Conditions and Diseases

Physicians writing on KevinMD about the diseases they treat and the people who have them: cancer and its screening arguments, pain and the drugs that treat it, diabetes and the obesity argument, mental illness and who gets treated for it, and the decisions at the end of a life. Five maintained records draw on this archive: Cancer: what physicians say, in their own words, Opioids: what physicians and pain patients say, in their own words, End of life: what physicians say, in their own words, Diabetes and obesity: what physicians say, in their own words, and Mental health: what psychiatrists and physicians say, in their own words.

How to know which COVID test is right for you

Elijah Sadaphal, MD

April 21, 2021

I remember the time (about one year ago) when I could only provide one COVID test for patients walking into urgent care: the PCR or polymerase chain reaction.

Back then, patients had no choice other than to get a nasal swab that was uncomfortable, irritating, and tended to bring them to tears. Now, there are many different types of COVID tests available, but you should be well-informed about what each test …

3 lessons I’ve learned as a doctor during the pandemic

Nicholas Rister, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 20, 2021

COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of society as we know it, and doctors in hospitals across America are at the forefront of those changes. As a pediatric infectious diseases doctor who also writes curriculum to help the next generation of doctors prepare for their medical exams, I’ve seen firsthand how this current pandemic is changing our roles with patients, shifting what families and communities expect from us, and expediting …

Fear of vaccines grows with the need for medical ethics

Mallika Sekhar, MD, Lisa Hardy, PhD, Kevin Gillmann, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 20, 2021

We recently received the news that a patient had died during the night from mysterious clots related to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (OAZv). This tragic news came shortly after the U.K. revised its vaccination policy to restrict the use of the OAZv in younger adults and many countries paused the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, concerned over its link to rare …

A physician gives a dose of hope

Shirin Poustchi, MD, PharmD

Conditions and Diseases

April 18, 2021

During medical residency, one’s goal is two-fold: to provide compassionate and evidence-based care for patients and training and learning.

But when a global pandemic emerges, we rise to serve, upholding our oath to care for the sick and our duty to our profession. The privilege of this role during an unprecedented time in history means that I witness the toll this pandemic has taken on people from all walks of life. …

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A physician gives a dose of hope

How one doctor’s medical fraud launched today’s deadly anti-vax movement

Kurt Eichenwald

Conditions and Diseases

April 17, 2021

An excerpt from The Big Lie: How One Doctor’s Medical Fraud Launched Today’s Deadly Anti-Vax Movement.

Inside the Royal Free Hospital in London, scores of reporters, physicians, and hangers-on packed the Atrium conference room, waiting for a press briefing to begin for five medical specialists who would deliver what would prove to be a historic—and dangerous—announcement.

It was February …

Missouri and Texas: a tale of 2 COVID cultures

Cory Michael, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 17, 2021

The Major League Baseball season is in full swing, and nothing reflects the variable nature of our country’s response to COVID-19 better than how major cities are continuing to respect (or ignore) the virus and their baseball teams are handling fans. In Toronto, they are not even letting the Blue Jays play in their country, while in North Texas, it is as if there isn’t even a virus out there …

Caring for the elderly: We can do better. We must do better.

Michele Luckenbaugh

Conditions and Diseases

April 15, 2021

Maggie sits in the rocker by the window, peering out at the street and its passersby. So much hustle and bustle; it seems no one has a moment to spare. Even the squirrels seem to be in a hurry, scurrying about on the sidewalk below. What’s the big rush about?

The rocker was Bill’s favorite spot, Bill who was the love of her life. He would sit there reading the Sunday …

Think about your brain and spine before you start that new fad diet

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 14, 2021

Before you jump on the diet bandwagon with your brother-in-law (who’s crowing about shedding all that weight with so little effort), think about the potential downside.

The problem with an ill-thought-out diet:

Fad diets are designed to take off weight as quickly as possible. They often ignore the long-term effects that might occur regarding both the brain and spine. Someone embarking on a radical weight loss …

The J&J COVID vaccine pause: What the experts are saying

Phil Galewitz

Conditions and Diseases

April 14, 2021

Four months into the largest U.S. vaccine rollout in decades, it’s become clear that the messaging surrounding COVID-19 vaccination efforts is as important as the science behind them.

That was true when the first COVID vaccines were introduced in December at hospitals and nursing homes and even more so after the federal government on Tuesday paused the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reports of extremely rare but very serious — in …

Johnson & Johnson vaccine suspension: What this means for you

William Petri, MD, PhD

Conditions and Diseases

April 13, 2021

What is this potential side effect of the J&J vaccine for COVID-19?

