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How MRI-guided radiation therapy is changing the paradigm in pancreatic cancer

Conditions

November 14, 2021

I truly believe we’re at the beginning of something great in terms of fundamentally changing how we approach pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. With a mortality rate of roughly 80 percent, it’s been referred to as a medical emergency, yet minimal progress has been made in its treatment over the past few decades.

In the world of radiation oncology, …

The people vs. opioid pharma: Pharma wins again

Rebecca Thaxton, MD

Meds

November 14, 2021

On Monday, November 1, an Orange County California Superior Court Judge said, in a tentative decision, that the opioid pharmaceutical companies were not responsible for the opioid crisis.

This particular case, going by the name of “The People of the State of California v. Purdue Pharma,” started in 2014. The judge’s ruling noted that neither party requested a trial by jury. The trial took place before the judge between April 19, …

Alternative cryptocurrencies: 5 tips for physicians [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 13, 2021

“What are altcoins, and should you be investing in them?

I cannot speak to whether investing in altcoins is appropriate for you. Altcoins are a highly volatile and risky asset class that offers the potential for high returns. Every investor must decide whether they are willing to bear the associated …

The whole person care model is seeing its day in the sun

Betty Rabinowitz, MD

Every patient is someone’s loved one

Anonymous

Physician

November 13, 2021

It felt like watching a train go by with no control over its destination and no way to stop it. We simply had to watch our loved one as he made his way towards death.

The doctor said he had a traumatic brain injury with herniation. His pupils were fixed and dilated on arrival to the emergency department, which meant that he was not a candidate for any neurosurgical intervention. And …

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Every patient is someone’s loved one

Physicians aren’t all hanging in there. And that’s OK. [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 12, 2021

“Go ahead, give yourself permission, summon the compassion and grace you’d bestow on your best friend, and tell yourself, “This is the breadth of the human experience, and I’m only human.” There is immense beauty and strength in that vulnerability. I lied to myself for too long, couldn’t see the …

The rise of targeted therapies: the era of the patient-focused approach

M. Yair Levy, MD

Meds

November 12, 2021

There is an urgent need for innovation in cancer treatments. Although we’ve seen significant progress in indications for drugs treating particular diseases, cancer research data shows that 10-year survival statistics for cancers such as esophageal and lung cancer, for instance, have shown only a 10 percent increase, while pancreatic cancer has shown no significant improvement since the 1970s. The implementation of targeted therapies in cancer treatment is an …

Pamela Wible, MD on physician suicide and medicine’s culture of betrayal [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 11, 2021

“When the medical profession—a career you have pursued for years, a career you love and trust to do no harm does something to shatter the foundations of your sense of trust and worldview, the resulting trauma can be severe resulting in loss of sense of self and life-altering betrayal …

What you don’t know about pain will hurt you

Rachel Zoffness, PhD

Conditions

November 11, 2021

Chronic pain is an epidemic, currently affecting over 100 million American adults – more than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. This doesn’t include children, 1 in 3 of whom live with a chronic pain condition ranging from migraine to chronic stomachaches. Chronic pain disrupts life, impeding the ability to work, exercise, have sex, engage in hobbies, even go outside. It’s the number one cause of long-term disability in the …

Surviving medical school with depression [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 10, 2021

“I was first diagnosed with major depressive disorder as a preteen after my teenage sister died. I attempted suicide three years later. This would be the first of several attempts and the first of countless times I felt my life was not worth living. But I am not unique.

According to the Centers for Disease …

Stress: Is it time to expose the alcohol con?

Michaela Weaver

Conditions

November 10, 2021

If you find yourself reaching for a bottle or sighing with relief at a well-deserved glass of wine at the end of a stressful day, then you are not alone.

Far more people than you can imagine do the same thing, and many of them feel ashamed that they do.

Those same people are often baffled to learn that alcohol causes the very feeling that they are drinking to alleviate. Most busy …

Direct primary care is an answer to volume-based insurance reimbursement models

Troy A. Burns, MD

Policy

November 10, 2021

An excerpt from Medical Answers Now!: How Direct Primary Care Guarantees Fast Access to Your Doctor.

Health care costs are out of control and volume-based insurance reimbursement models are felt to be contributing to the problem. Medicare and most major private medical insurance carriers have begun testing and transitioning to reimbursement models that pay for health care services based on the …

How this physician built a direct specialty care practice [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 9, 2021

“I am here to testify that it is possible, and I am not alone in this specialist direct care market. There are other specialists’ practices like mine, hidden gems for patient care. During my journey, I learned specialists are thriving to remove the “middlemen” and reconnect with patients. Patients …

But my children are not vaccinated

Anonymous

Physician

November 9, 2021

Go to the store, support small businesses … But my children are not vaccinated.
Go out to eat; buy local … But my children are not vaccinated.
Go back to work; go travel… But my children are not vaccinated.
Come celebrate, please enjoy … But my children are not vaccinated.

Kids need people; they need play … But my children are not vaccinated.
Kids need sports and activities … But my children are not vaccinated.
Kids …

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But my children are not vaccinated

To Aaron Rodgers, from a physician and Packers fan

Allison Neitzel, MD

Physician

November 9, 2021

I’m a doctor passionate about public health and public policy born and raised in Wisconsin and educated at the Medical College of Wisconsin (the same institute that bestowed Mr. Rodgers an honorary degree in 2018). I’m also a Packers shareholder, as is my father, a practicing physician in the state. I cheered you on for your 2011 Super Bowl win from my college dorm freshman year and even had an …

A physician’s tribute to nurses [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 8, 2021

“At the hospital, the nurse is the one who is at the patient’s bedside around the clock. When the patient has to go to the bathroom or needs help to sit up in a chair, he or she calls the nurse. The nurse is the one who is changing the …

We’re not OK, but we know you are

Yasmin Uzamere, MD

Conditions

November 8, 2021

The day just felt weird.

I had this feeling of impending doom over me that morning as I sat in bed studying, waiting to get dressed for afternoon clinic.

Once I got there, I was cramping, and I knew things were not OK.

It was so intense throughout that afternoon that I would bend over while seeing patients or collapse into a chair out of necessity.

I went to the bathroom between patients to …

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We’re not OK, but we know you are

Don’t let the holidays sabotage your weight loss goals

Angelice Alexander-Martin, MD

Physician

November 8, 2021

The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and it is not uncommon for us to gain up to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. But what if we do not want to put on some insulation? What can we do? I specialize in medical weight loss, and my first recommendation would simply be to be aware of the food around us and recognize that seeing food in itself can be …

Getting messy in the game of health care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 7, 2021

“Many patients, doctors, nurses, and health care administrators appear to have a seat on the blimp with little concept of how the game has evolved over the years and is being played now. They may have attended the game in the past, but they likely haven’t seen the action …

How I learned to let go of perfectionism: a lesson from my mother’s suicide

Erin Fenstermacher, MD

Physician

November 7, 2021

My mother died 18 years ago today. It has probably taken me that long to be able to talk about it because, as survivors of suicide, our culture teaches us to live in shame.

However, as I grow older, I have learned to let go of that shame. If you mention your experience with suicide to others, you will usually always find that they were affected by a similar loss in …

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