Gabe Baron Mirkin (born 18 June 1935) is a physician, author, professor, columnist, former guest lecturer, and a former marathon runner who hosted a radio show on health and fitness for more than 20 years, and wrote several books on sports medicine, nutrition, and health. Mirkin is commonly known for his recommendations on standard medicine, as well as his non-standard recommendations on health concerns, and his criticism for preliminary medical research findings without appropriate verified resources. Due to his unconventional recommendations, he also receives criticism from other doctors.

Education

Mirkin is a graduate of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and the Baylor University College of Medicine. He is board-certified in four areas: allergy and immunology, pediatrics, pediatric allergy, and a now-defunct board of sports medicine. He did his residency at the

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...

, and fellowship at

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...

Career

Teaching

Mirkin served as an assistant professor at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, teaching a course based on his book ''The Sportsmedicine Book'' from 1976 to 1980. He served as a teaching fellow at

Johns Hopkins Medical School The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1893, the School of Medicine shares a campus with the Johns Hopkins Hos ...

, and an associate clinical professor in pediatrics at the

Georgetown University School of Medicine Georgetown University School of Medicine, a medical school opened in 1851, is one of Georgetown University's five graduate schools. It is located on Reservoir Road in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, adjacent to the University's ...

in Washington, D.C.

Writing

Mirkin wrote ''The Sportsmedicine Book'', which discusses proper diet, exercise, and sports injuries. He has written a total of 16 books, and has written a chapter on sports medicine for the ''

Merck Manual ''The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy'', referred to as ''The Merck Manual'', is the world's best-selling medical textbook, and the oldest continuously published English language medical textbook. First published in 1899, the current print e ...

''. Mirkin has written a number of syndicated columns on sports medicine which appeared weekly in 31 newspapers, and was a contributor in a monthly column for The Runner magazine. His monthly journal, the ''Mirkin Report'', reportedly had over 25,000 subscribers.

''The Sportsmedicine Book''

Mirkin's book (written in collaboration with Marshall Hoffman), ''The Sportsmedicine Book'', is considered to be one of his most noted works. It discusses and exposes the prevailing myths of sports medicine, and offers what Mirkin considers to be useful facts in their place.

Radio hosting

Mirkin was offered his own regular radio show by

WCAU WCAU (channel 10) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Mount Laurel, New Jer ...

executives in December 1978. A mini-studio was built in his home from which he broadcast live via a remote hookup with the station every weeknight. Based on ratings, the show was most popular among people aged 35 to 64. Mirkin had a program on the Talk America Radio Networks that was broadcast by over 75 stations in the United States and Canada. His show centered on callers asking questions regarding health, fitness, and nutrition. He has also had a daily fitness feature called ''Dr. Gabe Mirkin on Fitness'' broadcast for CBS Radio News during the 1970s.

American talk radio networks

In July 2019, on Talk Radio 98.5 WRTA's ''The 11th Hour with Doug Herendeen'', Mirkin discussed a possible solution to

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. On the show, he discussed medical articles sent by Herendeen, the host, and shared his opinion on the suggested possible alternative method to curing

. Mirkin also interacted with callers to discuss their ailments, and to provide recommendations, along with further medical knowledge.

Controversies

Antibiotics as cure for rheumatoid arthritis

Mirkin's syndicated column in ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' was dropped in 1976 due to receiving angry letters fueled by Mirkin's non-standard advice on treating rheumatoid arthritis with antibiotics, and other matters, along with the suspicion that he did not have a large readership. When questioned about the decision, Joseph Gambardello, ''Inquirer'' deputy features editor, said that "It seemed as if Mirkin was, on any particular subject, just focusing on one possible cure or treatment without recognizing the possibility that the condition might have been something else, might have required other treatments, or that there even were other treatments." Mirkin's views were supported by a study presented to the

American College of Rheumatology The American College of Rheumatology (ACR; until 1985 called American Rheumatism Association) is an organization of and for physicians, health professionals, and scientists that advances rheumatology through programs of education, research, advocacy ...

in November 1997, where the early administration of an antibiotic showed significant improvements in the swollen, painful joints of rheumatoid arthritis. Before this study, Warner Barth, chairman of rheumatology at the Washington Hospital Center, endorsed the then-standard view that rheumatoid arthritis is not caused by infection. According to Barth at that time, the benefits patients saw from antibiotics appeared to come from the drugs' anti-inflammatory properties. Mirkin, however, continued to insist that rheumatoid arthritis is caused by infection. Since the 1997 findings were released, Barth has stated that he has a somewhat more positive opinion of the treatment, but remains wary of it.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirkin, Gabe 1935 births 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American physicians American columnists American male journalists American talk radio hosts Baylor College of Medicine alumni Georgetown University Medical Center faculty Harvard University alumni Living people University System of Maryland faculty