Welcome to the Orthopedics Issue of MD-Update

LEXINGTON If you procrastinate, as I do frequently, I have good news for us. In this issue, beginning on page 29, our Mental Wellness expert, Dr. Jan Anderson, explains how and why we do it. Better yet, she has some great insights into how to “kick the procrastination habit.” Dr. Jan explains how we prefer the good feeling of the “escape” emotion of procrastination over the “dread” emotion of doing the task at hand.

Dr. Jan’s column echoed something Dr. Jim Rollins, orthopedic surgeon with CHI Saint Joseph Health in Mt. Sterling, told me. Many of his older patients have put off seeing him about a joint problem until surgery is needed. Most of our brains are wired, says Dr. Jan’s research, to choose the short-term pleasure over future pain.

It was founding father Ben Franklin who is quoted as saying, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” Mark Twain had his own version, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”

A New Voice. A Familiar Name.

I am very pleased to welcome Stephen Henry, MD, former KY Lt. Governor, to MD-Update. Dr. Henry has been a community leader and advocate for sustainability and a healthy environment for years. In this issue, he puts forth a call to Kentucky physicians and all MD-Update readers to take up the challenge, responding to the AMA’s “new policy declaring climate change a public health crisis.

Dr. Henry was a founding member of Future Fund, whose mission is to preserve riparian zones along Floyd’s Fork Creek in eastern Jefferson County. I invite you to read his Op-Ed column on page 10 and to answer his call. All movements start with one step.

Financial Déjá Vu and Medical Marijuana

I am always amazed by the wisdom and prescience of MD-Update Financial columnist Scott Neal. In this issue he discusses Saeculum, the Latin term for a long-lived life, and the four periods of that life as a metaphor for understanding history and our current economic situation. Our Legal columnist Sarah Charles Wright has written a detailed explanation of the new Kentucky laws regulating medicinal cannabis, aka medical marijuana.

Fall Sports

The end of baseball season and the beginning of football is the perfect time to meet some of Kentuckiana’s orthopedics, sports medicine, and PM&R doctors. That’s who we have for you in this issue. In mid-September, I’ll be traveling to Detroit to catch the playoff series of the USPBL with the Eastside Diamond Hoppers. Whatever team you’re cheering for, I hope you enjoy the experience.

Please look at the fall and 2024 lineup of MD-Update editorial topics on the preceding page. If you see your specialty, give me a call. I’m sure you have an interesting story to tell or an update on your medical practice to share. My door is open for your view on any topic that concerns healthcare in Kentucky.