Shortcomings of plaintiff attorneys in Byrom vs. Johns Hopkins
As shown in my earlier post, when prosecuting Byrom vs. Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital with inductive reasoning, as is traditional, the medical intervention is compared to the standard of care in a very general and subjective way. The medical intervention “more likely than not” departs from the standard of care. “More likely than not” corresponds to a level of confidence of around 51 percent and a type-1 error of …
Leveraging your medical career for long-term wealth building
As physicians, we spend years mastering our craft—learning how to diagnose, treat, and care for patients. But there’s another area that demands mastery if we want to secure our futures: wealth building. The truth is, despite the high earning potential that comes with a medical career, far too many doctors retire with less than they imagined. Why? Because earning is one thing, but building sustainable wealth that lasts is an …
How abortion laws turned our family vacation into a life-or-death dilemma
This past summer, we planned a family vacation with our two adult daughters and their significant others to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The trip was scheduled for July 6. After we planned our vacation, our older daughter announced her pregnancy, and to our surprise and delight, she was expecting twins! She consulted with her OB/GYN and was permitted to go on the trip under the condition that she …
How to spot safe supplements: What you need to know about Good Manufacturing Practices [PODCAST]
Inside the ER: What my visit taught me about patient care
For the second time in my life I visited the ER. I woke up early yesterday morning with unremitting, 7.8/10 left lower back pain accompanied by chills, nausea, and vomiting. Why 7.8? Well, I definitely could have imagined pain worse than an 8, but it seemed bad enough to go to the ER, so it surely must be worse than a 7, right? Just like all my patients, I have …
How a standardized agreement could end the preceptor shortage
A few years ago, my college-age sons utilized the Common App for college applications. It’s a logical and brilliant concept: one online application that students can use to apply to multiple colleges and universities at once. And it’s accepted by thousands of colleges and universities worldwide. I remember thinking, “Why aren’t we doing this for nurse practitioner (NP) programs?” It seemed like a great solution, so I decided to research it.
Anyone …
The gifts of sobriety: Navigating career disappointments with grace and resilience
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
—Victor Frankl
I celebrated three years of sobriety earlier this year. It’s been a long, circuitous path, marked by seeking help, practicing acceptance, and diligently working a twelve-step recovery program.
Brené Brown, who’s been sober for twenty-seven years, shared in a 2019 article that her sobriety …
Voting from the hospital: How emergency ballots give patients a voice
Voting is one of the most fundamental rights in our democracy, and yet it can be incredibly challenging. Getting to your polling station, waiting in line, remembering to request your absentee ballot, checking your voter registration status—it is not a straightforward process. If you suffer from an unexpected illness or injury and find yourself hospitalized, it can feel impossible to make your voice heard and participate in an election. Fortunately, …
The derm identity crisis at social events
Whenever I attend a social event, at least 10 to 20 percent of the attendees (second- or third-level friend or family connections) come to me with casual consultation requests.
To me, casual consultation requests are kind of similar to advertisements on free apps, with one difference: the time after which the skip button surfaces is highly variable and can be followed by multiple ads with no rhyme or reason.
What this does …
How big business and government are shaping physician careers [PODCAST]
Prevention is the key to saving lives: What the pandemic taught us
An excerpt from Prevention First: Policymaking for a Healthier America.
Little did I know that when Prevention First was first published in December 2019, a novel virus with pandemic potential had begun to stealthily spread in China. The subsequent global COVID-19 pandemic resulted in nearly 7 million deaths, exacerbated long-standing health challenges, and led to life expectancy declines around the globe.
With over 1.1 million American lives lost during the COVID-19 …
The shocking truth behind the DEA’s role in America’s pain crisis and doctor prosecutions
The United States federal government is a single entity, despite its three equal branches having more heads than a hydra and more arms than Mahakali. One part of that federal government is not supposed to create and propagate standards that another part arrests you for following, as confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Gonzales v. Oregon. When it comes to the criminalization of medicine by the DEA and other …
Why mask bans are the latest attack on American freedom
In the land of the free, we find ourselves facing a perplexing and troubling trend: the rise of mask bans across America. These bans, ostensibly aimed at public safety, represent a dangerous overreach that threatens the very freedoms we hold dear.
America has long prided itself on being a bastion of individual liberty, where the government’s role in dictating personal choices is limited. Yet, with alarming bipartisan support, we’re witnessing an …
How to protect your child from suicidal thoughts [PODCAST]
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We speak with Shivana Naidoo, a child psychiatrist, about the critical steps parents can take to prevent youth suicide. Shivana shares practical advice on recognizing early warning signs, creating a safer home environment …
When high achievers and isolated adults share a common enemy: social anxiety
Karen, age 46, mother of two, is a world-renowned physician who has headed numerous clinical trials and has saved many lives. She suffered from public speaking anxiety disorder. Mike, age 26, a college graduate, spends most of his life in his room. He doesn’t work, is socially paralyzed, and spends over 100 hours a week with various technology dependencies. His parents walk on “eggshells” for fear of triggering his anger. …
Why are we allowing politicians to practice medicine?
When I was doing my medical training at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City (a proud and fine hospital that has sadly closed), the official word was that we could not counsel patients to use condoms to prevent HIV transmission. Like many other doctors in training, I was bothered by this edict but kept in mind that St. Vincent’s had been at the forefront of providing compassionate care to …
How to beat the 5 devils of modern medicine and live a longer, happier life
As a fellow cardiology practitioner, I am compelled to share some critical insights on the importance of preventive care and holistic approaches to longevity and happiness. Our profession constantly reminds us of these aspects, and it is time we take a more comprehensive approach to our patients’ well-being.
Throughout my career, spanning several decades and continents—from Hong Kong to New York, Singapore, and Shanghai—I have encountered a myriad of health challenges. …
How to engage parents in autism therapy [PODCAST]
When medical malpractice is not medical malpractice
In medical malpractice, inductive reasoning regards the standard of care as the duty to do no harm. If there is a complication from a medical intervention and the medical intervention differs from the standard of care in any conceivable way, the difference alone is sufficient to conclude that the medical intervention departs from that duty.
However, unanticipated threats require nimbleness. This is a calculated risk. It causes a difference, but it …
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