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Today, we are joined by James Champion, a psychiatrist and author of Adventures of an American Medical Student. With his extensive experience in mental health and addiction, James brings a unique perspective to our discussion, …
From medicine to fictional memoir: an author-psychiatrist explores opioids [PODCAST]
I was 31 when I learned I had a pelvic floor: the set of muscles, ligaments, and tissues that stretch like a hammock across the pelvis. Like many women, my pelvic awakening came far too late in life. The phrase was never uttered in high school sex ed, never brought up by my gynecologist, and — despite spending most of my 20s shuttling around the health care system trying to …
Why my doctor never mentioned pelvic floor dysfunction (and why it matters)
“You know how to scrub, right?” The short story is no, I did not yet know how to scrub.
As a premedical student, the operating room is different from anywhere else I have been. Just as with any new environment—whether it’s a friend’s home, a workplace, or a place of worship—there are customs to learn. These unspoken rules become second nature to those accustomed to the surroundings. As a newcomer, it’s …
Operating room etiquette: tips for pre-med students
Reflecting on a recent meeting about upcoming audits by regulatory agencies, I couldn’t help but notice a significant shift. As the lone male leader and the second eldest person present, surrounded by a dynamic group of younger women, I couldn’t deny the passage of time since I embarked on my journey in administrative and public psychiatry. Far from lamenting, I welcomed this change, recognizing its necessity and long-overdue arrival. Witnessing …
Bridging the gap: When experience meets innovation in health care
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Join us for a discussion on the complexities of the U.S. health care system with orthopedic surgeon Alejandro Badia. We’ll delve into the evolving perceptions surrounding health care, exploring factors contributing to its …
Health care costs: Looking in the mirror for solutions [PODCAST]
Physicians are often seen as pillars of strength, guiding patients through their most vulnerable moments. However, behind the white coats and the stethoscopes lies a troubling reality: an alarming rise in physician burnout.
In the U.S., data from the American Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic found that physician burnout has reached 54 percent, compared to the 45 percent reported in a similar study conducted in 2011; this translates to an …
Burned out doctors, compromised care: a doctor’s story
I have been writing for a while about how the DEA will run out of targets for opioid prosecutions because most doctors are too terrified to treat pain, and now it looks like it has happened. Three doctors in Tennessee were recently convicted of prescribing controlled medications “outside the usual practice of medicine” and “not for a legitimate medical purpose.” The interesting thing is that these doctors weren’t treating pain; …
The DEA’s latest targets: doctors treating addiction instead of pain
In 1950, newly trained physicians may have gone the entire lengths of their careers without experiencing a doubling in medical knowledge. In 2011, Densen predicted that medical knowledge would have a doubling time of approximately 73 days – or 0.2 years – by 2020. “What was learned in the first three years of medical school,” according to Densen, “will be just 6 percent of what is known …
Modernize medical education or face failure
In mainstream media, physicians are often depicted wearing a white coat, stethoscope, and name badge with the letters “MD.” In contrast, television and news coverage of doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) is notably absent or skewed. As a result, osteopathic medicine is not as well-recognized or well-known as allopathic medicine. One example was seen recently on ABC’s The View, where host Sunny Hostin described DOs as not being medical doctors. …
Examining the coverage of DOs in the mainstream media
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Join Nessa Meshkaty, an internal medicine, pediatrics, and infectious disease physician, as she explores the profound intersections of empathy, human connection, and societal challenges in this thought-provoking podcast. Drawing on insights from her …
Broken but beautiful: Healing ourselves and the world [PODCAST]
“The patient is a 59-year-old male presenting with fatigue on exertion, pallor, and mild numbness and tingling in both feet. No family history of anemia or diabetes, but I still want to rule them out with a blood test. Does that sound reasonable?”
This is the 6th or 7th question I’ve asked in today’s session, but my tutor doesn’t mind the repetitiveness.
“Yes, performing blood work is a reasonable approach to help …
How AI became my medical tutor
May is AANHPI Heritage Month so it’s a good time to share again my journey from nonsmoker to lung cancer survivor. It is such an important issue to bring awareness to this little-known and potentially deadly health disparity because, according to the 2020 census, 6.2 percent or 20.6 million people identify as AANHPI (Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander).
Wait. How can you have lung cancer? You’re not a …
Lung cancer in Asian American women: Don’t be a statistic (never smoked)
I always said yes, taking on numerous tasks and roles, but now I question the value of unpaid work in my career trajectory as a colorectal surgeon. I always said yes. That’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Always say yes because you don’t know which opportunity will be “the one” that launches your career into orbit. So I said yes to organizing the lunch orders when the drug reps …
The unseen work of women surgeons
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In this episode, family physician and author of Burden of Pain: A Physician’s Journey through the Opioid Epidemic, Jay K. Joshi, with his extensive experience defending physicians, illuminates the pressing need for compliance …
Legal risks for doctors and compliance solutions [PODCAST]
An excerpt from Beyond Diagnosis: Perspective in Medicine and the Human Experience.
As my career advances, I have been reflecting on this increasing standardization and what sometimes seems to be a dehumanization of medicine in the United States. While technology has the potential to help us bring humanity back to the forefront of medical practice while also improving diagnosis and care, much of the human element has been lost …
Reviving humanity in medicine: Why doctors must embrace the human art of healing
The practice of seeking second opinions in medicine has a long history, dating back to ancient times. The concept is deeply rooted in the ethical and professional principles of medical practice.
In ancient Greece, Hippocrates, often considered the father of modern medicine, encouraged patients to seek second opinions. He believed that a different physician might have a different perspective or alternative treatment suggestions. This practice was considered a way to confirm …
Second opinions are no laughing matter
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Join medical students Olivia Negris and Jen Romanello as they delve into the often-overlooked topic of female sexual health in health care. In this insightful podcast, Olivia and Jen discuss the challenges patients …
Why discussing female sexual health matters [PODCAST]
“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
– Thomas Edison
Mr. Edison, if he is watching over us, must be sadly disappointed.
The provocative idea of making cancer centers obsolete might sound extreme, but it underscores a critical vision for health care—shifting from reactive to preventive treatment. Envision a …
Why preventive care is the cure for our failing health care system
“Rejoin the natural cycle: to know that the last gesture you’ll make will be gentle and beneficial just feels like the right thing to do.”
– Recompose founder Katrina Spade
I love gardening and watching things grow, so I found the idea of human composting an intriguing concept. For those who find cremation unconventional or even unsettling, the process of disposing of the remains of a deceased loved one has taken a …
Grandpa’s remains are helping push up daisies
Kwaneta Harris had hot flashes and lapses of memory. She didn’t feel right and didn’t know why. “It felt like my body was completely betraying me,” she wrote. “I felt like I was losing my mind.” The cause wasn’t the eight years she’d spent in solitary confinement in a Texas prison. She was going through menopause. She didn’t understand it. And Texas officials wouldn’t allow …
Left in the dark: the censorship of health literature in prisons
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