News Updates

24 August 2016

I will be out of the office today thru Labor Day and will return on Tuesday, September 6. As some of you have guessed, Laurie and I will be at Burning Man (again!) and will be totally unreachable until we make our return back to the default world. The office will remain open, however, staffed by physician assistants and physicians, so please call the office if you have need of medical services. As we will be out in the middle of "Mad Max" territory, we will not have access to cell phones or internet, so please hold any messages until I return.

Not sure what Burning man is? Check out You Tube videos like this one or go to www.burningman.org!

10 June 2016

I will out of town until Monday, June 14, to attend a 100th birthday celebration! The office remains open and another Graybill provider will be covering for me.

26 April 2016

I will be out of the office to attend the Pri-Med Conference this Thursday-Saturday. Our office will remain open with another provider covering for me in my absence.

Oh, and by the way, the man burns in 130 days! [http://burningman.org/]

27 August 2015

THE MAN BURNS IN 9 DAYS!!!

Burning Man

Folgers and I will be unreachable by cell or internet until Labor Day. We'll be at Black Rock City with 70,000 of our closest hippy friends.... [www.burningman.org] Our playa address is: SIdeshow at 3:00 Plaza.

Please note that the office remains open. Call them if you need anything medically-related. See you when we return to the 'default world."

24 June 2015

I will be out of town for the next 4 days. Graybill docs on call for me if any problems (and office is open normal hours in my absence).

In the meantime, here is a pic of my new puppy, Loki, a rescued Aussie/black Lab mix. You'll note how he is a twin of our cat, Lucyfurr!

5 January 2015

Made the move over to the Graybill Carlsbad location, site of the old Carlsbad Urgent Care, on El Camino Real. We really like the new office - smaller/more intimate than the San Marcos Graybill - with a relaxing warm, earthy feel to it. Maria has moved over with me, where we once again hooked up with Jackie, as our office manager. Please note that our office hours will be 9AM- 5 PM (Monday through Friday) and I'll be off on Thursday afternoons (my "catch up" day). We have an excellent nurse practitioner in Marci Shewry who will cover when I'm not there.

A few reminders: Graybill has a patient portal system set up to insure secure patient physician communications over the internet using encryption. This is better/safer for your privacy than regular e-mail. To sign up, follow this link.

Flu season is in full swing. Best way not to contract the flu? Wash your hands. Flu shots, while not offering complete protection (not a perfect match this year) still offers decent enough protection so that - if one does contract the flu - it won't be nearly as bad. I do not usually prescribe Tamiflu, nor do I routinely recommend it unless a patient requires hospitalization. If taken within 2 days of onset, it might shorten the duration of your symptoms by only one day (for an illness that generally lasts 5-9 days). This is an expensive medication that can have some neurological side effects. Bottom line is that I rarely prescribe it. Refer to my November 30th note for additional comments.

The new year has many people starting a weight loss program of some sort. I've helped many patients over the years (including my own 65 pound wt loss) by following the science. Read all about it here. Many can do this on their own by managing their own carb intake. For those who have difficulty with this, I am a certified medical healthcare coach for Take Shape for Life. Full details can also be found in that last link.

Finally, please don't forget that I have a joke exchange program. We need new jokes so please bring in your favorite funny. Let's make 2015 magical!

19 December 2014

I've been out of the office this week due to the passing of my father, Robert H. Pearson, D.O., at age 84. His obiturary can be found here. I've been unable to respond to e-mails during this time. I'll return to San Diego on Monday, Dec 22.

To my knowledge, the scheduled San Marcos office hours this week are:

Wednesday (Dec 24): morning only.

Thursday (Dec 25): closed.

Friday (Dec 26): open

Next week:

Wednesday (Dec 31): morning only.

Thursday (Jan 1): closed

Friday (Jan 2): I'm moving to the Carlsbad office [2626 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA 92008]

A physician can always be reached by calling the Graybill offices at 866-228-2236. Please be patient with them.

Happy Holidays to all!

30 November 2014

OK, Thanksgiving and Black Friday have passed, marking the advent of the influenza season. Expect to see a dramatic rise in the incidence of the Flu by the second and third weeks of December, increasing after that into January and February. Why the dramatic increase after Black Friday? Thank Kris Kringle and the holiday shopping season. Suddenly the malls become Mecca - millions make the pilgrimage from their inividual homes to the giant Petri dishes that we call malls. Just takes a few people with genuine influenza to cough into their hand, then touch an object in a store. Someone else touches that object later on and then touches their face (yes, the average individual touches their face more than 200 times a day!) and the virus gets ingested into their system. Within days, upper respiratory symptoms (running nose, sore throat) are noted, followed by spread into the chest (and associated coughing). Mind you, this is not a "cold" - a "cold" is an annoyance that lasts 2-3 days. With a "cold" you'll have a running nose, itchy eyes and an occasional sneeze, but you'll still feel functional - e.g. athletes can still perform. On the other hand, if you feel like a truck hit you (fatigue, muscle aches), then you've probably got the Flu.

Check out my influenza patient education page here.

So, what about treatment of the Flu? If you're young and healthy, then it's pretty much symptomatic treatment. Antivirals either don't work or aren't worth taking in this population. For example, amantidine (which used to be fairly cheap) no longer works for most strains of Influenza type A and Tamiflu (more expensive) hasn't really been shown to reduce morbidity in this population either. It must be taken within 48 hours and, if it does work, it only cuts symptoms down by a day or so. In my opinion (and others), it's not worth the cost (nor potential neuropsychiatric risks associated with the medication) for a young, healthy population. [If you need to be hospitalized, that's a little bit of a different story and you'll receive this med.]

Basically, if you're young and get the Flu, prepare to suck it up at home. Relax, take your Aleve, cough syrup, or whatever and get caught up on old movies, pick up a good book, etc. Just don't go to school or work and spread the bug around to others. [IMPORTANT: do not give aspirin products to young children with influenza due to a high incidence of a condition called Reyes Syndrome!] If cough doesn't respond to OTC measures, we can prescribe something stronger. Also be aware that a certain percentage of influenza patients will continue on with an influenza bronchitis (persistent cough) for about a month or two despite resolution of all other symptoms. I've found that treatment with certain asthma inhalers is effective at reducing the duration of this condition. Come in to see me if you suspect that you'll need this.

Best way to avoid the Flu? Besides immunization (which might not totally prevent it, but can reduce its severity), wash your hands. Let me repeat: WASH YOUR HANDS!

More useful influenza information can be found at:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/index.htm

Have a happy holiday season!

23 November 2014

First off, thanks for all of the nice comments and words of support regarding my father. He is going through a difficult time and hopefully will be at peace soon.

I'm now about 6 months post-op on my shoulder and am finally able to perform most of my Osteopathic manipulations at this time. That's good news for many of you as, unfortunately, there are not many D.O.'s in our region that still perform OMT. The sad fact is that physicians have been conditioned by insurance company reimbursements to see as many patients/day as possible, rather than spend the time that our patients really need and deserve. I'd rather see fewer patients a day and actually act as a physician, rather than a mere "provider." That, of course, is both good news and bad news for patients who choose to see me - odds are good that you'll have a bit of a wait (I tend to see the more complicated cases), but you can be sure that I'll spend the necessary time with you. Figure in that most of my patient visits are worked in on the same day and most of my patients feel that this still beats waiting weeks for an urgent appointment.

Since our relocation to the San Marcos location, many have complained to me about the communication system at Graybill. It continues to grow and they've been doing their best to coordinate and streamline the telephone/messaging process between their many offices. My e-mail and pager phone numbers have always been posted under the "Contact the Office" section of this web site and this has helped with non-urgent matters. Clearly more needs to be done and the IT department has been working very hard on upgrades to the electronic medical record system over the past months. We've been dealing with slow downs throughout most days, which also affect patient wait times. On the plus side, that promises to improve shortly and the patient portal is now available which will allow for secure e-mail communications (in comparison to the "don't write anything that you wouldn't put on a postcard" approach in the past). As such, please direct any medically-related matters to my Graybill e-mail address: jpearson@graybill.org. My Medicine-in-Motion address will be for non-medical matters only as patient privacy/HIPPA concerns need to be maintained.

As noted this past summer, the two San Marcos Graybill practices merged into one at the larger facility. This made good business sense - why pay rent for two identical facilities just blocks away from each other? The Graybill organization acquired another practice in Carlsbad a little while ago and, as many of my regulars (and Facebook friends) know, we moved to Barrio Carlsbad this past Spring. By mutual decision, I'm going to make a lateral shift and move my main practice location to the Carlsbad location to build it up. It's conveniently located just two blocks from Highway 78 at El Camino Real, near the Sprouts and across from the Westfield mall. I've always done a lot of work in Carlsbad (e.g. I've served as the medical director for the Carlsbad 5000 races for years) and this will make things easier for me. (As I have patients that come to see me all of the way from Europe, I suspect that this change will not affect most of my patients!) Dr. Espinoza will remain at the Graybill San Marcos office. The Carlsbad office is much smaller and I hope to restore the more intimate/fun environment that we all enjoyed at the Medicine-in-Motion office on Craven. I will be reuniting with Jackie and my medical assistants will also follow. The move date is set for January 2 and I'll begin seeing patients there immediately afterwards. Good way to start off the new year!

Quick sports medicine update: I now serve as the Team Physician for the San Diego Gulls Hockey franchise. I've already run into several patients at the games locally at the Escondido Iceplex.

I'd like to take a moment to provide a link for my wife, Laurie's services. For years, Laurie had worked with The Elizabeth Hospice and other related companies. As such, she developed excellent relationships with most of the Board/Care and Assisted Living facilities in Northern San Diego County. Now, as part of Pacific Placement Senior Services, she helps seniors find places to live when they are no longer capable of living by themselves, but do not want to move into a nursing home. Many of these board and care residences are nice homes that offer nursing support. Laurie has helped several of my patients' families in these matters. She does not simply hand out a list of facilities and expect the families to perform their own investigations. Rather, she meets with the patients/families to identify their needs and then personally takes them to visit the places that seem to be the best fit.

Laurie also works as an independent consultant for Allen Brothers Morturary, selling pre-need funeral insurance. Death is inevitable and, if you've ever had to deal with funeral arrangements, you've learned that it can all be a daunting and expensive proposition - especially if done in a hasty/emergency situation. Laurie helps to find policies for clients that will save them a lot of money in the long run (it's better to purchase the services when their not needed than to wait for when they're much more expensive, which is what has happened historically; also, an educated consumer can make intelligent un-pressured decisions about end-of-life care also saving money.) So whether someone is planning a simple cremation or an elaborate funeral fit for royalty, Laurie can help you. You can learn more about all of her services at LEP Consulting here. [Even if you're not interested in these things, check out the page and scroll down to see the fun ads that I created for her - I've tried to put the FUN in funeral!]

Finally, the holiday season has started and this can be stressful to many. Last year, I wrote an article for Medical Economics magazine outlining advice that physicians should offer their patients. It contains some good information on a variety of matters. You can read "How to Survive the Holidays" here.

Folgers (Laurie) and I wish you all a very magical holiday season!

5 October 2014

I will be out of the office until further notice due to a family emergency that requires me to fly back to New Jersey. I will not have reliable e-mail so please do not expect a response from me until I return. The Graybill San Marcos office remains open and the physicians/staff there will cover me in my absence (866-228-2236).

