The truth behind opioid use disorder
Anyone reading health care news today must be aware that American medicine – particularly pain medicine – is in crisis. Doctors are experiencing high levels of burnout due to administrative burdens, prior authorization demands, and a health care system that often prioritizes efficiency over patient care. This burnout is leading to mental health issues and, in some cases, physician suicides.
Medicare payments to physicians have decreased by 26 …
Mindfulness: Beat the overwhelm and find your focus
Does it sometimes feel like you are a teeny tiny person in a world that is so big, surrounded by giants doing their giant people things? Does it feel like, to keep up, you have to do ten thousand tasks? And somehow, even when you manage to complete those ten thousand things, it’s still not enough, and there are ten thousand more waiting. Just writing these lines is giving me …
Find fulfillment: Reject societal pressures and embrace simplicity
Such calmness,
Groundedness,
Beauty,
Standing tall and mighty.
The sense of peace in your presence—
Protected,
Safe,
A patient teacher.
No rah-rah, motivational fluff.
Quiet, yet confident,
Not rushing,
Not chasing,
Not running around striving.
Still, grounded, present.
In a world where people tell me I need to take big financial risks to be fulfilled, I say bullsh*t.
My inner fulfillment is felt when still, calm, and trusting that this simple life I cherish is the most fulfilling of all. Connected to humans, connected to …
From Super Bowl to supermarket: How candy ads shape kids’ diets
A gummy candy shimmies on stage, dancing to Flashdance. The music swells; it pulls a chain and is showered in multi-colored candies. The ad, for Nerds Gummy Clusters, was one of dozens of food ads that 123 million people saw during the 2024 Super Bowl. While the nostalgic soundtrack entertained adults, the cartoon candies were engineered to appeal to a different audience: children.
And it …
Solutions for lymphedema in breast cancer survivors [PODCAST]
Bridging the health gap: Empowering Latino communities for a healthier future
As an endocrinologist, internal medicine physician, and public health leader, I have witnessed firsthand the health disparities that affect Latino communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has only magnified these issues, especially with chronic diseases, emphasizing the pressing need for culturally competent health care to address these inequities.
In Arizona and across the nation, my efforts have been dedicated to educating and protecting our communities through media outreach, training community health workers, and …
Strategies for living and coping with invisible illness
I have a handicap placard. I appear healthy, and I walk a lot, but sometimes, the looks I get when I park in the designated handicap space are priceless because I am taking up a special parking spot for someone who is “sick.” “What gives?” they are thinking. “She doesn’t look sick!”
“It’s a big emotional load,” Dr. Sands says. “People are scowling at you because you took that handicapped parking …
Am I an internist or a milkman?
I have too many important tasks during my workday to leave anything to chance in the hazy, slanted dawn. Failure is not on my schedule for tomorrow. So tonight, I will once again pack a lunch, lay out my clothes, and set up the coffee pot.
Before arriving at work in the morning, I will know who I will be seeing and—often—why they are coming to me. If, for some reason, …
Systemic failures in mental health care [PODCAST]
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We sit down with Claire Ellerbrock, a nurse practitioner with a background in psychiatric and behavioral health care. Claire shares her powerful and transformative experience with a patient named John, whose tragic passing …
From toe pain to financial strain: the hidden costs of medical care
“I was terrified, and my foot was in so much pain,” said Mrs. C as I began our interview. There was a blood clot that had turned her toe blue. She went on to describe her history and briefly mentioned that she did not have medical insurance. With her pain now gone after a few days in the hospital, the anxiety of the financial burden of her stay was now …
Why speaking up in medical school could save lives
It was a fresh start to my first day of medical school as a second-year student. With a slightly stronger arsenal of information compared to my first year, the energy was palpable. My team and I huddled in our small conference room, gathered around the table, ready to tackle our first case of the week as part of our team-based learning. The first patient was a 1-year-old female infant presenting …
Are rapid weight loss drugs hiding the real obesity problem?
According to some academics, in 2019, a ban on junk food advertising across London’s entire public transport network—foods and drinks high in fat and salt and ads for foods–resulted in the prevention of 100,000 obesity cases. Yet the U.S. love affair with the new semaglutide-based weight loss drugs like Ozempic gives junk food advertising and availability a huge pass.
Drug makers and Wall Street are pleased that instead of changing …
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A journey of self-worth and healing [PODCAST]
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Join us for a conversation with Jillian Rigert, an oral medicine specialist and radiation oncology research fellow. Jillian shares her journey of overcoming mental illness during medical school, redefining self-worth, and challenging harmful …
Street medicine: a lifeline for Florida’s homeless amidst new public sleeping ban
Despite the evening hour, the sun beats down on our group as we gather to orient new participants to the street run. It’s a typical Spring day in Florida, with temperatures already in the upper 80s. We stand in a circle on a downtown sidewalk in our green t-shirts. In the center of our circle are bags filled with socks, toiletries, and naloxone, an opioid reversal medication. We’ll distribute these …
A cardiologist’s urgent call to combat heat-related health risks
As I drive to work and back, my eyes are on the ambient temperature reading in my car—it has been creeping up every day. I routinely listen to NPR, and extreme heat in various parts of the world comes up in daily discussions.
As a heart failure cardiologist in the clinic, I routinely ask my patients about their activity levels. Most of them complain about the heat and how it impacts …
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Untold stories of physician suicide and mental health [PODCAST]
How a group of British medical students fought for social prescribing
An excerpt from The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging.
With slicked-back hair, a fancy-buttoned vest, and a politician-like charisma, you wouldn’t guess Dr. Bogdan Chiva Giurca, a doctor for England’s National Health Service (NHS), grew up in a Romanian village, handwashing his clothes because he couldn’t afford laundry. “I got to taste the real social determinants of health without knowing they were called …
ER doctor’s adrenaline-fueled night: from life-saving procedures to unpredictable chaos
From the beginning of medical school, you are taught the rules of patient assessment; you are taught the “ABCs” – airway, breathing, and circulation. You don’t move on to B until you have established A. You don’t move on to C until B is established. If at any time you lose A or B, you go back to the beginning. Emergency medicine doctors are all about A. My first patient …
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How corporate health care is failing physicians and patients alike
A large part of patient care in the modern corporate setting is working within your restrictions. Most corporate health care settings will limit how wide your scope can be, and this often determines how you treat patients. As a family physician working within a huge corporate setting, this oftentimes leads to alternate outcomes, such as referring a patient to another office where a procedure can be done safely or having …
Past Week
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How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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The heartbreaking pandemic story I will never forget
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How Earth Day can inspire better health for doctors and patients
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Why female physicians are done asking for permission
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Spreading hope one card at a time for doctors’ well-being [PODCAST]
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Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
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How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
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Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
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What happened to real care in health care?
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Recent Posts
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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A surgeon’s late-night crisis reveals the cost confusion in health care
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Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
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Staying stone free with AI: How smart tech is revolutionizing kidney stone prevention
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Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
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Signing bonuses and taxes: What physicians should know
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Past Week
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
The heartbreaking pandemic story I will never forget
-
How Earth Day can inspire better health for doctors and patients
-
Why female physicians are done asking for permission
-
Spreading hope one card at a time for doctors’ well-being [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Recent Posts
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
A surgeon’s late-night crisis reveals the cost confusion in health care
-
Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
-
Staying stone free with AI: How smart tech is revolutionizing kidney stone prevention
-
Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
-
Signing bonuses and taxes: What physicians should know
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