My daughter and COVID: a tale of 3 doctors
It was the best of medical encounters; it was the worst of medical encounters. But it is indeed a story of how two physicians viewed the same situation very differently, and how one brought trauma to a young patient, and one (two) brought healing to that very patient with the same set of information.
My daughter was a healthy and vibrant 12-year-old when she first had COVID in June 2020. She …
Why body type standards are wrong in measuring health
When you visit your doctor for your regular check-up, just like every human being, your body and health are judged by three main scientific standards to determine if you are healthy and “normal.”
Standard 1 is the Standard Scientific Human Body Anatomy Book Body Type (BT1) found in any scientifically approved human body anatomy book. According to mainstream science and medical doctors, every human being is born in a standard BT1. …
A doctor’s foray into online therapy
I’ve had my share of therapy.
My mother was a clinical psychologist, and I grew up around the concepts of consciousness and the unconscious, growth and awareness, and “authenticity” before “authenticity” was even a buzzword. I’m quite certain she did some sort of therapy on me during my childhood. I remember vividly her briefcase with the blocks from the Stanford-Binet IQ test. She prepped me at home, at 4, in advance …
Who reads personal statements? [PODCAST]
How people of faith can respond to our broken health system
An excerpt from Care: How People of Faith Can Respond to Our Broken Health System.
“Why do you have to be such an asshole?”
Roger was visibly angry with me and ready to get up to leave. Forty-five years old, he worked long hours repairing cars and had very poor control of …
The merry-go-round of rounding
You start off your morning by receiving the patient handoff, then you “pre-round” on the EHR (furiously scribbling down information), then you physically pre-round on patients (or at least the “sick” ones), then you move onto some form of “proper” rounds that are generally attending specific (walk rounds, sit-down rounds, family-centered rounds, etc.), with the aid of the EHR or flying by the seat of your pants (a.k.a. depending on …
Being an influencer has the potential to be destructive: a physician’s cautionary story
An excerpt from Influenced: The Impact of Social Media on Our Perception.
During the COVID shutdowns, my medical practice—like that of most doctors—dramatically slowed down, giving me a lot of unaccustomed downtime. One day, my twin daughters approached me and urged, “Dad, there are some really good doctors on TikTok. You …
Doctors are like hamsters running on an exercise wheel to nowhere [PODCAST]
Why adopt a lifestyle pyramid for rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune disease affecting approximately 1.5 million people only in the United States. The most common symptoms that will bring patients to the doctor are:
- pain
- swelling and stiffness in multiple joints.
- most of the time, in a bilateral and symmetric pattern
Unfortunately, rheumatoid arthritis is not only a disease of the joints. Chronic, ongoing inflammation …
It is time for non-confrontational discussions of the unborn child’s humanity
The field of pediatrics has always been known for advocating and caring for the most forgotten and disadvantaged in our communities. The American Academy of Pediatrics was founded at a time when children were seen as lesser members of society.
Through the efforts of this organization and tens of thousands of dedicated pediatricians, we have changed the narrative. Several examples include:
1. Care of abused and neglected children. One of the first …
A doctor explains 10 misconceptions about abortion
The recent case of a fourteen-year-old girl being denied her medications for arthritis highlights that the Roe v. Wade decision has far-reaching consequences for women and girls. Disturbingly, the Supreme Court’s decision allowing for abortion bans also contains several factual errors. As a doctor, I think it is important that we understand the facts about abortion. I want to share the top 10 misconceptions about pregnancy termination that I have …
My sister went to the hospital seeking help. Instead, she died. [PODCAST]
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The evolving role of physicians in health care
Health care has changed dramatically in the last decades, from the introduction of electronic medical records to the COVID-19 pandemic serving as a catalyst for telehealth and virtual care options to the increased familiarity with digital therapeutics, etc. Just as the industry has transformed over time, the physician’s role has similarly evolved.
Traditionally, those of us who attended medical school have had just a handful of career options to choose from …
Speak up for safety in health care
A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
A nurse is assisting the attending physician in placing a central line in the intensive care unit.
It’s 3 a.m., and the attending is clearly tired, having admitted eight patients so far on her shift. The nurse notices the physician pushing her eyeglasses up her nose – after …
A hospitalist’s struggle to find teamwork in academic medicine
After a couple of hours of back and forth, I can finally complete an oxygen assessment on a patient ready to be discharged home. The conversation had concluded on a somewhat sarcastic note. I was left feeling guilty of having almost coerced someone to stay beyond their designated duty hours to attain a desirable outcome for a patient. While this was not entirely true, the encounter had brought forth a …
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Can the Inflation Reduction Act build back medicine better and reduce climate change? [PODCAST]
So what if cry with my patients?
Ashley, one of my colleagues, and I discussed whether or not a doctor, nurse, or other providers of care should cry or show emotion with a patient or client. We’re not speaking of meltdowns or becoming so emotionally involved that it impairs our judgment or makes it difficult for us to render effective care, but simply being able to show a human response in the presence of your patient at …
Punishing doctors for spreading misinformation
When I was in high school, I read George Orwell’s 1984, a novel about a dystopian future where the government (a.k.a. Big Brother) monitors everything the citizenry says or thinks. Anyone deviating from government “doublespeak” is swiftly and severely punished. I recall my horror as the main character, Winston, a former government official who joins the anti-Big Brother underground, is arrested by the “thought police.” His mind is then reprogrammed …
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Provider me not
I am not your provider.
There are days I loudly scream silently within the profundity of my soul, “Lord, please do not let them call me ‘provider’ one more time.”
I do not merely present to you to give you something you can use for your own personal subsistence.
Provider comes from the Latin verb “providere,” which means “to foresee.” Our beloved and storied profession’s effective and evidence-based practice does not merely imply …
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
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Recent Posts
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Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
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Signing bonuses and taxes: What physicians should know
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Learning to trust your body again: Healing the hidden wounds of medical training
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Past Week
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
-
The heartbreaking pandemic story I will never forget
-
How Earth Day can inspire better health for doctors and patients
-
Why female physicians are done asking for permission
-
Spreading hope one card at a time for doctors’ well-being [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Recent Posts
-
Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
-
Signing bonuses and taxes: What physicians should know
-
Learning to trust your body again: Healing the hidden wounds of medical training
-
Love, empathy, and the triangle of exhaustion: Why humanity must come first
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
Practical advice for physicians seeking joy and well-being [PODCAST]
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