday nights at 9PM.  Check out the rest of season 2 during the month of June!

Big change for the Telemedicine Project

Kaiser patients - when my Telemedicine/Web Cam project started on April 1st, I could only use Web Cams to follow up on patients that I have seen in the clinic first.  That was because a paper consent form had to be signed.

But Kaiser has now created a website that allows for online consent.  This means that a Web Cam visit can be initiated by phone or email.  So if you want to do a Video Visit with me, you can do 2 things:

#1) You can call the Call Center and book a Telephone Appointment Visit with me.  While we are on the phone, just tell me that you want to do a Video visit and we will activate our Web Cams right then and there.

#2) You can email me thru www.kp.org and we can setup a date and time to do a Video Visit.

For now, we will still use a telephone for the audio portion - it seems to be more reliable.

Check out Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC

I am a big fan of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  It's on ABC Tuesday nights at 8PM.  He just started Season 2 in LA 2 weeks ago, you can see the first two episodes here:
http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution/video

You can see episodes from Season 1 on You Tube as well.

If you are as moved by Jamie's efforts as I have, please consider donating to The Food Revolution, I will be making a donation soon.  You can make that donation by going to this link:
https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=9069

You can learn more about the food revolution in general by either checking out the main site on ABC:
http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution/

Or you can check out The Food Revolution's main page:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/sign-petition

Long live the Revolution!!

Resources on healthy diets

Diet is, as you can imagine, one of the most critical aspects in terms of one's own health.  While it is true that genes play a role in heart attacks and strokes - the bottom line is that most of our great grandparents had the same genes that we do, and they didn't have the same rate of heart attacks and strokes that we do now.  The biggest change over the last 3-4 generations is our diet, not our genes.

Many of you have heard me talk about The China Study, by T. Collin Campbell, and Dr. Neal Barnard.  I wanted to share a few links that have more information.

There's this link for The China Study: http://thechinastudy.com/

For Dr. Neal Barnard - check out his website: http://nealbarnard.org/
He is often on PBS, although I have not seen him lately - if I hear about any upcoming appearances, I will post about it on this blog.

I do know that Dr. Dean Ornish is also a great resource.  I have not had a chance yet to read any of his books, although they are on my to-read list.  His website is: http://www.pmri.org/

Finally, I am also a big fan of Alton Brown, the Food Network celebrity.  Many of the people mentioned above advocate a vegan diet.  Alton does not, but his philosophy does make sense to me and is something for people to consider if they find a vegan diet unappealing.  He did show called "Live and Let Diet" - it appears on You Tube in 2 parts.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2gaQ0IoIfU
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re5Wrbl89YA

Telemedicine Project Starting April 1st, 2011!!!!

At long last - my Telemedicine in Primary Care project is getting ready to start.  As an FYI, in the beginning, I will only be using Video Visits to follow up with a patient after I have seen them in the clinic first.  That is because patients have to sign a consent form before we do a Video Visit, and this is the easiest way to get that done.

At some point in the future, I am hopeful that Kaiser will create a way to do consent online - when that happens, I will work with Kaiser to see how patients might be able to initiate a Video Visit with me without having to see me in clinic first.  But one step at a time.

For now, if you want to participate, there is only one thing that you need to do - make sure you have a webcam and make sure that it works.  If we ever decide to do a Video Visit, I will give you a handout with more details on what you'll need to do on your end to make this technology work.

Website of the Month - www.familydoctor.org

This is a great website for more common medical issues.  It is put on by the American Academy of Family Physicians, or the AAFP, which is a well respected group in the U.S.  If you are looking for information on a more unusual medical diagnosis, like Crohn's disease, this is not the best website for that.  But for things like:
-Wellness
-Quitting smoking
-Breast cancer
-Heart disease
-UTI's
-Prostate cancer
-Arthritis
-Asthma
-Colds

This is a great website.  The initial page is grouped into fairly logical categories:
-Healthy Living
-Women
-Men
-Smart Patient Guide
-Parents and Kids
-Seniors
-Over-the-counter Guide

It's a great site to start looking for information on common conditions.  For what it's worth, it's on my Favorites list in my Internet Explorer.

Vitamin D - Part 2

Many of you may have read the report that was released at the end of November saying that the recommended level of vitamin D may be too high. Currently, the recommended level is 30 or higher, but according to the report released by the Institutes Of Medicine, a level of 20 should be OK.

It is important to note, this report only looked at people who were healthy, it did NOT look at people with osteoporosis.  It also only looked at bone health - it is still not clear what the ideal level is for your immune system, and there is mounting evidence that vitamin D does play an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system.

So if you are healthy and your bones are in good shape (i.e. you do not have osteoporosis) - a level of 20 is probably OK, although there is nothing wrong with a level of 30 or 40.  However, if you do have osteoporosis, then you should still shoot for a level of 40 to 50.  Vitamin D does not become toxic until your level gets over 100.

Website of the month

For January, I would like to highlight Medline Plus, a website put on by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and the National Library of Medicine for patients.  The address is : http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

If there are only two webpages that you put into your Favorites for medically related searches, they should be this one and www.kp.org.

What I like the most about this site is the quality of the information that it offers.  Here are some excerpts from Medline Plus' quality guidelines:

"Medline Plus is designed to help you find appropriate, authoritative health information."

"We also provide you with a database of full text drug and supplement information, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, a medical dictionary, interactive tutorials, and the latest health news."

"We focus on organizing the full text publications produced by the NIH Institutes and other Federal Government organizations."

"The quality guidelines we uses in evaluating links to Web pages include:
-The organization must provide accurate, science based info that complements or enhances then government info found on Medline Plus.
-The source of the content is established, respected, and dependable. The organization publishes a list of advisory board members or consultants on the site.
- Lists of links are evaluated, reviewed, and quality filtered."

The site itself is fairly user friendly, and while it may not be the slickest site on the web, I believe that the quality measures mentioned above more than make up for that.  So next time you want to look up some health related information, skip Google, and use either Medline Plus or kp.org.