I was checking into a hotel the other day and noticed a QR code to tip the front desk staff. In an era where we book online, check in online, and check out online, I am not exactly sure where that tip request comes from. Tipping culture has crossed a line. We can now thank anyone in the service industry with an easy Venmo payment.
And now I …
We should tip health care workers too
The recent focus on the Canada-U.S. border has led to frequent confusion between human smuggling and human trafficking. Smuggling involves people moving across international borders. In most cases, irregular migrants who are smuggled into the country consent to assistance. Human trafficking, on the other hand, involves the exploitation of people for sex or labor through coercion, regardless of geographic movement.
Continued conflation of these terms will undoubtedly harm anti-human trafficking efforts …
Human trafficking isn’t what you think: Why education is key to stopping it
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Family nurse practitioner Bettina Reed discusses her article, “The hidden crisis in health care: How corporate greed is destroying patient care.” Drawing from four decades of experience across hospitals, private practices, FQHCs, …
Why health care is collapsing under corporate greed [PODCAST]
Every year, there are 85,000 medical malpractice lawsuits, of which 66.6 percent are frivolous. In the course of my endeavor to remedy frivolous medical malpractice claims, I introduce myself to 50 of the nation’s most prestigious medical malpractice law firms, both plaintiff and defense firms. I make it known that I have developed a risk management process. I make contact to explore the possibility of collaborating with them in some …
The shocking silence of top law firms on frivolous medical lawsuits
She arrives at the emergency room, her body limp, her breath shallow. The gurney rushes through the glass doors, past her family, who stand frozen in place, their eyes wide with fear. Her teenage daughter grips her little brother’s hand, whispering, “Mom’s going to be OK, right?”
Inside, the team springs into action.
“No pulse.”
“No spontaneous breathing.”
“Start compressions!”
Flatline: Our nation is dying, and we’re ignoring the signs
What if the cost of being a “good doctor” didn’t have to be your well-being?
For many physicians—especially those drawn to lifestyle medicine and whole-person care—this question feels quietly radical.
We’ve been conditioned to give until we’re empty. To serve at the expense of our sleep, our health, and sometimes even our sense of self.
We were taught to sacrifice.
To stay …
What if we stopped sacrificing ourselves to practice medicine?
Social media is an incredible tool for staying connected with loved ones and the world. But sometimes, I wonder, are we truly connected? Or is this connection merely an illusion?
I was addicted to social media. I believe this addiction began in 2012, during my first year of medical school. That’s when I asked my father to install an internet connection, claiming it was just for study purposes. It’s a common …
How I escaped the toxic grip of social media
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Psychiatrist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article, “The future of psychiatry: How AI and genetics are reshaping mental health care.” Muhamad explores how the integration of genetic research, biomarkers, electrophysiology, and artificial …
How AI and genetics are revolutionizing psychiatric diagnosis and treatment [PODCAST]
Walking through the expo floor at yet another health care technology conference, I couldn’t help but feel like I was in some weird mix between a tech convention and a futuristic farmers’ market. Stalls displayed shiny new AI technologies that promised to revolutionize health care—in theory, at least. But somewhere between the AI-powered ambient scribes and smart scheduling systems, I started to wonder where we’re actually headed.
Maybe it’s …
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
The first time I witnessed someone die in front of me will stay with me for a long time. I was only eighteen, early in my EMT experience, and transporting a patient home from the hospital while my colleague drove the ambulance. The patient was an eighty-seven-year-old man, and although I do not remember the exact diagnosis, I knew he was on hospice, nonverbal, and expected to pass soon. He …
The emotional weight of witnessing a patient’s final moments
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Physician executive Tim Wetherill discusses his article, “Why AI is the perfect neutral arbiter for health care claims.” Tim explores how deeply embedded incentives, inefficiencies, and subjectivity in the current claims adjudication …
How AI can eliminate bias and inefficiency in health care billing [PODCAST]
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) often develops unnoticed, gradually impairing kidney function. Approximately 950 million people worldwide are affected by CKD, and it is now the 9th leading cause of death, projected to become the 5th leading cause in the near future.
For years, I was unaware of the severe health battle brewing beneath the surface—until a routine pregnancy scan in 2015, at the age …
How early CKD diagnosis can save lives: a transplant survivor’s journey
Disclaimer: I respect and appreciate my male colleagues. No hard feelings, gents, but bear with me as I get real in this article.
Let’s break it down with some sexy stats.
Several studies, including from Annals of Internal Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and even a fancy meta-analysis (yep, the holy grail of evidence), confirm that you’re less likely to die and less likely to be readmitted to the …
Having a female doctor is better for your health, but not for hers
We have all been asked the infamous question as medical students: “What kind of doctor do you want to be, or what specialty do you want to specialize in?” If you have already made up your mind, answering this question can be exciting; if not, it can be extremely intimidating.
Regardless of what drew you to medicine—parental pressure, a strong desire to rescue lives, or simply just a few too many …
Finding your medical specialty: Embracing uncertainty in clinical rotations
This article is sponsored by Set for Life Insurance.
We have a special sponsored episode from Set for …
Disability insurance done right: the financial lifeline every physician needs
Maybe you’ve struggled to put the shattered mirror of yourself back together, and you don’t want to unearth what you’ve been able to put to rest. Plenty of people decide that psychotherapy is not for them, and we are, as our own individual, sovereign self, the best judge of our needs. As someone looking from the outside, we can only know a fraction of the depths of another person and …
Why real therapy isn’t just about crisis
John Németh, winner of multiple Blues Music Awards, built his life and musical career as a singer and harmonica player. But X-rays taken during a routine dentist visit threatened to change that.
John’s dentist discovered an ameloblastoma, a benign but aggressive tumor, that was rapidly growing in his jaw and chin and needed to be surgically removed. This was a reality that could mean the end of his career and the …
Beyond survival: How nerve repair is reshaping outcomes in jaw surgery
I am a true crime buff, and I work in the emergency department. Sometimes the two seem to blur together.
In my career, I have followed my patients to the coroner’s office, going to see the autopsies on traumas, sudden deaths, or sometimes murders. We can do CT scans or MRIs. I can look at images and labs galore, but there’s nothing like looking at a fresh dissection to really appreciate …
The forgotten patients: When missing people are just lost
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Gastroenterologist Mark Pimentel discusses his article, “SIBO and IBS: the hidden link keeping millions in pain.” Mark explains how small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is frequently misdiagnosed or overlooked due to its …
Why SIBO is often misdiagnosed as IBS [PODCAST]
Life can feel overwhelming at times, with busy schedules, unexpected challenges, and daily pressures that never seem to slow down. While stress is a normal part of life, it can take a serious toll on your body—especially your digestive system. If you’ve ever experienced stomach cramps, nausea, or bloating during a stressful period, you’re not alone. The gut and brain are closely connected, and when stress levels rise, digestion often …
How stress affects your gut—and how to fix it
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