When cancer costs too much: Why financial toxicity deserves a place in clinical conversations

Physician
September 17, 2025

Cancer care has long been associated with physical, emotional, and psychological hardship. But for many patients, a quieter burden (the financial strain of treatment) shapes their experience in equally profound ways. Increasingly referred to as financial toxicity, this form of distress is emerging as a key determinant of cancer outcomes. Yet it remains under-recognized in day-to-day clinical care.

The high price of staying alive

Financial toxicity describes the economic hardship caused by …

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Psychiatrist tests ketogenic diet for mental health benefits

Conditions
September 17, 2025

When I was in my studies as a psychiatry resident, I learned about an interesting field called metabolic psychiatry, which focuses specifically on ketogenic therapies to treat psychiatric conditions. This is a nascent field at this time, with no extensive clinical trials like we have for medications, though some small trials exist. I even have some patients who have been on ketogenic diets (not prescribed by me) …

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The hidden rewards of a primary care career

Physician
September 17, 2025

The overlooked treasure of primary care: Why this field is more rewarding than most realize

Primary care often carries a reputation: long hours, too much paperwork, and not enough pay. Many providers see it as a burden, a stepping stone, or simply “less glamorous” than other specialties.

But here is the truth most clinicians overlook: Primary care holds hidden rewards, both financial and emotional, that can transform not just your practice, but …

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Why physicians should not be their own financial planner

Finance
September 17, 2025

You spent years learning how to save lives, diagnose complex cases, and manage high-pressure situations. But nowhere in medical school did they teach you how to create a retirement plan, minimize taxes, or structure an investment portfolio.

Yet many doctors try to manage their own finances, thinking, “I am smart and disciplined; I can figure this out.” The truth? Being your own certified financial planner (CFP) often ends up costing more …

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Why doctors regret specialty choices in their 30s

Physician
September 17, 2025

One thing I know for sure is that, as a whole, our medical training system has gotten it all wrong when it comes to helping students correctly identify which specialty they want to apply to.

Coming from undergraduate school to medical school, I spent four years learning about myself. I went to graduate school, worked for a few years in the real world, and gained real-life experiences. During that time, I …

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10 hard truths about practicing medicine they don’t teach in school

Physician
September 17, 2025

I offer these ten points in the hope that you will surpass my generation of physicians, myself included, and learn from our mistakes. God help us all if you do not.

Congratulations on your hard work, academic achievements, and the persistence and sacrifice that brought you to this moment in your medical careers. Good for you. And now, reality.

1. Although you have memorized many facts, you know nothing. Truth does not …

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The myth of biohacking your way past death

Conditions
September 17, 2025

In my practice, I care for many patients obsessed with longevity. They fast, they microdose, they meditate, they cold plunge, they gulp down supplements by the handful. They optimize their labs with the fervor of a hedge fund manager optimizing a portfolio. They read Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman like scripture.

And yet, they still die.

This is not cynicism; it is reality. Over the years, I have watched patients do everything …

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How trust and communication power successful dyad leadership in health care [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 16, 2025
YouTube video

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Family physician Amir Atabeygi discusses his article “Building trust in dyad leadership partnerships.” Amir explains why trust is the foundation of successful dyads, highlighting how implicit follow-through and consistent communication turn a …

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Why Hollywood’s allergy jokes are dangerous

Conditions
September 16, 2025

For twenty years I have been the mother of a child with a life-threatening food allergy. I know what it is to watch my son’s throat close, to see terror in his eyes, to hear him beg not to die. It felt like time slowed down as we waited for epinephrine to work. Those moments are seared into me. They are not, and never will be, a joke.

That is why …

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How I learned to love my unique name as a doctor

Physician
September 16, 2025

Born a son to immigrant parents, one of whom did not speak any English early on in my youth, I struggled to assimilate to American culture, to friends, and to the everyday language and vernacular during my formative years in grade school, middle school, and even high school. My mother raised my brother, sister, and me while my father worked two, and sometimes three, jobs to make ends meet. Mom …

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My first week on night float as a medical student

Education
September 16, 2025

I had heard about night float: a daunting rotation for interns as they cared for patients they often were not well acquainted with, putting out fires until their usual team could take over in the morning. Given this reputation, I was surprised to find a night float week on my schedule as part of my internal medicine clerkship, a core rotation as a third-year medical student.

