In his “Nicomachean Ethics,” the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle points out that anger is not always a moral failure. To be sure, it is usually wrong to give in to it, but situations can arise when a good person naturally experiences a sense of moral indignation. The human mission is not always to hold anger at bay but sometimes to feel it appropriately – why, with whom, when, where, and …
The tragic case of the anguished physician
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In this episode, we sit down with attorney and author Michael J. Grace to discuss his book, The Mumbo Jumbo Fix: A Survival Guide for Effective Doctor-Patient-Nurse Communication. As a defense lawyer representing health care providers, …
Breaking the communication barrier: a survival guide for doctors, nurses, and patients [PODCAST]
Many of us physicians are starting off 2023 with various new resolutions, including efficiency and “doing better,” but how do we get there? Our variable training experiences may prevent us from working with health professionals around us who can make our life easier and more efficient. Occupational therapists (or OTs) are that magical unicorn you may have overlooked.
Occupational therapists are regulated health care professionals with advanced training in physical and …
Discover the power of occupational therapy: a solution for doctors and patients
I intended to write an essay endorsing the clinical examination (CE), but recent personal events have made me reconsider. I had outpatient sinus surgery and developed chest pain the next day, leading me to my local rural hospital’s emergency department (ED). The ED physician diagnosed atrial fibrillation, and a CT scan revealed a small pulmonary embolus. I was then transferred to a city hospital and eventually cardioverted to sinus rhythm.
Despite …
Don’t neglect the power of clinical examinations in modern medicine
Physicians hit the ground running every day with myriad tasks related to patient care that place us in a hyper-stressed state. Let’s not forget that life’s stressors outside work are equally demanding and beyond equally important.
What are physicians to do?
The myriad of little (and sometimes not so little) frustrations that we encounter daily can drain our energy and impact how we perform. Physicians need focused energy to power through their …
5 simple ways for physicians to create mindfulness and improve well-being
It’s been over ten years since my life changed forever. In 2012, I was out to dinner with a friend when I developed a rash across my face. Little did I know, this was an early sign of what would soon be a life-altering discovery; I have lupus. Receiving this diagnosis was both challenging and overwhelming and showed me the importance of being your own advocate. It took a fainting …
From diagnosis to digital health advocate: Navigating lupus in the era of technology
An excerpt from On Medicine as Colonialism.
In Central Falls, Rhode Island, where I work, the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard. People who live in Central Falls, the smallest and poorest city in Rhode Island, live in densely packed houses, often eight or ten people to a two-bedroom apartment, sharing one bathroom …
Against all odds: How two cities tackled the COVID-19 crisis
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We’re joined by Aniyizhai Annamalai, an internal medicine-psychiatry physician. Dr. Annamalai’s patients are mostly indigent, not employed due to disability, and have serious mental illnesses. Most of them qualify for Medicaid. In this episode, Dr. Annamalai shares …
Working with and supervising residents takes a certain degree of trust. Empowering residents with trust can be a difficult proposition for educators. There’s a moment early in the career and education of an anesthesia resident where they earn the trust of their faculty and supervising attendings. This moment is not contingent upon the memorization of a textbook or the demonstration of intubation skills. It doesn’t depend on the recitation of …
Earning trust in anesthesia: How recognizing limitations can improve patient safety
As a current medical student, I often encounter students considering a health care career. Understandably, this career is appealing. Being a physician lets you make a positive impact on people’s lives, along with many other benefits. However, becoming a physician is not a straightforward decision and requires a lot of thought, consideration, and sacrifice. This blog post, written for anyone considering medical school, will explore the pros and cons of …
Is medicine right for you? Exploring the benefits and challenges of a health care career.
An excerpt from Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory.
“I’m so worried about my memory,” says the 82-year-old accountant and mother of three. “All of my friends are having memory problems. Many of them have dementia, and some even have Alzheimer’s disease. I think I’m …
Understanding the memory loss of aging: How to tell normal forgetfulness from brain disorders
Food should not kill, but in the last three weeks alone, the food allergy community has grappled with three food-induced anaphylaxis deaths. All were young adults in the prime of their lives; one in middle school, another going to a school dance, and one just engaged to the love of her life.
No one is perfect in how they conduct themselves daily, but for those with food allergies, falling short of …
Food allergy tragedies: the reality that haunts us
An excerpt from Never Too Late: Your Guide to Safer Sex after 60.
The sexual revolution that began in the 1960s challenged social norms and traditional concepts, promoted acceptance, and liberated individuals from sexual repression. It effectively transformed society and how we, in the United States, thought about sex. Today, those …
Golden years, golden risk: the startling increase of STDs in seniors
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Our guest today is James Malone, an endocrinologist and health care executive with over 30 years of experience in the field of diabetes.
James has seen firsthand the challenges that many people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) face …
Empowering Type 2 diabetes patients with innovative insulin management tools [PODCAST]
As a physician, I was taught to remain neutral in the public eye regarding political issues. My viewpoints and opinions do not enter my work because the work is not about me but about the person sitting across from me who seeks help. As a psychiatrist and ethicist, I treat all people with respect, compassion, and dignity. I believe in my duty to treat patients, regardless of who they are, …
Why doctors must speak out on political issues impacting patients
Stress is ubiquitous, and Americans are struggling to deal with it effectively. The tag #mentalhealth on TikTok has amassed 65.5 billion views and counting.
Still not sure about that?
Answer this question quickly: What do you do when you’re hungry? Many would respond that they eat; it’s a straightforward answer to a common experience.
But what if you tweak the question with one word: What do you do when you’re stressed? This, …
Breathing your way out of stress: the simple solution to a growing epidemic
Fifty years ago, medical graduates’ licensing required membership in the AMA, the state, and the local county societies known as organized medicine (OM). Physicians, through their OM, wrote the rules and guidelines of the practice of medicine, controlled the hospitals through their medical staff organizations, and jointly approved what health insurance covered with the insurance carriers.
In the last 40 years, gradual changes in our country have affected our patients and …
The fall of the patient-doctor bond: How corporate medicine is changing health care
I have three adult daughters, all college graduates. All are in long-term relationships with men, children, dogs, and careers. I am “Dad” and will always be Dad. I additionally happen to be a physician who cares for adult patients. If they are ill or have a medical problem, their first phone call is to my cell phone. If it’s not a phone call, it’s a text message. I do not …
Navigating the new norm: a physician’s perspective on caring for sick patients in the age of COVID
Mary Eliza Church Terrell famously wrote, “And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go, struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds and blossoms of our desires will burst into glorious fruition ‘ere long.”
Lift as we climb.
Terrell lived her life by this motto, as an organizer in the women’s suffrage and civil rights movements, and as a founder of the National Association of Colored Women and the …
Lessons from a civil rights icon: How to lift as we climb
An excerpt from The Medical Jungle: A Pioneering Surgeon’s Battle to Revolutionize Vascular Care and Challenge the Medical Mafia.
Still no matter what anyone said, I knew in my heart that endovascular grafts and endovascular aneurysm repair were going to be a game-changer and that vascular surgeons had to get involved …
Revolutionizing vascular surgery: How embracing endovascular techniques saved the specialty
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