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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]
Ashley, one of my colleagues, and I discussed whether or not a doctor, nurse, or other providers of care should cry or show emotion with a patient or client. We’re not speaking of meltdowns or becoming so emotionally involved that it impairs our judgment or makes it difficult for us to render effective care, but simply being able to show a human response in the presence of your patient at …
So what if cry with my patients?
When I was in high school, I read George Orwell’s 1984, a novel about a dystopian future where the government (a.k.a. Big Brother) monitors everything the citizenry says or thinks. Anyone deviating from government “doublespeak” is swiftly and severely punished. I recall my horror as the main character, Winston, a former government official who joins the anti-Big Brother underground, is arrested by the “thought police.” His mind is then reprogrammed …
Punishing doctors for spreading misinformation
I am not your provider.
There are days I loudly scream silently within the profundity of my soul, “Lord, please do not let them call me ‘provider’ one more time.”
I do not merely present to you to give you something you can use for your own personal subsistence.
Provider comes from the Latin verb “providere,” which means “to foresee.” Our beloved and storied profession’s effective and evidence-based practice does not merely imply …
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“Despite the terror of the Soviets, it was clear that not even their mighty tanks could eradicate the social tides that now, like a tsunami, could not be turned back. The power of the movement forced Ernő …
A Hungarian Jewish man’s fight for freedom [PODCAST]
If you are considering accepting an academic appointment, you need to be cognizant of the special issues involved in contracts in academia. You must know these things before signing an academic physician employment agreement.
An academic physician employment agreement is usually light on provisions.
Unlike most hospital physician employment agreements, an academic physician employment agreement tends to be very sparse on contractual provisions. Typically an academic physician employment agreement will just be …
Things to know before signing an academic physician employment agreement
An excerpt from The Skincare Hoax: How You’re Being Tricked into Buying Lotions, Potions & Wrinkle Cream.
Why do accomplished, intelligent women spend so much money on skincare products that don’t work? Why do they put so much energy into looking a certain way? These questions hover in the back of …
How you’re being tricked into buying lotions, potions, and wrinkle cream
The recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics on declining U.S. life expectancy painted a bleak picture, fueled in large part by the impact of Covid-19, but not exclusively. Many of the contributing factors are deeply systemic – poverty and health disparities among them — but other longstanding health issues, including high rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, are contributing factors.
More than 34 million people – one …
We need to stop treating diabetes (without a prevention plan)
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“Patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and their allies will rally in DC, London, and Edinburgh this September to “demand bold, urgent governmental action” for the millions of people living with ME, long COVID, and other infection-associated, chronic …
Why psychological explanations for long COVID are dangerous [PODCAST]
Getting into medical school is only the first step of an intense journey. Undergoing the admission process and being accepted into medical school can be an exceptional challenge, especially as a student of color, but it isn’t the only hurdle. In a previous article, I outlined the medical school admission process, its reliance on MCAT scores, and key experiences, which are highly influenced by unequally distributed opportunities. I also shared …
Who gets to graduate from medical school?
An excerpt from A Caregiver’s Love Story.
Caregiver burnout is a real and serious problem for those caregivers in for the long haul. It is a serious issue if you go to bed each night in anguish over the next day’s chores and wake up each morning with a …
Lessons in avoiding compassion fatigue
From an Indian parable dated from before 500 BCE:
A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: “We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable.” So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. …
Having more doctors to assess rare, multi-system illnesses
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