The long strange trip of psychedelic drugs

Meds
September 5, 2024

In the mid-1960s, the Grateful Dead were the house band for Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests, parties in which people were “tripping out” on LSD, parties that helped bring psychedelics into the counterculture. Psychedelic drugs have been the focus of extensive clinical research since then, and their potential therapeutic benefits have seen renewed interest in recent years. It’s been a long, strange trip for certain because, despite extensive research, there are …

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Should transgender athletes compete in women’s sports?

Conditions
September 5, 2024

Watching the 2024 Paris Olympics reminded me of my intense love for sports. It is the nobility, beauty, strength, agility, and fairness that attract me and the audience. Performances by Simone Biles, with her majesty and strength, to Katie Ledecky’s’ power and domination, surrounded by Olympic and world record performances, often bring me to tears. These attributes have abounded in Paris, but unfortunately, something foul is also afoot.

Sexual and gender …

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Rising ER wait times signal larger health system challenges

Policy
September 5, 2024

Emergency department (ED) wait times are on the rise across the United States, a troubling trend that reflects deeper systemic challenges in the nation’s health care systems. According to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the median time spent in the ED has increased from 2 hours and 15 minutes in 2018 to 2 hours and 40 minutes in recent years. Data from …

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Living out of a car to pursue a dream: the true price of becoming a doctor [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 4, 2024
YouTube video

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We sit down with Christina Stach, a medical student who shares her powerful journey of navigating the financial hardships of medical education. Christina’s story sheds light on the unique challenges faced by first-generation, …

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The cost of exhaustion: Resident fatigue is a public health emergency

Education
September 4, 2024

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in resident unionization across the country, driven largely by the grueling working conditions many residents face. While the most pressing issues are pay and burnout, one contributing cause is the long hours of training that contribute to resident sleep deprivation – a serious threat to resident health and patient safety. Despite duty hour restrictions imposed by the Accreditation Council for …

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Cultivating joy beyond the clinic: a physician’s tale of rediscovering hobbies

Physician
September 4, 2024

It smelled like hay, molasses, and mice. I really hoped there wasn’t a mouse in the oat bin again. It was early fall, and the pasture was eaten to the ground, so the horses received “special oats” with some molasses and corn added so they could head into the winter with extra fat stores. They loved it. So did the mice. I lifted the lid. No mice. Phew. I filled …

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From anaphylaxis to food allergy freedom: a family’s journey down under

Conditions
September 4, 2024

My daughter Amelia’s first bottle of formula was a turning point. The innocent act triggered a terrifying anaphylaxis that catapulted us into a world of food allergies. As a young mother, the diagnosis was a gut-wrenching blow. Every food label became a riddle to decipher, and every social event a logistical nightmare, as we didn’t want our daughter to grow up facing the social exclusion, bullying, and isolation that all …

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How coaching saved my life and helped me find freedom from burnout and anorexia

Physician
September 4, 2024

In 2019, I bought a condo, as growing up with the image of the American Dream told me to buy a house as soon as I could. I loved my little condo, but I felt trapped.

I decorated the rooms and made it a home, but it wasn’t me.

In 2020, I sold it and nearly everything in it, minimizing my belongings. This was not the most economical decision when it came …

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Physician collective negotiations: Securing fair compensation [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 3, 2024
YouTube video

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Join us as we explore two compelling case studies featuring Jon Appino, the driving force behind Contract Diagnostics. In the first, three interventional radiologists, earning over $700k but under-compensated by market standards, sought …

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Michael Bloomberg’s $600 million donation to Black medical schools sparks major change

Education
September 3, 2024

Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York City mayor, has once again demonstrated his commitment to equality and social justice. Through his Bloomberg Philanthropies, he announced a monumental $600 million donation to four historically Black medical schools in the United States. This follows his Greenwood Initiative’s $100 million gift in September 2020, aimed at reducing student debt for these institutions.

Other major donors have also made significant contributions to HBCUs. MacKenzie …

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The future of health care depends on hands-on training: We cannot afford to cut corners

Education
September 3, 2024

Imagine walking into a doctor’s office or hospital and being treated by someone who has never actually touched a patient before. Sounds absurd, right? Yet, this could become a reality if we continue to push aside the hands-on training of our future health care providers.

This may seem extreme, but it reflects a recent message sent by HR to one of our most dedicated preceptors. (Parts of the message are redacted …

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A doctor’s journey in embracing her identity

Physician
September 3, 2024

I am the combination of two very different worlds—my mother is originally from El Salvador and Catholic, and my father is from Pakistan and Muslim. My parents are original trailblazers in my mind, creating a life together despite the unsure gaze of their respective families, who questioned the durability of their relationship, largely because they had never experienced one like theirs before. As a child and into adulthood, I felt …

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Is saliva the key to early disease detection and better oral health outcomes for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities?

Conditions
September 3, 2024

Dental appointments for patients with special health care needs – especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) – are no easy feat. Fraught with challenges, uncertainties, and fears, a dental appointment can be, at best, a trying situation and, at worst, traumatizing for patients with IDD. The sensation of plaque being scraped from teeth, the loud sounds of drills and suction, and the bright lights while lying in a …

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A gastroenterology approach to obesity [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 2, 2024
YouTube video

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In this episode, we dive into the complexities of obesity with gastroenterologist Pooja Singhal. Together, we explore the media’s portrayal of new obesity medications, the harmful misconceptions surrounding obesity, and the vital need …

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A medical student’s perspective: Using my osteopathic training in the field of psychiatry

Education
September 2, 2024

Every DO has the quote, “Mind, Body, Spirit,” ingrained in their minds. These words resonate when we step on campus, open a lecture, and discuss osteopathic medicine. These tenets are the foundation for osteopathic medicine when working with patients. While I always understood what that meant, it was only during my psychiatry rotations that I fully grasped the importance of focusing on holistic care and the mind, body, and spirit.

In …

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The aging nursing population is contributing to the U.S. nursing shortage

Policy
September 2, 2024

The aging nursing population is one of the underlying conditions contributing to the nursing shortage in the United States. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 1 million nurses are at least 50 years of age, and 60 percent of nurses are over age 40. Furthermore, over 20 percent of nurses plan to retire within the next five years. For reference, there are nearly 4.7 million registered nurses (RNs) …

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How Australia’s deadliest creatures and groundbreaking medicine make it unique

Physician
September 2, 2024

Australia is a very beautiful and unique place. I first went to Sydney in 1996 to present some research I had accomplished together with a much more brilliant and capable research physician. I was able to ride the monorail, now gone I’m told, and travel to the Outback, or at least the edge of it. My wife and the two oldest still at home at that time went there a …

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Fixing rural health care with technology and policy [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 1, 2024
YouTube video

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In this episode, we sit down with Jay Anders, a physician executive, to discuss the evolving landscape of health care. We explore his unique insights on leadership, the challenges facing today’s medical professionals, …

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Diary of a resident: Dr. Punching Bag, MD

Physician
September 1, 2024

As I neared the end of my second year of general surgery residency, I had spent almost an hour comforting an anxious patient, assuring her that her bedside abscess drainage would be simple and quick. Finally, I put on my sterile gloves to begin. Before I could start, a nurse who embodied the “Karen” stereotype entered the room and asked, “Are you cleared to perform this procedure alone? Where is …

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