My first patient was a …

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What Beauty and the Beast taught me about risk

Physician
September 16, 2025

What do you remember most about the movie and musical Beauty and the Beast? For some, it is the powerful theme of inner beauty versus outward appearance. Others might resonate more with the music (“Be our guest, be our guest …”). For me, it is the vision of Belle’s inventor father, Maurice, and the townspeople laughing at his follies that has left a lasting mark and continues to trigger me …

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Creating safe, authentic group experiences

Physician
September 16, 2025

I recently attended a three-day workshop on how to lead transformational workshops. The experience was both meta and genuinely transformational, and a number of the lessons I took away continue to stand out for me.

Safety comes first. The workshop leaders highlighted over and over again that psychological safety comes first. You cannot belong to a group if you do not feel safe. They created the prerequisites for safety and then …

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The diseconomics of scale: How Indian pharma’s race to scale backfires on U.S. patients

Meds
September 16, 2025

Why Indian pharmaceutical companies run the risk of driving up U.S. consumer drug prices when scaling too quickly: the diseconomics of scale.

Why the U.S. looks to India as a global supply chain hub for medications

India’s pharmaceutical industry saves U.S. consumers billions, but scaling too fast is a mistake. Premature scaling through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is not just unsustainable, it is reckless and a recipe for inefficiency, error, and rising …

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Healing from medical training by learning to trust your body again [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 15, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Physician Jessie Mahoney discusses her article “Learning to trust your body again: Healing the hidden wounds of medical training,” exploring how the culture of medicine conditions physicians to ignore their basic bodily …

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How tragedy shaped a medical career

Physician
September 15, 2025

The desegregation bus crash

I was nearly killed in a desegregation bus crash. They called it progress, but it felt like degradation. We were children, packed into metal boxes and sent across neighborhoods like test subjects. The crash was more than metal and blood, it was a system shattering itself. I survived, and I have spent the rest of my life making sure no child has to survive reform just to …

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A doctor’s guide to preparing for your death

Physician
September 15, 2025

Let us get this straight: Enjoying life is amazing. You should do more of it. Every day, if you can. But if you are truly committed to living well, you also need to get comfortable with something most people avoid like mystery meat at a buffet: preparing for your death.

Not obsessing over it. Not fearing it. Just preparing, so your loved ones are not left trying to solve your digital, …

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Coconut oil’s role in Alzheimer’s and depression

Conditions
September 15, 2025

There is evidence that coconut oil may be a potent weapon in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia and, perhaps, psychological problems such as depression.

Not just any coconut oil will do the trick, though. Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is extracted from fresh coconut meat without the use of high heat or chemicals, preserving its natural nutrients, flavor, and aroma. VCO is typically pressed from fresh, moist …

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How policy and stigma block addiction treatment

Physician
September 15, 2025

As a psychiatry resident, I recently completed a rotation at an addiction treatment facility that looked more like a luxury wellness retreat than a medical center. The setting was picturesque: manicured lawns, private rooms bathed in sunlight, daily yoga and mindfulness sessions, and meals prepared by in-house chefs. The staff was warm, compassionate, and abundant, capable of delivering highly individualized, trauma-informed care.

Here, patients were treated not just for their substance …

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Unused IV catheters cost U.S. hospitals billions

Policy
September 15, 2025

Imagine a patient is admitted overnight for a mild UTI. In the ED, she is told that a peripheral IV catheter (PIVC) needs to be inserted. She asks why—after all, she is volume neutral, taking her daily medications by mouth without issue, and her CBC/CMP are unremarkable. “It is just a precaution,” she is told—just a benign step in the protocol. For the two days the patient is hospitalized, the …

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