Music as a tool for explaining medical concepts
Memorizing and retaining the medical knowledge you need to be a doctor is one of the hardest things you can do! If you ask any doctor about their medical school experience, they’ll probably recall hours of lectures, meticulous cadaver dissections, and countless long days and nights of studying, trying to learn a ton of material in a very short time. Of course, this experience can lead to major stress, taking …
When judges influence the practice of medicine: How Braidwood v. Becerra jeopardizes public health
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication regimen that effectively helps prevent the transmission of HIV. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), most private health insurance companies must cover preventive care services, including PrEP, without additional cost-sharing. In Braidwood v. Becerra, a for-profit corporation challenged the ACA’ s PrEP coverage mandate. The corporate plaintiff argued that compulsory PrEP coverage infringed upon its religious beliefs and violated the Religious Freedom Restoration …
When protocols fail: lessons from Trump’s attempted assassination and medical errors
The breakdown in security leading to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump can be compared to the multifactorial failure inherent in medical errors. Both scenarios involve complex systems where multiple layers of defense and prevention are designed to avoid catastrophic outcomes. When these layers fail, it often results from a combination of human error, systemic issues, and procedural flaws.
Both presidential security and health care systems are highly complex and require …
It’s time for physicians to reclaim their voice and identity
Kim Downey
Wherever conversations surrounding health care occur, similar frustrations emerge, whether I’m speaking with a physician in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, or New Zealand. I’ve recently been in dialogue with Olivia Morris, co-founder and CEO of Verity Barrington and Doctors Living in Ireland. Olivia has been a global physician advocate for the past ten years. Given that role, along with being married to a doctor, Olivia has acquired …
Humanizing medicine in a high-tech world [PODCAST]
The U.K.’s pandemic missteps: insights from the ongoing inquiry
Since June 2022, the U.K. has been carrying on an inquiry, still ongoing two years later, into the response to and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping to learn lessons that could be useful in the future.
Here are a few of its revelations.
Matt Hancock, health secretary to Boris Johnson, prime …
How do our own characteristics as doctors limit the change we can make in health care?
All around the world, health care systems are crumbling, resulting in less effective clinical care and damage to health care workers. We all recognize the need for change and want to see it. But could doctors’ psychological makeup hamper the achievement of the actual change we wish to see in our systems?
The nature of doctors
Worldwide, those who enter a medical career are intelligent and driven individuals. Throughout our training, we …
Optimizing operations at doctors’ offices: the power of asset tracking
In the fast-paced environment of a doctor’s office, accuracy and operational effectiveness are paramount. Often bustling with activity, meticulous office coordination is needed to guarantee that every aspect runs smoothly. From managing patient records to ensuring the availability of medical equipment, the daily operations of health care facilities hinge on the seamless integration of various components. Every piece of equipment, every supply, and every record needs to be in the …
Lung cancer statistics you need to know about nonsmokers [PODCAST]
How turning 50 and empty nesting sparked my academic surge
I can hear my husband chuckling from the cavern of journal piles and stacks of free conference tote bags he refers to as his home office. “I am looking at a graph of your publications,” he calls out to me as I putter around the house. An inauspicious start.
As I look over his shoulder at the laptop screen, he shows the tiny dot representing my singular publication—work I did as …
Rewriting the rules: Achieving a million-dollar income in family medicine
According to the 2024 Doximity survey, the average annual compensation for a family physician is around $300,813. For 90 percent of family doctors, this is their reality—stuck in the matrix of traditional employment. They feel unloved, undervalued, and used by the system to feed the corporate cash register. I know because that is what I did for the first 15 years of my career. However, I discovered a better …
Real-time cancer detection and the future of oncology
An excerpt from Race for a Remedy: The Science and Scientists Behind the Next Life-Saving Cancer Medicine.
I like to compare diabetes and cancer. Both are chronic illnesses with a trend of increasing new cases globally over the past decades, and both are expected to be among the leading diagnoses in the world with an estimated one-half billion people living with either diabetes or cancer by 2040.
The similarities don’t end …
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From marathons to moderation: Rethinking endurance exercise
When it comes to exercise, it is possible to get too much of a good thing. Regular participation in appropriate mild to moderate exercise is one of the most important habits for optimal health. The kind of detrimental excess endurance exercise I’m going to implicate includes marathon distance running, 100-mile bike rides, Iron Man/Half Iron Man triathlons, and other flat-out, pedal-to-the-metal exertions for more than an hour. Regrettably, I confess: …
Health information censorship in prisons [PODCAST]
How a negligent dentist almost killed my wife
An excerpt from Judas Dentistry: How Dentists Scorn Science, Break the Hippocratic Oath, and Wreck Their Patients’ Minds and Bodies.
Our kindly dentist almost killed my wife, Judy. During her late teens, she had a single front tooth destroyed in an auto accident. So this dentist carved the teeth on either side to support a bridge. When these died, he drilled and mummified them into “root canals.” As the years …
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Administrative harm is destroying the practice of medicine
“Rules and regulations, who needs them? Throw them out the door.”
— Graham Nash (lyrics), from “Chicago,” sung by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Business entrepreneur and billionaire Michael B. Kim recently was quoted as saying: “Leadership without ethics is a body without a soul.” Kim donated $25 million to his alma mater, Haverford College in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to start a new Institute for Ethical Inquiry and Leadership. His goal is …
What would you save if your house was on fire?
The obvious answer is just that, of course. I would save my wife and myself. Everything else is replaceable—well, almost everything. Read on.
Twenty years ago, before the launch of the iPhone and before social media ruled the world, two of the most important things in any traditional American family’s house were the family Bible and the family’s pictures. I will leave the Bible and commentary on it for another question …
Cinnamon versus brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and insomnia
I’ve always adored cinnamon. Its aroma warms the cockles of my heart, and its flavor makes me feel as if I’m wrapped up in an old fairy tale. However, I was floored when I reviewed some of the latest research regarding the effects of cinnamon on brain health.
Cinnamon is a type of laurel plant (believe it or not, there are almost three thousand members of the Lauraceae family). Cinnamon happens …
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Overcoming diabetes and chasing dreams [PODCAST]
Past Week
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
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Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
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Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
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Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
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The hidden impact of denials on health care systems
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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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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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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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How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
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Recent Posts
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America, our health care workforce training isn’t evolving alongside our needs
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Why no medical malpractice firm responded to my scientific protocol
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Avoiding leadership pitfalls: strategies for success in health care [PODCAST]
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Doctors speak out: Why we’re saying no to burnout
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When doctors die in silence: Confronting the epidemic of violence against physicians
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When asking one more question can change everything
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Past Week
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
-
Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
-
The hidden impact of denials on health care systems
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
-
Recent Posts
-
America, our health care workforce training isn’t evolving alongside our needs
-
Why no medical malpractice firm responded to my scientific protocol
-
Avoiding leadership pitfalls: strategies for success in health care [PODCAST]
-
Doctors speak out: Why we’re saying no to burnout
-
When doctors die in silence: Confronting the epidemic of violence against physicians
-
When asking one more question can change everything
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