Rare diseases were not something I studied in any depth in medical school or residency.
It was my aunt, Dr. Vivian Shih, who first raised my awareness of this area of medicine. A nationally renowned researcher studying inborn errors of metabolism, her work reminded me of the biochemical pathways I had studied as an undergraduate. Though I trained at the same medical school where she worked, these conditions were …
As social media’s influence has surged, so too has the debate over its effects on psychological well-being. Once envisioned as a means to connect communities and amplify self-expression, these platforms are now under scrutiny for their potential long-term impact on mental health—especially among adolescents.
During this critical stage of development, social interactions play a pivotal role in helping adolescents shape identity, influencing their sense of self and belonging. This …
Language is the architecture of our perception. It impacts the way we experience ourselves in relation to others, the moments that make up our daily lives, and why we emphasize one input while ignoring others. I first learned this in a linguistics course that explored the difference between, for example, “I dropped the book” in one language versus “the book fell from me” in another. This shows up in intimate …
In 2025, we will commemorate 77 years since the death of one of America’s most influential presidents, Theodore Roosevelt. He was the 26th and youngest president of the United States, succeeding William McKinley. Roosevelt was a pioneer of peace, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 after successfully mediating the end of the war between Japan and Russia. He accomplished many great things for the people of America and the …
Measles was first identified as a virus in the early 20th century. This disease caused significant morbidity and mortality. A measles vaccine was first introduced in 1963, using a live virus strain developed from a child who had measles.
In the 1970s and 1980s, many countries began implementing widespread measles vaccination programs as part of their childhood immunization schedules. The measles vaccine is usually administered as a combination vaccine, …
An excerpt from Embracing Fitness as You Age: Maintaining a Healthy and Active Lifestyle Beyond Sixty.
We do not often hear that joy, vitality, and physical strength can thrive after age sixty. In a society that idolizes youth, people too often assume that decline with age is inevitable. However, many individuals challenge these misconceptions by embracing fitness and well-being at any stage of life.
Each year, individuals embark on transformative fitness …
An excerpt from Lighthouse Parenting: Raising Your Child With Loving Guidance for a Lifelong Bond published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Your well-being allows you to be emotionally available for your child. Full stop.
Children demonstrate they care about us from the very early years. How did your preschooler demonstrate their empathy to you? Did they stroke your hair to comfort you? Did they offer you kisses and hugs? (If …
An excerpt from Health Care Nation.
Of all the lessons learned from fighting a pandemic, none was more frightening or important than discovering how dependent the system is on how we treat our doctors, nurses, and frontline caregivers.
They were already in short supply, with burnout on the rise, when the pandemic hit. As multiple waves of COVID-19 variants washed over us, frontline health workers stepped in …
As you should know, bats carry Histoplasma capsulatum and shed it in their feces (along with Aspergillus and other fungi, bacteria, and viruses). They evolved to deal with the photophobia and tinnitus it causes by hunting at night using echolocation. Bats are protected in the U.K. to the point that it is illegal to remove or block them from their roost. They even have bay colonies in royal residences—which would …
I grew up in a medical family, primary care. I’ve worked in the medical field for 40 years, from the front office to the back, lab to radiology. I’ve been a registered nurse for 33 years and a family nurse practitioner for 30 years. I have worked in hospitals, private practices, federally qualified health centers (FQHC), hospice, and corporate health. I am deeply passionate about my calling—caring and advocating for …
My wife once told me, “It was like everyone was your friend.” And she may be right. I connect well with others and take an honest interest in them. In practice, I always ask where they are from. I find that a great opener, and even Alzheimer’s patients and the elderly can often answer that one. I have done that since my paramedic days.
Don’t get me wrong, though, as I …
In the past 50 years, cancer in many cases has morphed from a certain death sentence into a chronic illness. However, cancer is unlike other chronic conditions. There are hundreds of different cancers, classified by where they start in the body and how their cells behave. To turn cancer from an acute, life-ending illness into a chronic one, we now understand that cancer must be treated with a targeted, personalized …
How’s your cholesterol? Are you getting enough protein? Do you even know? Whether you’re a doctor, a patient, or both, you may be missing out on the powerful benefits of a registered dietitian.
Recently, I received lab results that were concerning, and my doctor suggested adding another medication. I’m focused on reducing medications, so I wanted to explore all possible ways to improve my numbers safely without adding to my pill …
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How do I talk to my kid about ADHD?
You’re not alone. Your child’s pediatrician should be your first stop in this journey. As a neurospicy pediatric neurologist with an ADHD child, this is how I discuss this topic with my patients and their families.
The first thing I ask my patients is, “Are you trying harder?” Because that’s what we keep telling them to do—try harder! Every single child nods eagerly …
Let’s begin by understanding the scope of the dementia problem: According to data from Alzheimer’s Disease International, before you finish reading this sentence, someone, somewhere in the world will have developed dementia. Here comes another sentence, and there goes another new case of dementia. There goes another. And so on.
In 2020, the organization estimated that more than fifty-five million people across the globe were suffering from dementia. What’s more, this …
In clinical research, chart review is nearly as familiar as daily functions like walking or breathing. My days are full of identifying missing variables, finding them in the electronic medical records, then documenting them in my meticulously organized data sheets. However, during these chart reviews, my mind tries to find a way to break out of autopilot by looking for trends in the data. That’s how I recently noticed the …
An excerpt from Maternal Ambivalence: The Loving Moments & Bitter Truths of Motherhood.
What is maternal ambivalence?
Motherhood is a messy, loving process, filled with complicated and conflicting feelings that, though it’s hard to admit to, can even include passing moments of hate. The struggle a mother faces as she recognizes troublesome feelings equally allows her to discover new ways to engage with her child. This investigation of the mother within …
As both a physician and a certified culinary medicine specialist, I know firsthand how a nutritious diet can prevent and treat diet-related diseases. Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions are becoming increasingly more common. Over and over, the science tells us that a low-fat vegan diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, can help patients suffering from these conditions. Physicians can do our part to help patients use …
Hello! Your friendly next-door ID physician here checking in! I haven’t submitted anything here in several years. I’ve been too caught up with my work and family to delve into my creative side. But the very recent news that we will have a new head of human and health services (an individual without formal health care training and who has expressed a rather strong anti-vaccine sentiment in the past) paired …
We move into every new year carrying beliefs from previous years. Scientific confusion and unresolved questions can sometimes cause society and families to become intellectually and emotionally divided.
Centuries ago, we thought the Earth was flat and the center of the universe, and we feared that sailing exploration would send us over the edge of a cliff. Sir Isaac Newton tried to explain gravity, but now this discussion extends even further …
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