
The evolution of minimally invasive spine surgery in the middle east and Bangladesh
The emerging field of minimally invasive spine surgery, which began in earnest about ten years ago, is just beginning to make an impact in the Middle East and Bangladesh. Some of the factors that have impeded the growth include political instability in Bangladesh and attitudes of political conservatism in the Middle East, the latter of which is rather surprising when cone considers that this region of the world was the birthplace of mathematics and science with some very prog

The human cost of political corruption
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Seen by Many as Contributing to the Genocide in The Democratic Republic of The Congo as well as to the Lack of Access to Medical Care by Some of New Jersey’s Most Vulnerable Back Pain Sufferers July 29, 2013, Newark, NJ - Is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie contributing to the genocide in the Congo? This is the question now being asked by many concerned New Jersey residents who read and viewed the Op Doc piece, Congo: The Road to Ruin, tha

Lindy Washburn-A journalistic puppet ?
A story published in a New Jersey tabloid, The Bergen Record, on November 17th 2013 written by Lindy Washburn is an unfortunate example of the desperate levels to which New Jersey print journalism is stooping as it attempts to survive the digital onslaught of bloggers. The competition for readers with sensationalist headlines and factually incompetent stories is understandable from a business strategy perspective but the abrogation of duty to report responsibly has the same s

Luminosity-fact or fiction ?
Intelligence is almost indefinable but some of the more ironically intelligent definitions include the ability to assimilate data, make associations that lead to conclusions with all of this being performed in a conceptual framework. Since the commencement of the 20th century there has been an increasing interest in the field of intelligence with significant efforts by biologists, anthropologist and psychologists to define, categorize and develop evaluation techniques. The s

The winter of our discontent
The ever-increasing complexity of the US healthcare system is reflected in the voluminous barrage of state regulations severely curtailing the dispensation of synthetic opiates to patients with chronic pain patients. These recent legislative moves are a response to a relatively small number of deaths related to the overdose deaths of members of the upper echelons of society and a few high profile celebrities, as tragic as they are. However any social problem, as history has d

How to turn every challenge into an opportunity
The one simple answer to the above all encompassing quasi-life guidebook is the word perspective. We are born, we live, we die and during the course of our earthly existence we encounter hurdles, injustices and obstacles that seem insurmountable. I can definitively tell you that from the many challenges, fair and unfair, that populated the path of my 50-year life, the only event that we as humans are currently unable to overcome is death. There is no other scenario presented

Wisdom of the wise falls short of the universal truth
Except our own thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power-Rene Descartes The mind is everything. What you think you become-Buddha Throughout the history of man many minds of wisdom have provided various explanations of the purpose, substance and consequence of human existence in their quest to both answer questions and provide intelligible frameworks around which the mind of man can hold onto for security and climb for comprehension. However relevant their words and i

Humanitarian Indian physician contributes to the intellectual and leadership future of the democrati
Dr Richard Arjun Kaul, a prominent Indian physician, well known philanthropist and pioneer in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery personally donated the seed capital for the 300 Initiative commencing September 1 2013. This groundbreaking educational program will provide financial and logistics support to youth and emerging leaders in the DRC. The CLI was founded in 2010 by Cornell graduate Nathaniel Houghton whose socially responsible motivation and global outlook provided the

Racial variations in spinal anatomy
It should be no surprise that among all of the variable phenotypes that inhabit the earth with a myriad of eye shapes, colors, facial features that the spine should be any exception and in fact what has been found is that the variations in key anatomical components of the spine differ significantly between racial groups. This set of findings is significant in that it forces the treating physician to employ alternative diagnostic therapeutic strategies. The realization that de

Modular ambulatory surgical units
The provision of elective healthcare is increasingly migrating towards the outpatient ambulatory surgical setting, with the most recent addition being that of minimally invasive spine surgery. The advances in techniques and technologies over the last decade have propelled the treatment of spinal disorders into the 21st century, with their muscle sparring approaches and minimal blood loss profiles. Due in large part to these factors the majority of spine care can now be safel