An excerpt from Yankee Doctor in the Bible Belt: A Memoir.
Doctoring in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, I met Mrs. Snoop, a new patient at the clinic. She is 38 years old. Her chief complaint, according to her husband, is “not wanting to have sex.” He speaks on her behalf, sitting in the corner in grease-spattered overalls and heavy work boots.
On examination, Mrs. Snoop …
Long COVID is real. For millions of people who contracted COVID-19, recovery has been a long and uncertain road. While many regained their health in weeks, others continue to face persistent symptoms and health problems for months or even years after the acute infection. Patients, caregivers, and clinicians alike have named this condition “long COVID,” while scientists often refer to it as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC).
The long-term effects of …
The recently growing attention to the burnout crisis in health care has begun a much-overdue conversation. However, the discussion has thus far been focused primarily on physicians and nurses and has not yet considered the larger health care team enduring the same environments. This includes receptionists, pharmacy assistants, medical scribes, personal support workers (PSWs), rehabilitation support workers (RSWs), and many more. These are the unregistered health care personnel (HCPs) that …
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We explore the critical role of early intervention programs in supporting children with developmental delays. Pediatrician Maria Mba Wright shares insights into recognizing red flags like poor joint attention, navigating therapy options, and …
Recently, consumer articles heralded that blood tests for detecting Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) and many cancers were close to clinical availability. Given the narrow window in which AD must be diagnosed for present treatments to be effective, and questions regarding the utility of early cancer detection, will these tests provide any patient advantage?
Presently, there are two medications to treat AD. Neither is curative, but they slow disease progress by about five …
Around Christmas time every year, The BMJ publishes lighthearted feature articles and original, peer-reviewed research intended to ease physicians into the holiday season and help them escape the drudgery of practice. The 2024 collection of articles is no exception, with enticing papers like “How to transport a polar bear, and other idiosyncrasies in providing emergency medical services in the Arctic” and “Living happily ever after? The hidden health risks of Disney princesses.”
My favorite …
Society is obsessed with weight loss. Part of my brain is, too, albeit I am well aware that there will be no number low enough on the scale to satisfy that part of me.
Anorexia nervosa is a poorly understood and mismanaged condition from my perspective as a health care professional and patient with lived experience. Society seems to glorify anorexia, and people compliment what may often be maladaptive behaviors (such …
Kim Downey:
Pulling into my driveway, I grabbed a handful of envelopes from the mailbox, one of which was from my doctor’s office. I could tell it wasn’t a bill, and I became anxious. Upon opening it, I was relieved to find that it wasn’t about my doctor leaving his practice or that anything had happened to him. Rather, it was a notification that another doctor I’d seen once was leaving. …
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We’re joined by Diane W. Shannon, an internal medicine physician and physician coach, to explore the hard lessons of career sustainability and the importance of intentional self-care. Drawing from personal experience and years …
The waiting area in Kayla’s (name changed) practice was so peaceful that I felt better just sitting there. I had come to receive acupuncture treatments and didn’t quite know what to expect. While I sat and waited for Kayla to lead me back to a treatment room, I looked around. There were flowers on an end table next to a blue wooden bench. On the wall, there was a huge …
Charting: It’s a word that can make even the most seasoned clinician’s shoulders tense.
In my journey as the nurse practitioner charting coach, I’ve uncovered the shared struggles clinicians face with charting overload, which is why I now teach nurse practitioners actionable strategies to regain control of the charting process and restore their work-life balance. This article will dive into the impact of charting overload on clinicians and practical steps you …
A response to “The overwhelming reality of primary care: Why doctors still persevere.”
I am a primary care patient in a rural area of a western state, and I have not seen the same physician or other provider more than two or three times in the past 20 years.
I am a primary care patient, and I have 10 minutes to explain my entire medical history, including my neurologic, musculoskeletal, and …
Before children (B.C.), life was completely different. I had the kind of freedom I didn’t even realize I had. I could decide, on a whim, to go out for dinner, catch a late movie, or simply lie in bed doing absolutely nothing (well, that part rarely happened as I was too busy either in school or thinking about work). I could stay up late, not because I had to, but …
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Imagine if headlines proclaimed, “X-ray sees what doctors can’t” or “Lab test outperforms physicians’ clinical gestalt.” Absurd, right? You can recognize how such claims distort the role these tools play in health care. So why do current narratives surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) sound so similar?
We’ve all seen the sensational headlines: “AI chatbots defeated doctors at diagnosing illness” or “Using AI to detect breast cancer that doctors miss.” These …
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Join us as we talk with Gillian Burkhardt, an obstetrician-gynecology physician currently on assignment with Doctors Without Borders in South Darfur. We explore the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which …
The hidden health crisis
Low testosterone (low T) is one of the most underdiagnosed and misunderstood health conditions facing men today. Studies show that nearly 40 percent of men over age 45 and 50 percent of men over 80 have low testosterone levels. However, what’s more troubling is that only 20 percent of these men are ever diagnosed or treated.
The symptoms are often subtle but profound, affecting physical health, mental well-being, …
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An excerpt from Unlike the Rest: A Doctor’s Story © 2024. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
I was trained in my first month of residency, during onboarding, to always position myself closest to the door when interviewing a patient, as situations can escalate quickly and become potentially dangerous. “If a patient stands, you stand,” my preceptor said to me during safety training. Her words came back to …
Living with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) or long COVID can transform every aspect of life, including one that often feels too delicate or taboo to address: sex and intimacy. These conditions introduce physical limitations, emotional strain, and communication challenges that can make intimacy feel out of reach. But here’s the truth: intimacy is possible—it just looks different, and that’s OK!
Understanding the impact of ME/CFS and long COVID on intimacy
Both …
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Starting January 1, 2025, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (MPPP) will give providers a powerful way to address one of the biggest barriers to effective care: cost-related medication nonadherence. With 54 million Medicare beneficiaries eligible, this program has the potential to improve adherence, reduce hospital readmissions, and ensure better health outcomes on a large scale. By helping patients access the program, providers can play a pivotal role in transforming patient …
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