Hello!!

It's been a while since my last blog because my schedule got so turned around with anchoring, etc. I have a bunch of additional comments from some of you about the concierge medicine story I did and will post them today if I don't run out of time to get ready for my upcoming hit (by "hit" I mean my appearance in the 5pm show tonite).

So, I've decided I really should spare you the whiny story of the hour I spent on the phone trying to track down additional video of the rats that received the treatment.

Here is the important stuff:

This link takes you to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine press release on this topic. It's well worth reading because it explains exactly how complicated of a process this really is. Since I have 90 seconds in my stories, I have to simplify. Reading the release at least paints a clear picture of the complicated nature of this work.

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2006/06_20_06.html

Onto the spinal cord injuries. I was desperate for a local interview on this topic today. A few doctors were not interested or available to talk to me. One doctor was willing up at OHSU but I had to agree to plug the idea of spinal cord injury prevention.

Making any kind of promise is not only difficult, but dangerous from a journalistic perspective. They can lead you down a slippery slope and I am loathe to agree to them.

This was, however, a great idea.

This story on the lab rats is super facinating but has just about zero applicability to us as people (at least as the research currently stands). That's why I intentionally did NOT seek out a person with a spinal cord injury for this story. I think getting that kind of comment is extremely premature.

Driving home the prevention message is really a great angle for the story and telling the doctor I would do it just means I can insist on that tidbit NOT getting cut from my story due to time. It's a win-win for everyone as far as I'm concerned.

Okay, the number one group at risk for these kinds of injuries.. according to Dr. Neuwelt at OHSU.... males ages 18 to 24.

Read more about the problem and the solutions here:

http://www.ohsu.edu/thinkfirst/

And here:

http://www.thinkfirst.org/

Shoot. It's 4:42 and I'm on at 5:13pm. Have to put on another coat of spackle (spackle = makeup). I'll get those concierge medicine comments posted shortly.

Email me: sstricklen@kgw.com
P.S. Jim.. thanks for the dog poem!! Let me know if the magazine accepts it!

Oh yeah, here is a photo of Russ and I after hosting the PSU graduation as it airs on OPB. I had just changed out of my suit for a marathon day shopping at the mall ((something I actually really dislike, but must do for work)).