Science is in a constant state of flux. Theories are put forth to explain natural phenomena, based on the best knowledge of the day. These theories are tested. If they correctly predict future observations, the theories become more credible. If, however, these theories fail to predict accurately, they require modification or outright dismissal.
What is considered “settled science” one day may be turned upside down the next day as new data comes …
Human beings have grappled with obesity for thousands of years.
Greek philosopher and physician Galen described “bad humors” as the cause of obesity and prescribed low-calorie foods, massages, baths, greens and garlic to his patients to help them slim down. In the 18th century, William Banting successfully lost weight following a low-carb diet and spread his mantra to the public in a pamphlet called a “Letter on Corpulence,” which sold faster …
I saw two patients with a chief complaint of bubbles in their urine this month.
One middle-aged woman had eaten some wild mushrooms she was pretty sure she had identified correctly, but once her urine turned bubbly a few days later, she came in to make sure her kidneys were OK.
Even though she was feeling quite well, they were not, and she ended up going straight to Cityside hospital for IV …
I cannot get behind fat acceptance, or better stated in medical lingo as “normalizing obesity.” As a physician and as someone who has been obese or morbidly obese my adult life, I know first hand what it’s like to hate my body and feel ashamed of it. I still do this very moment as I type this, that’s something I have to work on.
Let me tell you, without a doubt, that the flu shot does not give you the flu. This is perhaps one of the most common misconceptions I hear as a physician. People absolutely swear by it. I’ve even had people tell me that family members got the flu shot and then died suddenly. I’m sympathetic, but how misguided!
A 56-year-old man is evaluated for painless intermittent bloody urine of 6 weeks’ duration. History is significant for granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly known as Wegener granulomatosis) diagnosed 10 years ago, which is now in remission; he was treated with prednisone for 3 years and oral cyclophosphamide for 1 year. He also has hypertension …
The children of survivors are important to the Holocaust story. The children are the future of the past. For a time, it seemed that no one would be left to create a future. That history has been so carefully, lovingly chronicled. It must be preserved. If it is preserved and told, the possibility exists that there will be no more war. That is always the hope of the survivors.
I’m a pathologist and the main way I communicate to the outside world — to your doctor and ultimately to you, the patient is via the pathology report. But the short missives I send from behind the microscope lack any excitement and can fall short of full communication.
Few things in primary care give patient and doctor mutual and instant gratification.
It’s been a while since I reduced a “nursemaid’s elbow” or a spontaneous shoulder dislocation other than my own, or a finger dislocation, but those all count.
A 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes mellitus is evaluated for recent-onset glycemic fluctuations without symptomatic hypoglycemia. She was diagnosed with diabetes 7 years ago. Her HbA1c levels since diagnosis have ranged from 6.4% to 7.3%, with the most recent value at 7.3%. She reports eating a carbohydrate-consistent diet at each meal, with …
Everyone always jokes with doctors, “What happens if you get sick?” Some of us laugh off the question. The busy schedule of health care often means our own health comes last. However, what happens when it’s a chronic disease that requires treatment? Then the answer to this question is a little different.
I am a family medicine physician dealing with congenital heart disease (CHD). Saying that someone has congenital heart disease …
The Hippocratic Oath, as presumably most of us know, is the oath taken by physicians promising to uphold ethical standards in treating their patients. The four pillars of medical ethics primarily stem for this oath: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. The world we see now is socially different compared to what it was when Hippocrates was alive. Physicians and policymakers in health care now face new ethical challenges that they …
If you search for “how to pass a urine drug test” on the internet, you will get several million results. As physicians, we see and manage the national opioid crisis every day. We see the impacts of this in our practices and our lives. The crisis frankly shows no signs of abating or becoming a less critical issue. Unfortunately, one major reason for our inability to control this issue might …
There exists a large, mostly-underground, growing community consisting of those iatrogenically harmed by benzodiazepines. Guilty only of following doctors orders, these patients are marginalized and misunderstood. This has been enabled, at least in part, by poor terminology.
Recently on Twitter, Michael P. Hengartner and Marnie Wedlake both posted critical questions in response to a benzodiazepine news story:
“Doc, can I come and talk to you about something?”
The “something” might be erectile difficulties or other side effect(s) from prostate cancer treatment. It might be confusion or indecision about what treatment to agree to. I always inform the caller that any of these issues are better resolved if their spouse/partner is present and …
Last night, I was speaking with one of the most experienced pediatricians I’ve ever met, Dr. Jack Burstiner. I’ve known him for 50 years. I would have known him even longer if I had been born earlier. He lived in my neighborhood, two doors down. He was my pediatrician.
Jack is almost 90 years old. But he still looks like a pediatrician. He’s got a smile a child …
1. Cancer is not rare. Technically, childhood cancer is rare compared to adult cancer, but it’s not as rare as you think. Outside of my work, I can think of 3 people who I know personally that had a childhood cancer. A teammate on my high school basketball team, my sister-in-law, and a high school debate teammate. My guess is that you also know someone from church, a coworker’s …
As a mom to two little girls, I understand the lure of online forums. With so many accessible tools — including Google, Instagram, and online support groups like Facebook groups — before a parent brings their child to the doctor, they will inevitably first post their inquiry online.
They post a picture: “What’s this rash?”
Or they’ll write: “My baby has had a fever of 135-degrees! Do I need to take her …
A 52-year-old man is evaluated in follow-up after being diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea 8 weeks ago. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was prescribed based on a titration during in-laboratory polysomnography. He notes some improvement in his sleep with CPAP, but he still feels drowsy during the day. He does not have …
As we follow the national opioid epidemic, with its greater than five deaths per hour from opioid overdoses, the focus is shifting to methods for limiting an individual’s exposure to these drugs. For most of us, our first contact with these highly addictive medications is after surgery.
Studies now reveal that 60 percent of pills prescribed for pain after surgery go unused. These opioids often make their way to other family …
