A doctor without any golf skills posing to make it look like he does. Disclaimer at the top reportin

Managing Health Expectations

A Hospitalist Sifts Through Disinformation

I'm Dr. Joseph Thomas. I am an M.D. and I work as a hospitalist in Western New York. I started writing long-form status updates on Facebook to sort through all the disinformation that was being bandied about regarding COVID-19, and I forgot how much I like regularly writing, even if it's not so much creative as it is driven by exasperation.

I still write about COVID sometimes (get your vaccine!), but now I talk more broadly about public health and reproductive justice.
I don’t always write regularly because of my work schedule, but when I don’t you can find other content on my social media (@DocWithBowtie on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, and Threads)!

Dr. Bow Tie

Dec 29, 20218 min read

COVID-19: NEW QUARANTINE/ISOLATION RECOMMENDATIONS AND WHY WE SHOULD STILL BE WARY

This week, if you know someone in healthcare who has been following evidence-based medicine, chances are... they have been more upset...

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Dr. Bow Tie

Dec 22, 20214 min read

Three Charlatans and A Shameful Press Release

The most important updates this week are in my Omicron update post from Monday (12/20). Still, there is disinformation running rampant...

14 views0 comments

Dr. Bow Tie

Dec 20, 20215 min read

COVID-19: Omicron Update

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, better known as Omicron. One of the notes I ended with was that more...

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Dr. Bow Tie

Dec 17, 20215 min read

COVID-19 AND VACCINES: ONE YEAR LATER

December 16, 2021 marks the one-year anniversary of my first COVID-19 vaccine. I had such hope that day that we would soon see the end of...

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COVID-19: WINTER IS COMING (Omicron Update and Holiday Prep)

Dr. Bow Tie

Dec 7, 20212 min read

COVID-19: WINTER IS COMING (Omicron Update and Holiday Prep)

It’s important to remember, as you read this, that most of you have had multiple vaccines that required multi-dose regimens, given over...

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COVID-19: OMICRON, AN INTRODUCTION, OR WHY WE NEED GLOBAL VACCINE DISTRIBUTION EQUITY

Dr. Bow Tie

Nov 27, 20214 min read

COVID-19: OMICRON, AN INTRODUCTION, OR WHY WE NEED GLOBAL VACCINE DISTRIBUTION EQUITY

I don't always write on these topics too early, but if I have learned anything during this pandemic, it is that it's important to get out...

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Dr. Bow Tie

Nov 22, 20217 min read

COVID-19: BOOSTER UPDATE, MASKS (STILL) WORK, MORE DISPROVING INFERTILITY, AND RETRACTIONS

The United States is not in the best place right now. Eric Topol recently pointed out how the US is only about 60% vaccinated, while the...

14 views0 comments

Dr. Bow Tie

Nov 21, 20214 min read

In Which The Criminal Justice System Has Stopped Pretending

So it turns out, once again, that being a terrorist and murderer is okay as long as you're a White male. Good to know. Kyle Rittenhouse...

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COVID-19 AND VACCINES: WHEN PERFECT IS THE ENEMY OF GOOD

Dr. Bow Tie

Nov 8, 20215 min read

COVID-19 AND VACCINES: WHEN PERFECT IS THE ENEMY OF GOOD

Recently I shared a Tweet on my Instagram in which the author called out media coverage of the recent death of the late Former Secretary...

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Dr. Bow Tie

Nov 5, 20215 min read

COVID-19 AND VACCINES: MYTHS OLD & NEW

Great news came out this week, with Pfizer's vaccines getting emergency use authorization and CDC approval for kids aged 5-11. Safe and...

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COVID-19 and Vaccines: Boosters Update, Mix & Match

Dr. Bow Tie

Oct 22, 20214 min read

COVID-19 and Vaccines: Boosters Update, Mix & Match

I just put out the flu vaccine post earlier this week and normally I let my posts stand for a bit before I do another, but there was a...

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It's That Time Again: Get Your Flu Shot! 2021 Edition

Dr. Bow Tie

Oct 21, 20215 min read

It's That Time Again: Get Your Flu Shot! 2021 Edition

GET YOUR FLU SHOT! I got mine! Once again, more than ever, it is important for everyone to get the flu shot. I know, the last thing you...

8 views0 comments

I'm Probably Overdue to Talk About mRNA, Aren't I?

Dr. Bow Tie

Oct 10, 20217 min read

I'm Probably Overdue to Talk About mRNA, Aren't I?

The vaccines against COVID-19 are true medical marvels. I wrote back in December of 2020 about the development of the vaccines (trying to...

44 views0 comments

COVID-19: Boosters, Vaccines for Kids, and New Treatments!

Dr. Bow Tie

Oct 6, 20214 min read

COVID-19: Boosters, Vaccines for Kids, and New Treatments!

UPDATE: I got my booster October 7th, based on my level of occupational exposure. It felt about the same as my second shot - aches came...

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A Brief Reminder About Infection-Mediated Immunity (Why "Natural Immunity" is a Misnomer)

Dr. Bow Tie

Oct 4, 20211 min read

A Brief Reminder About Infection-Mediated Immunity (Why "Natural Immunity" is a Misnomer)

For what ought to be the last time, but will not be, I know: Having had COVID in the past is not enough. It is not. We all wish it was....

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COVID-19: Let's Talk Mandates (For Healthcare Workers and, Frankly, Anyone Going Out In Public)

Dr. Bow Tie

Sep 26, 20218 min read

COVID-19: Let's Talk Mandates (For Healthcare Workers and, Frankly, Anyone Going Out In Public)

Vaccine mandates are the latest discussion to dominate the news cycle. Local to me, the Buffalo Bills and Sabres both announced that...

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Dr. Bow Tie

Sep 14, 20212 min read

Reflections on 9/11/2001

Math class. 7th grade pre-algebra (or algebra?) to be (semi-) exact. But no math was done that day, because we were all watching with...

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Dr. Bow Tie

Sep 5, 20216 min read

You're Making Me Talk About Ivermectin. And Joe Rogan.

*Sigh*...Joe Rogan has COVID-19. He announced it on Twitter on September 1st, mere months after he ignored what physicians and scientists...

69 views0 comments

In Which A Virus Has More Reproductive Rights Than A Person With A Uterus

Dr. Bow Tie

Sep 3, 20213 min read

In Which A Virus Has More Reproductive Rights Than A Person With A Uterus

It is an unpleasant coincidence that less than 3 weeks ago I discussed how irritatingly wrong it was to misappropriate "my body, my...

12 views0 comments

Dr. Bow Tie

Sep 1, 20217 min read

Masks in Schools (With Some Help From Dr. Chang)

Both my hometown in northwestern Pennsylvania and my current city in Western New York have entered "high-transmission" levels of spread...

4 views0 comments

Managing Health Expectations

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