The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

Physician
March 29, 2023

I am a Desi doctor, where Desi refers to someone from India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh.

I am currently a final-year resident in radiation oncology at a private-sector hospital in Pakistan.

During my medical school and house job, I worked in a public sector hospital where I experienced a high patient influx, a heavy workload, and limited resources. This environment made me a true “Desi doctor.”

Now, in this private sector hospital, I have …

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Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 28, 2023
YouTube video

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We welcome Shannon Dowler, a family physician and author of the book Never Too Late: Your Guide to Safer Sex after 60. In this episode, we delve into the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s and …

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Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

Conditions
March 28, 2023

In 2017 at the age of 62, I retired from my position as a family nurse practitioner when the small, independently owned private practice where I had been employed for 20 years was sold to the local hospital. I had been having some odd motor symptoms that were diagnosed as akinetic-rigid Parkinson’s disease in 2015.

The stiffness and reduced fine motor coordination on my dominant left side made many common tasks, …

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The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

Conditions
March 28, 2023

They’re very easy to spot. Sometimes it’s the crisp, brand-new lab coat or the shadows under their eyes. Often it’s announced in large letters on their ID badge. Or the badge is hidden, which is also a tell. If they’re trying to avoid being spotted, they’ll usually say they’re “working with” my doctor, as though I can’t figure out what that means.

Well, hello, resident doctor.

I see a lot of you …

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The Iranian diaspora’s fight for liberty: Overcoming challenges in the largest women’s rights movement of our century

Physician
March 28, 2023

For 44 years, Iranians have been living in captivity. Since the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, Iranians are no longer willing to tolerate life under the Islamic Republic and have spearheaded the largest women’s rights movement of our century.

With the focus on the people in Iran, few have discussed the challenges faced by the Iranian diaspora in this fight for the liberty of the Iranian people. For months, major news …

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Surviving clinical rounds: tips and tales from a pediatric hematologist-oncologist [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 27, 2023
YouTube video

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Today’s guest is Maha Al-Ghafry, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist who shares her experience with clinical rounds.

As health care professionals, we know the struggle of clinical rounds, where you receive patient handoffs, pre-round on EHR, physically pre-round on patients, …

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The harmful effects of shaming patients for self-education

Physician
March 27, 2023

“Don’t confuse your Google search with my medical degree.”

We’ve all seen the mug and likely had a little chuckle. Maybe it has even recalled to mind a particular patient or encounter. Other than thinking of it as a snarky joke (no shade on those of you who have one, truly), I have not given it much thought until a recent patient encounter.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to …

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The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions

Physician
March 27, 2023

As Physicians Week and Doctors’ Day approach, I’m getting ready for the flurry of posts and memes that get shared on social media about the appreciation being extended to us. Whether it is from our patients, colleagues, or administration, the common theme seems to be: the pizza delivery to the breakroom (getting cold while I run around hair-on-fire seeing all the patients) and the CEO emailing, “Thank You, Providers” is …

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The endless waves of chronic illness

Conditions
March 27, 2023

Life keeps buffeting the patient diagnosed with several chronic conditions, like continuous incoming and outgoing mammoth ocean waves flooding over one’s body, raising you high up into the air and then sucking you downward, a struggle to keep your head above the water for survival. There is no rest, true calmness, or time to catch your breath.

My time is dictated by scheduling appointments with my doctor, who then lends me …

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Skydiving and surgery: How one doctor translates high-stress training to saving lives

Physician
March 27, 2023

An excerpt from The Heart of Fear: A Surgeon’s Collection of Stories on Adversity, Passion and Perseverance.

Each step is calculated.

Each step is deliberate.

Each step is taken with the goal of saving a life.

Everyone needs a hobby, but skydiving can predispose you to precarious scenarios. When you’re in a high-stress situation, your training kicks in. You do what you need to do to regain control, deploy your reserve, and fly your …

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Telemedicine in the opioid crisis: a game-changer threatened by DEA regulations

Meds
March 27, 2023

In March 2020, I was directing a federally qualified health center in rural New Mexico when the first flashover of COVID ripped through the state. In two days, the clinics transitioned from an entirely in-person model to a near-total remote model. The transformation was raw and unplanned, trialing mediocre communications platforms in real-time and stumbling through the vagaries of electronic prescribing. As we got our feet under us, unexpected upsides …

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How this doctor found her passion in ballroom dancing [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 26, 2023
YouTube video

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Meet Corinne Sundar Rao, an internal medicine physician who found her passion in ballroom dancing. After 14 years of practicing medicine, she transitioned into being a full-time hospitalist but still felt like something was missing. One day, …

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Don’t be caught off guard: Read your malpractice policy today

Physician
March 26, 2023

We must confess: We both have Apple iPhones and have never read Apple’s user or licensing agreements. Have you? We assume that most of you have not read Apple’s agreements. And like most of you, we ain’t got time for that. We “agree” to the terms, unaware of what is in those documents. Is that a problem?

Right or wrong, we presume that by using Apple’s iPhone, they have access to …

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The dark side of medicine: an urgent call to action against greed

Physician
March 26, 2023

An editorial in JAMA by Donald Berwick, MD, speaks about the “existential threat of greed in U.S. health care.” He points his finger at all segments of health care, including physicians.

In my specialty of vascular medicine, I have encountered a number of physicians who blatantly and repeatedly urge their patients to undergo saphenous vein ablations even though these veins, by my examination, are completely normal. These are often patients who …

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The surprising power of Play-Doh in pediatric care: How it’s bringing families together

Conditions
March 26, 2023

The power of Play-Doh. This sounds like such an ironic phrase considering the malleability of this childhood favorite. Between several personal trips to the local store, our clinic buying several boxes, and getting donations from one of our amazing third years who has donated books and goodies for our patients since early intern year; we ended up having a plethora of the stuff.

We needed to make room for more spring-focused …

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Breaking free from gaslighting [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 25, 2023
YouTube video

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Join us as we delve into the topic of gaslighting and its impact on our lives. Our guest, Robin Stern, is a psychoanalyst and the author of The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide: Your Personal Journey Toward Healing …

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The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for your health care needs

Tech
March 25, 2023

Whenever you’re feeling sick, most people will tell you not to Google your symptoms or try to self-diagnose: That’s the quickest way to spiral into panic mode. Reading a list of possible diseases you didn’t even know existed but now are sure you have brings the hypochondriac out of even the most stoic person.

But what happens when you can search the internet for physician-level diagnoses of your aches and pains? …

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Dr. Glaucomflecken for president!

Physician
March 25, 2023

Is there anyone out there not familiar with Dr. Glaucomflecken? The fictional character created by Will Flanary, a practicing ophthalmologist, has entertained many on social media. If you are not aware of him, you should be! Dr. Glaucomflecken’s laugh-out-loud satirical short videos on medicine resonate with all physicians and others in the health care industry.

Dr. Flanary’s recent attacks on social media of private equity, insurance companies, and non-competes …

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