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.

What this physician says to vaccine-doubters

Farhan S. Imran, MD

December 23, 2020

Can you tell the difference between an “anti-vaxxer” and a “vaccine-doubter”? An anti-vaxxer will outright deny and reject vaccines and may be quite rigid in their views. In contrast, a vaccine-doubter understands the importance of vaccines but has many valid inquiries. The latter may be more accepting of meaningful discourse, so here I am, trying to have a conversation with a vaccine-doubter.

The world is in the …

Why male circumcision should be delayed

Sumeet Dua, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 22, 2020

In Finland, lawmakers recently voted to make an existing ban on female genital mutilation more explicit by outlining punishments for such manipulation under the Finnish criminal law. This bill’s passage was widely applauded as it furthers the global efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM). While the bill received majority support in the parliament, a contentious debate ensued around an amendment in the …

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Why male circumcision should be delayed

A record number of guns were sold in 2020: Should we be concerned?

Garrett Rossi, MD and Kristen Mazoki, DO

Conditions and Diseases

December 22, 2020

Amidst the abundance of coverage of the 2020 presidential election mixed with an evolving pandemic, here is a news story you may have missed: it’s 2020 and guns are more popular than ever in the U.S. According to data from Small Arms Analytics to date, Americans have purchased nearly 17 million guns in 2020. This is more than any previous year on record. Handgun sales increased …

The FDA should consider vitamin D as a pharmaceutical agent for COVID

John D. Loike, PhD

Conditions and Diseases

December 21, 2020

While the current COVID pandemic has created serious health challenges, there has been a dramatic increase in research examining the effects of vitamins on COVID infections. Many studies report the positive effects of vitamin D in boosting our immune system and protecting against COVID. Studies and seminars have shown that for those people who do not receive vitamin D from outdoor sun …

A heartfelt thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine trial volunteers

Karen Tran-Harding, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 20, 2020

We officially now have the vaccine and have begun to immunize the frontline workers at our hospital with the COVID-19 vaccine. And since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine emergency use authorization and a second vaccine from Moderna, there’s more hope for an end to the global pandemic. This specific batch of vaccines sent to …

A cozy COVID Christmas: Finding hope and joy in darkness

Erika Maria Moseson, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 20, 2020

We recently passed the third Sunday of Advent. In my faith tradition, that is a day we focus on joy. I write today about the joys of having a “cozy COVID Christmas” and how we can celebrate our respective holidays while minimizing the risk to our loved ones and community.

I am an ICU doctor who has taken care of too many suffering and dying from COVID-19. The loss is staggering. …

There needs to be a better approach to victims of sexual violence

Anonymous

Conditions and Diseases

December 20, 2020

I am a nurse who has worked at a rural hospital. My husband is a board-certified family medicine doctor. In the fall of 2020, I was raped by my massage therapist. I know that everyone has an opinion of what they would do in that situation, and I was probably one of those people. However, to my complete shock (quite literally), I didn’t behave in any manner that …

A letter to Black America for those who do not want to take the COVID-19 vaccine

Erkeda DeRouen, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 19, 2020

I am a Black female physician who entered medicine with the hopes to serve her community. I am “Black and Proud,” in the words of James Brown. I love all of my patients, regardless of their race or ethnicity, but I am not afraid to admit that Black Lives Matter. With all of that being said, it has broken my heart to note that at this moment during the pandemic, …

Should health care students receive the COVID-19 vaccine?

Oscar Chen, Dennis Li, David Hong, and Abhi Ganguly

Conditions and Diseases

December 19, 2020

As we pass the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, the long anticipate vaccine is officially ready for distribution. This record-breaking advancement in medicine has been the ray of hope that everyone is eagerly anticipating for. However, with a combination of only 20 million people that can be vaccinated with the first batch of the Pfizer vaccine, resources will have to be allocated to individuals with …

We finally have a COVID vaccine. Now what?

Rabia Jalal, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 18, 2020

The past several months have been a very rough journey for so many of us, as we are still in the midst of a deadly viral pandemic that has claimed close to 300,000 lives just here in the United States and thousands more globally. We have seen our frontline workers pushed to their limits. What makes this pandemic even more deadly is the attitude of so many despite the very …

Schizophrenia: They are on an island of their own

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions and Diseases

December 18, 2020

I knocked on his door. It was 8:30 pm—medication time.

Jerome slowly opened his door. He was easily over 6 feet tall. Towering over my 4′ 11.5″ self. Naked. Eye to eye with his penis.

