Varicocele is one of the most common findings in men being evaluated for infertility. Roughly 15 percent of all men have one, and the number climbs to about 40 percent among men with fertility problems. Yet despite how common it is, a varicocele remains a confusing diagnosis. Some men are told they need surgery right away, while others are advised to do nothing at all.
The truth is somewhere in between. …
Gasping for breath, Michael (name changed) pushed back in his chair. His legs felt like lead weights. He could not delay the rescue call any longer. The oxygen in his blood had dipped into the 80s.
An X-ray showed a shadow over the lower part of Michael’s right lung, and the hospital admitted him to treat a pneumonia. A smoker for decades, he was relieved a few days later to be …
We are trained to move quickly. To respond before thinking. To act before doubting. To rise at three in the morning because someone’s life might depend on it. That is how we learn ethics, not in seminar rooms, but in corridors that smell of antiseptic and coffee, under fluorescent light, beside stretchers with failing hearts.
And so, somewhere along the way, we begin to believe that morality lives in the moment. …
As a young pediatric anesthesia attending, I would often roll my eyes at resident trainees who prioritized their personal needs and required mental health days. I may have even looked down upon them as lazy, weak, and lacking grit. I prided myself on my work ethic, sacrificing time with my two children and aging parents for the sake of my patients. Medicine is a calling, not just a job, I …
Across the world’s earliest civilizations, healers turned to nature as their pharmacy. Ancient systems like Ayurveda in India, Unani (Hikmat) medicine in the Middle East, and early European herbalism developed sophisticated therapeutic practices rooted in plants and natural compounds, many of which are still clinically relevant today.
Take turmeric, for example. Traditionally simmered in milk or prepared as a paste, it was used for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties. Today, biomedical …
“We do not have the money! You took it all!”
Startled, I moved the phone away from my ear to dampen the screaming voice on the other end. I had just explained to my patient’s son that his 95-year-old mother could walk again; she just needed surgery to repair her hip fracture. This was good news, or so I thought. His mother had insurance, “good” insurance, and needed a fairly routine …
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Maternal-fetal medicine fellow Frank I. Jackson discusses his article “Affordable postpartum hemorrhage solutions every OB/GYN should know.” Frank explains how postpartum hemorrhage remains a leading cause of maternal mortality, especially in low-resource …
Cancer care has long been associated with physical, emotional, and psychological hardship. But for many patients, a quieter burden (the financial strain of treatment) shapes their experience in equally profound ways. Increasingly referred to as financial toxicity, this form of distress is emerging as a key determinant of cancer outcomes. Yet it remains under-recognized in day-to-day clinical care.
The high price of staying alive
Financial toxicity describes the economic hardship caused by …
When I was in my studies as a psychiatry resident, I learned about an interesting field called metabolic psychiatry, which focuses specifically on ketogenic therapies to treat psychiatric conditions. This is a nascent field at this time, with no extensive clinical trials like we have for medications, though some small trials exist. I even have some patients who have been on ketogenic diets (not prescribed by me) …
The overlooked treasure of primary care: Why this field is more rewarding than most realize
Primary care often carries a reputation: long hours, too much paperwork, and not enough pay. Many providers see it as a burden, a stepping stone, or simply “less glamorous” than other specialties.
But here is the truth most clinicians overlook: Primary care holds hidden rewards, both financial and emotional, that can transform not just your practice, but …
You spent years learning how to save lives, diagnose complex cases, and manage high-pressure situations. But nowhere in medical school did they teach you how to create a retirement plan, minimize taxes, or structure an investment portfolio.
Yet many doctors try to manage their own finances, thinking, “I am smart and disciplined; I can figure this out.” The truth? Being your own certified financial planner (CFP) often ends up costing more …
One thing I know for sure is that, as a whole, our medical training system has gotten it all wrong when it comes to helping students correctly identify which specialty they want to apply to.
Coming from undergraduate school to medical school, I spent four years learning about myself. I went to graduate school, worked for a few years in the real world, and gained real-life experiences. During that time, I …
I offer these ten points in the hope that you will surpass my generation of physicians, myself included, and learn from our mistakes. God help us all if you do not.
Congratulations on your hard work, academic achievements, and the persistence and sacrifice that brought you to this moment in your medical careers. Good for you. And now, reality.
1. Although you have memorized many facts, you know nothing. Truth does not …
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In my practice, I care for many patients obsessed with longevity. They fast, they microdose, they meditate, they cold plunge, they gulp down supplements by the handful. They optimize their labs with the fervor of a hedge fund manager optimizing a portfolio. They read Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman like scripture.
And yet, they still die.
This is not cynicism; it is reality. Over the years, I have watched patients do everything …
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Family physician Amir Atabeygi discusses his article “Building trust in dyad leadership partnerships.” Amir explains why trust is the foundation of successful dyads, highlighting how implicit follow-through and consistent communication turn a …
For twenty years I have been the mother of a child with a life-threatening food allergy. I know what it is to watch my son’s throat close, to see terror in his eyes, to hear him beg not to die. It felt like time slowed down as we waited for epinephrine to work. Those moments are seared into me. They are not, and never will be, a joke.
That is why …
Born a son to immigrant parents, one of whom did not speak any English early on in my youth, I struggled to assimilate to American culture, to friends, and to the everyday language and vernacular during my formative years in grade school, middle school, and even high school. My mother raised my brother, sister, and me while my father worked two, and sometimes three, jobs to make ends meet. Mom …
I had heard about night float: a daunting rotation for interns as they cared for patients they often were not well acquainted with, putting out fires until their usual team could take over in the morning. Given this reputation, I was surprised to find a night float week on my schedule as part of my internal medicine clerkship, a core rotation as a third-year medical student.
My first patient was a …
What do you remember most about the movie and musical Beauty and the Beast? For some, it is the powerful theme of inner beauty versus outward appearance. Others might resonate more with the music (“Be our guest, be our guest …”). For me, it is the vision of Belle’s inventor father, Maurice, and the townspeople laughing at his follies that has left a lasting mark and continues to trigger me …
I recently attended a three-day workshop on how to lead transformational workshops. The experience was both meta and genuinely transformational, and a number of the lessons I took away continue to stand out for me.
Safety comes first. The workshop leaders highlighted over and over again that psychological safety comes first. You cannot belong to a group if you do not feel safe. They created the prerequisites for safety and then …
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