Conditions

From advocacy to early cancer detection

Conditions

December 13, 2023

I write widely as a patient advocate and subject matter expert on public policy for the regulation of prescription opioid analgesics in pain medicine.

Like many people younger than myself, I also visit many social media platforms almost daily. I am active on these platforms to share recent health care news and to support hope among people who increasingly struggle to find clinicians and pharmacists who will treat their pain by …

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From advocacy to early cancer detection

An eye surgeon’s unexpected finding: a brain tumor diagnosis

Emily Schehlein, MD

Conditions

December 12, 2023

In medicine, the sickest patients always seem to come on Friday afternoons. At the end of the week, I’m hoping to move quickly through my last few patients – a small corneal abrasion, a routine follow-up, or a stable glaucoma exam. I’m prepared for a pleasant conversation and some friendly banter about rival football teams playing Saturday morning. But I’m wary. I have been doing this long enough to know …

A complex patient interviews a retired physician

Ann McColl and James Whitlock, MD

Conditions

December 9, 2023

Dr. James (Jim) Whitlock, a neurologist, and Ann McColl met at a writers’ workshop in Maine in 2022 and discovered a shared interest: patients with complex conditions and their journeys in the medical system. Dr. Whitlock’s practice focused on the rehabilitation of individuals with severe traumatic brain injuries. Attorney McColl had been a patient with a debilitating spinal condition and was ultimately helped by a neurosurgeon. A year after her …

Burnout on the U.S.S. Enterprise

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Conditions

December 8, 2023

The original Star Trek television series, in my opinion, stands out as the best of the bunch. It lasted only three years (1966-1969), but it has retained a cult following. Among its many television “firsts” were the initial inter-racial kiss (between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura) and perhaps the first depiction of burnout, as seen in the two-part episode “The Menagerie.”

Originally intended as the pilot, “The Menagerie” was postponed to …

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Burnout on the U.S.S. Enterprise

The toll of health care: suicide risk among professionals

Michele Luckenbaugh

Conditions

December 8, 2023

Our health care workers—nurses, physicians, and support staff—are at a heightened risk of committing suicide. Plain and simple. The emotional and physical toll on our health care professionals has been ever-increasing, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic but still remains long after the official title “pandemic” has faded into the background.

Over 20 percent of the physicians in the United States are experiencing symptoms of depression, but fear professional repercussions if they …

Embracing life’s purpose in the face of inevitable death

Michael Brant-Zawadzki, MD

Conditions

December 7, 2023

“I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it.”
– Epictetus

I wish more people knew that quote during the pandemic. I write this on November 1st, celebrated as Dia de Muertos or “Day of the Dead.” Epictetus and the other Stoics knew that death is inevitable, that life can change in an instant, and viewed it as a reminder to live each day purposefully and virtuously. …

From ICU to kidney mass: a nurse’s journey of fear

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

December 6, 2023

After 32 years working as an ICU nurse, I believed I had developed a strong capacity to confront death alongside my patients. I had become accustomed to the challenging scenarios: co-morbidities, multi-system organ failure, emergency intubations, ventilators, pressors, central lines, art lines, failure-to-thrive cases, code blues, and the grim sounds of ribs cracking during CPR.

It was not uncommon to witness families desperately shouting, “Do everything,” even when there was little …

Intravenous immunoglobulin for gastroparesis: What happened to me

Maria Jay

Conditions

December 4, 2023

Six months after being diagnosed with gastroparesis, I underwent experimental intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. What is often considered a wonder drug, with the ability to treat hundreds of rare illnesses, resulted in the worst experience of my life. I suspect that I developed aseptic meningitis, feeling like I had brain-damaged myself.

What is intravenous immunoglobulin?

Immunoglobulin is found in plasma, which is a part of your blood. It contains antibodies that help you …

Save time with these 4 charting tips

Erica Dorn, FNP

Conditions

December 2, 2023

If you ask nurse practitioners how they spend most of their time at work, their answer will be “charting!”

Not only do nurse practitioners (NPs) assess, diagnose, and treat patients, but they also have to document the findings. On top of that, nurse practitioners also have to analyze diagnostic data, review past medical documentation, and address the never-ending patient messages.

With so much to do in a day, it can feel impossible …

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Save time with these 4 charting tips

Lessons from historical drug prohibitions

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Conditions

December 1, 2023

New Zealand just rescinded its ban on tobacco smoking at the same time that Donald Trump just suggested the death penalty could cure the drug problem. What did New Zealand learn? And how has drug prohibition worked out in the past?

