Conditions

Compassion in medicine: How palliative care changes lives

Conditions
August 20, 2024

Health care providers dedicate years to rigorous education and training to optimize medical care, aiming to heal and treat illness. However, historically, there has been a significant gap in training regarding the transition from a treatment-focused approach to focusing on providing comfort in the face of serious illness and death. This leaves health care professionals unprepared to navigate the complexities of end-of-life care. Despite their good intentions, health are providers …

Read more…

Your baby is fine; her lips aren’t blue

Conditions
August 20, 2024

I remember these words as if it were yesterday. Those memories are etched into my mind forever. I can’t forget them, nor do I want to, because I know that these experiences are not unique to me but happen all too often.

When my second child was four days old, I had her home with me, surrounded by family. It had been a busy few weeks because, for this pregnancy, I …

Read more…

The hidden connection between dementia and PTSD

Conditions
August 20, 2024

Health care professionals working with dementia patients should be aware that a higher-than-average percentage of their patients are likely to have PTSD.

Research has found that people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear to have a higher likelihood of developing dementia than those who do not. A meta-analysis of evidence on PTSD and dementia risk, for example, found that people diagnosed with PTSD are up to twice as likely to …

Read more…

How compassionate communities can transform the lives of schizophrenia patients

Conditions
August 19, 2024

While working as psychiatrists, we have the pleasure of working very closely with our patients as well as their friends and family. During these interactions, we get to know a lot about their struggles. In this blog, I want to focus on what we as a community can do to help patients as well as their families dealing with schizophrenia.

I saw an elderly lady admitted to the inpatient psychiatry unit …

Read more…

Unlock your child’s potential: the power of nurturing hidden talents

Conditions
August 16, 2024

What do you do to make your child confident? Do you tell them that they are amazing? Do you say that they are smart? Do they believe you?

Today, I am going to share the story of an autistic child who was brought to the doctor after a severe mental breakdown at school. His school had completely given up on him; they asked his parents to transfer him to another school …

Read more…

The surprising truth about where intimacy really begins

Conditions
August 16, 2024

Intimacy starts outside the bedroom. Most people think intimacy occurs inside, but it seems to me this could not be farther from the truth.

Intimacy is a taboo topic in our society. I am not referring to only physical intimacy but also emotional and spiritual. For some reason, it makes us uncomfortable; it rattles us.

Intimacy is about honesty, love, and connection. It starts with connection, but the other pillars are essential.

Our …

Read more…

How to rewire your brain with positive language

Conditions
August 15, 2024

Language is a powerful internal influencer. You use language to communicate with yourself, just as you do with others. Language is the byproduct of what you think and helps create, define, and redefine the way you think. An angry person is more likely to have negative thoughts. If your internal language is negative about yourself, the people in your life, or your environment, you may come to believe what you …

Read more…

Mediterranean diet boosts teen academic success

Conditions
August 14, 2024

In 2024, Chilean scientists reported their findings on interesting research. They investigated the correlation between adolescent academic achievement and eating style. The researchers studied over a thousand kids between the ages of ten and fourteen.

A portion of the kids enjoyed a balanced and healthy Mediterranean diet. When they used oil, it was most likely extra-virgin olive oil. They packed their plates with boatloads of vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts, and …

Read more…

Prevent youth suicide: essential steps for parents to secure their home

Conditions
August 13, 2024

This blog contains information about youth suicide which may be triggering for some readers. If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal ideations, please seek attention from your own medical provider, call 988, or text 741741 for guidance and professional support.

As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I spent a fair share of my day speaking to parents about suicide prevention. Oftentimes, when a parent is thinking about how to …

Read more…

Mindfulness: Beat the overwhelm and find your focus

Conditions
August 12, 2024

Does it sometimes feel like you are a teeny tiny person in a world that is so big, surrounded by giants doing their giant people things? Does it feel like, to keep up, you have to do ten thousand tasks? And somehow, even when you manage to complete those ten thousand things, it’s still not enough, and there are ten thousand more waiting. Just writing these lines is giving me …

Read more…

Strategies for living and coping with invisible illness

Conditions
August 11, 2024

I have a handicap placard. I appear healthy, and I walk a lot, but sometimes, the looks I get when I park in the designated handicap space are priceless because I am taking up a special parking spot for someone who is “sick.” “What gives?” they are thinking. “She doesn’t look sick!”