1 August 2014

The move is over and we're all getting settled into the new digs. Now, after two years, all of the San Marcos Graybill physicians are practicing under one roof (and a very nice one at that!). No more paying two rents for duplication of services. There have been a hitch or two with the move - for example, the Medicine-in-Motion telephone numbers that were supposed to turn over directly to Graybill's switchboard have hit a snag and a fix is in the works. We did send out a mass mailing one month before the move to alert our patients of the upcoming event. Most received the notice, a few did not and received a surprise when they showed up to the 120 Craven building.

As a reminder, Medicine-in-Motion (MIM) is no longer the official name of the office - the official name of the practice is now the Graybill Medical Group, San Marcos. MIM remains the name of my private family/sports medicine practice and follows me wherever I go. It keeps my patients and friends (often both the same) up-to-date on my dull wretched life whilst simultaneously providing useful information, patient education, and a bit of whimsy (well, quite a bit, actually). This web site does not in any way reflect the views of the Graybill Medical Group. It is my own personal site.

For those who've inquired, I'm doing well following my RIGHT shoulder surgery 11 weeks ago. I sustained a work-related tear of my labrum (SLAP lesion for those medically inclined) and had a large subacromial spur removed by Dr. Tal David in San Diego. I'm working my tail off in physical therapy (currently twice a week) with James Dagostino and company at Gaspar Doctors of Physical Therapy, in Oceanside. I'm trying to make all of these guys look good by doing by home exercise routines as directed. I won't be up to full duty for several more months due to limited range of motion and weakness in the arm, hence there are some common/popular manipulative techniques that I'm not yet able to perform. Dr. Kyle Tetz, chiropractic physician at ProRehab in Vista, has been helping my patients who require the manipulations that I'm unable to perform. I greatly appreciate his assistance.

We've had some delightful students from my college alma mater (Gettysburg College, PA) shadow me in July. Third year Osteopathic medical student Eric Kinkaid is now with us until the end of the month.

Speaking of the end of the month, Laurie and I will be away for most of the last two weeks. First, a trip up to Sonoma to bring my son back up to college, followed by Burning Man at Black Rock City, Nevada. Haven't heard of Burning Man? Check out YouTube videos and then our bikes will make sense to you. Here's hoping that you all enjoy the rest of the summer!

The beach cruisers are courtesy of Dustin and the gang at www.beachbikes.com.

The great/cool/sick lights are from our friends Ken and Liz Coplen and their company, www.glowcandybikelights.com.

15 July 2014

Moving day is here! The last two weeks (and particularly weekends) have been very hectic and time consuming for our staff. Everybody worked hard to get things packed up and organized for the big move across the freeway to the Graybill Medical Group offices at 227 Rancheros Drive. The special rooms had to be taken down and packed up, computers, furniture, and so much other stuff had to be moved. Thanks to the great folks at Pack 'n Crate/Bekins for helping us out today - those guys are studs!

Dr. Espinoza has been out on vacation all week. He returns on Monday. I will be back seeing patients in the new offices this Friday.

It's been a fun stretch for us at 120 Craven - nearly 15 years! Thanks to all of the great support staff and our patients for makig Medicine-in-Motion such a fun place to work and help people!

Change is good, but involves a lot of work. I will be revising the Medicine-in-Motion website in the upcoming weeks to reflect these changes. In the meantime, for specific information about office hours, etc, please contact the office on Rancheros at 866-228-2236 or refer to the Graybill Medical Group web site at http://www.graybill.org/locations/san-marcos-office.

10 June 2014

owie

Well, my post-op bruising has subsided enough that the sympathy factor has been cut down exponentially. That can only mean one thing: time to return to the office...

One caveat though is that I'm returned on a "modified duty" basis from my work injury, hence I've limited use of my right upper extremity for the upcoming weeks/months. That means that I'm unable to perform most Osteopathic manipulations for patients in the immediate future.

In other news, the offices of Medicine-in-Motion are moving across the street (so to speak), completing the merger of the two Graybill Medical Group offices. We're heading to a newer, larger facility that is not plagued by CSUSM students parking in our patient lots. The address will be: 277 Rancheros Drive, Suite 100, San Marcos, CA 92069. It is anticipated that this change will take place effective Wednesday, July 16. Nothing else will change i.e. all insurance plans remain unaffected.

16 May 2014

Good morning. It’s Friday and the offices of Medicine-in-Motion remain closed due to the fire emergency evacuation orders. As a result, we are unable to respond to routine pharmacy requests, schedule appointments, or other non-emergency tasks through at least the weekend.

If you must reach a medical professional on an emergent basis, please call the Graybill Medical Group directly at 866-228-2236.

We hope that all of our friends, patients, and emergency responders have been kept safe.

15 May 2014

Office was closed yesterday at 1:30 PM due to the large San Marcos fire. It will remain closed today (THURS) and most likely tomorrow. Physicians can be reached for emergencies by paging them through the office.

6 May 2014

I will be out of the office for the next 2-4 weeks due to shoulder surgery. Without the use of my arm, I'll be unable to respond to e-mails in the immediate future. If you need anything from the office, please contact my staff by telephone.

The Rock 'n Roll Marathon is fast approaching and I'll be manning the Finish line medical tent for the Team in Training runners once again this year. Anybody interested in working with us can sign up by following this link: http://volunteer.competitor.com/signup.php?event_id=445&shift_id=5817

[NOTE: if this link doesn't work, try copy/pasting link into your browser.]

See y'all when I return. [JP]

23 March 2014

Whew - the time has flown by since our last update! Spring has sprung - no more having to put up with our 75-80 degree cold winter days....

Time for the Pri-Med medical conference this week. I will be out of the office starting Tuesday afternoon (3/25) through the rest of the week. Ms. Aleman will be out of the office starting Thursday (3/27). Dr. Espinoza will hold down the fort in preparation for his upcoming Oceanside Ironman competition this Saturday!

Speaking of races, once again I'll be serving as the race medical director for the Carlsbad 5000 next week. The Carlsbad 5000 is the fastest 5K race in the world. It's a two day affair, the first (Saturday) devoted to fun runs for kids (if you attend, be sure to stay for the Diaper Dash!). Serious world class runners will race on Sunday. Both days usually provide for nice leisurely mornings in beautiful downtown Carlsbad.

For those who've been in within the past months, we've had some very smart wonderful students rotate with us. Sujoy (3rd year MD from UCSD) just finished his one month rotation with us, whereas Ruthie (Physician Assistant student from Stanford) is in the midst of her 3 month rotation with me. Incidentally, we physicians do get evaluated for our efforts. Here is a sample that was recently sent to me:

"Dr. Pearson's clinic (Medicine-in-Motion) is the BEST choice to start off the third year rotation blocks. The pace of the clinic was acceptable and I did not feel rushed at any time during the rotation. Typically, we spend about 30-45 minutes on a patient and we'd see about 12-18 patients a day. ______University prepares students well enough to perform adequately for this particular rotation. Dr. Pearson has a down-to Earth personality and any student can easily get along with him. He has a pocket full of tricks (literally) and a mastery in the "art of medicine" (aka the art of the bedside manner). This rotation will teach you skills that you cannot find in a textbook. The ability to educate patients can oftentimes be difficult, especially when transitioning from in-school didactics to real life settings. However, by observing Dr. Pearson's interpersonal skills and his communication with the patients, one can learn a handful. He is the first and only physician I have known to integrate magic and medicine as a unity and pull it off successfully. If there is one thing I can take away from my rotation site, it is that humor can easliy be a form of therapeutic treatment. We all can use a little laughter in our lives and something as simple as a joke can take all the pain away in a day."

Thanks to all for their patience in helping me to mentor these (and other) young minds to earn their clown noses!

Finally, lots of confusion regarding the Covered California insurance plans. We're listed on some websites whilst on others, we are not. Per Graybill:

We DO participate with Anthem Blue Cross EPO (not PPO), Healthnet PPO (not HMO) and Sharp HMO.

We DO NOT participate with the Blue Shield product.

If you have any questions about this or any insurance plans outside of Covered California, please contact Customer Service at Graybill Medical Group at (888) 484-8850.

22 November 2013

Dr. Espinoza will be out of the office today. I'll be out of town recharging my NJ accent next week for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Dr. Espinoza will be in the office Monday through Wednesday and will take call for emergencies, should they arise. The office will be closed on Thursday and "Black Friday" (11/28-29). My e-mail availability will be spotty at best so please do not expect immediate responses.

The holidays can be stressful to many for a variety of reasons. Click on this link to read my most recent article on how to survive the holiday season.

16 September 2013

Be forewarned that the entire computer network system for Graybill is non-operational at this time due to hardware problems with the off-site server. As such, physicians and staff will not have access to patient charts, lab results, etc. It should be back up and running shortly. We thank you for your patience in this matter.

22 August 2013

I will out of the office until Monday Aug 26 for a college reunion and meet with Take Shape for Life clients on the east coast. Dr. Espinoza will cover in my absence.

Also, I will be out of the office from Wed Aug 28 until Wed Sept 4 as Laurie and I will be attending Burning Man! [Curious? Look here!]

Please note that I will not be available for e-mail communications during either of these times.

8 August 2013

Dr. Espinoza is back from vacation visiting family and is back in the office as of today. I, on the other hand, am taking off tonight to attend the Magic Live! convention in Las Vegas and meet with Take Shape for Life clients. As my internet access will not be consistent, I will not be able to respond to e-mail messages until I return to the office on Thursday afternoon, August 15.

Also, please welcome our students for July/August, Joe and Shirree! They make great henchmen!

7 April 2013

Going to back to NJ to recharge my accent and see my folks this week. I will only be in the office Monday AM and will be without e-mail for duration of the trip. Dr. Espinoza will provide coverage for the practice in my absence.

Fun weekend as I served as the Medical Director for the Carlsbad 5000 and Junior Carlsbad 5000 running events. Best part is watching the youngest children participate. I put together an 11 minute movie of highlights that you can watch on YouTube here.

25 March 2013

Dr. Espinoza will be off on vacation this week.

It's out!!!! Woks Up, Doc? is finally published in several formats. The eBook can be purchased from the Apple iTunes store for just $6.99. Learn more here!

Click to preview book

Finally, this from Angie's List:

Dear Medicine In Motion,

Angie's List members have provided positive reviews about their experience with your practice and you've been rated as one of the best in your area.

Always nice to hear. Thanks to all!

3 March 2013

Dr. Pearson will be attending the annual meeting of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine this week in Colorado Springs. He will only be in the office on Monday (all day) and Tuesday (morning only). Dr. Espinoza will provide coverage in his absence. Dr. Pearson will be unable to respond to e-mails during this time.

Also, patients of Dr. Lovell will be pleased to learn that she has once again returned to the practice of medicine. Dr. Lovell joined the staff of Fallbrook Medical Center effective March 1st. We wish her the best!

17 February 2013

Yes, the office will be open every day this week including Monday (Presidents' Day). Dr. Pearson will be out of town Thursday through Sunday. Dr. Espinoza will provide coverage in his absence.

27 January 2013

I've had computer problems over past few days - had to reinstall operating system, programs, etc. As a result, I'm late in responding to e-mails. I should be back up to speed soon. I don't believe that I've lost any mails, but please re-send messages if they've not been responded to. Sorry!

13 January 2013

Dr. Pearson will be out of the office this Thursday and Friday to attend a Take Shape For Life conference for health care professionals. Also, the office will be open to see patients on Martin Luther King's birthday (Monday, January 21, 2013).

