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Here are some tips for starting your own practice and setting yourself and your patients up for success from the get-go.

When I began my career as a physician practicing family medicine with a focus on obesity, it became clear to me that many of my patients challenges could be prevented with lifestyle treatment. During my residency, I had the opportunity to work with an obesity specialist and immediately I knew thats what I wanted to do.

Soon I realized that most family medicine groups dont really understand what an obesity specialist does or why this type of care is important. Thats when I realized having my own practice was the best way for me to treat patients. This decision has allowed me to truly make a difference in the lives of my patients and has given me the professional autonomy that comes with owning your practice.

Here are some tips for starting your own practice and setting yourself and your patients up for success from the get-go.

Find the Right Team

Theres no way to sugarcoat it staffing is one of the most challenging aspects of owning your own practice. Finding the right people for the job is difficult and it takes time to train your team. When employees dont work out or they leave, its stressful and can be disruptive to your practice. I have found success hiring pre-health students. They are eager to gain experience and receive mentorship for the next phase of their training, and we get motivated employees who are open to joining an established medical practice. Its a win-win situation and, as a result, we have an awesome team.

Use Practice Management Tools

From appointments to invoicing to managing medical records, a lot goes into running a busy practice. Luckily for us, theres technology that automates and streamlines many of the day-to-day tasks. This helps minimize mundane administrative jobs and allows you to focus on what matters most caring for your patients. Whats more, if you find the right practice management technology for your office, you may even be able to get away without having any staff. Its worth it to explore the options out there and see if theres a high-tech solution that can automate services for your practice.

Network, Network, Network

The key to a busy practice is networking! Whether your patients come by physician referral or they are your neighbors, high school friends or gym buddies you never know who is going to refer patients to you. Be proud of what you do and share your passion with everyone you meet and you will have a busy practice. And, on the flip side, if you know any savvy business owners, ask them for tips and insights. Many of the struggles small businesses face are universal and having access to like-minded professionals can be beneficial (and refreshing).

The decision to start your own practice should not be taken lightly. But, from my experience, its easier than you think and the most fulfilling way to care for patients. Im always surprised by how much my patients appreciate me. They are so happy to have someone listen to them in a non-judgmental way about their weight and come up with an individualized plan. My practice allows me to feel like Im changing lives and advocating for my patients.

Join the Obesity Medicine Association for access to clinical and operational resources and more by visiting, https://obesitymedicine.org/.

Dr. Carolynn Francavilla Brown is board certified in Family Medicine and a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Dr. Francavilla is a family physician and obesity specialist and the owner of a small private practice in Colorado. She also runs http://www.helpyourpatientsloseweight.com. She sits on the Obesity Medicine Association Board of Trustees and the Governing Council for the AMAs Private Practice Physician Section and has previously sat on the Colorado Medical Society Board and the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors.

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Starting a Practice May Be Easier Than You Think - Medical Economics

Interestingly, Sharad Yadav along with Nitish Kumar overthrew Lalus government in Bihar in 2005.

Born in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, Sharad Yadav started his political journey from Jabalapur where he studied Engineering.

He first entered Lok Sabha after winning Jabalpur by poll in the 70s when the JP movement was at its peak.

His camaraderie with Lalu Prasad Yadav dates back to the 1970s when Janta Dal was formed after the Emergency.

Despite resounding victory in the 1977 elections, Janata Dal could not last long and the party went through split after split caused by ego clashes and lack of ideological commitment.

In the time of churning, Sharad Yadav remained with the Charan Singh faction in Janata Dal.

Towards the end of 1990s when Janata Dal was again divided, Sharad Yadav merged his party with Samata Party, then led by veteran leader George Fernandese and Nitish Kumar.

Three stalwarts of Indian politics, coming from Janata Dal background, then had founded Janata Dal (United) which is now part of the BJP led NDA in Bihar and center.

Sharad Yadav's friendship and rivalry with Lalu Yadav make an important part of Bihars political gossip.

Both the stalwarts of Yadav politics, fought against each other and joined hands several times only to fight against each other again to serve their political interests, said a Bihar watcher.

Read the rest here:
After 30-year long separation, Sharad Yadav to merge his party with Lalus RJD, vows to strengthen Opposition - National Herald

The number of dogs and cats in Kenya, whether owned or stray, is presently unknown. Looking around our neighbourhoods, it is easy to see how the animals suffer through hunger, disease and abuse due to uncontrolled breeding and abandonment.

As a pet owner, it is prudent to be conscious of the number of animals under your care. Since pets mate to breed, if left unattended, their numbers can easily run out of control.

