Eli Goodman, M.D.

This article appeared in 2015 on the website of the "State Journal-Register," the newspaper of Springfield, Illinois. From: Eli Goodman, MD Staff Physician at Gateway Foundation Alcohol And Drug Rehabilitation Facility Springfield, Illinois Dear H: Happy Sunday! Trust you and your family are well, and that you continue your healthy path. Not an easy one for sure; but I am confident that you can do it, given your intelligence and insights, many of which you recently acquired d

I have thought of some homilies to the wealthy. (See below.) The wealthy are, after all, the ultimate source of inspiration. So, why bother with false idols. Many of my Republican friends will still miss the point of my ridiculous “homilies": that one’s good fortune, if he or she is lucky enough to have any, is always dependent on multiple factors, including luck and the efforts of others. It is never due to self-sufficiency alone. No one is ever truly a "totally self-made” e

So, what is "internal medicine"-- a strange term that has persisted for over a century despite periodic efforts to replace it with another designation. Simply stated, it is the specialty of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of all illnesses in adults, often in collaboration with other specialists, including, of course, surgeons. It is historically the largest of the four broad foundation disciplines of allopathic (and osteopathic) medical science and pactice. (The other t

In the late fifties and early sixties, there appeared on television a commercial for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. It used a quote the origin of which has been attributed without definite proof to multiple persons, including Abraham Lincoln, Bobby Jones, and others. Regardless of its origin, the quote is a brilliant one: “A person never stands so tall as when he or she stoops to help a child.” That quote has never left me. From the first day that I heard it on the commercials, I

Many individuals and organizations recently have demanded the end of Planned Parenthood. Some even suggest that we prohibit abortion services altogether for all women, anywhere and everywhere. These extreme views to me seem barbaric, as they lack perspective and context about the risks countless women would have to endure if deprived of these vital services. Planned Parenthood is a tremendous asset, especially for the significant segment of our population that has difficult e

Health care belongs in the realm of public service, not the private for-profit sector. It should be a societal obligation to provide good medical care to all, regardless of social or economic circumstances This is the ethical mandate of the medical profession, historically dedicated, as it should be, to the best egalitarian principles. Even the wealthy among us cannot claim to be truly wealthy if our neighbors or their children suffer from lack of access to proper medical car

From its inception, and more so lately, the ACA ("Obamacare") has been the subject of hysterical, stereotypical outrage and criticism by Republicans and their fellow obstructionists. There is no question that the ACA is flawed. Painfully so. It needs major changes and revisions. But all along its concept and purpose have been correct-- access to decent medical care guaranteed to all, regardless of employment status, age, and/or pre-existing conditions. Proper medical care for

Words of caution are in order about the emerging fad of Walk-In/Urgent Care Medical entities, especially those in retail establishments such as the newly opened one in Springfield's HyVee supermarket. In the world of medicine, "convenient" rarely translates easily to "good" or "proper." Free standing "walk-in" clinics and so-called "urgent care" clinics feature encounters that are usually full of contrivance and charade. The probability that a patient will have his or her ill

Every very once in a while there appears in a person's life a revelational insight and inspiration that the person will never forget and that will change him or her her forever-- for the better! I share with you now such a piece. It is truly remarkable. I do not think I have ever come across anything so powerful. I received it several days ago from a friend, Rabbi Shmuel Spritzer, of the CHABAD organization in Brooklyn, NY. To my knowledge, the author of this story is not kno

The ultimate trite twaddle this concept is of "choice and decision" that determines one's lot in life. So the person CHOSE to break his or her arm; chose to be a victim of disease, crime, homelessness, poverty, the Holocaust, global warming, rape, and a fraudulent bank? Clearly the well off and the lucky choose and decide to be so. So that those who do not do so are doomed to fair poorly. It's really just that simple. No question, life is so easy when you choose it to be that