“It’s a big emotional load,” Dr. Sands says. “People are scowling at you because you took that handicapped parking …

Read more…

Talcum powder and female cancer: Separating myths from facts

Conditions
August 6, 2024

Another recent correlational study on the relationship between talcum powder (TP) and female reproductive tract cancers was published. This research originated in the 1970s when gynecologists at one hospital noted that an unusually high number of women were experiencing these cancers. They reviewed medical records and, in looking at possible causative agents, noted that many of the affected women used TP. They published their findings, and additional case review studies …

Read more…

ADVERTISEMENT

How anxiety can be your biggest competitor and ally in achieving success

Conditions
August 6, 2024

Did you ever have a competitor in life who challenged you in every test and every election for a leadership role? If so, today, I would like you to imagine that person and replace them with an emotion that we, as psychiatrists, frequently encounter during our practice – anxiety!

Much like that pushy competition, anxiety can feel overwhelming and challenging. However, it also has the potential to push us to achieve …

Read more…

How cultural barriers delay cancer treatment for women in Pakistan

Conditions
August 6, 2024

Pakistan, classified as a lower-middle-income nation, is experiencing a massive increase in the number of cancer cases. Our health expenditure as a proportion of the gross domestic product (GDP) is worryingly small in contrast to that of more developed nations.

We are fighting with illiteracy, poverty, limited resources, lack of awareness regarding screening and early presentation of tumors, and an inadequate number of trained oncologists. There are very few centers with …

Read more…

In-office cardiac CT scanners transform heart care in rural Mississippi

Conditions
July 31, 2024

Mississippi holds a troubling distinction when it comes to heart health: Over a third of all deaths in the state are attributed to cardiovascular disease (CVD), making it the leading cause of death. The state also grapples with one of the highest adult obesity rates in the United States, with nearly 40 percent of adults considered to be obese. The alarming statistics highlight the urgent …

Read more…

Why you need allergen component tests to support your allergy diagnosis

Conditions
July 30, 2024

Almost 1 in 3 U.S. adults and more than 1 in 4 U.S. children reported having a seasonal allergy, eczema, or food allergy in 2021. That’s more than 100 million people and rates are rising. While many people experience relatively mild symptoms, for others, living with an allergy can be debilitating, with symptoms being severe and, in the worst cases, even fatal.

Therefore, it is essential to ensure …

Read more…

Diverse data redefines heart disease prevention strategies

Conditions
July 29, 2024

In 2013, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) created a “risk calculator” to estimate the 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and guide patient-centered medical therapy for prevention strategies, like starting statins. However, concerns arose that the pooled cohort equations (PCEs) overestimate risk and do not reflect the current diverse U.S. population, particularly underrepresenting Asian and Hispanic adults.

In 2023, AHA’s Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Scientific Advisory …

Read more…

The emotional toll of chronic illness

Conditions
July 28, 2024

My legs felt like thick, immovable tree trunks as I shakily shuffled down the long, cold hospital hallway in my chafing hospital gown and ill-fitting non-skid socks, pulling my stubborn and squeaky IV pole alongside me. My mom took small, measured steps next to me as we took our daily walk around the hospital floor to escape from my cramped, confining hospital room.

Now several weeks into my first hospitalization after …

Read more…

Young lives at risk: the unseen dangers of fentanyl addiction

Conditions
July 27, 2024

When we go charging in blood vessels at breathtaking speed to relieve the blockade that otherwise may bring a sad end to life, we expect to be doing it for the mature and elderly. The stress and strains upon the heart through the journey that is life upend the natural rhythm and flow, with the turbulence churning up clots like butter from milk that flow downstream till the narrowed channels …

Read more…

129
pages