Conditions

Understanding depression beyond biology: the power of therapy and meaning

Conditions
July 1, 2025

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) defines mental health, including depression, in terms of pathology or a deviation from normal that is reliably exhibited in observable behaviors. It describes genetics and risk factors, differences in gender, and considers cultural perspectives. Limitations of the DSM diagnostic criteria are acknowledged and recognize that human experience, or interaction between genetics and environment, cannot be captured completely. While the underlying neurobiology …

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Why medicine must stop worshipping burnout and start valuing humanity

Conditions
June 30, 2025

Medicine loves a martyr.

From the first white coat ceremony to the last day of residency, we are told a story: That good doctors are tireless, self-sacrificing, endlessly available. That the more you give up—sleep, family, hobbies, sometimes even health—the more worthy you are to wear the title. The message is rarely said aloud, but it’s everywhere: the ones who leave early to pick up their kids are “lucky to be …

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Why perinatal mental health is the top cause of maternal death in the U.S.

Conditions
June 29, 2025

“I look at my baby and I don’t feel a thing,” the patient whispers as she cradles her 3-week-old baby. “I feel so much guilt … sometimes I don’t want to be here at all.” And yet, she is not alone. Her words echo the silent yet growing public health crisis of perinatal mental health.

Approximately 1 in 5 women are affected by mental health conditions during the perinatal period. …

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A world without vaccines: What history teaches us about public health

Conditions
June 28, 2025

What would a world without vaccines even look like?

Well, it turns out that we don’t have to wonder since accurate historical records allow us to distinctly see and learn for ourselves. This is in keeping with our Secretary of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent guidance to Do Your Own Research.

What we actually need, individually and as a nation, is clear and consistent science-based advice when it comes to …

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Unraveling the mystery behind one of the most dangerous pregnancy complications: preeclampsia

Conditions
June 27, 2025

When reviewing poor maternal health outcomes in the U.S., it is clear we cannot keep doing the same thing and expect to make pregnancy safe and healthy for all. A new approach is needed that harnesses the power of molecular advances to bring precision medicine to pregnancy health. Preeclampsia, one of the most dangerous complications in pregnancy, is a disorder of high blood pressure that has eluded the ability to …

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How community paramedicine impacts Indigenous elders

Conditions
June 26, 2025

Tucked along the edge of the frigid James Bay, Moosonee stands as one of Northern Ontario’s most remote and storied communities—a place often referred to as the “Gateway to the Arctic.” While towns like Thunder Bay or Rainy River echo similar titles, Moosonee carries its own unique distinctions.

This isolated town of about 3,000 people is shaped by its subarctic climate, deep cultural roots, and resilient spirit. Read more…

Pain is more than physical: the story your body is trying to tell

Conditions
June 25, 2025

Pain is a signal. It gets our attention. It arrests, alarms, and demands we listen. C.S. Lewis wrote in the problem of pain: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” And what a deaf world we have become.

Pain is physical—a sign of tissue damage. It’s defined as “physical suffering or discomfort caused …

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Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care

Conditions
June 24, 2025

Sleep is not a luxury — it’s a fundamental pillar of health on par with diet and exercise. As we enter a new era of sleep, people are more aware than ever before of how rest impacts their overall health. We are at an inflection point where sleep is increasingly recognized as essential to preventative care and wellness. Yet, many still suffer in silence, trapped in a cycle of exhaustion.

The …

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How a family’s strength led to a successful kidney transplant

Conditions
June 24, 2025

An excerpt from The Healthy Kidney Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Manage Hypertension, Control Stress, and Prevent Renal Failure, Kidney Disease, and More.

A good friend and neighbor of mine is a kidney transplant survivor, and I wanted to thoughtfully document her thoughts on different parts of her journey. She is currently a married, African American woman, mother of a teenage son, in her forties, and works full time in …

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Beyond the TikTok hype: Rebuilding trust in evidence-based weight loss medicine

Conditions
June 24, 2025

A woman sat nervously in front of me, eyes wide, voice low. “I saw this video on TikTok,” she said. “Now I’m not sure I want to try it.” “It” was semaglutide—one of the most transformative medications we’ve seen for weight loss and metabolic health in years. But her fear wasn’t uncommon. Like many patients I see, she came in hopeful, but hesitant—torn between her desire to get healthy and …