But what is spaying and neutering?

Spaying consists of removing the females uterus and the ovaries. Neutering involves removal of the males testicles. Sterilisation, fixing or altering are terms also used. This surgical procedure should be done by a qualified veterinary surgeon to guarantee its success.

Why spay or neuter?

Spaying and neutering your pet prevents unwanted litters, helps protect against some serious health problems, and may reduce many of the behavioural problems associated with the mating instinct.

Removing a female dog or cats ovaries eliminates heat cycles and generally reduces the unwanted behaviors that may frustrate you. Removing the testes from male dogs and cats reduces the breeding instinct, making them less inclined to roam and more content to stay at home.

You will really be happy that you have only one animal to feed instead of six every six months for dogs and every four months for cats. Imagine the stress of rehoming so many little ones? Most people cannot do so and thus the babies end up on the street where they are likely to die soon.

Early spaying of female dogs and cats can help protect them from some serious health problems later in life such as uterine infections and mammary cancer. Neutering your male pet can also lessen its risk of developing enlarged prostate gland and testicular cancer.

The procedure has no effect on a pets intelligence or ability to learn, play, work or hunt. Some pets tend to be better behaved following surgical removal of their ovaries or testes, making them more desirable companions.

It is easy to blame the strays or the neighbours' male pet. But lets start with your own animals. It is often surprising how clever pets are when the hormones are raging: they escape climbing walls, breaking through or digging under fences. It is easily prevented: just neuter or spay your pet as soon as age allows. Spay or neuter your cat around 4 months and your dog around 8 months of age.

What are the risks of spaying and neutering?

Although reproductive hormones cause mating behaviours that may be undesirable for many pet owners, these hormones also affect your pets overall health and can be beneficial. Removing your pets ovaries or testes removes these hormones and can result in increased risk of health problems such as urinary incontinence.

While both spaying and neutering are major surgical procedures, they are also the most common surgeries performed by vets on cats and dogs. Like any surgical procedure, sterilisation is associated with some anaesthetic and surgical risk, but the overall incidence of complications is very low.

Read the rest here:
Using Spaying to control pet population - The Standard

Beware of politicians bearing reforms. Since the Trojans first wheeled awooden horseinto their fortified city, many are leery about "gifts" that may be heavily laden with dangers. That is true with the Trojan horse legislation just offered by Sen. Amy KlobucharAmy KlobucharPhotos of the Week: State of the Union, Ukraine vigil and Batman Democrats press top pharmaceutical representative on price increases The damnable religious inklings of the Big Tech libertarian MORE (D-Minn.). In the name of "reforming" the internet and bringing tech monopolies to heel, Klobuchar has penned a "Nudge Act" that would expand corporate censorship and speech controls.

Even the name is designed to be non-threatening. After all, who could oppose an act titled "Nudging Users to Drive Good Experiences on Social Media"? It isenough to garnerthe support of Sen. Cynthia LummisCynthia Marie LummisSenate conservatives threaten to hold up government funding over vaccine mandate Three senators endorse Timken in Ohio GOP Senate primary Russia fight shows off tensions between McConnell, pro-Trump wing MORE (R-Wyo.). The act, however, is less of a nudge and more of a shove toward approved content and choices.

For years, PresidentJoe BidenandDemocratic membersof Congresshave pushed for greater and greater censorship on the internet and on social media. Liberals have found awinning strategy in using corporate censorshipto circumvent constitutional limits on governmental speech controls. Senators like Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)warnedsocial media companies that they would not tolerate any backsliding or retrenching by failing to take action against dangerous disinformation, and demanded robust content modification to block disfavored views on subjects ranging from climate control to elections to the pandemic.

The Nudge Act is arguably the most insidious of these efforts. Under the Act, Congress would enlist the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS) to recommend sweeping design changes to Big Tech platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to reduce the harms of algorithmic amplification and social media addiction.

The Act is a masterpiece of doublespeak. It refers to developing content-agnostic interventions that would ultimately be enforced by a commission. That sounds great; after all, many of us have called for years for areturn to content neutrality on social mediawhere sites function more as communication platforms, similar to telephone companies. However, that is clearly not the intent of the bills sponsors, who see it as a weapon against "misinformation." That wasmade clear by Klobuchar herself: "For too long, tech companies have said Trust us, weve got this. But we know that social media platforms have repeatedly put profits over people, with algorithms pushing dangerous content that hooks users and spreads misinformation.

Liberal groups like Public Knowledge which support the bill also openly discuss its real purpose, declaring that it will halt the promotion of misinformation" anddevelop new avenues"to reduce the spread of misinformation. Klobuchar has repeated such descriptionsin support of the bill.

