A new study about the best place for babies to sleep — in their own rooms, or sharing a room with their parents — contradicts current AAP guidelines. But hopefully, in the long run, it will help more parents and babies get a better night’s sleep overall.
The most recent “safe sleep” guidelines were published in 2016. They stressed evidence-based recommendations for the safest way for babies …
Where should babies sleep? A pediatrician responds.
I recently read a post by oncologist Dr. Stephanie Graff on the experience of blame, from self and others, that people with cancer are subjected to:
The talk about risk factors and early detection makes us think we can achieve perfection, and that cancer is somehow a personal fault … let us stop making accusations and blaming persons diagnosed with cancer. They are blameless.
Her post, “Read more…
There is no place for blame in cancer
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 28-year-old pregnant woman is evaluated for a cardiac murmur identified on examination by her obstetrician. She is asymptomatic. She is in her 24th week of pregnancy. Medical history is unremarkable, and there is no family history of heart disease. She takes prenatal vitamins and no other medications.
On physical examination, she is …
MKSAP: 28-year-old pregnant woman with a cardiac murmur
My grandmother’s room is silent, save for the plucks of sitar strings and Pixar movie soundtracks I try to stimulate her with. Instead of books, we fill the shelves around her bed with mouth swabs, drab hospital gowns and vials of baby powder. My grandmother — who walked an hour every day, who thrashed me in gin rummy, who rose before sunrise every morning to read — now lies bedridden …
How do we fix the apathy in nursing home staffs?
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 56-year-old woman presents to the office to discuss management of her type 2 diabetes mellitus. She is unhappy with her recent HbA1c value. She adheres to the maximum dose metformin monotherapy, which she has been taking for 1 year. Additionally, she has been working toward weight reduction without success; however, weight …
MKSAP: 56-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Ask babies with fever how they feel, and they’ll say … well, they probably won’t say anything, because they’re babies. But ask older kids, and they’ll look at you funny, and maybe say “Why are you asking me?” Kids these days, am I right?
Fevers make kids feel bad. Achy and miserable and bleh. So for comfort, I think it’s a good idea to treat fever in a child who’s uncomfortable. …
Ibuprofen or acetaminophen: Which is better for treating your child’s fever?
That’s the question sticking in my mind after reading a recent report about a local radiology practice opening a large mammography center in an upscale shopping mall in Long Island, New York.
Let’s face it: Medical care is changing. And with changes come new ideas. Some will work, some won’t. The thought of getting a mammogram while on a shopping trip may just be what the doctor ordered …
Is the future of cancer screening at your local shopping mall?
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 37-year-old man is evaluated for a 2-year history of low libido, loss of morning erections, fatigue, and decreasing muscle mass. His medical history is otherwise unremarkable. He takes no medications.
On physical examination, vital signs are normal. BMI is 35. The remainder of the examination, including genital examination, is normal.
Laboratory studies:
| Luteinizing hormone | 10 …
MKSAP: 37-year-old man with low libido and fatigue Overweight patients are not necessarily lazyMy nurse practitioner was pleased to see me at my annual physical this year. “So how does it feel to be 20 pounds lighter?” “It feels terrible,” I replied. Allow me to explain. Weight has been an issue my entire life. Raised on a standard Midwest diet of complex carbohydrates and the best processed delicacies that government assistance could buy, I spent most of my childhood socially segregated by my peer group due … Overweight patients are not necessarily lazy MKSAP: 72-year-old man with cough and increasing dyspneaTest your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 72-year-old man is evaluated for a 2-year history of cough and a 1-year history of increasing dyspnea. He describes the cough as nonproductive, and his shortness of breath is worse with exertion. He does not have chest pain, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, or any other symptoms. Medical history is otherwise unremarkable. … MKSAP: 72-year-old man with cough and increasing dyspnea It’s time for kids to stop drinking fruit juice. Here’s why.A few thousand years ago, a talking snake convinced a child to pick a piece of fruit, squeeze it really hard, and drink whatever came out. The kid liked it, obviously, because what’s not to like about juice? So the next day at preschool, he told all his friends to ask their parents for juice, too. Some of them said the magic word; others just whined until their parents gave … It’s time for kids to stop drinking fruit juice. Here’s why. The abscess that surprised this emergency physicianI carried it around with me the entire shift. I showed it to my E.R. colleagues, the internists, and even a couple of surgeons. I’d tell them the story. “Never,” one of them said. “Not in twenty-eight years. Never seen that before.” One of them held the small urine jar up to a light and began unscrewing the lid. “Don’t!” I said. “Why not?” “It stinks. You wouldn’t believe how much it stinks. We … The abscess that surprised this emergency physician CSF is soap for your brainRecently after pulling a couple 20-hour shifts, people kept encouraging me to sleep on my break. They were obviously concerned for my well-being but it got me thinking more about the role sleep plays in our lives. If the average life expectancy is 78 then we spend 30 percent of our lives asleep which is also the same amount we spend in our cars commuting, and a meager 0.16 percent …
ADVERTISEMENT The only perfect cancer statistic is an imperfect oneAs an oncologist, I spend my days with women and men diagnosed with cancer. My patients, particularly my advanced-stage or Stage 4 (metastatic) patients, often ask what they did wrong. How did they end up with metastatic cancer? They share with me the subtle accusations made by friends, family and acquaintances that somehow they brought this on themselves. “If only Susan had done her screening mammograms faithfully, she never would … The only perfect cancer statistic is an imperfect one MKSAP: 57-year-old woman is evaluated after a recent screening colonoscopyTest your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 57-year-old woman is evaluated after a recent screening colonoscopy. The colonoscopy disclosed a 12-mm polyp in the ascending colon, which was removed. No other lesions were noted. On pathology, the lesion was found to be a sessile serrated polyp. Physical examination findings are unremarkable. Which of the following is the most appropriate time … MKSAP: 57-year-old woman is evaluated after a recent screening colonoscopy The unhappy couples after a cancer diagnosis
The unhappy couples after a cancer diagnosis You’re wrong. Pain is not a vital sign.After years of exaggeration, misinformation and a national epidemic of opioid and heroin abuse, the nation is finally coming to terms with the fact that pain is not the fifth vital sign. This heresy, as I understand it, has existed for close to three decades and, in my opinion, has been directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of patients and lethal drug overdoses of hundreds of thousands of American … You’re wrong. Pain is not a vital sign. Xylocaine and Lyme disease: A deer tick storyIt was a small deer tick, hidden by the crus helix, embedded in the cymba conchae, the crevice just above the ear canal of my seven-year-old patient halfway through my Saturday clinic. He was worried that it would hurt. His parents hadn’t wanted to try removing it on their own. I had a hard time even seeing the small tick as it was sitting at an angle where I saw it … Xylocaine and Lyme disease: A deer tick story We do not take unhealthy alcohol use as seriously as we shouldThe middle-aged man in my exam room wasn’t an alcoholic. At least, that’s what he declared to me as I asked him questions about his drinking. “I’m not like those people,” he said, smiling nervously. “I go to work. I don’t fall down the stairs. I don’t embarrass myself.” As we spoke further about the consequences of drinking six to seven beers every night (and a few shots here and there), … We do not take unhealthy alcohol use as seriously as we should 5 ways to tell if a practice has integrityI stood in line behind a physician, slightly balding and in a long, starched lab coat at the coffee shop in our hospital. As he paid and took his coffee, I noticed that he smiled and called the clerk by name, “Thank you, Terri.” He went on about his day, and I was left to wonder about the man, his practice and what type of person he was. My friend has … 5 ways to tell if a practice has integrity
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