Hello, this is Peter Kim MD, and I’m the Medical director for Family Care Centers. And you’re reading the first in a series of “5-Shot Friday” posts, based on a simple idea.

Each Friday, “5-Shot Friday” will describe 5 noteworthy articles, videos, or resources, mostly related to medicine and wellness, curated by yours truly to enlighten, and hopefully entertain. (Not everything will relate to health topics. My curiosity spans Penny Dreadful to TEOTWAWKI and Exponential Medicine, and writing another blog that parrots the latest “Coffee causes cancer!” headlines would be a waste of your time and mine.)

Medical science can be…complicated. There’s a lot of white-hot stuff at the cutting edge of medical science, which most physicians will struggle to understand, and there’s just no way around it: we all want life to be simple, and explaining things can be simplified, but as Frank Herbert said, Real boats rock. Sometimes you can cut through clutter with an axe, but not when you’re doing brain surgery. And a lot of this stuff is brain surgery.

5-Shot Friday (5SF) will link to articles, videos, or resources that will speak for themselves – the writing will almost certainly be more polished than my own – but there’s a rationale for flagging them to you: they’ll highlight a particular observation, or nugget of particular but special value.

Here are your first 5 shots – please enjoy:

1)  John Oliver Explains How The Media Misrepresents Scientific Studies

I am not a regular watcher of Last Week Tonight, but Oliver really nailed it, with both humor and pointy, pokey wit. It’s his highly entertaining take on how Medical Science Can Be…Complicated. And how that’s OK.

2)  Absurdly Early Bedtimes For Kids (and grownups) Not So Absurd

Having just worked a “normal” day for a primary care physician (20 patients, plus medication refills, referrals, lab result reviews, etc.), I staggered home, barked at the dog, and had my wife tell me to stop acting like a 5 yr-old and take a nap. 12 hours later, I felt and behaved much, much better. Sleep may very well one of the few truly non-negotiable things in this world, and a number of studies are screeching at us to give the sandman his due.

3)  How To Calm A Crying Baby In Seconds

This is for reals, and one of those examples of a perfect storm of physiology, experience, and hoodoo where you can do something simple that gives mindblowing results. In under 6 months, Dr. Robert Hamilton’s video on calming a Crying Baby has gotten over 19 million views on YouTube. Fold, Secure, Grasp, and Rock, baby.

4)  Applying The Anti-vaccine Mentality To Car Seats

Dr. Lucy Hornstein guest posted on Dr. Kevin Pho’s always thought-provoking blog, KevinMD (www.kevinmd.com).

There’s almost no point in preaching to either the pro-vaccine or the anti-vaccine choirs: like politics, religion, the 2nd Amendment, or LGBT matters, if you’ve made up your mind on this hot-button topic, you’ve likely made your mind for good.

But if haven’t set your mind in stone on vaccines, and can appreciate irony in the vein of A Modest Proposal, Dr. H’s post may prove to be an educational, sad smile inducing read.

5)  Tim Ferriss On Smashing Fear, And Learning Anything

A tip-of-the hat to the young maestro, himself, Timothy Ferriss.

As the inspiration for 5-Shot Friday, Ferriss seeks out the most efficient ways to variously

• Make money
• Lose weight
• Gain muscle
• Learn languages
• Cook like a chef
• Pick the brains of the best and brightest

…among many other endeavors. His motto could be, “If I can do it, so can you – and we’re talking world-class level, with the right planning and an open mind.”

This video of his TED talk is arguably the best introduction to the quintessential Ferriss.

If you’d like to get more 5-Shot Fridays, please subscribe to my email list for automatic updates delivered to your inbox (I will never share or abuse it). And if you enjoyed this week’s edition, I’d appreciate a share.

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