Conditions

What’s the sense of having a living will if it’s not honored?

Conditions

December 25, 2022

‘This victory ensures that advance planning documents are legally enforceable and will be respected by doctors; if they are not, individuals can hold providers accountable for violating their health care decisions.”
– Greenberg decision, 2022

Dr. Gerald Greenberg was a New York dentist when in 2010, he was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. In 2011, he executed a living will stating the medical staff was to provide comfort measures only and no medical …

The vampire, phlebotomy, and advocating for my care

Emily Raffensberger

Conditions

December 25, 2022

Every five weeks, I see a different vampire from the phlebotomy and give this collective of blood-suckers consent to take my blood. The crimson-filled, turquoise-capped vacutainer is destined for analysis to see how fast my blood coagulates. If the vampires read my chart, they would see the graph showing values dating back to 2015, marking my third open-heart surgery when I got my mechanical aortic valve. My lab testing is …

The stigma of cognitive decline: Silence has a price

Steven Taylor, OTD

Conditions

December 19, 2022

Have you ever experienced brain fog? It’s one thing to reach for an extra coffee or reflect on the vagaries of age, but growing research shows that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a powerfully predictive indicator that many patients either dismiss or fail to report. About one in four people who experience SCD will have further declines – which can often be mitigated if patients report …

The Christmas miracle and the music box

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

December 17, 2022

She was 82 years old — sweet, frail, and maybe four feet eight inches tall.

She had many beloved children, grandchildren, and even a few great-grandchildren

They all grew up knowing that family was their core — their base, their home where love resided.

It was only a few days before Christmas, and Mrs. Mary entered our ICU.

COPD.

She lived with this for a long time. But this time, it crippled her. We gave …

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The Christmas miracle and the music box

Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ tragic death highlights the importance of mental health

Jennifer M. Orozco, DMSc, PA-C

Conditions

December 17, 2022

A prominent celebrity named Stephen “tWitch” Boss of the Ellen DeGeneres Show took his life at 40. Boss’ contagious love of dancing, carefree spirit, and milewide grin brought joy to millions. From the outside looking in, we saw a gentle soul – a successful actor and dancer with a wife and three children.

Just days before his passing, Boss shared a joyful video on social media of him dancing …

Overcoming the epidemic of loneliness

Giulia Faison, MD

Conditions

December 17, 2022

As I drove home from work and turned right onto the familiar street that would eventually wind around like a smile to my home, I briefly closed my eyes and tilted my face to the sky, enjoying the butterscotch sunlight still peeking through the leaves framing the street. I noticed with contentment the various groups of people clustered alongside one another, walking at a leisurely pace on the adjacent sidewalk.

It …

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Overcoming the epidemic of loneliness

A blessing for health care workers

Michele Luckenbaugh

Conditions

December 16, 2022

As winter approaches and life slows down, it’s a time to pause and reflect on all everyone has had to endure these past few years. To those involved in health care, it has been an especially difficult time… a test of both resolution and inner strength. With my hope that all will see brighter days ahead, I offer the following as my means of giving thanks to all of you …

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A blessing for health care workers

Lessons from employer-mandated COVID leave

Jacqueline Redmer, MD, MPH

Conditions

December 16, 2022

I saw two positive lines on the home test kit. My body felt like I had been beaten with a jackhammer and the buzzing in my head reminded me of a hangover, the likes of which I had not seen for at least 20 years. Somehow, I organized my thoughts enough to call employee health and then updated the primary care clinic where I work as a physician. Clinic …

A job behind bars

Martha Rosenberg

Conditions

December 13, 2022

At least two million people in the United States are incarcerated in 122 United States prisons. Little is known about the prisoners themselves. Did their background condemn them to bad behavior? Or did they just make grievous mistakes? Do they suffer from a mental illness masquerading as criminal behavior? Can they change their life path? A mental health specialist with 25 years of direct …

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A job behind bars

U.S. adults should get routine anxiety screening. But then what?

Taylor Gurley, OTD

Conditions

December 12, 2022

For the first time, primary care physicians (PCPs) are being urged to screen their patients, above and below age 65, for mental health concerns alongside screening for physical health conditions. The United States Preventive Services Task Force has published its first recommendation for PCPs to screen adults for anxiety as standard practice. This recommendation followed a peak in the prevalence of mental illnesses in 2020. During this time and …

Communication protocols exist for a reason

Michael J. Grace, JD

Conditions

December 11, 2022

An excerpt from The Mumbo Jumbo Fix: A Survival Guide for Effective Doctor-Patient-Nurse Communication.

