KevinMD.com

The role of nutrition in rheumatology patients

Conditions

July 31, 2022

Five years ago, I met a patient that changed my view on practicing traditional medicine, especially when it comes to rheumatology. For years, I was proud to be in a booming field that provided patients with a new therapy every few years. As a physician and scientist, I believe that targeted therapy offers tools to treat patients like never before, but I have noticed that results vary over time.

Daniel was …

Don’t become a doctor?

Lauren Rissman, MD

Physician

July 31, 2022

Do not become a doctor. This was the piece of advice my parents gave me when I initially shared my desire to do so.

No, neither parent is in the medical field. As I’m finishing medical training today, I fear this will be the advice I will give my daughter one day. Once wide-eyed, I now look in the mirror and barely recognize myself. Seven years into post-medical school training, I …

Read more…

Don’t become a doctor?

Transition planning: financial moves for medical residents and fellows [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 30, 2022

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD.

“While you may not know exactly what your transition period will look like ahead of time, you can do your best to prepare for this change. By having a plan in place, you can make sure you are ready for the time between …

A nut allergy nightmare at 35,000 feet

Samara Friedman, MD

Conditions

July 30, 2022

A hungry college student was on a plane flying to Italy. She was alone, as her parents had bought her a ticket to join them on the trip, but their own flight had been sold out. About an hour after take-off, the flight attendants came down the aisle with their carts to serve dinner. She chose the chicken and quickly ate the entire meal. It was Indian-style cuisine, an odd …

Read more…

A nut allergy nightmare at 35,000 feet

Denying essential medical care doesn’t save money — or lives

Steve Cohen, JD

Conditions

July 30, 2022

That health care in the United States is wildly expensive is beyond debate — but the actual numbers are almost beyond belief. In 2010, for example, health care costs amounted to $2.6-trillion. By 2020, those costs had risen to $4 trillion — an increase of more than 50%. Worse, such increases show no signs of slowing.

Health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket expenses, and direct government expenses all add up to a nearly …

Please stop saying “provider”

Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD

Physician

July 30, 2022

When I started my internal medicine practice in 1996, the medical arena was vastly different than it is today. Back then, having an MD after my name actually meant something.

A letter from me to an insurance company would get a needed medication covered for a patient––a time before preauthorization existed. Dr. Google was not yet born. “Provider” exclusively belonged to the insurance industry.

My patients called me “doctor” and referred to …

Read more…

Please stop saying “provider”

Robotic interventional cardiology [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 29, 2022

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD.

“In the majority of robotic-assisted cases I perform, automated movements are particularly helpful in delivering gear – I can easily get balloons and stents around the C-shaped curve in the right coronary artery from the cockpit just like I would be able to …

Seemingly unimportant acts make a big difference

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

July 29, 2022

We were reminiscing recently at a brunch we set up. It had been many years since we had seen each other. Eventually, we went our separate ways. But we reconnected once again.

Anna was one of our night shift nurses. She was bright and articulate. She eventually became a preceptor and mentor to many new ICU nurses.

The “night shifters” are on an island of their own. We form a special family, …

Do microaggressions persist after practice?

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

July 29, 2022

Microaggressions are common, subtle, offending behaviors and attitudes that stem from implicit (unconscious) bias. Individuals targeted by microaggressions are different than us — different in their look, skin tone, gender, sexual preference, socioeconomic status, educational level and age.

Implicit bias refers to unconscious stereotypes, assumptions, and beliefs held about an individual’s group identity. They affect our understanding, actions, and decisions and increase Read more…

Do microaggressions persist after practice?

Candid about my breast cancer

Bianca Haines

Conditions

July 29, 2022

Lump

I am a pretty private person and will only disclose information with a small few I trust. However, it has been five years since my second diagnosis with breast cancer, and I felt compelled to share my journey because I’ve made it a lot longer than I thought I would.

Every day for the rest of the month, I will share what I recall, what helped, and what didn’t. My only …

Read more…

Candid about my breast cancer

What needs to change in medicine for it to be sustainable? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 28, 2022

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD.