The potential side effect is a blood clot in the veins that drain blood from the brain. This is called central venous sinus thrombosis. In the vaccine-associated cases of this, platelets in blood, which are important for making clots, have been lower than normal. While …

One year into the pandemic: It’s now time to Zoom out

Alya Khan, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 13, 2021

Zoom: It’s now a verb. This pandemic has led to people using the digital space to stay connected, learn, and interact. We’ve had these capabilities for years, but its true essence did not come to light until a deadly virus shut the world down. In medicine, many visits turned to telehealth. Physicians skeptical of telemedicine were now forced to use this platform to continue health care delivery. As a residency …

A “wait and see” approach to COVID-19 vaccines may derail our recovery

Wynne Armand, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 13, 2021

The first clinical trial administration of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine took place over a year ago, on March 16. An annus horribilis of masks, remote schooling, unemployment, loneliness, and depression ensued, leaving in its wake more than a half-million deaths in the U.S. — 2.9 million globally. Will vaccines save us? We have ample reason to hope so—unless we derail our deliverance by adopting a “wait …

Young adults: Let’s see this pandemic through together

Jesper Ke and Matt Alexander

Conditions and Diseases

April 12, 2021

Over the past few months, we’ve celebrated the vaccination of over 100 million Americans against COVID-19. At the same time, we’ve seen worrying indications that young adults like ourselves are letting down our guard too early. In fact, the latest surge in COVID-19 cases is being driven largely by younger people; concerningly, hospital wards in states like Pennsylvania and Florida are starting to …

Don’t yell at me. I’m trying to help.

Constantine Ioannou, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 11, 2021

For many years, I have treated individuals with substance use disorders. I have found this work to be both gratifying and frustrating. Part of the frustration stems from interactions with governmental agencies and families.

The families are, of course, fearful and frustrated. They are watching their loved ones “die” before their eyes and want someone to fix it. It is difficult to understand that their loved one’s brain has changed, that …

Read more…

Don’t yell at me. I’m trying to help.

COVID-vaccine induced thrombosis as explained by a hematologist

Akshat Jain, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 11, 2021

VIPIT is the medical term given to the phenomenon of developing clots in various parts of the body after certain (not all) COVID-19 vaccines. VIPIT stands for vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia, a complicated term explained simply as clotting of the thrombocytes or platelet cells in the blood vessels after receiving the COVID vaccine.

Clearly, understanding this newly evolving condition is very limited, but what we know so far is extremely concerning. …

Migraines are more than just a headache

Tiffany Chenneville, PhD

Conditions and Diseases

April 10, 2021

Sometimes, I’m warned. There might be a heaviness over the right quadrant of my head, accompanied by spotting in my vision, little flecks of light that distract my attention and signal the pain to come. Other times, there is no premonition. Out of nowhere, I am struck by pounding inside my skull and unrelenting nausea. Even in those times, my partner will say he knew it was coming. He has …

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Migraines are more than just a headache

Tears from heaven: a nurse’s tribute to Dr. Robert Lesslie

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions and Diseases

April 10, 2021

Recently, a former NFL football player, Phillip Adams, murdered Dr. Robert Lesslie, his wife, his two grandchildren ages 5 and 9, an air conditioning appliance man, and critically injured a second man. The NFL player had gunned down these innocent people. And then, he left and went to his parent’s house (who lived on the same road), and after hours of the SWAT team begging this man to surrender, he …

Stress and medicine: My salute to frontline workers

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 9, 2021

What is stress? Stress is a bodily response to external pressures. It’s an emotional state that we go through when dealing with difficult situations, and it can have a major impact on our health. When faced with work deadlines, family problems, and other daily stresses, our bodies release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline into the bloodstream. These chemicals can lead to high blood pressure or weaken the immune system …

3 critical things health care providers should discuss in serious illness conversations

Allan Grill, MD and Cindy Dumba

Conditions and Diseases

April 9, 2021

Canadians with serious or progressive chronic illness are feeling especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has underscored how quickly circumstances can change.

Talking about a serious illness diagnosis and the impact on life expectancy is difficult.

Many Canadians are uncomfortable having these conversations, even though they know it is important.

Surveys have uncovered this paradox: while 93 percent of …

After all the years of medical training, I learned how to treat ugly on my own

Farhan S. Imran, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 6, 2021

We first met about two years ago when she came to see me in my clinic as a new patient. I glanced through her chart and reviewed her scans and pathology reports. She had one of the worst possible kinds of lung cancers, called small cell lung cancer, that had spread to both of her lungs. Her disease was incurable, but I could give her chemotherapy to improve her symptoms …

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