Also, please welcome our two latest students (D.O. and P.A.), Jenny and Alia, who will be with us for the month. Jenny is from Midwestern University School of Osteopathic Medicine and Alia is from Stanford. Here, you see them hard working on their palpation skills. Me thinks that they're doing a fine job, despite their funny attitude!

student training

23 December 2012

Holiday office hours: On both Mondays (Dec 24 and Dec 31) the office will only be open in the mornings from 8:30 AM until 12 noon. On Both Tuesdays (Dec 25 and Jan 1), the office will be closed. Wed-Fri hours will be as normal (8:30 AM - 5 PM) with exception that Ms. Aleman will be out of town. Dr. Pearson will be on call for after hours emergencies.

Many patients have approached us regarding upcoming New Year's resolutions to lose weight. As such, I've updated the information in the Patient Education section here. Please review this wealth of information as presented. Many can do this on their own with some effort. Those who require more structure (or less math) can opt to follow the Take Shape for Life wellness program as I did. Contact me and I'll be happy to coach you.

And that just about wraps it up for 2012. The Mayans were wrong and spent a very busy weekend making up for lost time in the stores shopping for holiday presents. We all wish everyone a magical and joyful (and hopeful) new year in 2013!

Happy Holidays

19 November 2012

Short week due to Thanksgiving Day holiday. Dr. Espinoza is out of town so office hours will be 8:30 AM until 5 PM on Monday through Wednesday. The office will be closed Thursday and Friday, but Dr. Pearson will be available by pager for emergencies.

3 October 2012

I (Dr. Pearson) will be off to get smarter! I will be out of office as of 3 PM this Friday and will return on Thursday, October 11. I'll be attending medical updates sponsored by The Sharp Community Medical Group over the weekend and attending the American Osteopathic Association's annual medical education meeting next week. Dr. Espinoza will provide coverage for my patients during my absence.

24 September 2012

Autumn has finally arrived (although one would never know it with our 90 degree temps of late). This means that it's time for nurse practitioners to migrate northwards - way northwards! Ms. Patti Aleman will be out of the office for the next 2 months as she will return to Anchorage, Alaska to do some medical work for the armed forces. When she becomes too frostbitten, she will once again return to see patients at Medicine-in-motion. She will be leaving for Alaska this week.

26 August 2012

It's been a fun and busy summer for us all! For starters, I got married to a wonderful woman who is truly my match. We got married atop of the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas on the 4th of July at night with fireworks all around us in the surrounding valley! The ceremony was 15 minutes of love, fun & magic - it included two of my original songs and 6 magical effects! Laurie was absolutely beautiful and I looked like a dork/eager puppy - check out the video here.

Dr. Espinoza has been training and participating in endurance events including an Ironman triathlon in Idaho and America's Finest City Half Marathon. He is truly a stud. The closest thing to a triathlon for me was when Laurie and I honeymooned in Healdsburg, CA - we bicycled 25 miles in 99 degree heat, touring three exceptional wineries in the process. That's more our style!

For those who've not seen me since January '12, I've dropped 55+ pounds and look/feel great! It's been easy to keep off. If anybody is interested in learning how I did this, check out the "Weight Loss and Fitness" page of our website.

Our affiliation with Graybill Medical Group has been going smoothly. The new electronic health record system has streamlined lots of things for us. Still on the learning curve, but, - wow! New looks for some of the exam rooms. In addition to my primary magic room and our 60's room, we've since added a superhero room and a Star Wars room! Trying to keep doctor visits fun/less stressful. [By the way, we appreciate all of the positive comments that we receive from our many new patients (as well as our longer/established ones) and thank you all for your referrals! As most of you know, we try not to be the stereotypical doctors' office trying to cram in 8-10 patients per hour so that you hardly get any time with the doctor or with Patti Aleman, our nurse practitioner. We'd rather see less patients per day so that we can devote appropriate time for our patients' medical concerns.]

11 June 2012

Lots going on of late. Many have noted the new computers installed in each of the exam rooms. Last week began our transition to the new electronic medical records (EMR) system. This system (Nextgen) is so much better than our old one (Allscripts Touchworks). Graybill's support staff has been incredible - those Verizon dudes in the commercial only wish that they were this good! However, there is ALWAYS a learning curve as with any new technology. As such, we've tried to schedule just a little bit lighter to permit more time with each patient for entering data, notes, etc. . We're thankful for our patients' patience!

New exam room up! In addition to the magic room (#5) and our 60's room (#4), we've added some cartoon art in room #3, and created a superhero room (#2)!

Finally, countdown to 4th of July is winding down -I'm getting married in Vegas atop of the Stratosphere Tower at night with fireworks! [And, no, for the record we will NOT be bungee cord jumping from off of the top...]

20 March 2012

Happy Vernal Equinox to all!

Once again, I (Dr. Pearson) will be donating my time to San Marcos Pop Warner Football by performing sports physicals at the Civic Center during their athlete registration meetings tomorrow (3/21) and on Wednesday April 4 from 6-8 PM-ish.

Also, this weeks marks the 8th week that I've followed my own advice on weight loss. I dropped 30 pounds over the first 7 weeks using the Take Shape For Life program (employs Medifast meals). It's a very easy and cost-effective program. I look and feel great! Read about the program here: drpearson_TSFL_brochure.

Finally, I recorded another song, "And Now You're There," for my fiance. You can find it on my "Dad's a Dork" music page or listen here.

4 February 2012

Starting March 1, 2012, Medicine-in-Motion will become an affiliate of the Graybill Medical organization. Founded by Dr. Graybill in 1932, the clinic that bears his name has grown to become one of the largest providers of primary care medicine in northern San Diego county. Our managed care patients will remain participants in the Sharp Community Medical Group system, however, through the Graybill division, rather than Inland North division. Graybill will be providing practice management services to us. Expect some changes in the office e.g. updated electronic medical record system, but our high standards of personalized patient care will remain unchanged.

23 December 2011

Holiday Office Hours: Office will close at 12 noon on both Fridays (12/23 and 12/30/11). It will remain closed all day on both Mondays (12/26/11 and 1/2/12). Dr. Espinoza will be on call via radiopager if needed for emergencies.

28 November 2011

Dr. Pearson will be out of the office on Friday, December 2, whilst attending The Advanced Team Physicians sports medicine course update.

4 November 2011

Please note that during the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday week, both Drs. Pearson and Espinoza will be out of the office visiting their families. Barebones staff will be maintained Monday through Wednesday and the office will be closed for Thanksgiving Thursday and the following Friday. A physician will be available by radio pager for emergencies. If a patient feels that they need to be seen by a physician on a non-emergent basis, they should visit with an urgent care center that is on their insurance plan.

[Webmaster note: we are having some difficulties with the software coding for this site. Please bear with us until it can be corrected. Thanks!]

22 September 2011

Dr. Pearson will be leaving early on Friday in order to attend the Sharp Community Medical Group Continuing Medical Education conference.

Dr. Espinoza will be out of the office for all of next week. Patti Aleman NP will be in the office on Wednesday and Thursday, her usual days.

12 September 2011

Dr. Lovell will not be returning to practice at Medicine-in-Motion. She remains on an indefinite leave of absence. She is not practicing anywhere else at this time so we will continue to provide medical care for her patients. Insurance companies have been notified accordingly. If/when she returns to private practice, we will post her address and phone number here.

For those patients who desire a female practitioner, please note that Patricia Aleman, an excellent adult nurse practitioner, is currently seeing patients on Wednesday and Thursdays.

13 August 2011

Dr. Pearson will be attending Magic Live! convention from 8/14 until 8/17. He will return to the office on Thursday afternoon 8/18/11. Dr. Espinoza will be covering in his absence. E-mail messages will not be returned during this time.

25 July 2011

Dr. Pearson is out of the office for vacation this week. Dr. Espinoza will be covering.

17 June 2011

Dr. Espinoza will be away on vacation all of next week. Dr. Pearson will cover each day from 8:30 AM to 5 PM (No extended hours next week). Patti will be working her usual Wednesday and Thursday hours.

Just added another song or two to my album. Listen to My Dearest Friend" and "I Taught My Son to Curse" at https://medicine-in-motion.com/Dad%27s_a_Dork.htm .

10 June 2011

Amanda V. has rejoined us to complete her training as a physician's assistant, taking Autumn's place.

New songs added to my "Dad's a Dork" album! https://medicine-in-motion.com/Dad%27s_a_Dork.htm

23 May 2011

Want to learn more about marathon medicine? If you're not running in the upcoming Rock 'n Roll Marathon on Sunday, June 5th, then work the medical tent at the finish line with me! Sign up as medical volunteer at www.rnrmarathon.com and be sure to note that I'm the recruiting team captain where indicated. [Dr. Espinoza will be running the 1/2 marathon that day.] You do NOT need a medical background to help out.

I just added another new song to my "Dad's a Dork" album. It's called "How Much Longer?" Go to Dr. Pearson's page, then click on Fun Stuff. Look for the "Dad's a Dork" album at the top left. Here's a link: https://medicine-in-motion.com/Dad%27s_a_Dork.htm .

Finally, the office will obviously be closed on Monday, Memorial Day. Docs are available by radiopager as usual.

12 May 2011

Dr. Pearson will be out of the office on Friday, May 13, in order to attend the Medical Economics magazine' Board of Editors meeting in New York City this weekend. Dr. Espinoza will provide coverage in his absence.

While we wait for Dr. Lovell's return to practice in a few more months, we've brought on an experienced certified adult nurse practitioner, Ms. Patti Aleman to help out on a part-time basis. Patti will see patients on Wednesday and Thursdays.

21 April 2011

Dr. Pearson will be out of the office all week long. His mom celebrates her 80th birthday on Easter Sunday so he will be in NJ recharging his accent. He will also be attending Obie's 4F (Fechter's Finger Flinging Frolics) - an exclusive close-up magic convention that is by invitation only!

Dr. Espinoza will be in the office 8:30 AM to 5 PM Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday only. He will be attending the Pri-Med Conference devoted to updates in Primary Care Medicine. Office staff will available in the office and Dr. Espinoza will be available by pager in the event of an emergency/urgency.

21 March 2011

This week's schedule: Monday and Tuesday: Dr. Espinoza will work 7 AM - 3 PM, Dr. Pearson will work 10 AM - 6 PM. Dr. Espinoza will work 8:30 AM to 5 PM on Thursday and Friday. Dr. Pearson will work 8:30 AM to 5 PM on Wednesday and 8:30 AM to 4 PM on Thursday (in order to attend a conference).

Also, many people are inquiring about potassium iodide because of what happened in Japan. Check out this link: http://www.cleveland.com/consumeraffairs/index.ssf/2011/03/scam_artists_use_nuclear_scare.html

7 March 2011

Effective today, Dr. Lovell is taking a leave of absence from the practice to deal with issues of a personal nature. Estimated leave of absence is 6 months at this time. Dr. Espinoza and myself will cover her patients/hours until other arrangements can be secured.

20 February 2011

First, yes the office is open on Monday, 2/21/11.

I just posted the latest song contribution to my album "Dad's a Dork." It's called "A Love Song (of sorts) - not your typical love song. Hope you like it. You can find it on this page here.

14 January 2011

Dr. Lovell will be out of town for the next week. She will return to the office on Monday, January 24.

The office WILL be open on Monday, January 17 (Martin Luther King Day).

29 December 2010

The office will be closed this Friday in observance of the New Year's Day holiday.

Follow this YouTube link to a video that I created as a holiday card to my friends and family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVAF_wnXbn0

See y'all next year!

20 December 2010

Happy Holidays to all! This week's schedule: Dr. Espinoza will be out of the office all week. Dr. Pearson will work 7 AM - 1 PM and Dr. Lovell will work 12 PM - 6 PM. on Monday and Tuesday. They will both work 8:30 AM - 5 PM on Wednesday and from 8:30 AM to noon on Thursday. The office will be closed Thursday afternoon and Friday for the holiday. As usual, the doctors will be available by radio pager in cases of emergency. Simply call the office and follow the voice message prompts.