“A prospect seeking a career in medicine must start with their own awareness of boundaries and perfectionism before entering the field. This inner work must be indoctrinated in schools and encouraged through residencies and mentorships. Furthermore, administration must model this and valued it …

The nurse who walked a million miles

Christopher Nyte, DO

Physician

July 28, 2022

Nurses are notoriously tough, resilient, and caring. Their ability to deliver health care with a mindful spirit is uncanny. Multitasking is soon ingrained in even the greenest of this kind.

Go ahead, inundate them with requests, some admittedly regretful, and you will witness amazing things being accomplished with few exceptions. They can be mischievous as well. After all, they’re human, right? Surely the new haughty unsuspecting intern deserves a 2:45 a.m. …

Read more…

The nurse who walked a million miles

I received a comprehensive sex education. I still chose abstinence.

Anonymous

Conditions

July 28, 2022

Here’s the story of a girl who got a comprehensive sex education and still chose abstinence. That girl was me.

Did I gain this knowledge from school? Heavens no. I grew up in the South at the turn of the 21st century. Abstinence-only sex education was the name of the game (still is, last I checked), especially in the school district I was in. Ironically (or maybe not so, in light …

What a good death looked like [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 27, 2022

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD.

“He needed to be taken to the hospital to be pronounced, and he was put on a gurney. One frequently mouthed wish was to be taken from his home feet first. I stood beside him as he was placed in the ambulance. His …

Read more…

What a good death looked like [PODCAST]

I’m a physician, not a provider

Diana Londoño, MD

Physician

July 27, 2022

Your parents likely spent months searching through baby name books, polling the family, and looking through the photo albums of ancestors to pick the perfect name for you.

Maybe your parents had to see your face before they could pick the perfect one. Names have history, they have power, and they embody your personality.

My daughter was officially named Daniela, yet we called her Bimbi months before she was born. That is …

Read more…

I’m a physician, not a provider

Health care takes its toll. Look for the moments that remind you why you’re in it.

Karina Chavez, MD

Physician

July 27, 2022

Completing my second year as an attending during a pandemic has been, well, interesting. It has brought up a variety of emotions. It’s all you’ve dreamt about for the past 7+ years of training, finally making it — the ability to “call the shots.” It is exhilarating yet mortifying, all wrapped in one!

You have those occasional cases you have never been exposed to during training. You lean on colleagues for …

Gun violence is our society’s disease

Leslie Mattson, MD

Policy

July 27, 2022

About a month ago, I had just finished hospital rounds when I heard “code active threat” on the overhead intercom. Thinking it was a drill, I continued typing patient notes until I heard a more urgent: “Please barricade in place or, if able, evacuate the premises immediately.”

My heart raced as I quickly weighed my options: barricade myself alone in the physician lounge or run to the parking garage, risking the …

Read more…

Gun violence is our society’s disease

Allow yourself the space you need to heal [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 26, 2022

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD.

“As doctors, we are called to heal. We are called to serve. It’s in us. Our ability to heal and serve others does not have to be limited to the hospital and clinic walls. I want all our brilliant doctor minds to be …

Clearing up common misconceptions surrounding cellular technology and radiation

Kevin Charles King, MD

Conditions

July 26, 2022

5G and its related cell towers are still causing controversy around the U.S. Earlier this month, residents in Indiana and Nevada were against 5G cell towers being placed in their neighborhoods. In Charlotte County, Florida, one resident against the towers was concerned about his neighborhood being the guinea pigs of possible health implications caused by 5G. Before these complaints surfaced, 107 …

What a good death looked like

Yvonne Caputo

Conditions

July 26, 2022

The first occurred when the ethics committee gathered to discuss one of the residents on the nursing wing. She was in the late stages of dementia and unable to speak. She had developed an ulcer on her foot, and the doctor recommended antibiotics and whirlpool treatments. These might prevent having her foot amputated.

Her health care agent with medical power of attorney was her daughter. She said that her mother had …

Read more…

What a good death looked like