Second opinions are no laughing matter

Physician
May 27, 2024

The practice of seeking second opinions in medicine has a long history, dating back to ancient times. The concept is deeply rooted in the ethical and professional principles of medical practice.

In ancient Greece, Hippocrates, often considered the father of modern medicine, encouraged patients to seek second opinions. He believed that a different physician might have a different perspective or alternative treatment suggestions. This practice was considered a way to confirm …

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Why discussing female sexual health matters [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 26, 2024
YouTube video

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Join medical students Olivia Negris and Jen Romanello as they delve into the often-overlooked topic of female sexual health in health care. In this insightful podcast, Olivia and Jen discuss the challenges patients …

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Why preventive care is the cure for our failing health care system

Conditions
May 26, 2024

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
– Thomas Edison

Mr. Edison, if he is watching over us, must be sadly disappointed.

The provocative idea of making cancer centers obsolete might sound extreme, but it underscores a critical vision for health care—shifting from reactive to preventive treatment. Envision a …

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Grandpa’s remains are helping push up daisies

Conditions
May 26, 2024

“Rejoin the natural cycle: to know that the last gesture you’ll make will be gentle and beneficial just feels like the right thing to do.”
– Recompose founder Katrina Spade

I love gardening and watching things grow, so I found the idea of human composting an intriguing concept. For those who find cremation unconventional or even unsettling, the process of disposing of the remains of a deceased loved one has taken a …

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Left in the dark: the censorship of health literature in prisons

Conditions
May 26, 2024

Kwaneta Harris had hot flashes and lapses of memory. She didn’t feel right and didn’t know why. “It felt like my body was completely betraying me,” she wrote. “I felt like I was losing my mind.” The cause wasn’t the eight years she’d spent in solitary confinement in a Texas prison. She was going through menopause. She didn’t understand it. And Texas officials wouldn’t allow …

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How the Apple Vision Pro can improve patient outcomes [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 25, 2024
YouTube video

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Join us for an engaging discussion on the future of health care diagnostics with physician, health care consultant, and serial entrepreneur Harvey Castro. In this episode, we delve into the transformative potential of …

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America’s broken health care system: Can doctors lead the fix?

Policy
May 25, 2024

America’s health care system, much like Congress, is broken, and doctors have to be part of the solution. I don’t know a single doctor who doesn’t wish to improve our ability to increase access and the delivery of health services to our patients. Maintaining and/or improving the health of patients is our goal. That should be the goal of anyone associated with the health careRead more…

Doctors or criminals? How misleading narratives hurt innocent lives

Physician
May 25, 2024

When it comes to journalism and health care prosecutions, today’s “papers” are so yellow that they could damage vision like a 580 nm laser. I have personally seen and suffered from this unbalanced approach to reporting and felt a need to provide a counternarrative based on reason instead of hyperbole. After studying hundreds of cases, I will argue that in roughly fifty percent of these, the government has paid hundreds …

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Crippling fatigue: a common enemy of autoimmune disease

Conditions
May 25, 2024

For many people with autoimmune disease, fatigue is the most debilitating symptom. Why autoimmune disease and fatigue go together is not entirely understood, although inflammation may be part of the reason. Other possible factors include pain, poor sleep, inactivity, and depressed mood. Fatigue is not just feeling tired. Fatigue is composed of both physical fatigue and mental fatigue. Unlike being tired, fatigue is rarely resolved with rest or sleep. Trying …

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Couples counseling: Understanding conflict and building intimacy

Conditions
May 25, 2024

Situations that trigger a call for assistance with couples counseling are generally described as a need for improved communication, chronic conflict, lack of physical or emotional intimacy, or a desire to better understand the impacts of past trauma. Therapeutic work can evolve into tackling more specific long-standing disappointments in emotional and physical intimacy. Disconnection is often exacerbated incrementally by increased responsibility with children, aging parents, and cultural differences, among other …

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Targeting cancer treatment for better outcomes [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 24, 2024
YouTube video