Sad news to report: Magician Bob Elliott passed away after a long illness. Whilst not a household name, he was highly revered as a teacher of magic. Some of his pupils include David Copperfield, David Blaine, Criss Angell, Dr. Jeff Pearson, and many others. Many patients will remember Bob as the kind old man who pulled half dollars from their "cash ears" and his amazing card to forehead trick. He will be dearly missed.

5 December 2010

Monday/Tuesday Schedules for December: Dr. Pearson 7 AM - 1 PM; Dr. Lovell 12 PM - 6 PM; Dr. Espinoza 8:30 AM - 5 PM.

Dr. Espinoza won the bet between he and Dr. Pearson as Mission Hill HS football team defeated Rancho Bernardo HS in their C.I.F. playoff game. Mission Hills went on to win the next round, as well, and will be playing at Qualcomm Stadium for the C.I.F. Division Finals game on Monday, December 6 at 4 PM. Dr. Espinoza will be leaving office at 1 PM to provide sports medicine coverage for the game.

Joke of the week: What would you call a fake noodle? An impasta!

22 November 2010

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Dr. Lovell is out of the office all week long. Dr. Pearson will only be in office on Monday. The office will be closed on both Thursday and Friday. Dr. Espinoza will be holding down the fort for us all.

1 November 2010

We begin the second month of our extended hours and it seems to be very popular. This month, Dr. Espinoza will work the 7 AM to 1 PM shift and Dr. Pearson will work from 12 noon to 6 PM. Dr. Lovell will work the full day from 8:30 - 5 PM. Please note that this schedule is for Monday and Tuesdays only! Our Wednesday through Friday schedules remain unchanged.

14 September 2010

Dr. Lovell will be out of the office on vacation starting this Thursday (9/16) and will return on Friday (9/24).

A big "Thank you!" to all of the patients who've responded to the anonymous surveys regarding the doctors and the practice. We had large numbers of patients returning the surveys and scored extremely high (above 95% for most things) in patient satisfaction! A discussion of what this means, along with patient comments, has been posted under FAQ section of this site here.

Some of you have noticed that we're training another family nurse practitioner. Her name is Razel and she's very sweet (and, competent). She'll be working with the doctors over the course of the next few months.

Also, as alluded to earlier in the summer, in order to better serve our patients, we're going to offer extended office hours two days a week, on Mondays and Tuesdays starting in October. Basically, there will be two docs in the office at any given time; One will work from 9 AM to 5 PM. The other two docs will split the long day with the first shift running 7 AM to 1 PM and the second shift running from 12 PM to 6 PM. The doctors will rotate through these shifts on a month to month basis. Hopefully, this will suit patients who need to schedule routine physicals either before or after their work hours. Let us know what you think of this!

Finally, many patients are forgetting to bring a joke with them when they visit the doctor. We've had a joke exchange program for a long time. Bring us a joke and we'll tell you one in return!

23 August 2010

Dr. Lovell will out of the office from Monday, August 23 through Wednesday, August 25. She'll resume seeing patients on Thursday, August 26. Elaine will be out of the office from Wednesday through Friday.

Also, please note that the telephone answering service software has to be updated to reflect Dr. Espinoza's presence. Until this happens, please use the "page Dr. Pearson" option on the voicemail menu..

16 August 2010

We have officially welcomed Dr. Alex Espinoza into our family and sports medicine practice! At this time, Dr. Espinoza will work every day except for Wednesdays. A local resident, Dr. Espinoza will serve as the Head Team Physician for Mission Hills High School. Also, last week we bid farewell to Dr. Pearson's pre-med extern, Megan, from his alma mater, Gettysburg College.

17 July 2010

Dr. Pearson is out on vacation. He will return to the office on Wednesday, July 28. Dr. Lovell is covering the practice.

2 July 2010

First of all, Happy Independence Day holiday weekend to all! The office will be closed on Monday in observance of this holiday, but docs are available by radiopager for emergencies.

Dr. Pearson will only be in the office on Tuesday next week in order to attend the International Brotherhood of Magicians annual convention on the following days. Dr. Lovell will work Friday in his place. [Heads up: Dr. Pearson will be out on vacation from 7/19 to 7/27. He will be back in the office on 7/28.]

Two's company, but three's great dept: Dr. Giesemann dropped by the office the other day and got us all caught up on her husband's foreign assignment - they're going to be in Moscow, Russia, for the next few years! We're very excited for them all! We've missed having three docs in the office and so in August we'll be welcoming Dr. Alex Espinoza to the practice. Dr. Espinoza is a board-certified family physician and completed his sports medicine fellowship at UCSD. He practiced up in Temecula until recently moving his family to San Marcos. More exciting office news to come in the near future...

We recently said good bye to Jackie and Jennifer (physician assistant students) and Caitlin (HS student). They were all very good and we enjoyed having them with us. They were also a very big help on busy days to help us try to stay on time. Our new P.A. student, Mina, started today for her last month of rotations!

Dept. of Funology: You can find the MagicDoc (along with Perfesser Howard) performing comedy and bar magic nearly every "Magic Thursdays" at Kelly's Public House in Rancho Bernardo. Fun usually begins at 8:30 PM!

10 May 2010

Telephone system is not working for reasons beyond our control - only one line receiving calls. Awaiting fix from telephone company. Alternative phone numbers to try: 760- 591-0173 or 760-591-9281.

3 May 2010

Both doctors will be out of the office this Thursday and Friday to attend the Pri-Med Primary Care Conference (an update on what's new in all of the medical fields). Office staff will be working and doctors are available by radiopager.

12 April 2010

I (jp) will be out of the office this Wednesday through Friday to attend the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting. Dr. Lovell will hold down the fort in my absence.

This past weekend, I worked as a volunteer for the Carlsbad 5000 road race. On Saturday, they held pre-event races for kids including a very funny "diaper dash" which I recorded and posted on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_skzd06cgyA

Magic-Con was great last month. Hooked up with many old friends as well as some new ones including my new "best buddy," David Blaine, seen here along with myself and bar magician extraordinaire, JC Wagner.

And, speaking of bar magic, you can often find my friends and I performing comedy bar magic at JC's Little Club on Coronado Island on Saturday afternoons or at Kelly's Public House, an Irish pub in Rancho Bernardo, on Thursday evenings! I might miss some nights on occasion so feel free to check with me first before coming down and enjoying an evening of good food, music, darts, billiards and - of course - magic!

15 March 2010

Please note that Dr. Pearson will be out of the office on FRIDAY, 3/19 (as well as his usual THURSDAY off) to attend a conference. Dr. Lovell will take calls for him until his return.

2 March 2010

We are greatly saddened by the assault/murder of local teen, Chelsea King. Our hearts go out to her family and friends.

23 December 2009

Welcome to winter and the holiday season!

Holiday office schedule:

12/24/09 (Thursday): Morning hours with Dr. Lovell only.

12/25/09 (Friday): Closed all day for X-mas.

12/31/09 (Thursday): Morning hours with Dr. Lovell only

1/1/2010 (Friday): Closed all day for New Year's Day.

Note that both doctors are available by radiopager after office hours. Call them through the office, please.

22 November 2009

Dr. Pearson will be out of the office all week. Dr. Lovell will be covering.

The office will be closed for both Thursday AND Friday for the holiday.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

9 Sept 2009

H1N1 Influenza (formerly known as Swine Flu) has been making the rounds through the community. For most people, it is NOT a big deal - it's simply influenza virus of a different strain and hitting us during our summer months rather than winter. Here is a link to the latest info on the treatment guidelines: http://www.flu.gov/vaccine/antiviralguidance.html . You'll note that most people do NOT need a prescription. Antiviral therapy is reserved for those requiring hospitalization and a few select sub-populations of people i.e. those at increased risk of developing serious problems. The best way to cut your chances of contracting the flu (and most other infections for that matter) is by washing your hands often (or use sanitizing solutions such as Purell).

17 August 2009

Last week saw us welcoming the arrival of little Isabella, courtesy of mom, Andrea! Came in at 6 lb, 11 oz. Both mom and daughter are doing well.

For some reason, Andrea did not want me, nor my assistant, to perform the delivery...

I will be out of town starting Saturday, August 22 and will return to the office on Monday, August 31. I'll be serving as a volunteer physician for the Sorcerer's Safari, a one week magic camp in northern Ontario (Canada). I'll be without e-mail access (shudder!) and limited phone. Dr. Lovell will cover the practice in my absence.

24 July 2009

I started a special program for the Elizabeth Hospice called "The Magic of Hospice" whereby and I (and hopefully other magicians) make "magic" house calls to hospice clients. My friend, Howard Robinson, and I performed two such shows yesteray which were extremely well-received. Basically, we perform free close-up comedy magic shows in clients' homes or care centers. You can learn more about the program (and see some pictures) here.

Finished writing and recording another song, "Someone to Come Home to." It's been added to the Dad's a Dork album here. Yup, that sensitive new age male thing comes through in this one...

We've had 3 excellent 4th year Osteopathic medical students training with us over the past weeks: Jessica (from the New York school), and Frankie and Katherine (from Western University in Pomona). One can never underestimate the importance of mentoring in any field of study.

Anyway, the summer is going fast. My friends at The Trick Shop (magic) in Temecula recently moved to a new location. Because some of my patients have gotten into magic from watching me or Bob (Elliott), Sam will give away a free magic DVD to my patients who purchase something from them before the end of August! Look for them at www.trickshopmagic.com and identify yourself as one of my patients.

Finally, if anyone has kids that would like to learn magic this summer, check out the Sorcerer's Safari Magic Camp, in Ontario (Canada). It's a one week immersion of fun and learning from some of the best names in the business. [I'll be working there as a volunteer physician this year.] It's held at the same summer camp where they shot the movie "Meatballs!" Spaces remain for this year's session. Check out their website here.

Make every day a fun day!

29 June 2009

As we go into the month of July, we're all making adjustments to our new schedules with Dr. Lovell picking up the days that Dr. Giesemann worked, in addition to her own. She now sees patients 4 days/week Monday through Thursday.

And speaking of Dr. Giesemann, we threw her a going away party at the Barrel Room in Rancho Bernardo. What a wonderful venue for those who have never been there! She, Pat and the family will not know where they'll be stationed until sometime in the fall. We wish them well (and safety) wherever they wind up.

Quick order of business: The office will be closed this Friday, July 3, for the Independence Day holiday. Both docs will be available by pager if needed, as usual.

This past week, I had a fun time talking to and entertaining the children at the Grace Church Vacation Bible School in San Marcos. And on Saturday, 2 friends and I performed bar and walk around magic at the annual fundraiser for the Marines' "Wounded Warrior" program that was held at Lake San Marcos. Lots of real heroes in attendance.

Finally, I wrote and recorded two new songs during the past 2 weeks. You can listen to "A Dose of You" and "Storybook" on the Dad's a Dork music page here. Hope that you all like them!

9 June 2009

Today is Dr. Giesemann's last day in the office. :( We will miss her and her family a lot as they go off exploring other parts of the world!

21 May 2009

Yes, the rumor is true, Dr. Giesemann is leaving the area and we're going to miss her dearly! Her husband, Pat, is also a family physician and he has accepted a great job opportunity that will, unfortunately, take them out of southern California. Her last day in the office will be June 9 so please feel free to drop by when she's in the office to say "good-bye, good luck" to her before she leaves. Unless patients indicate some other preference, her patients will be rolled over to Dr. Lovell's patient panel. Dr. Lovell will increase her hours to 4 days/week (Mon through Thursdays) starting sometime in June.

