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The Spandex dilemma: Does size still matter?

Janet L. Cray

Conditions

October 22, 2023

In today’s fashion landscape, one may wonder if size truly matters anymore. With the prevalence of spandex in clothing, determining one’s actual size has become a challenging feat. The question arises: what role does spandex play in the ongoing obesity crisis? Does it hinder our ability to make informed choices about our weight and health?

Consider this scenario: you weigh 130 lbs., but the pants you wear contain 2 percent spandex. …

Surgeon General’s warning: the dark side of social media on children’s mental health

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

May 23, 2023

It’s disheartening to see the escalated trend of mental health challenges in children and teens, an issue that’s becoming more and more prevalent. Daily, we encounter tales of parents grappling with their children’s emotional struggles, from a professional mom taking a career hiatus to aid her anxious daughter to a dad watching his previously thriving son grapple with addiction, leading to a tragic school dropout. These are not isolated incidents …

Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

May 22, 2023

The streets surrounding Elmhurst Hospital in New York City have become the staging ground for over 150 resident physicians striking for pay parity. The future of the medical profession is forced to grapple with a persistent issue long evaded – wage disparity.

Elmhurst Hospital, a critical pivot of public health and a notable battleground during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, now sits as the epicenter of a different kind …

Is FDA-approved Veozah a game-changer in menopause hot flash treatment?

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

May 12, 2023

The medical world is buzzing following the FDA’s green light for Veozah. This is a one-of-a-kind, non-hormonal drug designed to tackle hot flashes in menopausal women. It brings fresh hope to countless women in the U.S. who’ve been grappling with these troublesome symptoms.

Around 80 percent of menopausal women suffer from hot flashes, which bring sudden spells of sweating, flushing, and chills. This unpleasant condition is caused by a glitch …

Remembering Heather Armstrong: the tragic loss of the “Queen of Mommy Bloggers” sparks a global conversation on mental health

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

May 11, 2023

The blogging universe mourns the loss of a remarkable figure, Heather Armstrong, fondly known as the “Queen of the Mommy Bloggers.” Armstrong’s blog, Dooce, was a sanctuary for mothers and individuals wrestling with mental health issues and addiction. Tragically, Armstrong ended her life prematurely in an apparent suicide following a sobriety relapse. The legacy she leaves behind extends far beyond her two children, etching her name as one …

Celebrating 2 million downloads of The Podcast by KevinMD!

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

May 11, 2023

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that The Podcast by KevinMD has reached a major milestone: 2 million downloads!

It feels like just yesterday when I embarked on this incredible journey, sharing my passion for health care and medicine through the power of audio. But now, after almost 1,100 episodes and countless hours of inspiring conversations, we have hit this incredible …

Tragedy strikes Monday Night Football as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffers cardiac arrest. Is commotio cordis to blame?

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

January 3, 2023

A shocking scene during the Monday night football game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. According to the New York Times:

During a Monday Night Football game, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin tackled Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. After the tackle, Hamlin quickly stood up and took a few steps before collapsing and becoming unconscious. Medical personnel administered CPR and attended to Hamlin for 10 minutes before …

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Tragedy strikes Monday Night Football as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffers cardiac arrest. Is commotio cordis to blame?

Life as an MD online with Kevin Pho, MD

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

December 1, 2021

It was an honor to be interviewed by Jonathan Baktari, MD on his show, the Baktari MD Show. In this hour-long episode, Life as an MD Online, I discuss how I got started, online reputation and social media, the KevinMD …

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Life as an MD online with Kevin Pho, MD

Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

August 11, 2017

Physicians have so many tools available to us that can turn them into powerful health care influencers.

A KevinMD keynote video excerpt. I’m currently considering opportunities for 2018: Please visit my physician keynote speaking page to find out more.

Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

How doctors can establish an online presence: A step by step approach

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

November 27, 2015

A continuing series on physician online reputation. Created in partnership with the Doctors Company as part of their social media resources for physicians.

There are so many online platforms that doctors can get involved in today, and some may not know where to start. I want to share my approach.

