Conditions

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 …

Talcum powder and female cancer: Separating myths from facts

M. Bennet Broner, PhD

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 …

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

Dr. Farees Ahmad Khan & Dr. Sarah Alnaher

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 …

How cultural barriers delay cancer treatment for women in Pakistan

Dr. Damane Zehra

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 …

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

Mandar R. Jagtap, DO

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 …

Why you need allergen component tests to support your allergy diagnosis

Niti Chokshi, MD and Gary Falcetano, PA

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 …

Diverse data redefines heart disease prevention strategies

Charles Dinerstein, MD, MBA

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 …

The emotional toll of chronic illness

Meredith Mangold

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 …

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The emotional toll of chronic illness

Young lives at risk: the unseen dangers of fentanyl addiction

Shah-Naz H. Khan, MD

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 …

The health care assembly line. Time is money.

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

July 27, 2024

After 45 years as an ICU nurse specializing in surgical trauma ICU and eventually PACU nursing, Marsha wasn’t ready to retire. She was restless and bored and decided to continue her PACU expertise at a freestanding surgical center. While juggling that job and an endoscopy center, she started to notice a recurring theme: time is money.

The endoscopy freestanding clinic performed colonoscopies, EGDs, and sigmoidoscopies—up to 42 procedures a day. More …

Time to educate the psychiatric patient

Laura Faluade, DO

Conditions

July 25, 2024

The initial psychiatric interview of a patient is often a crucial part of the developing relationship between patient and physician. Establishing rapport, reaching a diagnosis, discussing treatment options, and formulating a plan, are the main frameworks of the interview. There remain, however, increasing pressures to reach the final diagnosis, often from patients and caregivers on initial meetings with providers that can lead to rushed or overlooked symptoms. Where, then, does …

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Time to educate the psychiatric patient

Ignored and misdiagnosed: the truth about hernias in women

Shirin Towfigh, MD

Conditions

July 23, 2024

When actress, model, and reality star Denise Richards came into my office, she had been suffering from chronic pelvic pain for years. Doctor after doctor had given her the same advice: ignore it.

It’s just a hernia.

By the time Richards consulted me, she was experiencing more than just a hernia. It was four: two inguinal hernias and two femoral hernias, all needing immediate repair.

Richards’ situation is far from unique.

In case after …

Essential safety strategies in anesthesia: anticipation and prevention of complication

Zulfiqar Ahmed, MD, Wouter Ritsema, Nicholas Huang, MD, and Jeremy Voltz, CRNA

Conditions

July 23, 2024

One of the best safety strategies in anesthesia is the anticipation and prevention of complications and errors at every step of preparation. An intact intravenous drug delivery system is essential for almost every anesthetic plan. In this article, we will specifically discuss the intravenous drug delivery system, focusing on its vulnerabilities, strategies for preparation against potential complications, and error prevention. We visualize this concept as an educational endeavor and as …

New standards for anesthesia in out-of-hospital Cesarean sections

Deepak Gupta, MD

Conditions

July 20, 2024

Unless planning to issue an update on practice guidelines for obstetric anesthesia, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), along with its subspecialty organization, the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP), should formulate a consensus statement for peri-anesthesia management during out-of-hospital cesarean sections (OHCS). Florida has become the first state to allow OHCS, an infrastructural relaxation for obstetric care that other states may follow. Whether the ensuing outcomes among pregnant …

A simple, quick activity to build community within your health care team

Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP

Conditions

July 18, 2024

I’ve been using experiential activities from improvisation as a modality for teaching communication-related skills for about two decades. Because they are based on a “YES AND” philosophy, which requires everyone’s participation, they are inherently inclusive and social.

One such activity is called “I am _____________.” It can be used in any meeting, class, or workshop and only takes about ten minutes. It is simple to teach and is a great way …

Real-time cancer detection and the future of oncology

Makhdum Ahmed, MD, PhD

Conditions

July 14, 2024

An excerpt from Race for a Remedy: The Science and Scientists Behind the Next Life-Saving Cancer Medicine.

I like to compare diabetes and cancer. Both are chronic illnesses with a trend of increasing new cases globally over the past decades, and both are expected to be among the leading diagnoses in the world with an estimated one-half billion people living with either diabetes or cancer by 2040.

The similarities don’t end …

From marathons to moderation: Rethinking endurance exercise

John C. Hagan III, MD

Conditions

July 14, 2024

When it comes to exercise, it is possible to get too much of a good thing. Regular participation in appropriate mild to moderate exercise is one of the most important habits for optimal health. The kind of detrimental excess endurance exercise I’m going to implicate includes marathon distance running, 100-mile bike rides, Iron Man/Half Iron Man triathlons, and other flat-out, pedal-to-the-metal exertions for more than an hour. Regrettably, I confess: …

Cinnamon versus brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and insomnia

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

July 13, 2024

I’ve always adored cinnamon. Its aroma warms the cockles of my heart, and its flavor makes me feel as if I’m wrapped up in an old fairy tale. However, I was floored when I reviewed some of the latest research regarding the effects of cinnamon on brain health.

Cinnamon is a type of laurel plant (believe it or not, there are almost three thousand members of the Lauraceae family). Cinnamon happens …

Why my 5-year-old is helping with my PhD thesis

Qiuyu Julia Chen

Conditions

July 10, 2024

My five-year-old daughter is helping me with my PhD thesis. I wish she didn’t have to.

No, she’s not a prodigy (even if she is very clever!), and I’m not that desperate for assistance. She just happens to be a subject matter expert.

My thesis in human nutrition is on food marketing to kids and every time we go to a grocery store together, I see that marketing at work. She is …

Transform relationships: Embrace real interactions over digital distractions

Richard A. Lawhern, PhD

Conditions

July 8, 2024

As a health care writer and subject matter expert in public health policy for the treatment of chronic pain and opioid addiction, I spend a lot of time online reading or writing. Nearing the age of 80, I have time for such occupations. In that context, I recently ran into a quite profound quotation on Facebook: