Conditions

A silent killer in our midst: Tackling hypertension in Ghana

Conditions
February 14, 2025

On a seemingly ordinary Sunday evening, a casual conversation with my mother took a terrifying turn. She mentioned a sudden, excruciating headache that had woken her from a nap. My medical training immediately raised red flags. Despite no prior history of such severe headaches, I recalled an isolated incident of elevated blood pressure. Instinctively, I insisted on checking her blood pressure again. Within 15 minutes, the readings soared from 182/120 …

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Navigating the uncertainty of food allergies in air travel: a call for compassion and change

Conditions
February 13, 2025

Food allergies are a serious, life-threatening medical condition that remains widely misunderstood. For millions of travelers with food allergies, navigating airline policies is an unpredictable challenge, where inconsistent accommodations and societal skepticism create unnecessary risks.

Those living with food allergies must often navigate a world that does not always recognize the severity of their condition. Although we teach those with food allergies how to live in a world with …

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The role generative AI can play in cardiovascular education for patients

Conditions
February 13, 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic in health care, capturing headlines for its ability to solve diagnostic mysteries and even outperform trained physicians in specific tasks. While we are still far from going to your local AI “doctor” for diagnosis and treatment, generative AI is already capable of intervening in meaningful ways—particularly in cardiovascular education for patients. This potential remains underutilized despite the significant public health need for …

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Super Bowl betting: How America’s favorite game fuels gambling addiction

Conditions
February 9, 2025

Gambling as a recreational activity is on the rise. This is Super Bowl weekend, and it is expected to be one of the largest sports betting events in U.S. history, with tens of millions of Americans predicted to wager billions of dollars on this event. Gambling disorder is also now a recognized part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Gambling as a medical condition …

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How drug companies turned “depression” into a billion-dollar industry

Conditions
February 7, 2025

Once upon a time, anxiety was anxiety. Maybe you were going for a root canal, taking a flight when you were a nervous flier, or meeting your in-laws for the first time, so you had “nerves.”

That was then. Sensing an untapped market, drugmakers who funded writers of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or “DSM” (the Bible for mental conditions) recast anxiety as “really depression,” and suddenly everyone …

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Finding freedom through gratitude and resilience

Conditions
February 5, 2025

The sun was out, casting a warm glow over the world as the snow melted into slush. The air was crisp, invigorating, as I leashed up my pups for their morning half-mile walk. Today, I had an extra companion, another pup I was babysitting, turning my duo into a trio.

As we strolled, I couldn’t help but feel grateful. My health—both physical and …

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Discover how B.K.S. Iyengar transformed yoga into a holistic healing practice

Conditions
February 5, 2025

It is a Tuesday morning in the city of Pune, India. The incessant rain has taken a short break. The first floor of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute is alive with a group of students. In a quiet corner, B.K.S. Iyengar is practicing yoga. His skin ripples as he settles into postures, pushing his body to unimaginable limits, but with beauty and grace—poetry, almost. Mr. Iyengar slips into his …

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The power of personal and cultural connections in dietary advice

Conditions
February 4, 2025

Sometimes the most honest conversations about health don’t take place in a doctor’s office, but in the waiting room of a Jiffy Lube instead. While trying to pass time as I waited for my oil change, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two strangers. What started as lighthearted banter quickly turned into a candid discussion about their struggles with blood pressure and cholesterol. One man admitted he never takes his …

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Long COVID’s hidden struggles: precision psychiatry and hope for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

Conditions
February 1, 2025

Introduction

Long COVID has emerged as a silent health crisis, lingering long after the acute phase of the pandemic has faded. For countless lives, the battle with COVID-19 did not end with recovery from the virus. Instead, it transformed into an enduring struggle with debilitating symptoms, including depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, PTSD, cognitive dysfunction, and post-COVID fatigue. This psychiatric landscape demands more than incremental solutions; it calls for bold, transformative approaches …

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Why doctors must talk about death: the truth about CPR and end-of-life care

Conditions
February 1, 2025

When I was a general surgery intern, I was doing my very early morning pre-rounds on a frail female patient in her late 70s with significant cardio- and peripheral vascular disease. She’d been in the hospital for weeks and wasted away to no more than 85-90 pounds. She was not able to get out of bed unassisted. I don’t even remember why she was in the hospital, but what I …

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Improving type 1 diabetes screening awareness among women is critical. Here’s why.