The San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon is almost upon us (Sunday, May 31st). Anyone who would like to join our medical team station (mi 19.6) as a volunteer can learn more at http://www.rnrmarathon.com/elite/Assets/rnrmarathon/pdf/sd09_medicalvolunteerinfosheet.pdf and follow the direction for signing up. Write "Dr. Pearson" where it asks who recruited you. You do NOT have to have a medical background to volunteer. And this is a good opportunity for runners to learn more about training and injury prevention for their own personal benefit, as well. Sign up ASAP if you're interested. It's a fun day!

Finally, the world famous Magic Castle, in Hollywood has some great magician performers lined up. You can read about the Academy of Magical Arts (of which I'm a magician member) here and, if you're interested in visiting, contact me for a guest pass.

4 May 2009

Let's begin with the Swine Flu (H1N1 virus) situation. Judging by the volume of calls and e-mails that we (and all doctors) are receiving, there is a great deal of fear as a result of all of the hysterical media hype. First and foremost, DO NOT PANIC!!! This is still just a plain old influenza virus, just a different strain from what has been circulating since winter. As such, it will make you feel like crap if you have it, but most people get over it just fine without need for any antiviral medication, taking things for specific symptoms only. Yes, influenza does kill a lot of people every year, generally those who are elderly or debilitated for some reason. It is the people who at risk that should receive Tamiflu if they come down with symptoms consistent with Swine Flu. We are aware that local Mission Hills High School has been shut down in order to potentially prevent this virus from spreading. As of this time, the virus has not been confirmed, only suspected. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website contains good/useful information on this subject. Check it out at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/. The best way to prevent catching and spreading this (and just about any virus) is by good hygiene i.e hand washing/sanitizing after touching strangers or objects in a store, for example. Carrying a small container of Purell, for example (not an endorsement of a particular product!) - and using it frequently - makes a lot of sense. And, while Vice President Joe Biden got in trouble for speaking honestly (how dare he put national economics ahead of public health?!!!), avoiding situations/locations that are likely to hasten the spread of airborne infections makes sense. 'Nuff said? [Science fiction buffs may want to check out Terry Gilliam's 1995 movie, 12 Monkeys, to see what can happen when a deadly virus does spread around the globe.]

Happy Birthday to me! I put on yet another year past the half century mark this past weekend. To celebrate, my son and I accompanied Bob and Happy Elliott to watch David Copperfield's show up at Pechanga Casino, in Temecula (nice place!). The show was amazing and fun-filled. We had great seats, courtesy of David, as Bob was David's magic teacher!

This week will be a short one for all of the doctors as we will be attending the annual Pri-Med conference in Anaheim. Pri-Med is a 3 day series of lectures for primary care physicians to keep us up-to-date on what's new in the various medical fields. Because of this, there will not be any physicians in the office on Thursday and Friday. Office staff will be available and can page any of us if needed. Patients that must be evaluated by a physician will be referred to local urgent care facilities (depending upon their insurance plans).

Any questions or concerns? Please contact the office.

21 April 2009

I will be entertaining the wonderful volunteers who donate their time for The Elizabeth Hospice at Kit Carson Park this Saturday by performing walk-around close-up comedy magic. This is a great group with which to be affiliated and an important community cause to support. I'm also starting "The Magic of Hospice" program for them whereby I'll make "magical" house calls to hospice patients and their families on my days off. I've already been doing this for my private patients and look forward to working with my hospice friends again.

2 April 2009

I will be out of town as of today in order to attend the Niagara Comedy Magic Seminar (Niagara Falls, Canada) and to recharge my accent by visiting family in New Jersey. I will return to see patients in the office next Thursday and Friday. Drs. Giesemann and Lovell will provide coverage during my absence. I will be unable to respond to e-mails during this time.

8 March 2009

Dr. Pearson will only be in the office Monday and Tuesday this week. He will be away from pager, cell phone and e-mail from Tues night until Monday. Drs. Giesemann and Lovell will maintain their same hours and provide coverage for him.

23 February 2009

All I can say is wow! The office renovations look great - new fixtures/cabinetry in every room, some fresh paint and now all of the new carpeting has been laid. Still a few small things to finish up, but the vast majority of the work has been completed. Thanks for bearing with our mess!

And, speaking of messes, our new electronic medical record system (Allscripts Touchworks) still sucks and continues to slow us down. We're actively looking into ways to get it working the way that it's supposed to or we'll have to chuck it.

Please note that because of all of this, I'm dreadfully behind on responding to e-mail communications. Simply not enough time in the day lately (12-14 hour days in the office). The messages have not been lost and I will do my best to respond to them all. Please bear with me. I hope to get back up to speed again, soon.

My dog, Apollo, also had a bad day. Sometimes, even a game of fetch even goes bad... :)

Remember, try to make every day a FUN day!

30 January 2009

Metamorphosis...

Please stay tuned....

27 January 2009

Please note that the office will be physically closed this Friday, January 30, for demolition and reconstruction of reception/back office areas. Staff will be in meetings off site. Docs will be available by pager if needed.

19 January 2009

Dr. Giesemann will be out of the office this week. Dr. Lovell will work Tues through Friday in her absence. Also, I have a meeting in San Diego so I will be out of the office all afternoon this coming Wednesday.

The Monster Jam hit San Diego this past Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium. I took my son to watch all of the monster trucks with some friends. Now that my hearing has returned, here's a photo of a big truck in action!

23 December 2008

Dr. Pearson will be out of office in the morning only to attend an important meeting in San Diego.

Incidentally, colonoscopy was fine - no discomfort whatsoever. Patients take note! [The prep sucked big time, though....]

Here's wishing you all a very PAPpy New Year!

17 December 2008

Short day today, stopping appointments at 3 PM. Practicing what I preach, gotta begin my prep for tomorrow's screening colonoscopy!

Upcoming holiday office schedule: We will close on both Christmas and New Year's Eve at 12 noon (Wednesdays) and remain closed on the holidays and the Fridays that follow (Dec 26 and Jan 1 respectively). All docs will be available by radiopager for emergencies if needed.

6 December 2008

Dr. Lovell will be out of the office (unexpectedly) for the next 1-2 weeks due to a death in her family. Our thoughts will be with her as she journeys back east.

I'm back up and running (well, not really running) after my arthroscopic knee surgery last week. Had to finally give up the crutches and cane as I was not being given the appropriate amount of sympathy from my family and staff members.

Once again, we thank you all for your patience in dealing with our office. The construction and the transition to an electronic health records system is taking a toll on all of us resulting in unusually long delays for physicians to get into the rooms, problems finding charts quickly, etc.. We are doing everything we can to whip the software into shape, but there is no question that this will continue to be a slow painful process that will go on for several more months at the very least. Keeping this in mind, please remember to bring some good jokes to cheer up the staff!

Looking for fun stocking stuffers this holiday season? Our friends, Suzi and Mark, dropped by some of their wonderful scented tea lights (we love the champagne pear and the others). You can find these and more at their web store (http://www.partylite.biz/sites/suzimark).

And, let's not forget the perfect stocking stuffer from the Sprained Angles family of products, The Original Chick Magnet! Order from www.sprainedangles.com or purchase them from me in the office for only $10 (cheep! cheep!).

25 November 2008

I'm out of the office as of today for the rest of the week for a knee 'scope (will recuperate over the holiday). Drs. Giesemann and Lovell will be in the office this week and the office will be closed on both Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

31 October 2008 Happy Halloween!

I just got back from Vegas and I'm back in the office as of today - some may consider this a treat whereas others, a trick - all a matter of perspective, I guess... In any case, next week's office schedule will have me swapping days with Dr. Giesemann: she'll work with Dr. Lovell on Tuesday and I'll take her Thursday hours.

We're still working things out as we attempt to install a new electronic medical records system. Not so smooth just yet, but keeping our fingers crossed. Office renovations are continuing and we hope that everyone will like the new exam rooms, carpeting, etc. when we're all finished (eventually). Thank you all for bearing with us through this!

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday! And, for the last plug in this 4 year cycle, feel free to see how I feel about politics by listening to the cut, Elections, from my "Dad's a Dork" album here.

25 October 2008

Dr. Pearson is out of town to attend the American Osteopathic Association's annual convention. He will be return to the office on Friday, October 31 (Halloween). Please hold all e-mails to him during this time. Drs. Giesemann and Lovell will be in the office on their usual days.

14 October 2008

We are in the midst of converting over to an electronic medical record system.

This is a time-consuming process and will slow down our ability to see patient’s considerably over the subsequent days/weeks.

We appreciate your understanding. This will only improve patient care in the future!

23 September 2008

First, I won't be in the office this Friday. Both Drs. Giesemann and Lovell will be in, though.

Lots of changes going on in the office of late; First, please excuse the mess!!! We are renovating the office on several fronts. We're migrating to an electronic health record (EHR) system so that we can finally get away from paper charts and all of the space that they require. We've eliminated one of the bathrooms and converted the space into a room for scanning charts (the employee health spa lounge concept got nixed). Along the way, we're also repainting the entire office as well as replacing carpet and cabinetry. Because of this, there is some smell from latex paint, but it's disappearing fast.

You may have noticed some new people hanging around with us trying to look cool. Jackie has been out on medical leave and we needed another assistant after Dr. Lovell joined the practice. Please welcome Rhonda as our newest Medicine-in-Motion staff member! She is very experienced and is bilingual, as well. We've also had Michelle, a 3rd year Osteopathic medical student with us for the past 4 weeks. We really enjoyed having her with us and hopefully she learned some good stuff as well (I am referring to medical knowledge, of course, in addition to magic!)

On the fun front, I launched my other company "Sprained Angles" last month and we worked the San Marcos Street Fair at the end of August! Looking at life through a sprained angle best describes how I came up with The Original Chick Magnet and the other items in the pipeline. Check out the web site at: www.sprainedangles.com.

Along the lines that laughter is truly the best medicine, I remind all of you about my joke exchange program. Quite simply, be sure to bring in a funny joke so that I can steal it and add to my repertoire of atrocious puns and whatnot. In turn, I'll share jokes gleaned from others. For instance: Why do sharks prefer to swim in salt water? Well, apparently, pepper water makes them sneeze too much!

Finally, it's book report time! This week, Good Calories, Bad Calories will be released in paperback form. Note that this is NOT a nutrition or diet book - it's a science book that everyone with an interest in nutrition, weight problems, health should take a look at. Author Gary Taubes is not trying to sell a diet program. Rather, this book stemmed from research that he was engaged in while looking at "bad science" for an article that he was writing for the journal, Science.

"Good science" occurs when an individual comes up with a theory and then tests it to make sure that the results are accurate and reproducible. The individual then publishes his/her findings in a manner that correctly summarizes the experiments' conclusions. When experiments are conducted and the published results are not what the tests demonstrated, that would be considered "bad science" (think propaganda).

During the course of his research into instances of "bad science," Taubes was startled to find that many nutritional/diet studies were just that - bad science. He then went back and examined studies of diet/nutrition, exercise, diabetes, lipids (cholesterol), etc and learned that almost everything we've been taught about obesity and diet is not supported by the evidence. For example, some people have been promoting low fat diets and increased exercise as what's best for humans to live long and healthy lives. It turns out that this is pretty much the opposite according to the legit scientific studies. Fat is not the evil that it's been made out to be. Instead, the culprit is sugars (and refined carbohydrates such as white flour) and their inherent ability to stimulate insulin production.