In 1511, the governor of Mecca, Khair Beg, had a serious problem. A powerful stimulant was coming into common use and was spreading throughout the city. This stimulant was clearly …

World AIDS Day 2023: Remember and commit

Toyin M. Falusi, MD

Conditions

December 1, 2023

December 1, 2023, marks the 35th anniversary of World AIDS Day (WAD), first commemorated in 1988. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Remember and commit,” a truly impactful theme because through remembrance, we acknowledge those who have lost their lives and those who have inspired us to get to where we are. We acknowledge the journey we have been on, and through commitment, we commit to a healthier future …

Lacertus syndrome and the quest for diagnosis

Dinaaz Lentin

Conditions

December 1, 2023

An excerpt from BATTLE SCARS: A courageous memoir of one person’s life experience within our health care system.

The main part of my memoir focuses on the journey which led to my eventual recovery from Lacertus syndrome. I now have a name for my condition but am yet to understand why I’ve …

The role of emotions in therapist growth

Maire Daugharty, MD

Conditions

December 1, 2023

It was some time into practice before I understood how being a therapist contributes to one’s own growth. I found this assurance from my best mentors rather mysterious. Sure, I’m a better listener, but what did they really mean? From my vantage point now, it seems obvious, and it is more than being attuned. On the surface, it is about being able to hear stories of suffering and watch someone …

Embracing the Huntington’s disease community

Erin Paterson

Conditions

November 30, 2023

I had chosen a seat towards the back of the conference room because I noticed the legendary Jimmy Pollard sitting there. I didn’t want to miss the chance to sit next to this Huntington’s disease (HD) advocate and all-around amazing person.

I was at the Help4HD conference in Detroit, Michigan. It was my first time attending an event like this on my own. In the years past, I wouldn’t have had …

A mother’s healing love song

Ana María Caballero

Conditions

November 28, 2023

An excerpt from A Petit Mal.

In ER, we are seen by French doctor, which is unusual and relevant because doctor asks boy if he likes any French soccer teams. Boy is wearing Italian soccer jersey.

Yes, Paris Saint-Germain, boy says.

Ah, doctor says, you like PSG. And you also like Juventus, ah.

Boy …

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A mother’s healing love song

There’s no place for “benevolent deception” in obstetrics

Megan Nix

Conditions

November 27, 2023

When I was 36 weeks pregnant with my second child, Anna, my obstetrician noted that my fetus had a disproportionately small head, or microcephaly—a condition now commonly known because of its association with the Zika virus. “We’ll just have to wait and see,” he said, meaning we’ll look for answers if the baby is affected at birth. But when my daughter was born, there were no answers then either.

Anna was …

Genetic testing may help cure or condemn those who suffer from addiction

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Conditions

November 26, 2023

In a recently published study, it was found that a set of 4 genes (JUN, CEBPB, PRKCB, ENO2, or CEBPG) was shown to predict the diagnosis of heroin addiction with an accuracy rate of around 85 percent. This is an amazing development and could open the door to knowing who is at high risk of opiate addiction before the prescription is written. If similar markers can be found for …

Navigating your first MRI: tips and insights

Michele Luckenbaugh

Conditions

November 26, 2023

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is a commonly used form of imaging to help diagnose conditions that might not be visible in an X-ray. The MRI scanner is a large cylindrical tube-shaped machine that creates a strong magnetic force and radio waves to capture images of the interior areas of the human body. Out of the numerous magnets in an MRI scanner, there is one main magnet, and the magnetic …

Navigating the evidence-practice gap in concussion care

Sohaib Kureshi, MD

Conditions

November 24, 2023

Despite a growing body of research and clinical guidelines, a significant evidence-practice gap persists in the management of concussions. This gap represents a challenge that health care professionals and researchers are working diligently to bridge. Here are the basics of how the gap plays out in concussion care and how telemedicine is providing a promising solution to the problem.

What is the evidence-practice gap?

The evidence-practice gap refers to the disparity between …

Pain medicine realities: beyond the opioid crisis

Richard A. Lawhern, PhD & Stephen E. Nadeau, MD

Conditions

November 23, 2023

In 1990, Ronald Melzack published a paper in Scientific American titled “The Tragedy of Needless Pain.” Many would regard Melzack as the “father” of pain science and the treatment of pain. In that paper, he described the science behind several observations that many clinicians and public health policy decision-makers would find startling in today’s hostile and fraught regulatory environment surrounding the U.S. opioid crisis.