KevinMD.com

When doctors don’t talk: a silent failure in modern medicine

Conditions

September 5, 2025

I shadowed a neurologist recently. As a high school student on the cusp of applying to college, I thought I’d’ spend the day quietly observing: watching labs get ordered, hearing terms I’d Google later, maybe seeing the human side of medicine up close.

But nothing prepares you for watching someone slowly lose their chance at life—not because of their diagnosis, but because two parts of the medical system weren’t speaking to …

The many faces of physician grief

Annia Raja, PhD

Conditions

September 5, 2025

Grief is not a word most physicians would use to describe their day-to-day work. Stress? Absolutely. Burnout? Sadly too common. Exhaustion? Without question. But grief? That feels too tender, too vulnerable, too personal, too scary.

And yet, grief quietly saturates the practice of medicine and the existence of being a doctor.

Grief shows up most obviously in the loss of patients. Death coming sometimes suddenly, and sometimes after a long, protracted …

Read more…

The many faces of physician grief

Why the doctor-patient relationship needs a redesign

Alexandra Novitsky, MD

Physician

September 5, 2025

The landscape of medicine is evolving—and so are the roles of those who practice it. Today, more people are searching “how are doctors changing?”, “Why doesn’t my doctor have time to listen?”, or “Can doctors coach me instead of just treating symptoms?” These questions aren’t just valid—they’re vital.

For many of us in medicine, the traditional doctor-patient relationship no longer fits the needs of modern life. We’re not just being asked …

Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

Vishruth Nagam

Policy

September 5, 2025

Inland Southern California stands as one of the most diverse and rapidly growing regions in the United States. With a rich mix of cultures, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, it also faces significant health disparities. From disproportionate rates of chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension to barriers in accessing essential care, marginalized communities in the region continue to suffer the consequences of a health care system that often leaves them behind. …

Imposter syndrome is not a personal failing

Jessie Mahoney, MD

Physician

September 5, 2025

Imposter syndrome is not a personal failing. It is a conditioned mindset. A learned pattern. We are raised in a culture of hyper vigilance. We are taught to equate uncertainty with inadequacy. We are taught it is not OK not to know an answer. That being unsure is a failing.

We prepare relentlessly. We never let our guard down. Hypervigilance is our standard mode of operating. Self-judgment is an internal soundtrack. …

Why sleep must become a central pillar in modern health care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 4, 2025

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

Physician executive Carlos Nunez discusses his article “Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care,” emphasizing the urgent need to treat sleep as essential to overall wellness alongside diet and …

How early care saved my life from silent kidney disease

Charlie Cloninger

Conditions

September 4, 2025

I never thought much about my kidneys. I felt fine, I stayed active, and at 74 years old, I figured I was in pretty good shape. But kidney disease has a way of sneaking up on you. By the time most people find out they have it, they’re already in trouble. That could have been me—but thanks to the right care at the right time, I got a transplant before …

How functional medicine fills the gaps left by conventional care

Sally Daganzo, MD

Physician

September 4, 2025

As an internist with a background in physics, I was taught to think in systems—to seek root causes, avoid assumptions, and apply data with precision. Early in my career, I practiced medicine exactly as I had been trained: Identify the diagnosis, follow the algorithm, apply evidence-based treatment. And in many cases, that worked.

But increasingly, I found myself caring for patients who didn’t fit cleanly into diagnostic boxes. Fatigue, brain fog, …

A psychiatrist’s 20-year journey with ketamine

Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD

Meds

September 4, 2025

The day I first watched ketamine lift a human being out of despair, I was standing in a quiet room at the National Institute of Mental Health. The fluorescent lights hummed, the monitor ticked, and a young adult who had been drowning for months came up for air. Hours, not weeks. That speed rewired me as much as it rewired their brain. In the early 2000s, most of us were …

How racism and policy failures shape reproductive health in America

Kaitlynn Esemaya, Alexis Thompson, Annique McLune, and Anamaria Ancheta

Education

September 4, 2025

Historical, cultural, social, and political factors contribute to the disparities in reproductive health, making it a multifaceted and deeply rooted issue in the fabric of the United States. Historically, the legacy of slavery and the American eugenics movements established race-based medicine, systems, and stereotypes that continue to influence provider bias and patient mistrust, contributing to the ongoing inequities in reproductive health. Culturally, persistent stereotypes, particularly toward Black women, have led …

Why GLP‑1 drugs should be covered beyond weight loss

Rodney Lenfant

Conditions

September 4, 2025

When I turned 50, I weighed 265 pounds. Over the next 12 years, through walking, yoga, and strength training, I lost 60 pounds and kept it off. But despite the discipline, I remained plagued by inflammation, pain, and sleep apnea.