Insulin, as most are aware, lowers blood sugar. Most people are not aware, however, that insulin also deposits fat in the body (including inside of the blood vessels). This is an evolutionary thing. If you're, let's say, a saber tooth tiger that is eating it's fresh kill. It will gorge and the excess calories must be stored for another day because - after all - who knows just how long it will take before it can make another kill (days or weeks)? Insulin does this.

On a practical basis, many people snack on sweets (soda, cakes, candy) and eat meals that contain starches e.g. potatoes. This results in nearly elevated insulin levels throughout the day doing what it does best - deposit fat on the body. This is just one reason for why it's so hard for many people to lose weight. The excellent movie, Supersize Me, demonstrated this nicely. Most of Spurlock's McDonald's meals included large sodas and French fries. However, the guy who ate only the Big Mac's every day (Big Mac Man) did not gain weight!

High fructose corn syrup is another culprit in our lives. While it may not stimulate as much insulin as sucrose, it directly stimulates the liver to put out triglycerides which screws up the good cholesterol (HDL). This leads to heart ailments and strokes.

Taubes also discusses the impact that sugars (et al) have on common disease states. Just a few hundred years ago, missionaries and doctors studied native tribes in Africa, South Pacific Islanders, and Eskimos (among many others around the world). All consumed diets relatively high in fats and protein (and low in carbs). Think coconuts and ocean fish, for example. None of these groups suffered from heart disease, diabetes or any other chronic diseases. Even cancer rates were very low. Enter their exposure to western diet through trading: "Here. Try some of this sugar stuff. Let us show you how to make bread from this white flour." You get the idea. Soon after, all of these populations started to develop problems with obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The evidence is very compelling.

Be aware that I just over-simplified these concepts, but Taubes does a great job of laying out what the science really says about what really works for losing weight (cutting down sugars, refined carbs, etc) and what doesn't (dieting, exercise). Check out the Borzoi Reader's review of the book here. They summarize Taube's findings and even list what the science bears out. Better yet, if you have a difficult time controlling weight, diabetes, heart disease, etc, then pick up a copy and read/study it. I strongly recommend it.

[NOTE: As a result of my reading this book, I will have to revise much of the information that I had written on weight loss and fitness in the Patient Education section of this web site.]

25 August 2008

Sorry!!! We just found out that the telephone service person put the wrong pager phone # in for Dr. Pearson so no calls went thru to him. This has been rectified today.

25 July 2008

Well, I'm back in town following a much needed family vacation up in Grand Teton National Park, only to find myself inundated with e-mails and labs/charts to review. Please bear with me as it will take me a few days to a week to get all caught up!

Dr. Lovell will be out of town for all of next week in order to visit family back east.

12 July 2008

Dr. Pearson will be out of the office for summer vacation beginning Tuesday, July 15 and returning to the office on Wednesday, July 23. Drs. Giesemann and Lovell will be in the office on their usual days with Dr. Lovell working this Friday.

30 June 2008

The office will be closed on Friday, July 4th.

Dr. Allison Lovell started with us last week! A board-certified general internist with a strong family medicine background as well, she will be in the office on Tuesday, Wednesdays and alternates Fridays with Dr. Giesemann. I hope to have her web page up and running soon! In the meantime, here she is:

Have a fun (and safe) holiday!

10 June 2008

I will be out of the office Thursday and Friday this week and will work 1/2 days (mornings only) Monday, Tues, and Thursday next week. My daughter is graduating from high school and my folks will be visiting from out of town. Likewise, Dr. Giesemann will also be out of the office on Thursday (only) to attend her son's program. Staff will be in the office and physicians will be available by radiopager.

If you've been in the office lately, you've probably noted that appointment times felt like 'best guesses' at times. We apologize for this and thank you all for bearing with us as a lot is happening behind the scenes that will ultimately help us to meet the increased demand for our services and make us more efficient. For one, we just installed a new computer network and are in the initial stages of transforming into "the office of the future" i.e. taking the plunge into electronic medical health records. In other words, we're ultimately looking at replacing our current paper chart system with computerized records. This is a BIG process and will take many months (if not longer). There is a steep learning curve as our staff learns new appointment scheduling software and the docs learn the new electronic charting program. Still to come: new cabinetry and office carpeting. Please bear with us as we go through these "growing pains."

Also, we're pleased to announce that Dr. Allison Lovell will be rejoining us on a permanent basis. Many of you will recall that she covered for Dr. Giesemann during her last pregnancy. She is a board-certified general internist with tons of experience in family medicine/kids as well. Tentative first day for Dr. Lovell will be June 24th, but this is subject to change as we're awaiting word from the various insurance plans that all administrative work is OK. Dr. Lovell will also work part-time (like Dr. Giesemann) and they will generally work on days opposite each other. This allows them to care for their families/children, but also permits us to offer two doctors in the office most days of the week. This will open up more schedule openings for our patients - we can't wait! We'll post more information when it's available. Stay tuned...

Finally, Dr. Giesemann and myself attended the Pri-Med Conference last month and had the honor of listening to a lecture by Dr. Patch Adams. It was a wonderful talk about the joy of caring. You can learn more about Dr. Adams and the Gesundheit Institute here.

27 May 2008

Power outage knocked out our building and has affected telephones all AM - apparently a Mylar balloon shorted out a power line. We're back up as of 1 PM.

26 May 2008

The office is closed today for Memorial Day Observances. Doctors are available by radiopager.

11 May 2008

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Both physicians will be out of the office on Thursday and Friday as they will be attending the annual Pri-Med conference, in Anaheim. The Pri-Med conferences are designed for primary care physicians (family docs, pediatricians, internists) whereby we stay abreast of the latest advances in the medical arts. We will both be available by radiopager for emergencies and patients will be directed to urgent care if they absolutely must be seen by a physician. [As an FYI, the nearest urgent care for our SCMG HMO patients is the Sharp-Rees-Stealy clinic on Via Tazon in Rancho Bernardo.] Our staff will be in the office on both days if you have any questions or problems. I'm not sure if I'll have e-mail access for those few days so please hold all messages if possible. (Thanks!)

23 March 2008

I will be out of the office this week in order to attend one of my annual sports medicine meetings (AMSSM, AOASM). I will be leaving Tuesday 3/25 and will return to the office on Monday 3/31/08. Later on that week, I'll also leaving the office from Thursday 4/3 until Monday 4/7/08 in order to attend the Niagra Comedy Magic Seminar at Niagra Falls, Canada! Dr. Giesemann will take office call in my absence. [E-mail connectivity during my absence is not a given so please hold all e-mails until I return to town.]

Because of this, Dr. Giesemann's work days this week will be WED, THURS, and FRIDAY. There will not be a physician in the office on TUESDAY, but staff will be in and Dr. Giesemann will be available if needed. Urgent care clinics may be considered, if necessary.

Finally, this week we bid adieu to our Nurse Practitioner in training, Ms. Barbara Beam. We truly enjoyed having her spend the past month or so with us and will miss her. :(

7 March 2008

Nothing new going on in the office, but I wanted to share a few YouTube videos with you all. Make sure that your sound is on!

2 Inspirational:

Jason McElwain: watch this autistic teen's contribution to his high school basketball team!

The last lecture of Randy Pausch: Attitude is everything, even when you're dying. A kindred spirit...

And in the spirit of Randy's lecture, some fun videos:

Cooties: a public health service announcement; check out these cute kids!

Wedding Dance: watch the first dance of a newly married couple! This got them invited onto the Ellen DeGeneres show where they were surprised with the a gift of a harbor cruise along with 20 of their friends!

Jaws Theme: Who comes up with these? A parody sung to the theme from the movie "Jaws!" From the same guy who did parodies of Superman, James Bond, Batman, and the Back to the Future theme songs.

Life IS too serious at times. Take a break and read the Funny Times monthly. You won't regret it. Now, please excuse me as I must return to surgery...

Don't forget the time change coming up this weekend ("Spring ahead")!

21 January 2008

We are open today (Martin Luther King Day). Please be aware that Dr. Giesemann will be out of the office all week long. There will not be a physician in the office on Thursday.

Most of you are aware that we often participate in the training of future physicians by mentoring medical students (M.D. and D.O.) from schools around the country. Over the past months, we've welcomed 4th year students Zach, Kira, and Dan for one month stints with us. We try to set good examples as role models for these young docs as well as for the pre-medical students that occasionally "shadow" (observe) us to see if medicine is really the right field for them. This week, we're welcoming Barbara Beams, a licensed nurse practitioner. Ms. Beams is working towards her Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) designation. She's an absolute delight and will be with us on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for the next few months.

Finally, I've been accepted as a non-resident magician member of the Academy of Magical Arts (Magic Castle) in Los Angeles. That's all for now. Until next time.....Alakazam!

23 December 2007

First things first: holiday office hours will be as follows:

Monday, December 24, 2007 - office open for the morning hours only. Both docs in.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - office closed.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - back to work!

Friday, December 28, 2007 - Dr. Pearson out of office for a meeting (really). Dr. G. is in.

Monday, December 31, 2007 - office open for the morning hours only.Both docs in.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - office closed.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008 - back to work!

Didn't get the holiday gift that you were expecting (despite the hints)??? Well, it's still not too late to pick up The Original Chick Magnet(patent pending) from our office. [National sales are pending.] Only $10 (Cheep!). Comes complete with instructions!

The Kid Nation finale has finally aired and we're all very proud of our niece, Sophia, for doing so well on the show. It was a great show for parents to watch with their kids. Thank goodness that Project Runway is still on Wednesday nights to feed my reality show addiction...

Tired of presidential campaigning already? Join the club and re-listen to my song, Elections, from my "Dad's a Dork" on-line album here.

Well, this should wrap up 2007 for us. From all of us at Medicine-in-Motion, may 2008 be a prosperous year for you all!

20 November 2007

Things have finally gotten back to normal following the fires. Amongst the Medicine-in-Motion staff, only one porch was lost, the home saved by local firefighters. How appropriate that Thanksgiving comes round this week?

Because of the holiday, the office will be closed on both Thursday (11/22) and Friday (11/23). Both physicians will be in the office on Wednesday (11/21) and will be on call by pager for the rest of the extended holiday weekend.

Want to improve your chances of staying reasonably healthy through the upcoming flu season? Wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer gel (such as Purell) frequently. Most germs are spread via water droplets. During the holiday season, millions of shoppers will be hitting the malls touching nearly everything in sight with hands into which they've coughed or sneezed. Prefer not to catch influenza or winter diarrhea? Clean your hands frequently particularly if you're touch lots of items, banisters, etc.. Also, be sure to get your flu shot if you're at risk. [For more information on influenza and flu vaccines, click here.]

Upcoming fundraiser on Saturday, December 1, for Scotty Eveland, the Mission Hills H.S. Football player who sustained a head injury resulting in a prolonged hospitalization. See flyer here for more information. [And while on the subject of the inadequacies of the U.S. health care coverage, be sure to rent Michael Moore's Sicko.]

Finally, one can never have their fill of turkey jokes. Find your fill at:

http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/thanksgiving-day-jokes.html

http://hometown.aol.com/Panda34911/Thanks/HolidayFunPg12CThankJokes.html

http://www.theholidayspot.com/thanksgiving/jokes.htm

http://humormatters.com/holidays/Thanksgiving/thanksgivingjokes.htm

http://www.ahajokes.com/thanksgiving_jokes.html

http://www.basicjokes.com/dtitles.php?cid=30

http://www.101thanksgiving.com/jokes.html

24 October 2007

Due to the prolonged evacuations and destruction due to the fires, the office will remain closed for the rest of this week. We anticipate re-opening on Monday, October 29.