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We welcome Kevin L. Schewe, a radiation oncologist, as we explore the evolution of cancer treatment from the perspective of someone who has witnessed groundbreaking advancements firsthand. From the significance of targeted therapies …

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Improving maternal health with integrated technology and coordinated decision-making

Policy
May 24, 2024

The U.S. infant mortality rate, children who die under one year of age, rose to its highest rate in two decades in 2022, up about 3 percent to 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

At the same time, the nation’s neonatal mortality rate, infants who die in less than 28 days, increased by 3 percent from 3.49 to 3.58, and the post-neonatal mortality rate, infants who die between 28 days …

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70 and thriving: How I discovered my encore career

Physician
May 24, 2024

In the midst of moving and changing my residential address, and at 70 years of age, I finally figured out my encore career: building Bankers Boxes. Perhaps my skills will transfer to folding pizza boxes.

This is as good a time as any to use humor, i.e. while winding down your career. Most people glumly retire. It has to be done with a modicum of planning and foresight, as well as …

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The “doctor” treatment: How to vet physicians for ourselves and those we love

Physician
May 24, 2024

There’s an old Dutch Proverb that goes: “We grow too soon old and too late smart.”

I’m not so sure about the “too late” part. In the almost five years since I walked off the mound for the last time, i.e., I retired from practicing medicine, I’ve learned a lot and maybe even gotten a tad smarter (about some things). I can change my refrigerator water filters with my eyes closed, …

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Eye dryness, insomnia, and more: hidden signs you’re in perimenopause

Conditions
May 24, 2024

I am 47 years old and was today years old when I realized I have been going through perimenopause for the last four years. It is only with a retrospective lens that I can review my last four years and pick up intermittent symptoms or even just mild nuisance-level symptoms that I can say are likely from perimenopause.

What is perimenopause? Perimenopause is the transition stage before reaching menopause, which is …

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Outdated technology is hurting patients [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 23, 2024
YouTube video

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Join us as we delve into the complexities of modern health care with guest Samant Virk, a neurologist and health care executive. We explore pressing questions surrounding outdated systems and resistance to change …

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Pain management for Black patients and painful realities

Conditions
May 23, 2024

This piece is inspired by my recent patient encounter. Within the past week, I received a call from the ER to admit a 29-year-old African-American female whom, for the sake of this essay, I will call Keisha. Keisha presented with severe lower abdominal pain and was found to be in hypertensive crisis. Her systolic blood pressure consistently was in the upper 200s. It turned out that the young lady suffered …

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Apple’s new accessibility features: a game changer in health care

Tech
May 23, 2024

Apple’s new accessibility features—eye tracking, music haptics, and vocal shortcuts—mark a major technological leap to enhance life quality for individuals with disabilities. These innovations promise to revolutionize health care by boosting patient autonomy, care quality, and inclusive design. Here’s a comprehensive look at their transformative potential.

Eye tracking on iPad and iPhone for enhanced patient communication

Eye-tracking technology is a groundbreaking development for individuals with physical disabilities, enabling users to control their …

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A simple poem, and a profound message: Exploring Wendy Cope’s The Orange

Physician
May 23, 2024

Wendy Cope is a poet of modern times. She was born in Erith, Kent. She spent fifteen years teaching primary school in London after graduating from college. She has published five collections of her poems: Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis in 1986, Serious Concerns in 1992, If I Don’t Know in 2001, Family Values in 2011, and Anecdotal Evidence in 2018. Her observation of the commonplace, everyday elements of life …

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The credentialing scavenger hunt: Navigating hospital credentials

Physician
May 23, 2024

If you are a physician planning to move to a new hospital or take a contract job in another state, prepare yourself for the daunting process of credentialing. As a pediatric emergency physician who frequently provides locum coverage, I’m intimately familiar with the cumbersome, repetitive, and costly scavenger hunt that accompanies credentialing at each new hospital. This process must be endured every time, at every hospital, with no sharing of …

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