How narrative medicine empowers neurodivergent patients

Conditions
February 26, 2024

It’s been said that the challenges neurodiverse people face are the ones that neurotypical people view as easy, and vice versa. It speaks to the hard-wired diversity of cognitive styles and perspectives among different individuals.

Neurotypical people, who generally fit within the societal norms of cognitive functioning, might find certain tasks or social situations easier due to their alignment with mainstream expectations. On the other hand, neurodivergent individuals, who have variations …

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How Barbie exposes sexism in medicine

Physician
February 26, 2024

A scene in the movie Barbie is all too familiar to female physicians. Ken asks a female physician, “Can I talk to a doctor?” and she replies, “You are talking to a doctor.” He ignores her, then requests her assistance with various menial tasks (“Can you get me a coffee … I need a clicky pen”) before abruptly walking off in the direction of two short-haired, presumably male medical professionals, …

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From crisis to solution: Overcoming America’s children’s mental health emergency [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 25, 2024
YouTube video

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We dive into the urgent state of children’s mental health in America with our guest, Alex Stavros, a health care executive. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Alex sheds light …

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The ultimate guide to child dental sedation

Conditions
February 25, 2024

Cavities in kids are common, and many children are unable to complete dental work without sedation. Dental anxiety must be balanced with safe and expedient dental treatment. Further information about early childhood caries can be found here. The prevalence of dental decay in children varies in different groups but is as high as 85 percent in some populations.

Sedation is recommended for the completion of dental work in children with …

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Health insurance CEOs face “prior authorization”: a taste of their own medicine?

Physician
February 25, 2024

A fictional monologue.

You’ve reached the prior authorization denial appeal line for insurance CEOs. Case number, please.

I’m sorry you’ve had to hold for over an hour, but we can’t proceed if we don’t have your case number, a copy of your business degree on file, GMAT score, three letters of recommendation, the middle name of your dentist, and your high school transcript.

Yes, I was only joking about the dentist! LOL! We’re …

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The power of empathy: a tale of 2 prostate biopsies

Conditions
February 25, 2024

I’m sitting in a windowless room in the hospital’s urology department waiting for my second prostate biopsy, feeling surprisingly calm and relaxed.

It’s a surveillance biopsy. Two years ago, the first one revealed “a few scattered cancer cells” while zeroing in on what turned out to be a harmless nodule. I’d learned then that a prostate biopsy will never make anyone’s list of fun things to do. In addition to being, …

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Going beyond the usual advice for eating healthy [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 24, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Francisco M. Torres, an interventional physiatrist. As the author of Dr. T’s Drop the Fat Diet: 12 Steps to Leaner You Forever, Dr. Torres shares invaluable findings from recent clinical studies, revealing …

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Surviving my nephrectomy nightmare: the night I’ll never forget

Conditions
February 24, 2024

My first post-op night after my nephrectomy was a mix of fantastical and almost devastating.

I woke up in the PACU after my surgery, extremely confused and disoriented. I felt like I was trapped inside a video game, desperately trying to escape.

Upon entering my new post-op room on a medical-surgical unit, it had that brand-new, hotel-like decor – shiny and pristine. The nurses, techs, and NPs greeted me with words of …

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Doctors speak out against toxic work conditions

Physician
February 24, 2024

I’m in a global private physician Facebook group, and I learn a great deal about health care, both good and bad, from other doctors. Because it is private, doctors share a lot of personal practice issues as well as challenging cases from which we all learn. The physician who posted this message from her hospital employer gave permission for me to use …

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Large language models in health care [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 23, 2024
YouTube video

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We delve into the intersection of large language models (LLMs) and health care with David Lareau, a health care executive. Since the debut of ChatGPT, the health care sector has been abuzz with …

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Why immigrant physicians struggle to bring their aging parents to the U.S.

Physician
February 23, 2024

In the United States (U.S.), immigrating physicians typically fall into three categories: those working temporarily on nonimmigrant visas, those permanently residing on immigrant visas, and those who have become U.S. citizens through naturalization.

While immigrating physicians can easily move from their home countries to the U.S., they often encounter challenges when considering bringing their aging dependent parents with them. The U.S. offers temporary nonimmigrant pathways for parents of immigrating physicians who …

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What does it mean to be a great doctor?

Physician
February 23, 2024

Like most existential questions, the answer to this question really depends on who you ask.

A patient may have one answer, and a physician a completely different response.

Ask ten people, and you’re likely to get ten different replies.

What does being a great doctor mean to you?

If you’re a doctor, this is an important question to ask yourself because your answers impact how you practice and interact with your patients. Even more …

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Building expertise through collaboration [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 22, 2024
YouTube video

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Join emergency physicians Resa E. Lewiss and Adaira Landry as they delve into the power of collaboration in developing subject matter expertise. Discover how their monthly educator series led to unexpected opportunities, and …

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Where do they come up with all those goofy names for prescription drugs, anyway?

Meds
February 22, 2024

An excerpt from Pills, Shills, and the Psychiatry Wars: Musings from the Drug Safety & Healthcare News Blog.

I was spreading pine straw around the bushes in my yard in Atlanta, Georgia, when I started thinking about … you guessed it! The goofy names that drug companies come up with for their prescription drugs.

Folks in the blue states are often interested in the customs of us red state folks since …

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How medical training indoctrinates toxic beliefs in physicians

Education
February 22, 2024

There’s a great irony that exists within medicine. We are taught to critically examine all scientific evidence; however, there are a series of beliefs we learn about the profession as a whole that we’re meant to accept without question.

Essentially, during our medical training, we are indoctrinated with a set of harmful beliefs about what it means to be a doctor. These beliefs harm not only us as individual physicians but …

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How social media alters young brains [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 21, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Marc Arginteanu, a neurosurgeon, as we delve into a 2023 study revealing the alarming effects of social media and electronic addiction on the developing brains of middle school-aged children. Discover the intricacies …

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Why I keep writing: a tale of birds and expression

Physician
February 21, 2024

In a recent conversation, my good friend Joe posed what I believed was a thought-provoking question: “Why do you keep writing?” This interrogation, replete with profound connotations, subtly conveyed his conviction that expending substantial temporal resources on the lamentation of the world’s ostensibly insurmountable predicaments stands as a notably futile pursuit. From his perspective, it becomes manifestly apparent that individuals like me, inclusive of those within the public intellectual sphere, …

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Beyond opioids: a new hope for chronic pain relief

Meds
February 21, 2024

Opioids work through the mu opiate receptors throughout the body and brain, dampening pain signals being sent through the peripheral nervous system and spinal cord. It also acts on the ventral tegmental area, causing the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, creating a sensation of euphoria. It is this euphoric effect that seems to be most related to addiction potential. Opiates mimic our endogenous endorphins and have been used …

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Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: Overcoming doctor bias for a life-changing diagnosis

Conditions
February 21, 2024

“Do you have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?”

It wasn’t a question I expected during an ophthalmology appointment. It was, however, one I’d been asked before. Two other specialists had suggested I might have connective tissue issues, but nothing had ever come of it. All I could tell my ophthalmologist, then, was what I’d said before when it had come up: “No, not as far as I know, but I’ll ask about it.”

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From scrubs to success: Mastering health care attire [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 20, 2024
YouTube video

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Join retired cardiologist and physician coach Sarah Samaan as we explore the significance of professional attire in health care. Discover how clothing choices impact patient perceptions, gender biases, and the doctor-patient relationship. We’ll …

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