Conditions
January 31, 2025

As a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist, the field medical director for type 1 diabetes immunology (T1D) at Sanofi, and someone who was diagnosed with T1D as a child, it’s fair to say that much of my life has revolved around the disease.

I could recite the risk factors for T1D in my sleep; I’ve seen first-hand the perils of an unexpected T1D diagnosis—including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA); I’m keenly aware that those with …

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Pain management for IUD procedures is not a one size fits all: A patient-centered conversation about women’s pain doesn’t have to be painful

Conditions
January 30, 2025

On August 8, 2024, the CDC updated its selected practice recommendations for contraception for the first time since 2016. This revision emphasized the importance of discussing pain management options with patients undergoing intrauterine device (IUD) placement. Although the steps involved in IUD insertion are widely recognized as painful, this update marked the first time the CDC recommended tailoring pain management strategies based on open conversations with patients.

Despite the well-known discomfort …

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The silent cry: somatic symptom presentations of Chinese heritage patients

Conditions
January 28, 2025

Returning home from medical school for the holidays, I had an all-too-familiar experience for medical trainees, but with a cultural twist. My Chinese American family bombarded me with medical questions. “I wake up at 4 a.m. every day, 不舒服 (bù shū fu; body feels uncomfortable), feels like 心跳 (xīn tiào; heart palpitations).” “I get woken up at 3 a.m. every day, 胃痛 (Wèitòng; stomach pains), but I …

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4 hacks to improve patient experience in your practice

Conditions
January 26, 2025

“The doctor was wonderful, but her staff …” “The receptionist was so rude. I won’t be back.” “They never sent the referral even though I called several times.” Ever seen reviews like these?

No matter how good a doctor you might be, you’re not the one making the first impression at your practice. Your office staff and their practices set the tone of the visit. Their conduct can make or break …

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Why superheroes never get sick: the mask connection

Conditions
January 25, 2025

A daily dose of sarcasm to trigger some thought, and to ask some serious questions we all should be able to discuss peacefully. These are not necessarily my personal beliefs, lest I need to be attacked at some point by misinformation protector professionals.

But let’s start here: I’ve never known Batman, or Robin, for that case, to ever get ill. And I am old enough to remember racing home to catch …

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When assumptions in health care lead to devastating consequences

Conditions
January 24, 2025

It is heartbreaking to recount the journey my husband and I have been through. My husband, an award-winning triathlete, and I had a rich and vibrant life together. We traveled extensively, taking nine trips in 2014 alone, including attending the World Triathlon Finals in London, visiting Paris, cruising the Hawaiian Islands, and enjoying a helicopter tour. Even in his late 80s, he had a strong spirit, shaped by years of …

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Critical care in critical moments: Anesthesiologists play a vital role in maternal health

Conditions
January 23, 2025

Maternal mortality crisis in the U.S.

The U.S. faces a significant maternal health crisis, with alarmingly high maternal mortality rates compared to other developed nations. As of 2022, the overall maternal mortality rate was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, with a disproportionately high rate of 49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births among Black women. These figures starkly contrast with much lower rates in countries like Germany, Australia, Japan, and Sweden.

Maternal …

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How a nurse’s journey through trauma inspires hope and kindness

Conditions
January 20, 2025

A former ICU nurse and close friend told me tonight that she wanted to start the new year on a positive note. I nodded, trying to absorb her optimism, but deep down, it felt like an impossible belief to hold onto.

Earlier in the evening, I finished watching Selena: The Series on Netflix. Tears streamed down my face, not just for Selena but for all those whose greatness was taken too …

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Sweden’s controversial COVID-19 strategy: lessons from higher mortality rates

Conditions
January 20, 2025

Sweden is being touted as an example of a successful fight against COVID-19 without imposing strict social isolation measures. While it is true that Sweden was one of the few countries that did not impose severe lockdown protocols and procedures, how did Sweden fare regarding various COVID-19 outcomes?

First of all, it is not true that Sweden took a totally relaxed approach to COVID-19 by keeping all establishments open throughout …

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Finding voices with AI: a call to developers, administrators, and corporations to support ethical speech therapy

Conditions
January 19, 2025

As a speech-language pathologist, I’ve dedicated my career to helping people find their voices—sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively. Whether I’m working with children struggling to develop language, adults recovering from strokes or traumatic brain injuries, or older adults managing degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, the goal is always the same: to connect, to communicate, and to live fully. Communication is fundamental to being human. Yet, when it’s lost, regaining it becomes a …

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