End of the Year Special: 2021 Recap, Looking Ahead to 2022

Volume 10, Issue 5

As we close out 2021, I’d like to thank everyone who has taken time to read this column, and especially those who are regulars. When I started this column in March of this year, I didn’t really have a solid plan for which direction it would go (perhaps my editor doesn’t want me to admit that, ha!). As we close out the first calendar year for Talking Therapeutics, I thought it best to reflect on what we’ve covered, and invite readers to comment on potential future directions for 2022!

After over nine months, it’s quite clear that the bread and butter of Talking Therapeutics is a brisk 400-word therapeutic knowledge bomb aimed at a very specific topic. Usually, these are based on 1-3 recently published articles surrounding a similar topic, such as changing demographic targets for statin initiation or evolving therapies for resistant hypertension.

With respect to topics covered, primary care is clearly a large focus, and cardiology is also heavily covered given my specialty training. To that end, we’ve explored emerging evidence for salient topics such as atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure. In addition to cardiology, topics have ranged across the gambit of human health, including anticoagulation, weight loss, and toxicology.

In addition to these therapeutically focused columns, we’ve also tackled timely subjects in a more topical nature. We celebrated insulin’s 100-year birthday, outlined one way to confront racial disparities in medicine, and discussed whether Tylenol can really heal a broken heart. We even looked at whether platelet-rich plasma can help with osteoarthritis (spoiler—it doesn’t). When a big conference was breaking new data, whether it be the American Heart Association or the American Diabetes Association, Talking Therapeutics was there for us to cover the hottest news.

And, of course, there was COVID-19. Boosters, drug therapies, supportive modalities—so much COVID-19 in this column. I’d honestly be happy to never write about COVID-19 ever again, but given the current state of affairs, I doubt that I’ll be able to move away from this topic any time soon.

So, with this year-end wrap up, I’d like to thank all the readers, truly, for your support during the fledgling months of this endeavor. Please take a moment to leave a comment on topics or formats that you would like to see more or less of in 2022. Cheers, everyone!