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When your letter to the editor is rejected or ignored

Physician

November 30, 2022

Dear Dr. El-Dalati,

I am sorry that we will not be able to publish your recent letter to the editor regarding the Chowdhury article of 16-Sep-2021. The space available for correspondence is very limited, and we must use our judgment to present a representative selection of the material received. Many worthwhile communications must be declined for lack of space.

The response from The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) seemed simple and …

Let doctors in recovery be able to recover their careers [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 29, 2022

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“During addiction, the brain becomes ‘hijacked,’ which then ‘exaggerates the need for the drug and minimizes the dangers associated with the use of the drug.’ This is so affirming because the chemicals in my brain told me …

What is cognitive load? How can we help clinicians manage it?

5 tips for treating seasonal depression during the holidays

Stephanie Straeter, PhD

Conditions

November 29, 2022

Although the holidays are typically associated with feelings of joy and thankfulness, it is imperative that people should not automatically assume these emotions are commonly shared. Three percent of all individuals are impacted by seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during the holidays – a statistic many people are unaware of. The media promotes an unrealistic expectation that everybody should be happy during this time, but this is not the case …

The most valuable health care companies of tomorrow will be technology companies

Christopher H. Loo, MD, PhD

Tech

November 29, 2022

I’ve always been curious about the top 0.1 percent.

Their mindsets, backgrounds, upbringing, perceptions, skills, and behavioral traits that got them there.

After living through the Dot-com bubble, 9/11, Enron-WorldCom, the 2008 financial crisis, the meteoric rise of technology (search, e-commerce, social media, sharing economy), and the rise of a new class of billionaires, I intuitively sensed that there was a disconnect between what was going on in the real world, and …

A physician’s remedy for stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 28, 2022

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“My own burnout episode forced me into some heavy-duty soul-searching and serious reflection. I got lost in the world of seeing as many patients as possible, battling for more operating room time, and keeping up procedure volumes, …

The transformative power of EMDR

Michael Baldwin

Conditions

November 28, 2022

I became a self-involved status and achievement “junkie” in order to tune out unbearable inner voices that repeated, “You are worthless … you’re a fraud … you’re a failure.” I was obsessed with grandiosity: I owned a penthouse apartment with a landscaped terrace, a closet full of Brooks Brothers suits, a family crest ring, engraved stationery from Tiffany & Co., monogrammed dress shirts from Charvet in Paris, and towels from …

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The transformative power of EMDR

Stop calling it the good cancer

Tresia Rouse, RN

Conditions

November 28, 2022

“You have the good cancer.”

These are the most common words that spill out of providers’ mouths to patients just being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. However, this statement does not make this diagnosis any easier to comprehend and digest the life-altering news that has been received by the patient. The survivability rate for this cancer is a high percentage; that is good news, but not good cancer. An issue at …

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Stop calling it the good cancer

For me, COVID has a face

Anonymous

Conditions

November 28, 2022

I’ve moved recently, and in the process of moving, invariably, one discovers old items. This had gotten shelved in the fracas of those years, work changed overnight, changing employers, moving. However, in a discussion with a close friend today, this resurfaced as she’s grappling with patients and family who are not seeing what she’s seeing.

Summer 2020

It’s another Sunday night family dinner. Conversation centers around catching up on the latest family …

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For me, COVID has a face

What anticipatory grief feels like [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 27, 2022

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“I experienced many deaths when I was a nurse, from babies, kids, young adults, the elderly, and my own family. It was always heartbreaking, but I found that staying with the dying and the family and supporting …

Has medicine lost its why?

Bevan Choate, MD

Physician

November 27, 2022

From the halls of ancient Greece to the heights of television screens, the myth that the physician is more god than mortal has stood the test of time. As such, we are held to moral and superhuman standards no matter how tough things get. And thanks to our friend Hippocrates, we are oath-bound in our virtues to help anyone in need; while putting OUR personal needs aside, of course. Many …

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Has medicine lost its why?

It’s called crying and it’s normal

Jean Paul Brutus, MD

Physician

November 27, 2022

Doctors treat people in all types of situations. Life or death. Sometimes both. Babies die, children die, and teenagers die. Women die. Men die. Sometimes you even have the misfortune of delivering a stillborn. Everyone experiences death, but for doctors, it’s part of our daily norm. Day after day, for decades throughout their career, we have to experience death and the pain of others. Beyond being knowledgeable and competent in …

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It’s called crying and it’s normal

Don’t lie about medical errors. Apologize.

Alisa Sano, MPH

Conditions

November 27, 2022

Time of death: unknown.

It was around 6 p.m. on April 21, 2013.

My mom saw my grandfather dying slowly in the hospital bed.

She had pressed the nurse call button frantically over the last 20 minutes.

She rushed to the nurse station only to find out nobody was there.

She went back to my grandfather and spent the last three minutes with him.

She was the one who saw my grandfather’s bpm (beats per minute) …

Opioid-free orthopedic surgery [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 26, 2022

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“How do we manage this? All patients meet with the physical therapist before surgery and within two days after surgery. They use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) before and after surgery. They get a regional anesthetic block …

The impact of hand surgery on human identity and expression

Peter T. Hetzler, MD

Conditions

November 26, 2022

One weekend, while taking hand trauma call, we received a pre-arrival page about an incoming patient, a plastic surgeon, who had injured himself while moving a glass table. The information we received was devastating — a wrist laceration through the median nerve of his dominant hand. After his arrival in the ED and the formulaic introductions at the beginning of any encounter, he frankly asked, “So, honestly, do I need …

A holiday wish for lung cancer screening

Nicole Geissen, DO

Conditions

November 26, 2022

In November, Mariah Carey defrosts for another holiday season with her iconic tune, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” and social media floods platforms with content about Black Friday and the holidays.

November is also Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of both men and women in the U.S. and worldwide. Lung cancer kills more people each year than breast, prostate, and colon …

The scientific race to defeat a deadly virus

Martha Rosenberg

Conditions

November 26, 2022

An interview with David Quamman, author of Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus.

Rosenberg: After the publication of your 2012 book Spillover, in which the scientists you interviewed talked about expecting the “next big one,” I was surprised more people didn’t say, “Quammen told us so.”

Quammen: Actually, in Jan 2020 [as COVID-19 hit], I immediately got calls asking me how “I knew” this was going to …

Science impacts our lives more profoundly than we appreciate [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 25, 2022

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“Scientific research impacts our lives, however, and much more profoundly than we generally appreciate. Considering the wide-ranging benefits, science is not just for scientists. Research discoveries are often translated to tools and applications down the road, usually …

A goodbye note to my suicidal teenagers

Shivana Naidoo, MD

Physician

November 25, 2022

On the day before the last day at my last job, I reviewed my patient roster. Five of my seven most worrisome teenagers were currently admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a suicide attempt. This was not completely surprising. It is the fall. Teenagers notoriously struggle two to three months after starting school, getting into academic work, falling prey to bullying and stress, or not meeting their goals. But I …

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A goodbye note to my suicidal teenagers

Why every doctor needs a translator

Heather Hansen, JD

Education

November 25, 2022

Twenty years as a medical malpractice defense attorney has given me a superpower. I’m an extraordinary translator. In the courtroom, we occasionally hire translators to interpret when a witness speaks a language other than English. They help the jury understand the witness and collect the information they need to make a decision. But we need someone able to translate for the jury when a physician starts speaking “medicine.” This also …

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Why every doctor needs a translator

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