Team building is a popular trend in health care. It promotes cooperation, trust and respect, improves communication, and enhances patient outcomes. Most of the time.

But the camaraderie and familiarity of working with the same group of people …

A physician in denial after being diagnosed with COVID-19

Alen Voskanian, MD

Conditions

December 11, 2022

Over the last three years, we have faced the original COVID-19, followed by Omicron, Delta, and monkeypox.

It is apropos that on the third anniversary of COVID-19, we are facing the tripledemic of COVID, influenza, and RSV.

After almost three years of not getting COVID-19, I started believing that my childhood fantasies about me being superman were true and that my immune system was superpowered with bullet-proof antibodies that would keep me …

Cancer: Why silence and anonymity are also courageous

Anonymous

Conditions

December 10, 2022

Recently, I found a lump that was diagnosed as breast cancer. It is Stage IA, with a high chance of cure, but of course, more information might change that sooner or later. I have entered the uncertain world of being a patient – before this, as a physician myself, I happily avoided seeing the doctor.

While my cancer should be curable, and this will just be a …

Enjoying the spirit of the holidays with fewer spirits

Gioia M. Guerrieri, DO

Conditions

December 8, 2022

The winter holidays are almost here. And it’s the time of year when food abounds and alcohol sales double. So, in the spirit of wellness and health, I’m sharing some ideas for alcohol substitutes, safe drinking, and some general information about alcohol. Enjoying the holidays with good company, food, and drink is a treat. But too much alcohol can be problematic, especially when taking prescription medications or when struggling with …

Start walking to improve health and well-being

Paula Rochon, MD

Conditions

December 8, 2022

I just walked 120 km over five days on the South Downs Way along the southeast coast of the United Kingdom. It was a beautiful walk through the pastoral English countryside, culminating in the dramatic chalk cliffs near the coastal town of Eastbourne. While not a technically difficult walk, there were certainly enough hills to climb, high winds, and rainy days to make us ready for our evening pub dinners.

Lack of innovation is leading to disparities in diabetes care

James Malone, MD

Conditions

December 8, 2022

Having spent over 30 years of my career in diabetes, first as a practicing diabetologist and later as a diabetes researcher, I’ve met many people with diabetes. And while diabetes care has evolved significantly over my career, I’m amazed to see that daily insulin management is just as complex and manual for many people, particularly those with type 2 diabetes (T2D) — daily insulin management is just as complex and …

The slow progression of aging: Let compassion reign

Nancie Wiseman Attwater

Conditions

December 7, 2022

There is one guarantee in life: you will age, no matter how hard you try not to. Some age with more grace than others, and some age so quickly it’s astonishing. Aging can come quickly or slowly, it is not necessarily determined by your age but the whole dynamics of the life you have lived and perhaps your relatives’ lives before you.

Aging isn’t just the change from dark hair to …

With RSV, it’s time for primary care to step up to the plate

Martin C. Young, MD

Conditions

December 7, 2022

Every pediatrician is familiar with this endemic seasonal virus, expecting to see several cases in their office during the winter months and maybe even admit the occasional one for inpatient care. Even amongst the latter, most do well and recover without incident, though the stay can be prolonged.

However, the respiratory syncytial virus — when it causes pneumonia and bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways — can result in serious illness …

In light of Chris Hemsworth’s APOE news: Don’t panic

Ani Rostomyan, PharmD

Conditions

December 6, 2022

Recent news on actor Chris Hemsworth and his genetic test has been widely covered in the media. The actor said he is taking a break from acting after learning he has a heightened risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

I learned this from my teenage son, who read in the news that the Thor star discovered this after undergoing tests as part of his Disney+ documentary series Limitless.

Hemsworth learned that he has …

Much more than simple white coat syndrome

Murray Keith Wadsworth

Conditions

December 2, 2022

Ongoing consultations with a new-to-me internist have raised attention to my in-office blood pressure measurements. In preparation for my next appointment, I regularly record my BP, sometimes several times a day. In other office visits, for cancer talks and such, I simply explain I regularly home and grocery store measure my BP, which always seems to be in the established normal range. I am confident that these in-office rises are …

Conditions

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