The first step would be going on physician rating sites and making sure your information is accurate on …

The ABIM response to Newsweek determines how far anti-MOC sentiment will spread

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

March 13, 2015

Regular readers here are well-versed on the controversy surrounding maintenance of certification (MOC) and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).

The story recently made mainstream news, with a comprehensive recap by Newsweek senior writer Kurt Eichenwald: The Ugly Civil War in American Medicine. Go read it.

The ABIM subsequently released a strongly-worded statement. They are clearly not happy with the mainstream media spread …

Are American doctors paid too much or too little?

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

August 15, 2014

A version of column was published in USA Today on July 2, 2014.

There are some who think that I’m overpaid as a physician, and that my salary fuels rising health costs. I can understand their point: A May 2014 survey released by the Medical Group Management Association found that internal medicine doctors like myself have a starting median annual salary of $190,000, …

Pay me like a French doctor. You know you want to.

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

May 8, 2014

Whenever new physician salary data is released, reporters and policy experts often compare doctor salaries in the United States to those of other countries: most notably, France.

And on cue, Vox’s Sarah Kliff — normally an excellent health care writer, by the way — is uncharacteristically lazy in framing physician salaries through a biased lens.

After presenting the data, …

Why Medicaid patients use the emergency department for primary care

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

January 3, 2014

A study from Science found that those on Medicaid in Oregon made 40% more visits to the emergency department.

The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment included about 90,000 low-income people and assigned 30,000 of them to Medicaid by lottery. It’s essentially a naturally-occurring randomized controlled trial.

The result seems to have caught the public policy experts by off guard:

“I suspect that the finding will be surprising to many in the policy …

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Why Medicaid patients use the emergency department for primary care

Why I recommend LinkedIn to physicians

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

October 31, 2013

When I talk to physicians about dipping their toes into the social media waters, I advise starting with LinkedIn. Spend about 45 minutes or so and create a LinkedIn profile, which is essentially a digital translation of your CV. LinkedIn profiles get ranked highest among the social media platforms, and can push down the influence of …

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Why I recommend LinkedIn to physicians

Why doctors need to be more like Malcolm Gladwell

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

October 17, 2013

In case you haven’t heard, Malcolm Gladwell recently released his book, David and Goliath. I’m just about finished reading it.

Just as interesting as the book are its reviews. In a recent post from Slate, Gladwell himself responds to the criticism. He freely admits that his books should not be held as pinnacles of academic rigor, but should be considered “intellectual adventures stories.”

He further elaborates on the power …

Should doctors separate their personal and professional identities?

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

August 17, 2013

Most social media guidelines for physicians, most recently from the American College of Physicians and Federation of State Medical Boards, suggest that doctors separate their personal and professional identity.

Until physicians are better educated on how best to act professionally on social networks, keeping their online personal lives private is more likely to keep them out of trouble.

But is it time for that recommendation to be revised?

In a recent JAMA perspective …

Finding a doctor online and researching your physician on the Internet

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

May 23, 2013

Part of the KevinMD toolkit series.

“How can I find a doctor online?”

A seemingly simple question, but patients are often confronted with too much information on the Internet, with variable quality.

Finding a doctor a similar to completing a puzzle. Like puzzle pieces, there are many resources available, including word of mouth, hospitals, insurance companies, and physician …

How I would end the war between nurse practitioners and doctors

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

May 16, 2013

One of the more contentious topics on my site is the scope of practice for non-physician providers, such as nurse practitioners. This echos the debate on the national stage where leaders of physician organizations, who want to protect their scope of practice, conflict with those of nurse practitioners’, who want to perform the tasks that physicians traditionally have.

Simply Google “nurse practitioner” on this site, for instance, and you’ll see …

Why energy drinks should be considered stimulant drugs

Kevin Pho, MD

KevinMD

March 2, 2013

A version of this column was published on February 3, 2013 in USA Today.

I’m seeing more patients than ever consume so-called “energy drinks,” a rapidly emerging class of beverage which promise to increase energy, improve alertness, and boost attention span. The energy drink business is booming, with more than $12 billion sold last year, eclipsing established beverage categories like iced tea …

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