We are unable to do anything regarding scheduling until we are able to return to the office and get the computer systems up and running. Please do not page Dr. Giesemann regarding appointments as there is nothing that she can do about them. Thank you for your patience.

22 October 2007

OFFICE IS CLOSED DUE TO THE FIRES. Fire and smoke has prompted evacuations of the region. Our telephone answering system should be working (unless power is cut) so you should be able to reach Dr. Giesemann in case of emergency.

Because of the intense smoky air throughout the region, use of paper masks or bandanas to cover your nose and mouth is advised. Protective goggles may be necessary depending upon your location. If you have breathing problems normally, be sure to keep your inhalers handy and use them as often as necessary. Eye drops, such as Visine, can be used to treat eye irritation. Try to avoid heavy exertion outdoors because of the poor air quality.

Above all, be safe and don't panic.

15 October 2007

It's that time of the year again. Time for me to venture back east to recharge my accent while I attend the Board of Editors meeting for Patient Care magazine in NJ/NYC followed by a family visit. I'll be out of the office as of mid-Wednesday afternoon (10/17/07) and will return on Monday (10/29/07).

Dr. Giesemann will be in the office on the following days: Thursday and Friday this week and Monday THROUGH Thursday next week. There will not be a physician in the office on Friday, but Dr. Giesemann will be available by pager. My e-mail connectivity will be hit and miss so no one should expect speedy replies while I'm away.

Looking for a fun thing to do this week? Check out John Carny's comedy magic show in Oceanside on the 19, 20, and 21st only. John is a wonderful entertainer/performer - check out his bio here.

30 September 2007

I will be attending the American Osteopathic Association Annual Convention next week and will be out of the office Monday through Wednesday. I will return to see patients on Thursday and Friday. Dr. Giesemann will see patients for me on WEDNESDAY, but no physician will be in the office on TUESDAY. We will be available by radio pager, though, and patients that need to be seen by a physician right away will be referred to appropriate urgent care facilities (e.g. Sharp-Rees-Steely clinics for SCMG patients).

On a fun note, we took an office "field trip" to the SD Charger game today. We had a great time (thanks to our friends Court and John for use of their box)!

Pre-game stretches (view from the field)

24 August 2007

Several staff members will be away on vacation (or for other reasons) for the next week or so. Dr. Giesemann and Jackie will be out for a week and Kathy will be gone for 2 weeks. Dr. Pearson and the rest of the staff will hold down the fort, so to speak.

1 August 2007

Damn, I'm getting old. Time to take a few days off to look at colleges with my daughter. Dr. Giesemann will be covering me until I return to the office on Monday.

22 July 2007

Dr. Giesemann will not be in the office this week as she is preparing to take her recertification examinations for Family Practice. Because of this, there will not be a physician in the office on Thursday, but Dr. Pearson will be available by pager for emergencies.

4 July 2007

We're obviously closed today in order to celebrate the 231st anniversary of the adoption of the final draft of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress at Philadelphia in 1776. Both docs are available by pager through the office, if needed. Dr. Giesemann will be back in the office tomorrow. [We can hardly believe that Dr. Giesemann has been with us for 2 years now!]

Speaking of patriotism, the Men's Club at Lake San Marcos recently sponsored a picnic and golf outing for the "Wounded Warriors" from Camp Pendleton. This was to demonstrate appreciation for all that they've done to serve their country. Several of us entertained the troops at the picnic with some close-up magic.

Also, last week, we attended the 119th (!) annual fundraising dinner for the San Diego Center for Children. It's theme was "The Magic that We Do" and featured performances by close-up magician Steve Dacri and illusionist Chuck Jones. Hosted by Marty Levin from local NBC News 39, it was a fun way to raise money for this worthwhile organization.

Mike Smith, Bob Elliott, Steve Dacri, myself, Michael Johnson

old friends Bob and Happy Elliott, Steve Dacri

And finally, from the "not a pretty sight" department:

28 May 2007

The office is closed today for Memorial Day. Both physicians are available by pager for emergencies.

Many patients are inquiring what to do about their Avandia/Avandamet prescriptions. Last week, a somewhat alarmist article was made public by the New England Journal of Medicine that generated a safety alert from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The article was a meta-analysis of 42 different drug study trials, many of which tested different things, but had the medication rosiglitazone (Avandia) in common. The authors then calculated what they thought to be the risk of having a heart attack while taking the medication and allege that it is very high. This article was published despite the editors of the New England Journal acknowledgement that the work contained important weaknesses.

On the other hand, according to a recent editorial in the Lancet, it's important to note that two reliable studies (A.D.O.P.T. and D.R.E.A.M.) failed to show a statistically significant increase in risk in heart attack or stroke between rosiglitazone and placebo (although there were more episodes of congestive heart failure seen in these patients when compared to a less effective medication, glyburide).

So what to make of this all? Per the Lancet:

Taken together, these results, although based on very small numbers of events, certainly raise a signal of concern and indicate the need for more reliable information about rosiglitazone’s safety. But the FDA, physicians, and patients can reasonably await the results of RECORD, a phase III trial designed specifically to study cardiovascular outcomes. Until the results of RECORD are in, it would be premature to overinterpret a meta-analysis that the authors and NEJM editorialists all acknowledge contains important weaknesses.

To avoid unnecessary panic among patients, a calmer and more considered approach to the safety of rosiglitazone is needed. Alarmist headlines and confident declarations help nobody.

Bottom line: for now, we're looking at patients on an individual basis. For those at high risk for cardiovascular events, we'll consider a change in medication. For others, we'll take a wait and see attitude. For many, Avandia has made a significant improvement in the control of their blood sugars and the risks of uncontrolled diabetes are well-known (including heart attacks and strokes) and significant. [Also, while we're well aware of the relatively recent heart problems with Vioxx, many of us also remember the widespread misreporting of the Women's Health Initiative study that blew the risks of estrogen replacement out of perspective, scaring millions of women needlessly.]

---

The recent Pri-Med conference went well. Besides updates on current medical topics, we got to hang out with some cool characters:

Looking for good book on healthy eating? Check out 30 Secrets of the World's Healthiest Cuisines - a very informative and interesting read.

And finally, don't forget the upcoming San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon. See below (May 8) if you're interested in working with us as a medical tent volunteer.

8 May 2007

Neither physician will be in the office this coming Thursday and Friday as they will be attending the Pri-Med conference up in Anaheim. This large conference is devoted to keeping family physicians up-to-date on the latest medical advances and standards of care. Staff will be available in the office and the physicians will be paged for consultation if needed. Patients that need to be seen by a physician will be referred to local urgent care clinics (e.g. Sharp-Rees-Steely in Rancho Bernardo).

Terry Lunceford, a frequent performer at the Magic Castle, tries to get me into bondage...

Last week, Elaine threw me a surprise birthday party at Remy's on Grand in Escondido. As you can see from the picture, I was so excited that I had to be restrained! Highlights of the evening included spectacular magic by magicians JC Wagner and Terry Lunceford, both veterans of the Magic Castle. Thanks to all of the friends that attended and a special thanks to magician Michael Johnson for helping to arrange this fun night!

The San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon will be held on Sunday, June 3rd and I'd love to have friends join us as volunteers in our medical tent at approximately mile 19.6. Our teams typically consist of physicians, nurses, athletic trainers and anyone else who may be interested in helping out (no medical background is required). If you're interested, go to http://www.rnrmarathon.com/volunteer.html and click on the medical volunteer icon. Be sure to list Dr. Pearson as your referring medical team leader. All race volunteers will receive a free ticket to the concert that night featuring Seal (Cox Arena at SDSU).

17 April 2007

I will not be in the office this Friday as I will be covering the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine 2007 Scientific Program for Patient Care magazine. Dr. Giesemann will be in the office on both Thursday and Friday this week.

The Carlsbad 5000 was run this past April 1st and I helped provide the medical coverage for the event. The best part of it all was covering the kid's races on Saturday (March 31) - they even had a diaper dash for infants!

19 March 2007

We've been made aware of the fact that there were some telephone problems last week relating to a computer glitch and the time change. I believe that we have it fixed now, but if you have difficulty reaching the office, you can page me directly [follow the instructions under "Contact the Office"].

We apologize for any inconveniences.

16 February 2007

I'll be out of the office today and most of next week (I'll be in office Monday only) to celebrate my son's Bar Mitzvah with family. Dr. Giesemann will work additional days in my absence.

2 February 2007

The end of January marked the end of my second term on the Board of Directors of The Elizabeth Hospice. It's been a pleasure serving with such dedicated individuals over the course of the past 6 or so years. We've continued to grow as we serve North County patients with end-stage diseases and/or chronic pain. As I step down, I leave the organization in very capable hands.

In my July 31 2006 entry, I noted that I was privileged to accept an award upon the behalf of Patient Care magazine from the American Academy of Dermatology. The awards were presented by Robert Wagner and the (still beautiful) Jill St. John. I recently received proof that this was a real event and not a dream...

Finally, on a philosophical note: While going through some old boxes of books, I stumbled upon one of my favorite quotations that I borrowed for a psych paper on dreams. It's from Erich Fromm and my calligraphic version can be found here in PDF format. Until next time...

22 January 2007

Dr. Giesemann will be out of the office all week for vacation with her family.

Last week marked Leslie's last day working with us in the office. Elaine and I are extremely grateful for all of her work over the past year or so as our billing/collections specialist. CHMB, a local firm, will be taking over her duties.

Flu (influenza) season is in full swing. Learn more about it here. Best defense against catching this, as well as the Winter Diarrhea bug (rotavirus) and others is frequent hand washing (or use of sanitizer solutions). There is a treatment for influenza (amantidine) that will shorten its duration (5-9 days) by about 2 days. However, its only effective if initiated within the first 48 hours of "when the truck hit you" (i.e. extreme fatigue, muscle/head aches occur in addition to upper respiratory symptoms). Be aware that the extreme dry air conditions (we live in a desert; non-stop Santa Ana conditions for the past 3-4 months; heating systems dry out air in the home) have affected many people as well. The best way to combat this is via humidity (e.g. breath steam in while showering, run humidifier/vaporizer type machine in bedroom at night, consider use of nasal saline (salt water) spray such as Ocean). Besides the sinus discomforts, the dry air is also responsible for the sudden increase in nose bleeds and dry, itchy skin. In addition to the previous recommendations, consider application of some Vaseline to the inside opening of your nose at bedtime and use a good skin moisturizer.

Reminder: We've had an unofficial joke exchange program for quite some time. Please bring new jokes for the doctors and staff when you visit - otherwise you may be subjected to Dr. Pearson's puns such as: What did the pregnant lady say to the obstetrician upon meeting for the first time? "I'm very dilated to meet you, doctor!"

For example, two of my young patients (about age 5-6) brought in the following jokes for me:

1) What parts of your body are the most musical?

2) Where do boats go when they get sick?

3) Why did the dog go into the freezer?

Answers:

1) Your organs!

2) To the doc(k), course!

3) Because it wanted to be a chili dog!

[If you're hard up for some jokes, you can always check out "E-Mails Greatest Hits" here.]

Yesterday, Curtis (one of our pre-medical students and joke researcher) and I covered one of the medical tents for the Carlsbad Marathon. Here are a few picture:

We were fortunate to have a great band nearby.

Also, last Thursday I made my annual visit to the NAMM Show up in Anaheim where my friend introduced his new line, Baden Guitars. Lots of fun playing with my friends and visiting all of the music industry booths all day long. [If you're bored, feel free to check out some of my original material here.]

Finally, Happy New Year to all!

16 December 06

Dr. Pearson will be out of town all week due to a death in the family. He will not have internet access so please do not send e-mails to him. Dr. Giesemann will be in the office on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. She will also be available by radiopager through the office at other times.