Then last year, my doctor suggested tirzepatide (Zepbound), not just for weight loss but to treat my sleep apnea as well. That alternative diagnosis unlocked insurance coverage and led to a …

How drug companies profit by inventing diseases

Martha Rosenberg

Meds

September 4, 2025

Funding from direct-to-consumer (DTC) “ask your doctor” drug ads has captured news media outlets and all but blocked important health stories like these. Read on.

1. “Hormone replacement therapy” (HRT) is back.

It is said that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, and nowhere is this more evident than the re-marketing of HRT to menopausal women who do not remember the first debacle (which increased the risk …

How value-based care reshapes kidney disease management for better outcomes [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 3, 2025

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

Nephrologist Timothy Pflederer discusses his article “How value-based care transforms chronic kidney disease management,” highlighting how value-based care (VBC) is reshaping the treatment of chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease. Timothy …

Imagining a career path beyond medicine and its impact

Hunter Delmoe

Education

September 3, 2025

In medical training, there are moments when the question quietly shows up. It might be during a night shift, after a long stretch without sleep, or while catching up on charting. The thought is simple, but heavy: What if I had chosen something else? What if I had gone into engineering, or business, or any path that didn’t ask quite so much?

This reflection started as an assignment for a medical …

What is professional identity formation in medicine?

Adrian Reynolds, PhD

Education

September 3, 2025

“Did I get dumber?” This poignant question from a medical student, asked in frustration after receiving a lower-than-expected grade, became the focus of a forty-five-minute academic coaching session. Simply put, my role as a learning specialist was to foster a mindset shift: from “my grade determines my self-worth” to “my grade reflects where I am in my learning right now and guides my next steps.” Helping the student build this …

A step‑by‑step guide to crafting meaningful research questions

Julian Gendreau, MD

Physician

September 3, 2025

An excerpt from The Clinical Research Handbook: A Practical Guide to Designing, Conducting and Publishing Clinical Research.

Research is a powerful force for change. Whether addressing global health care disparities, improving local community services, advancing technology, or exploring the frontiers of science, well-chosen research projects can solve practical problems and expand our understanding of the world. However, identifying the “right” question is often the hardest—and most critical—step in this journey.

This …

When recurrent UTIs might actually be bladder cancer

Fara Bellows, MD

Conditions

September 3, 2025

As a urologist, I see recurrent UTI patients nearly every day, and most cases are routine: nasty bacterial infections that appear in the bladder every few months. However, a recent patient turned out to be the zebra rather than the horse. This particularly lovely woman was 91, an Italian immigrant, and was accompanied by her adult son, who helped provide history and translate as needed. She sat calmly on the …

How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

Physician

September 3, 2025

The ongoing opioid crisis, claiming over 70,000 lives annually in the U.S. according to the CDC’s 2023 data, presents a perplexing scenario where regulatory bodies, in their attempt to curb misuse, have inadvertently intensified challenges for health care providers and patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its 2016 guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain, with revisions in 2022 to address misapplications, yet these efforts have …

Why doctors should rethink investing compared to the average U.S. investor [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 2, 2025

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

Attorney and wealth manager David B. Mandell discusses his article “Why physicians are unlike the ‘average’ investor,” highlighting why doctors face unique financial challenges compared to most U.S. investors. David explains the …

How chronic stress harms the heart in minority communities

Monzur Morshed, MD and Kaysan Morshed

Conditions

September 2, 2025

As a cardiologist in New York City who treats a sizable Bangladeshi‑American community, I have witnessed otherwise healthy individuals exhibit concerning cardiovascular events, frequently in the absence of conventional risk markers. What unites them? Severe, protracted psychological stress brought on by prejudice, family court disputes, immigration problems, or financial instability.

The mechanisms of prolonged stress

Prolonged stress raises cortisol, adrenaline, and inflammatory cytokines via activating the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic‑pituitary‑adrenal (HPA) …

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts