It doesn’t matter where you are in the health care hierarchy
He was in the Ivy League for med school. His dad was an MD, and they lived not too far from this small town. Daddy’s house, a “mini-mansion,” was right around the corner.
After successfully completing his residency, Dr. David became our ER physician. This was a big deal—a big fish in a little pond.
He had an aura of wealth about him. He had an arrogance about him, too.
He was new …
Families come in various forms
I was nervous, but I knew what I needed to do. I reminded myself that I would have regrets if I did not initiate the conversation I envisioned in the proceeding days. After a resident with whom I worked closely on my family medicine rotation gave me feedback on my performance, I asked if it would be OK to give him some feedback. He willingly agreed. After telling him how …
What my 10 year old is teaching me about boundaries
My youngest daughter turned ten on Saturday.
I have been in awe of the privilege, joy, and honor I have been given to raise my beautiful, spirited, brilliant, and incredibly loving kids.
One of the most unexpected, amusing, and honestly humbling things I experience with my kids comes from my work as a personal and executive coach, facilitator, speaker, and teacher for mission-driven and heart-centered physicians and helping professionals. Because they know …
The resilience of children throughout the pandemic isn’t what you think
“Don’t forget your masks!”
This phrase has been the daily refrain in my household for my children for the past two years. Masking became as natural as wearing a coat in the winter, and going without a mask would have seemed as strange as going to school barefoot.
The new school year has just started for us; my five-year-old had her first day of kindergarten, and my seven-year-old started second …
How the mind-gut connection affects total health
As a colorectal surgeon, I address complex intestinal issues with state-of-the-art interventions. Fortunately for most people, the key to a healthy digestive system isn’t that complicated. A proper diet, regular exercise, and stress reduction all help create a healthier and happier gut.
The “mind-gut connection” influences how you think and feel. Imagine a marathon runner nervous at the start of a race who runs to the bathroom first. Or how a …
Should physicians own timeshares?
Timeshares have an undeserved bad rap. I’ve owned and used my timeshare for great and cost-effective vacations all over the world for 30 years.
I believe one of the biggest reasons timeshares get bad press is the wrong people buy them. When they become unhappy because their lifestyle, amount of vacation time, or pocketbook doesn’t allow them to fully enjoy their timeshare, they spread negative vibes. When you learn how to …
How to improve decision-making effectiveness
An excerpt from You’re the Leader. Now What?: Leadership Lessons from Mayo Clinic.
What is most important when making a decision: process or expert analysis?
If you’re like many people I’ve worked with, you’re probably thinking, “they both are,” but I’m asking you to pick just one. Which one is …
How my sister’s death changed everything
It was fall. Sun-slanted rays filtered into the church from a cold November sky, creating a false sense of warmth. My nephew Dru stood before family and friends who were gathered to remember his mother. He began by telling how, in-between trips to the emergency room, oncologist, radiologist, and myriad other health care providers, he would find himself preoccupied with her eulogy. He worried he would not be able to …
My postpartum depression was a stumble, but am I really past the trauma?
The sound of beeping monitors of ICU, the blood pressure cuff going off on a patient after having detected an unsatisfactory read undisplayable on the screen, hearing a child cry while walking past ED rooms. These sounds, not alien to the ears of a physician, were no longer everyday noises that I could pass by without bothering to register. I could not figure out why such mundane and run-of-the-mill sounds …
Meet the emergency physician who writes satire [PODCAST]
We tell our stories, but who will listen?
You and I are different from who we were yesterday, last year, three years ago. We have been impacted by the pandemic, loss, and stress. We are struggling to bring some semblance of normality back into our lives. War, climate change, racial discontent, political division, and economic upheaval have affected our psyche and health.
