Sorry, I’m fed up. It’s not professional, but I am.

Physician
August 14, 2021

“It’s experimental.”

“It alters your DNA.”

“It may cause long-term problems.”

“It’s too new, too rushed. I want more time.”

I hear this nonsense from patients all day.

None are docs, virologists, microbiologists, immunologists, public health officials, medical researchers, nor intensive care docs. COVID can kill them in a particularly unpleasant way; with 99 percent+ effectiveness, the vaccine prevents them from dying from COVID, but they still recite a litany of scientifically illiterate reasons for …

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Delta surge warning: Ignoring jaw pain comes at too high a price

Conditions
August 14, 2021

As surges of the Delta variant alarm officials and citizens in this country and around the world, while the cases of COVID-19 have reached more than 200 million worldwide, a less visible threat re-emerges.

If health care professionals are not allowed to perform non-emergency procedures, as was the case in 2020, patients suffering with chronic pain such as jaw pain, may be left helpless.

The COVID-19 …

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America as an outlier: Paying more for less

Policy
August 14, 2021

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States clearly stands out: we spend far more on health care per capita than any other country in the world, yet life expectancy is shorter than in other developed countries that spend far less. Despite having a higher total expenditure on health care per capita than any other country in the world, the U.S.’ health …

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Let’s look at what’s right about nursing homes [PODCAST]

Podcast
August 13, 2021
YouTube video

“Extensive media coverage of the emotional and death tolls that COVID-19 inflicted on nursing homes has intensified concern for preserving the humanity of an often-overlooked population. There is an opportunity to re-examine the policies and practices that shape the nursing home experience and to add quality metrics that capture the …

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The mindset hack that will change your life

Sponsored
August 13, 2021

This article is sponsored by the Fast FIRE to Freedom Summit.

“Abundance mindset just seemed too simple to really be the solution. But I couldn’t deny the evidence … and that allowed me to loosen up to the possibility that maybe mindset is really the key.”

Chris was gleeful as he told me and my husband Kenji this. Downright giddy. He laughed throughout our …

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I am no longer terrified of COVID

Conditions
August 13, 2021

I am no longer terrified of COVID.

I’ve seen its death. I’ve seen it take the breath from someone’s lungs. I’ve watched it shut down kidneys. I’ve walked the halls of an ICU with pumps outside the room, and patients turned upside down. I’ve heard the code blues. I’ve passed an endotracheal tube through vocal cords. I’ve squeezed air into suffocating lungs. I’ve broken ribs doing chest compressions. I’ve sent electricity …

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Why it is essential to prioritize universal coverage [PODCAST]

Podcast
August 12, 2021
YouTube video

“Looking to other countries that provide universal coverage to see what works and what would fit well for the U.S. is an option. Countries like France, Australia, and England provide universal coverage and rank their health care systems very highly, and are culturally and socioeconomically similar to the U.S.

Whatever health …

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The political backlash to evidence-based doctors’ recommendations

Conditions
August 12, 2021

Last week, someone referred to me online in the most shocking terms: a liberal. As I read the phrase, I gripped the pearls around my neck and coughed down my scalding afternoon tea. How could this have happened to me?

With all its newsworthiness to the public, last week was still an ordinary one in the intellectual life of a doctor: Read journal articles, understand new guidelines, disseminate via recommendations. By …

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Unconscious biases against vitamins and supplements [PODCAST]

Podcast
August 11, 2021
YouTube video

“Like many scary health scenarios where patients seek some modicum of influence, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to patient demand for ‘immune-boosting’ dietary supplements. Toilet paper wasn’t the only essential item being limited by stores; bottles of zinc and vitamin C flew off the shelves as consumers stocked up. The …

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Medical student rotations amid COVID: Welcome to medicine little grasshopper

Education
August 11, 2021

I learned a valuable lesson about mentoring medical students during clinical rotations amid the COVID pandemic, and it’s not as easy as you think.

I have been in medical education, either in it or teaching it, for 20 years. I have spent countless hours doing lectures, giving hospital grand rounds, or leading bedside teaching rounds to those who want to follow in my footsteps as a clinical expert. But some are …

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A medical student’s guide to taking a social history

Physician
August 11, 2021

Dear medical student:

I was in your shoes twenty years ago. At that time, I thought that becoming a doctor was all about gaining medical knowledge. When I started my clinical rotations, I was convinced that the “history of present illness” is the most important aspect of patient evaluation. As a resident, I felt that navigating through the differential diagnosis and treatment options is all that medicine is about. Now, being …

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Think of the vaccines like an umbrella, and it’s raining outside

Conditions
August 11, 2021

If you are confused about delta and how well the vaccines protect against infection right now, I don’t blame you: We are learning and updating data in real-time, and it is hard to keep track of it all. So maybe this analogy will help.

Think of the vaccines like an umbrella, and it’s raining outside. Before delta, the rain was maybe a drizzle. Most people who had an umbrella were not …

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You have options when it comes to board certification [PODCAST]

Podcast
August 10, 2021
YouTube video

“Remember, board certification is supposed to be an option and not a requirement. Unfortunately, finding and keeping your dream job if you’re not board certified will add unwanted stress for you and your family.

And in case you’re wondering, I don’t work for or have anything to gain from informing you …

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The business school mindset doesn’t mind physician burnout

Physician
August 10, 2021

Even those of us with a meditation cushion and a gong app are likely to recoil when mindfulness practices are suggested as solutions for physician burnout. Sure, these practices are important. No, they do not address the causes of physician burnout.

Certainly, a more genuine effort by organizational leaders would be to respond to the data. There’s lots of it. The burnout — now “wellness” — data is collected endlessly and …

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Put yourself in the shoes of a nursing home resident [PODCAST]

Podcast
August 9, 2021
YouTube video

“Visit a nursing home and talk with some of the residents. They are not only moms and dads, but also retired teachers, first responders, former athletes, government employees, and soldiers—the basis of our country’s past lives within these walls.

Older adults should be honored with the dignity they deserve.

As we again …

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Physicians and the importance of servant leadership

Physician
August 9, 2021

Dear resident physicians:

Soon you’ll finish residency, and you may be wondering what’s next. Some of you will start fellowships, but most of you will practice your specialty. You may be looking for opportunities that are a good match with your needs and wants.  Virtually all of you are looking forward to greater income. I hope that this ending is also a beginning – a renewal of your commitment to the …

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A pediatric infectious disease physician shares his pandemic lessons [PODCAST]

Podcast
August 8, 2021
YouTube video

“COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of society as we know it, and doctors in hospitals across America are at the forefront of those changes. As a pediatric infectious diseases doctor who also writes curriculum to help the next generation of doctors prepare for their medical exams, I’ve seen firsthand …

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Colorful pills don’t paint my world

Meds
August 8, 2021

Pyrography

Medicine bottles are mundane objects tightly woven into our daily lives, with the promise of happier moods, better sleep, and lower blood pressure. Nevertheless, nothing on these objects correlates with hope, faith, or a feeling of healthiness. I aspire to affix a face on these bottles to create conversations among medication manufacturers, prescribers, and dispensers, allowing them to explore what really happens …

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Vaccine hesitancy is complex

Physician
August 8, 2021

Given the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, many are asking why people would be hesitant to be vaccinated against it. That’s the question that bounces around the skulls of countless physicians, public health experts, journalists, politicians, and others. But before trying to answer the question, it might be reasonable to ask why people do, or fail to do, other things that negatively affect their health.

Why does a patient with …

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