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How deep transcranial magnetic stimulation is transforming mental health care

Conditions
June 23, 2025

As a psychiatrist deeply committed to my patients’ well-being, there are moments etched into my memory—moments of profound suffering, struggle, and ultimately, redemption. I vividly recall Sarah (name changed for confidentiality), a 45-year-old teacher whose severe depression had drained all joy from her life. “Dr. Rifai, I just want my life back,” she told me, tears streaming down her face. Her plea echoed the silent anguish of countless patients I’ve …

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Nurses aren’t eating their young — we’re starving the profession

Conditions
June 22, 2025

I know what I’m about to say is unpopular, and maybe even controversial within our field — but I need to say it.

I’ve been a nurse for 18 years. I care deeply about my patients, and I care about the future of this profession. But I’m increasingly disheartened by what I see inside our own ranks. There’s a phrase we all know: “nurses eat their young.” We repeat it so …

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What if medicine had an exit interview?

Conditions
June 20, 2025

They left quietly. Logged their last note. Disconnected their badge. Maybe cleared out a drawer, maybe not. And just like that, another clinician walked away from medicine. No exit interview. No debrief. No conversation about what led up to that final decision. Just silence.

In most professions, when someone resigns, leadership wants to know why. What worked? What didn’t? What could we do better next time? But in medicine? We barely …

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Why coaching is not a substitute for psychotherapy

Conditions
June 19, 2025

Professional coaching can contribute to personal growth and development by providing encouragement and support using a handful of simple techniques designed for deepening exploration in a co-created working relationship. Focuses can be wide ranging and include development and clarification of goals, refining communication, boundary setting, and conflict management skills. A coaching stance typically seeks improved performance, for example increased efficiencies at work or navigating executive function more effectively. It can …

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Why doctors stay silent about preventable harm

Conditions
June 19, 2025

The first rule of being a doctor is not “do no harm.” It’s “mind your own business.”

You won’t find it in the ethics textbooks. It’s not part of any formal curriculum. But ask around—quietly, privately—and most seasoned clinicians will tell you the same thing: the people who ask too many questions don’t last long.

You learn this not from lectures, but from observation. A colleague flags a safety concern. A note …

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Why gambling addiction is America’s next health crisis

Conditions
June 18, 2025

The next major health epidemic in the U.S. will not come from a pathogen. This plague has a potential patient population in the tens of millions, limited effective treatments, and is not widely studied in the medical community.

I’m referring to sports gambling, an activity that deeply alarms me as a physician who specializes in addiction. Problem gambling can increase the incidence of depression and anxiety and can lead to bankruptcy, …

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How robotics are reshaping the future of vascular procedures

Conditions
June 18, 2025

Medicine has always evolved through a blend of scientific rigor and bold innovation. Over the last century, surgical practice has progressed from risky open procedures to highly controlled, minimally invasive interventions. Laparoscopic surgery marked one such revolution, dramatically enhancing patient outcomes by enabling precision through small incisions. By the 1990s, it had become an essential part of modern surgery.

A similar, albeit slower, evolution has taken place in endovascular care. …

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How the shingles vaccine could help prevent dementia

Conditions
June 18, 2025

Did you have chickenpox as a kid?

If the answer is yes (which it is for most of us), you’re at risk of getting shingles. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After one recovers from chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in one’s nerve cells. Later in life, if the virus reactivates (which depends on factors like age, stress, or a weakened immune system), it …

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Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

Conditions
June 17, 2025

As an endodontist who specializes in saving natural teeth, I have a front-row seat when it comes to observing the nuances of oral health. I can tell who is a flosser, a fan of tooth whiteners, and the sweet tooths among us. Occasionally, and particularly in younger adults, I see signs of severe tooth decay. That usually means one thing—they have lived in a town that lacks fluoride in their …

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What the research really says about infrared saunas

Conditions
June 17, 2025

As someone who believes in a healthy amount of social media consumerism — just enough to stay inspired without drowning in every new trend — I recently found myself intrigued by a wellness practice that kept resurfacing on my feed: infrared sauna. Beyond the polished posts and glowing endorsements, my curiosity was also fueled by my background. As a cancer doctor, and someone who genuinely believes in the impact of …

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