We long to tell our stories, first to ourselves and then to those whom we trust to …
Adding more team members is the wrong answer to decreasing physician burnout
I recently read an article about reducing physician burnout written by a health care consultant who proposed the creation of an enhanced medical scribe, or “team care assistant” (TCA). According to the article, the TCA obtains the patient’s medical history through “template-driven questions about the chief complaint.” After obtaining the history, the TCA then calls the physician into the exam room to present their findings. The article …
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What to do when doctors develop “portal hypertension”
This article is satire.
Physicians today are confronting yet another epidemic, one that affects doctors directly and is not caused by a virus. It is the result of the “patient portal” through which patients send typed messages directly to their physicians. Though the portal has benefits, anecdotal experience suggests that high message volume is having a deleterious effect on doctors’ blood pressure.
I have dubbed this phenomenon “portal hypertension,” despite the objections …
Public health requires collective courage [PODCAST]
The reality of being a physician and a son at the same time
On February 25th, 2022, my father was placed on oxygen a week after I had surgery for a torn Achilles. He was facing his first idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) flare. I knew this day would come; it was only a matter of time. I’ve seen and cared for patients who have faced IPF, but it hit home that our lives would drastically change.
As I concluded the video visit with his …
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Hearing loss is a significant public health problem
Hearing loss can be a real pain in the rear. Aside from its annoyance on friends and loved ones, it can pose a significant health problem. For instance, there is growing evidence linking hearing loss and dementia.
Yes, impaired hearing can lead to dementia, which is an impairment of cognition. Cognition is the mental process that allows one to acquire knowledge and understanding through thought. It is the …
Where are we going with monkeypox?
Monkeypox has been in the news since May 2022. Barely recovering from the anxieties of COVID-19, the natural question in our mind is how is this all going to play out? We might not have accurate predictions yet, but almost six months into the outbreak, we have more information that we can rely on.
The graphs below show the number of confirmed monkeypox cases on a daily basis and on a …
Are antibiotics too much of a good thing?
Since the development of antibiotics in the 1940s, patients presenting with an infection could be expected to respond quickly to a prescribed course of antibiotics by their physician. While the antibiotic prescription model has helped countless lives, this paradigm has degraded over time due to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The net impact is a global health crisis, worsened by continuing the over-prescription and misuse of antibiotics.
The more drugs …
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The impact of a lack of diagnosis reaches far and wide
Getting a medical diagnosis can actually be a huge relief.
I know it may seem counter-intuitive.
Saying “I have cancer,” “I have Parkinson’s,” or “I have depression” definitely doesn’t belong in the same realm as being relieved.
Or maybe it does.
When was the last time you saw a GoFundMe for “gradually progressive neurologic symptoms for 20 years that numerous physicians in many different specialties still don’t understand”?
When did you form a Team Lucy …
Past Week
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Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster
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When did we start treating our lives like trauma?
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First impressions happen online—not in your exam room
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True stories of doctors reclaiming their humanity in a system that challenges it
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Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care
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Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]
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Past 6 Months
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Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients
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What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab
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The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care
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Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion
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Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?
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Why medical students are trading empathy for publications
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Recent Posts
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True stories of doctors reclaiming their humanity in a system that challenges it
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How Gen Z is transforming mental health care [PODCAST]
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Nurses aren’t eating their young — we’re starving the profession
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Why wanting more from your medical career is a sign of strength
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U.S. health care leadership must prepare for policy-driven change
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Why the pre-med path is pushing future doctors to the brink
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Past Week
-
Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster
-
When did we start treating our lives like trauma?
-
First impressions happen online—not in your exam room
-
True stories of doctors reclaiming their humanity in a system that challenges it
-
Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care
-
Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients
-
What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab
-
The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care
-
Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion
-
Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?
-
Why medical students are trading empathy for publications
-
Recent Posts
-
True stories of doctors reclaiming their humanity in a system that challenges it
-
How Gen Z is transforming mental health care [PODCAST]
-
Nurses aren’t eating their young — we’re starving the profession
-
Why wanting more from your medical career is a sign of strength
-
U.S. health care leadership must prepare for policy-driven change
-
Why the pre-med path is pushing future doctors to the brink
-