7 December 06

Just a quick note: I've had a computer glitch and have been unable to respond to e-mails for the past few days. I should have things straightened out by the end of the weekend. Sorry! (jp)

22 November 06

The office will be closed on Thursday (11/23) and Friday (11/24) for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. The physicians will be available by radiopager if needed (simply call the office and follow the prompts.

Also, Dr. Pearson will be away from Thursday 11/30/06 until Monday 12/4/06. He will be attending his dad's retirement party.

6 November 2006

"Oh Auntie Em, there's no place like home!"

It sure is nice to be back in southern California after my whirlwind trip back east. New Jersey was getting pretty damn cold in the last day or so before my return home.

My internet connections had been spotty and I'm still getting caught up on the e-mails from the trip. Sorry!

	"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

OK, so I did manage to sneak in some fun things while I was away. While in Las Vegas, my magician friend Mike flew up and joined me. We caught some great magic shows notably the Rick Thomas and Mac King shows. [Rick is packing up his show and taking it on a world tour. I can't recommend the comedy magic of the Mac King show high enough - it's been called the best afternoon in Vegas. Go see it the next time you're there!!!]

Mike Smith, Rick Thomas, and myself after the show.

Mac King joins Mike and I after his performance.

In New York/New Jersey, I had the good fortune to spend some time with other great magician/teachers. I visited David Roth (arguably the best coin manipulator in the world) and Mark "Magick" Blay at the Fantasma Magic shop at Penn Station and spent some quality time at the Jackson Hole diner in Leonia (NJ) with Bob Fitch. I also stopped by Meir Yedid's place in Elmwood Park (NJ).

"Magick", myself, David Roth behind the counter at Fantasma.

More important than the magicians, however, was the time that I got to spend with my family. My dad had just been discharged from the hospital and we celebrated his 76th birthday together. He's going to retire from private practice at the end of this month after nearly 50 years of family medicine! What's next? He hopes to get back to his songwriting.

dad in moment of reflection (playing scratchers!)

Dumpster diving - er, recycling - with my mom.

For Halloween this year, we offered the tricks of magician Bob Elliott to our patients. Bob was David Copperfield's teacher and has taught countless others, as well, over the years including David Blaine and Criss Angel. Needless to say, our patients were wowed by his performances and made waiting fun (for a change)!

Finally, back to business: Dr. Giesemann will be in the office on Monday and Tuesday. [It's unclear whether she'll be in on Thursday or Friday due to her kids' schedules. We will know soon, though.] Also, we WILL be open this Friday (Veteran's Day holiday).

Regarding influenza vaccines (flu shots): We have received only a few shots for very high risk patients. All HMO patients need to go through the flu shot clinics sponsored by Sharp Community Medical Group at North County Fair. I think that they're held every Tuesday, but you can contact our office directly to get the straight scoop from our receptionists. If you have an opportunity to get a flu shot from one of the many pharmacies and stores providing them, we suggest that you get your vaccination there.

Reminder: the best way not to catch the flu (and most other infections for that matter) is to wash your hands often (or use hand sanitizer liquids), especially while shopping at crowded malls/stores. For more influenza facts, check our patient education handout piece here.

14 October 2006

Dr. Pearson will be out of the office (as of Monday October 16) to attend the American Osteopathic Associations annual convention in Las Vegas, followed by meetings in NYC (Board of Editors meetings for Patient Care and Medical Economics magazines). He will return to see patients again on Thursday, October 26. [Local parrotheads will note that Jimmy Buffett will be playing at the Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista that night - perfect timing for an office "field trip."] While he's away, Dr. Giesemann will see patients every day except for Tuesdays.

We continue to make adjustments in our office policies in order to best accommodate our patients needs. As such, we will now try scheduling some appointments in advance for the 8:30 AM - 10 AM and 4 PM - 5 PM blocks. The downside to this is that it will make it more difficult to get a same day appointment, but we're willing to give this a try to see how it works.

Another recent event that has impacted our office is the recent takeover of the Sav-on pharmacies by CVS. We've literally been inundated by irate patients who had been told that we had not called in (or faxed) their prescriptions into the pharmacy. In every case, we had called in the prescriptions promptly and documented the date/time. [One CVS employee confided to us that not only are they having problems adapting to the new software, but in some cases where a phone # or birth date did not accompany the message (which is NOT a requirement), then the tech would delete the message!] It seems that nearly all CVS pharmacies that we deal with have been affected by this problem (i.e. not "receiving" our telephoned prescriptions). Bottom line; please do not scream at our receptionists (yes, some patients have actually screamed at them!) about things that are beyond our control. Our staff works hard to serve our patients and treat them all with the utmost respect. Please do not be rude to them in kind!

28 August 2006

Dr. Giesemann will be out of the office this week for vacation. Dr. Pearson will cover for her in the office on Thursday. Also, the office will be closed on Monday, September 4th, for Labor Day. Dr. Giesemann will be back in the office on Thursday, September 7th.

Also, Dr. Giesemann and I have finally decided to employ the Hospitalist Service at Palomar Medical Center to handle all of our admissions. we have known these physicians for several years and have confidence in their skills. While we both really enjoy the challenges associated with hospital work, it's simply become too difficult to manage a busy office practice and make rounds/emergency visits to the hospital at the same time. [For those of you who may not be familiar with hospitalists, these are physicians who spend all of their time in the hospital, managing care throughout the days and nights, hence they're always available to deal with unexpected emergencies.] Dr. Giesemann and I will continue to make "social rounds" to visit our patients and continue to monitor their care from the office via the hospital's computer network. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

31 July 2006

Computers are up and running again (finally). Well, let's get caught up...

First, we're thrilled to welcome Jackie to our office as our new medical assistant. Jackie has many years of experience working in a family medicine setting and she's also bilingual (Spanish). We're sure that you'll all like her as much as we do!

The office continues to get busier and so we recently brought on a practice management advisor who has provided us with many excellent suggestions. We will begin to implement them as we're able to and will post any significant changes here if warranted.

The insurance industry continues to change and we've had to adjust accordingly. We dropped Pacificare PPO (not the HMO product) last year because their reimbursement rates dropped too low. United Healthcare then purchased Pacificare and subsequently lowered their reimbursement rates as well. As has been the trend with many other medical practices, we've decided that we can no longer participate in the United Healthcare PPO product and have terminated our contract with them.

What does this mean for our patients? For the typical patient, it turns out to be not much difference. These patients can still be seen in our office through their "out of network" coverage and their out of pocket costs often remain the same. For example, a hypothetical insurance plan may provide 70/30 coverage whereby they'll pay 70% of the medical charges and the patient will be responsible for the remaining 30%. If an office visit charge comes to $75, 30% comes out to about $22. This is pretty close to the now common $25-35 co-pays that most PPO plans require for in-network providers.

The only difference is that the patient pays the full office visit charge at the time of service and get reimbursed later on from the insurance company (we'll submit the claims electronically for our patients). If you have any questions about your particular PPO out of network benefits, call the member services on the back of your insurance card to find out what your payment responsibilities would be. If you have further questions about this topic, please feel free to contact the office and we'll do our best to try and help you.)

The heat wave is finally breaking it seems. I covered the archery event at the California State Games down at the Olympic Training Center (Chula Vista) a few weeks back and it was toasty. Good time to remind everyone about the importance of hydration and staying cool. An electrolyte replacement solution such as Gatorade is recommended for long exposures to hot weather. Drinking cold water is fine if you remember to boost your salt (sodium) intake to prevent hyponatremia. [Please scan down to the 28_July_2005 "Latest News" for the full scoop on this subject.]

Also, don't forget to apply sunscreen daily. I advise making it a habit to apply sunscreen lotion in the morning when you brush your teeth so that you don't forget. In addition to your face (including ears and neck), you should consider your forearms because they absorb a lot of ultraviolet light rays while driving, for example.

On a related matter, this week I was proud to accept a Golden Triangle Award upon behalf of Patient Care magazine for a skin-related article that we published last year. The event was held as part of the American Academy of Dermatology meeting at the San Diego Marriott last week. This gave me an opportunity to receive a congratulatory hug from one of the very first "Bond Girls," Jill St. John (while her husband, Robert Wagner, looked on). They both looked great and I'll post a picture when I receive it.

Cruisin' Grand continues to run every Friday night in Escondido through September. Be sure to drop by the Grand Magic shop and be entertained by magician JP Scirica and friends (myself included).

Finally, we really liked Dr. Allison Lovell when she covered for Dr. Giesemann. Her Borrego Springs office is being closed so we're inviting her to see her patients in our office. More on this when it happens.

23 June 2006

My laptop has been out of commission for the past 4 weeks on intermittent basis, hence I've been unable to post to this site, as well as answer e-mails on a regular (prompt) basis. Please bear with me until I get the bugs worked out.

In the meantime, please note that I will be out of the office all of next week on a much needed vacation (will be watching my daughter's club volleyball tournament!). Dr. Giesemann has been back in the office since the beginning of the month and will cover for me in my absence. She will be in the office from Tuesday through Friday. This means that there will be no physician in the office on Monday 6/26/06. Our staff will be in and Dr. G. will be available by page if needed. We're sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause.

17 April 2006

Happy Birthday to the newest little Giesemann! [Both mom and son are doing well, by the way!]

Attention diabetics: The Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company has offered to sponsor a free lecture for our patients in our office. "Managing Your Diabetes" will be presented by Cindy Martin on Tuesday, April 25 over the noon hour. This will be an excellent opportunity to ask questions regarding your condition. Please RSVP to Mary Carden (619-885-6462) by 4/21/06 so that we may reserve a space for you.

I still receive compliments on my weight loss and am continually asked how I manage to keep it off. Aside from running 4x/wk with Apollo, the secret also lies with choosing slimming outfits such as:

Finally, I'll be away at a medical conference this week and will not be in the office on Friday. Dr. Lovell will be in the office both days (in addition to her usual Wednesday hours).

27 March 2006

The countdown continues...

Dr. Giesemann will begin her maternity leave the first week of April (unless the baby has other plans) and is currently planning to be out of the office for 2 months. An old friend and colleague, Dr. Allison Lovell, has agreed to fill in for her during this time period. Dr. Lovell will see patients in the office Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of each week.

On the magic front, I was accepted as a member in the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM). Also, some of you have been lucky enough to have been entertained by retired magician, Bob Elliott, when he drops by the office. Despite many television appearances, he is not a household name, however he has many famous students including David Copperfield, Chriss Angel, and David Blaine to name just a few. We enjoy watching him perform his sleights of hand (and mouth) whenever he's visits!

23 January 2006

Please note that Dr. Giesemann is away on vacation this week. I will be taking evening and weekend call for her until she returns.

I just received notification that I passed my sports medicine re-certification examination (taken during Hurricane Wilma in October). I'm good for another 10 years - hurray!

Some years back when I was deciding upon a name for the practice, I (very) briefly considered plagiarizing the 3M name (in my case representing medicine, magic, and music). Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to attend an intimate session with one of close-up magic's greats, Eugene Burger, at The Grand Magic Shop in Escondido. If you've been in the office recently, you've probably seen some of the fun things that I had learned from that session.

Eugene and I swapping stories about facial hair...

This past Thursday, I made my annual pilgrimage to the NAMM Show, up in Anaheim, the largest music industry trade show. It's easy to feel like a kid in a candy store there - so many musical instruments to try, so little time. Here is a glimpse of what went on inside:

And now back to the practice of medicine...

"Latest News" items prior to 2006 have been archived. You can find them here.