I normally don’t make professional resolutions, but this year I am making an important exception. Why would I do such a thing? Like most of my evolution as a doctor, it comes from the wellspring of wisdom, namely listening to my patients.
I had a conversation recently with a patient, Kate, a retired school teacher, a lovely woman who spent her career in Berkeley County, WV, and taught kids who struggled. …
A surprising resolution in primary care
There are more cancer types than there are organ systems, but, according to Hollywood, there is essentially just “Cancer.” Capital C. Period.
Cancer-inflicted characters on the silver screen also primarily face just one outcome: death. This usually follows a montage of chemotherapy treatments that leave movie stars bald and purple under the eyes. There is no targeted immunotherapy in Hollywood. No clinical trials. No genomic medicine. Just an amorphous round of …
What films get wrong about cancer – and why it matters
I recently watched an Indian movie called The Three of Us, which revolves around a woman named Shelujah. She is in her late 30s, very charming, traditional, and intelligent. She works as a marriage counselor, leading a happy married life with one son studying abroad. Shelujah diligently maintains a diary, documenting even her minor daily chores. Often, she becomes engrossed in her thoughts, even failing to respond when called by …
A dementia patient’s poignant return to childhood
It is always assumed that the prosecution and the defense in the adversarial system may be searching for the facts that can then discover the truth. However, the whole truth may always remain undiscovered when the complete facts may not get uncovered due to competitive differences among the prosecution and the defense. This unbalanced competitiveness may arise from the perceived power held by the prosecution’s law offices contrasting with the …
The adversarial system in perioperative medicine
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Join Alan Lindemann, an obstetrics-gynecology physician, who shares his insights and real-life experiences, shedding light on the issues surrounding patient care, medical decision-making, and the role of institutions and personal connections in shaping health care outcomes. Discover …
A doctor’s tale of dismissiveness and patient harm [PODCAST]
The therapeutic modality developed by Francine Shapiro and referred to as eye movement desensitization reprocessing or EMDR, when embedded in the context of a wider lens, focuses on specific events and feelings with a view to overarching goals. We become who we are in a relationship, and specifically in our earliest relationship with a primary caregiver who shapes our worldview before we can give this active consideration. Subsequently, we develop …
Unlocking emotional healing: the power of EMDR therapy
Gene therapy is starting to come into its own, and it will change medicine more profoundly than anything that came before. Just like when antibiotics were discovered almost exactly a century ago, we are on the cusp of another revolution in medicine. One that is orders of magnitude greater than antibiotics.
Recently, in China, five of six children born with an autosomal recessive otoferlin deficiency deafness were cured by the injection …
Gene therapies for chronic pain?
“The sustenance of private practice doctors, like the survival of small bakeries amidst the sprawling dominion of retail giants, nurtures a tapestry of diverse health care providers, ensuring that patients have access to a symphony of medical options in close proximity to their communities.”
– Dr. Clarissa Meadowsong, patient advocate and champion of health care diversity.
As physicians and related health care providers, we all remember the golden days of private practice. …
Why private practice doctors are vital
An excerpt from The Birth of Joy: A Female Physician’s Healing Journey through Childhood Trauma, Midlife Burnout, and the Rediscovery of Passion and Purpose.
As an OB/GYN, I had found my calling. I loved delivering babies, performing surgery, and the long-term relationships I built with my patients. But I became irritable, angry, and resentful. My life became my work–at the expense of my family and myself. My work was my …
From OB/GYN to self-compassion: a physician’s tale of transformation
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Join Tami Burdick, a patient advocate and the author of Diagnosis Detective: Curing Granulomatous Mastitis. We delve into the world of travel, uncovering hidden health and safety risks often overlooked by travelers. From airport concerns to international …
Travel’s hidden health risks [PODCAST]
In 1987, Francine Shapiro went for a walk and discovered eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) as a therapeutic technique for traumatic experiences with lasting impact. Some thirty years later, with a substantial body of research confirming its efficacy, the mechanism of action remains a mystery. However, the treatment has expanded to focus on chronic pain, addictions, attachment trauma, among other areas. So, what is EMDR exactly? First and foremost, like …
EMDR therapy: From walk to wonder, unmasking trauma’s secrets
The impact of personality in health care
The health care sector’s success hinges on the diverse personalities within its workforce. Embracing this diversity, particularly the dynamics of introversion and extroversion, is not just beneficial for patient care but crucial for the well-being and job satisfaction of health care providers. Studies have shown that a diverse personality mix in health care settings can …
Maximizing health care efficiency: Harnessing the power of personality diversity
In a survey conducted by a University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing team led by Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, of 21,050 physicians and nurses at 60 hospitals, it was found that more than 40 percent of clinicians were not confident that hospital management would act to resolve problems that clinicians identify in patient care. Close to one-third of clinicians said their values were not aligned with those of their hospital’s …
Clinicians and management at odds in health care
Predicting specific developments in health care informatics for 2024 is challenging, but trends suggest continued advancements in AI-driven diagnostics, personalized medicine, and enhanced interoperability for seamless data exchange among health care systems. The emphasis on cybersecurity to protect sensitive health data will also likely increase.
AI-driven diagnostics are likely to see advancements in accuracy and efficiency. Improved algorithms will enable faster and more precise analysis of medical data, such as diagnostic …
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Join Maria Iliakova, a bariatric and general surgeon. We’ll dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and its remarkable applications across various industries, including health care. Maria will shed light on what AI is, how …
Call it what you want: nursing home, skilled nursing facility, rehab center, convalescent home, or post-acute care. They are all the same and a common destination should you survive a recent hospitalization.
But they all have an existing reputation and can ultimately diminish the dignity of older adults. Never in my four decades of practice has anyone ever said, “Please, Dr. Dorio, send me to a nursing home!”
As a geriatric physician, …
Nursing homes: How they impact the dignity of older adults
Change is a constant in the medical field, and one significant shift that’s been shaking up the world of health care employment is the reform of non-compete contracts. Understanding the implications of these changes is crucial to every doctor. I believe it’s important for you to grasp what the new non-compete contract reforms mean and how they might affect your career.
During the first 15 years of my career as a …
Freedom to roam: Breaking down the boundaries of non-competes
As a urogynecologist, my clinic is full of women with bothersome bladder issues. And while this likely does not appeal to you, curing incontinence is my favorite clinical endeavor.
Urinary incontinence seems like a minor medical problem. After all, it isn’t heart disease or cancer. However, urinary incontinence has a dramatic and negative impact on the quality of life. On any given day, I talk to women who have stopped exercising …
Urogynecologists tackle the stigma of incontinence
There’s much to be said about women’s intuition. The instinct a woman has can be so intense that nothing anyone says or does will change her beliefs or feelings. For some women, maybe over time, the intuition has been acquired, but for others, it’s been a gift she naturally has had her entire life. Because of this, we not only know better when something is off or doesn’t seem right, …
Women’s intuition in health and healing
This article is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pain is a deeply personal experience and one of the most common reasons why individuals seek medical care in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control …
Balancing research with safe opioid prescribing to reduce pain and improve quality of life
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