He chanted, “You ain’t a bitch. You ain’t a ho … you my wife.”

OK Jerome, take your medicine.

I’ve entered a new dimension of nursing.

After 30 plus years as an ICU nurse, I thought I’d ride out behavioral …

Teenagers, sleep, and the global pandemic

Greg Rodden, DO

Conditions and Diseases

December 18, 2020

Sleep is suffering across the world amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasons for this disruption are many, but notable contributors include: 1) stress-related to potential illness and decreased job security; 2) less daytime sunlight exposure with the advent of physical distancing and home confinement; and, 3) altered daily routines that tend to push back bedtimes and waketimes.

We hear …

When it comes to weight stigma in children and teens, let’s meet in the middle

Karla Lester, MD & Katherine Lester

Conditions and Diseases

December 17, 2020

The divisive reaction to the recent New York Times’ opinion piece by Aubrey Gordon titled, “Leave Fat Kids Alone: The ‘war on childhood obesity’ has only caused shame,” highlights the two extremes in our society’s current approach to addressing the childhood obesity epidemic. While I applaud Aubrey Gordon and her courage to speak her truth, which surely resonates with generations of Americans who have endured the …

It’s time to address the shadow pandemic of intimate partner violence

Gabriele Ruzgas, Elsa Nico, Katherine Thompson, Nicole Zolman, and Shikha Jain, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 17, 2020

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge through the nation, a concerning “shadow pandemic” is quietly growing as well. Many cities and states, including Chicago, are reinstituting stay-at-home advisories and orders to protect communities from COVID-19. Unfortunately, an unintended consequence has been the increase in intimate partner violence (IPV). With the tightening of stay-at-home regulations, the health care system cannot overlook those suffering behind …

Utilize a baseline test to uncover COVID brain fog

Lauren Bennett, PhD

Conditions and Diseases

December 17, 2020

It’s been dubbed “COVID brain fog,” the neurological symptoms suffered by an estimated 80 percent of people who are hospitalized with COVID-19. These are early dementia-like neurological problems that patients face even after recovering from COVID-19, and there is a concern that people who recover from the disease have a higher risk of long-term cognitive decline.

We have always encouraged people age 50 and over to undergo a baseline cognitive assessment. …

Why this physician will get the COVID vaccine

Julie Swartz, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 16, 2020

The history of vaccines is a story of profound success. Illnesses that killed hundreds of thousands of people every year are nearly eradicated since the development of vaccines. Illnesses that my older colleagues treated routinely are things I will only hear about when they tell their horrific stories of kids not breathing from epiglottitis or becoming paralyzed from polio. Yes, there have been vaccines that were later found …

What worries this physician about the COVID-19 vaccine

Dalia Saha, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 16, 2020

Over coffee and the usual banter in the doctor’s lounge, a group of physicians takes a break from seeing patients after donning off their PPE. The TV is blasting the news, largely ignored, until the focus turns to the COVID-19 vaccine. The newscaster announced that the first group to receive the vaccine would be health care workers. Everyone stops talking; all gaze at the wall-mounted screen. And it …

During the pandemic, many health care workers won’t be home for Christmas

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions and Diseases

December 14, 2020

He was a healthy 36-year-old paramedic with a loving wife and an adorable little boy.

Jim loved his job. The rush, the adrenaline, the blaring lights through downtown hurrying to get to the major hospital. Cardiac arrests, gunshot wounds, tragic auto accidents, respiratory arrests, CPR, compressions, starting IVs. Speaking to the ER physician en route to the hospital to give stat meds for V-tach, SVT, delivering a baby. Anything and everything. …

Why can I trust the COVID vaccine?

Alexandra Fairchok

Conditions and Diseases

December 14, 2020

Many friends have asked for my perspective on the COVID vaccine. Answering this requires both an explanation of clinical trials and an understanding of what normally slows down pharmaceutical development.

Importantly, COVID vaccines are required to go through the same process as every other pharmaceutical. These include the following:

Preclinical trials. In this stage, researchers conduct animal testing to see if the vaccine can produce an immune response. If the vaccine is …

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Why can I trust the COVID vaccine?

What to consider before becoming a medical power of attorney

Miles J. Varn, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 14, 2020

If a family member or friend asked you to serve as his/her medical power of attorney, what would your answer be? Many people agree to assume this role without a second thought, but you should take some time to understand what your responsibilities as a medical power of attorney would be, why the person has chosen you to do this, and what potential complications and conflicts may arise. With that …

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