How is combatting "misinformation" content-neutral? The answer will be imposed by a new commission that can declare a sites failure to take appropriate measures as constituting unfair or deceptive acts or practices. That would create a glacial chilling effect on these companies, which will err on the side of censorship. After all, Democrats have maintained for years that "misinformation" is simply false and not really a matter a partisan content discrimination.With Nudge, Klobuchar seems to be making her own Trust us, weve got this" pledge to fellow Democrats.

The key term used in the Act is "algorithmic amplification." Klobuchar makes clear the intent to use algorithms to stop "pushing dangerous content." Democrats in Congress have argued for years that these companies need to protect citizens from bad choices by using beneficent algorithms to guide us to healthier" viewing and reading habits.

The most extreme effort wasa letter from Democratic membersto pressure companies like AT&T to reconsider whether viewers should be allowed to watch Fox News and other networks. It does not matter that Fox News is the most popular news cable station and even hasa greater percentage of Democratic viewers than CNN.(For the record, I appear as a legal analyst on Fox). The members insistedthatnot all TV news sources are the same and called on these companies to protect viewers from dissemination of false viewpoints.

Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenOn The Money Job growth booms in February Overnight Health Care Presented by Alexion Manchin pitch sparks Democratic exasperation Equilibrium/Sustainability: Alaska's Iditarod racers to sled through rain as climate warms MORE (D-Mass.) hascalled for these companies to protect citizens from poor reading choicesby tweaking algorithms to steer them away from disfavored views. It is the free-speech version of therejected "Big Gulp" laws. Warren wants companies to amplify true books on issues like climate change and direct searches away from misleading books.

Some liberal think tanks admit it is not clear that such manipulation of information will help, yet they still appear all-in on trying.Brookings Institution declared:"Even though cause and effect are hard to discern in social media, it is undeniable that algorithms contribute to hate speech and other information disorder on social media.

If the Senate truly wanted content neutrality, it would not requirea new army of internet apparatchiks. It would condition the continued immunity protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act on removing "content modification" and amplification programs. Instead, it seeks to place content under the oversight of a commission while reaffirming the need to stop, in Klobuchars words, the spread of misinformation.

There are aspects of the law that are positive, like the study of social media addiction and requirements for greater transparency from these companies. However, Congress is adept at the art of Trojan-horse legislation, and it is hard to argue against "studying" issues and recommending changes. Yet, this bill is designed to create a new system of content review and revision. It isviewed by the industryas designed "to slow down how misinformation or other harmful content spreads on social media.

A governmental regulation combatting misinformation likely would be unconstitutional. However, the obvious desire is for these companies to self-regulate and avoid any problems through the "robust content modification" demanded by Democrats. Moreover, it is not clear how courts would react to circuit-breaker tactics that limit or slow the dissemination of information, though this also could "neutrally" slow all stories of public importance from going viral.

Despite the unrelenting campaign against free speech in Congress, there remain political and constitutional barriers that have proven insurmountable thus far.In this case, the crack troops hidden within Klobuchars wooden horse are expected to be thestaffof the NAS and the FTC, who could cloak content modification in pseudo-scientific terms. They would be assisted by an increasingly anti-free speech media and academia, including the World Health Organizations chief whorecently supported censorshipto combat "the infodemic."

Before this Trojan Horse is wheeled into our own lives, Americans should consider whats inside the Nudge Act.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University.Follow him on Twitter@JonathanTurley.

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Tech Trojan Horse: How the Senate is poised to codify censorship of social media | TheHill - The Hill

Twitter will comply with European Union sanctions on Russian state-controlled media, meaning content from suchpublishers will be withheld for users in EU member states, a Twitter spokesperson said Wednesday.

The European Union (EU) sanctions will legally require us to withhold certain content in EU member states, and we intend to comply, the spokesperson said.

Outside of the EU, the platform said it will continue to focus on de-amplifying this type of state-affiliated media.

We continue to advocate for a free and open internet, particularly in times of crisis, the spokesperson said.

The update from Twitter comes after the EU said it would ban Russian state-controlled media outlets as the country continues to push forward with its invasion into Ukraine.

Other tech companies, including Facebook and YouTube, have taken similar steps to restrict access to Russian state media.

Twitters announcement that it will comply with the EU sanctions comes after the companysaid earlier this week that it would add labels to individual tweets sharinglinks to Russian state media content.

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Twitter to comply with EU sanctions on Russian state-controlled media | TheHill - The Hill