I normally start October off by changing my Facebook profile picture to a pink survivor ribbon and celebrating my breast cancer survivorship, but this October was different. I slept on October 1st because I had spent 48 hours at Gulf Coast Medical Center when hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida three days before. I was absolutely exhausted when I arrived home after the storm. The world was turned upside down. Then …
Say “I love you” often and mean it
I shall translate.
This is her big day! She is meeting with her specialist for the first time, excited to finally hear that she will be cured from her annoying disease.
I am there to interpret back and forth between her and her doctor to eliminate the language barrier.
She has been suffering from this terrible disease affecting multiple organ systems in her frail body for a long time.
Today, she is done!
With her …
There is no cure for your disease
The finality of death is a powerful teacher. For some patients, being diagnosed with a terminal illness is an experience that lends a tremendous shift in perspective and newfound authenticity. This can be instructive to them and the people around them. As psychologist Charles Garfield says, “The living have much to learn from the dying.”
This applies not only to the experience of a terminal illness but also to its …
What being a hospice volunteer taught me about health care
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“Try incorporating the three small practices of your choice into your day-to-day for two weeks and watch your experience of your life transform.
You have worked far too hard to just go through the motions forever. Starting today, …
Stop going through the motions and actually have the life you dreamed of [PODCAST]
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 …
My daughter and COVID: a tale of 3 doctors
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. …
Why body type standards are wrong in measuring health
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 …
A doctor’s foray into online therapy
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“You received an interview invite based on ERAS filters the program set, so you already have your foot in the door. Don’t have them yawning at a two-page extravaganza of your life story that makes them wonder …
Who reads personal statements? [PODCAST]
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 …
How people of faith can respond to our broken health system
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 …
The merry-go-round of rounding
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 …
Being an influencer has the potential to be destructive: a physician’s cautionary story
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“No wonder doctors feel like hamsters running on an exercise wheel to nowhere. And this sense of futility is driving burnout. How much patient care will you get out of docs who have moved on to nonclinical …
Doctors are like hamsters running on an exercise wheel to nowhere [PODCAST]
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:
Unfortunately, rheumatoid arthritis is not only a disease of the joints. Chronic, ongoing inflammation …
Why adopt a lifestyle pyramid for rheumatoid arthritis?
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 …
It is time for non-confrontational discussions of the unborn child’s humanity
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 …
A doctor explains 10 misconceptions about abortion
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“I am heartbroken at the loss of my sister. No, breast cancer didn’t physically kill her, and for that, I am grateful. Its presence in her medical history, however, quite possibly did as it was apparently used …
My sister went to the hospital seeking help. Instead, she died. [PODCAST]
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 …
The evolving role of physicians 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 …
Speak up for safety in health care
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 …
A hospitalist’s struggle to find teamwork in academic medicine
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“There is great hope for this bill to accomplish the stated goals in the medical and energy worlds. There are many excellent summaries regarding this bill, and I would urge any interested readers to find a review …
Can the Inflation Reduction Act build back medicine better and reduce climate change? [PODCAST]
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