From a dermatologist: How to beat “maskne,” dry hands, and other safety-related skin problems

Conditions
September 26, 2020

You are doing all the right things: washing your hands frequently, wearing a mask when out in public, getting the requisite sunlight needed to reduce stress and maintain your health. And the reward you’re getting for all your diligence?

Dry skin, damaged nails, acne, and sunburns.

As we continue to live with the threat of COVID-19, more people find themselves wrestling with skin issues they never anticipated. Fortunately, there are easy and …

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Why that wound won’t heal

Conditions
September 26, 2020

Despite the advances in modern health care, chronic wounds remain highly problematic.  For the critically ill and those with mobility issues, missing just one routine repositioning could send them down a protracted path of intensive wound care therapies.  Even our ambulatory patients develop non-healing ulcers from neuropathy and microvascular disease.  For purposes of this discussion, the question of how the wound formed isn’t nearly as important as why it persists …

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Incremental risk amid COVID-19 re-openings: What do we value most? [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 25, 2020
YouTube video

“Grocery shopping is not optional; it’s necessary. But if you go every day and to multiple stores, you are increasing the chance you will be exposed. From my informal survey, this practice is extremely common. Yet, experts advise to consolidate shopping. In fact, in my experience, there is always at least one person (shoppers AND workers) in every store I have …

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Why this physician became a personal trainer

Physician
September 25, 2020

As many readers of my work know, I have a huge passion for preventive medicine, and balance my acute care hospital work with an outpatient wellness clinic. I have always been into exercise and outdoor activities since a young age but only became a regular gym-goer after I finished my medical residency training. I also became very keen on learning more about healthier nutrition habits. I don’t think I was …

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Essential health messaging tips for physicians [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 24, 2020
YouTube video

“Advocacy by moms is not new, but advocacy by physicians has been less common. Moms have been fierce advocates on a variety of causes ranging from Mothers Against Drunk Driving to Moms Demand Action, the anti-gun violence mom activist group led by Shannon Watts that has now helped launch moms into public office. As physician moms navigating a global pandemic, we are invested in …

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3 reasons why you should take your profit first, before paying expenses

Finance
September 24, 2020

As a business owner, you have one primary role: Make money.

I hate to put it in such callous terms, but that’s the primary aim of any business.  You have to make a profit first if you want to do anything else.  Making a profit isn’t the most important thing.  Your passion, your service, and your desire to help others should be the main motivation behind the business.

Money can not be …

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How the Google algorithm update helps doctor-written content rank higher

Tech
September 24, 2020

If you’re not intricately involved daily with SEO, let me explain what happened in May 2020 and why it will be a huge boost for content created by physicians.

First, what is SEO? In short, it is the process of optimizing content found online in order to help it be seen by those searching for the information found in that content. It used to be that people would just stuff their …

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A new approach to Medicare for all [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 23, 2020
YouTube video

Why should we reform the health care system to a physician-led approach? How will that look like? Would a Medicare for all system cure what ails the system? What are some obstacles to implementation?

Ken Terry is a journalist.

He shares his story and discusses his book, Physician-Led Health Care Reform: A New Approach to …

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In the age of misinformation, here’s how physicians can help [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 22, 2020

“There are two battles waging from the COVID-19 virus this year: the obvious fight for human life but also the attack on science. During philosophical and political debates, one steadfast weapon has been the scientific method. Opinion doesn’t matter. State the facts. The thing about facts are, though, that one has to be willing to change previously held points of view with new …

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We can’t expect large medical centers to absorb every case

Physician
September 22, 2020

My small community ED has a fairly high acuity. As such, I was recently trying to transfer a couple of patients, one of whom was an NSTEMI, pain-free but with a rising troponin. In the process of trying to arrange things, I learned that our main regional referral center was holding a staggering 150 patients in their own ED, all waiting for inpatient beds.

I’ve spent the majority of my career …

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A silent cry from the woman in the elevator

Physician
September 22, 2020

“How long have you been married?”

The question came from a young woman kneeling down by the elevator in the hotel where my wife and I were staying while in Seattle. We were there to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary with an Alaskan cruise. I hadn’t even noticed her as my wife and I were busy talking about the day. She appeared to be in her twenties. Her appearance was that of …

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Meet the physician who became a life coach [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 21, 2020
YouTube video

“For the past six months, I’ve spent my free time becoming a certified life coach. I’m a hospitalist, but a little more than a year ago, I was introduced to life coaching. I love the changes it has produced in my life – particularly how it’s changed me as a mother. Coaching helps me to be more present for my family …

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Why everyone needs a six-word story

Physician
September 21, 2020

Being humane makes you a hero.

It is a privilege to serve.

Be the voice, for those without!

Six words. One Story. These are examples from the My Six-Word Story Project, an innovative activity that supports the psycho-social well-being and emotional resilience of our healthcare professionals. My Six-Word Story has the power to reconnect us to our purpose and connect us as a community.

“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines …

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Genetic testing: Could there be unintended consequences? [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 20, 2020
YouTube video

“Both clinical and direct-to-consumer genetic testing have become significantly less costly and more common, providing people with access to a wealth of information about everything from their ethnicity and family lineage to their risk for certain diseases and how they will respond to medications such as blood thinners and antidepressants.

But before you decide to take the plunge into your gene pool, …

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Locum tenens contracts: Maximize opportunities and minimize risks [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 19, 2020
YouTube video

“Locum tenens means ‘to hold the place of, to substitute for’ and locum tenens contracts are a common form of agreement for physicians who provide temporary medical services in place of full-time physicians.

Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, increased demand puts physicians in a better position to negotiate their locum tenens contracts. However, too many practitioners sign them without fully understanding their …

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Bridging the COVID-19 health recommendations divide [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 18, 2020
YouTube video

“Misinformation about COVID-19, if propagated, can be deadly. The stakes are high. Physicians need to have a voice in this discussion and work towards impacting policy in a positive way. Physician-led groups such as IMPACT aim to advocate for evidence-based solutions for the protection of communities and serve an advisory role to those in charge of public policies. As physicians, our …

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Designing your life and career in medicine

Physician
September 18, 2020

The best part of my job is interviewing residents and watching as gears begin to turn in their minds when I ask:

  • What made you decide that you wanted to be a doctor?
  • What is your purpose in life?
  • What legacy are you creating?
  • Which position in your field will truly fulfill you?
  • What type of community do you seek in order to meet your wants and needs?
  • Are you …

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If you don’t want to wear a mask, come to work with me

Physician
September 18, 2020

I am an emergency medicine physician in an inner-city emergency department, and I would like to start by stating a simple truth: coronavirus is not going away any time soon.  Cases are climbing in practically every state and show no signs of slowing down. From my personal perspective, things are getting worse. Every day I am treating more and more patients who are ill with COVID-19 …

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An EMR frustration that is still torturing us

Tech
September 18, 2020

I have written, or more accurately ranted, about electronic medical records (EMR) systems throughout this blog. While the systems have clearly improved since their mandatory introduction into the medical universe, they have still not delivered on many of their promises.

Of course, EMR has brought tremendous advantages to the medical profession, and we are all grateful for the technology. But this progress has exacted a cost. Many of them are clumsy …

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Patients without traditional support systems, and the doctors who stereotype them [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 17, 2020
YouTube video

“When doctors ignore the evidence showing that a support system doesn’t have to be traditional in order to be effective, that’s not a medical judgment. It’s a personal prejudice that puts singles at serious risk.

Classifying patients as married or unmarried when studying the effects of social support undoubtedly makes research easier, with groups determined by a simplistic either-or. But since social …

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