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Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

Conditions

June 17, 2025

As an endodontist who specializes in saving natural teeth, I have a front-row seat when it comes to observing the nuances of oral health. I can tell who is a flosser, a fan of tooth whiteners, and the sweet tooths among us. Occasionally, and particularly in younger adults, I see signs of severe tooth decay. That usually means one thing—they have lived in a town that lacks fluoride in their …

What the research really says about infrared saunas

Khushali Jhaveri, MD

Conditions

June 17, 2025

As someone who believes in a healthy amount of social media consumerism — just enough to stay inspired without drowning in every new trend — I recently found myself intrigued by a wellness practice that kept resurfacing on my feed: infrared sauna. Beyond the polished posts and glowing endorsements, my curiosity was also fueled by my background. As a cancer doctor, and someone who genuinely believes in the impact of …

How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD

Conditions

June 17, 2025

Disclosure: This should not be considered as evidence-based mental health literature. These are the observations of a surgeon with extensive experience being angry.

Introduction

Many physicians are finding themselves strained from ongoing sociopolitical crises. Dealing with the frequent or continuous consequences of unsustainable practices in health care systems, global systems issues like racism or sexism, or other large problems that are difficult to impossible …

Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 16, 2025

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

Anesthesiologist Maire Daugharty, who expanded her expertise by earning a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, discusses her article “Why ADHD isn’t just a childhood disorder and what that means for …

Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care

Katharina Schwan, MPH

Conditions

June 16, 2025

Every week, I speak with patients who have spent years—sometimes decades—searching for answers. They’ve seen rheumatologists, neurologists, cardiologists, physical therapists, and more, trying to piece together a puzzle that no one provider seems to fully understand. Their symptoms are dismissed as anxiety, growing pains, or “just part of being flexible.” But the truth is often something far more complex: A connective tissue disorder like hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or Hypermobility …

How locum tenens work helps physicians and APPs reclaim control

Brian Sutter

Policy

June 16, 2025

Burnout isn’t a weakness—it’s a warning sign.

I recently spoke with a nurse practitioner looking for a lifestyle change that could give her more balance without stepping away from medicine.

“I love caring for patients,” she told me, “but I don’t even recognize my life anymore. My schedule runs me, not the other way around.”

For her, locum tenens wasn’t a detour but a lifeline. Within months, she regained control of her time, …

The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

June 16, 2025

Eighty-five thousand medical malpractice lawsuits are filed per year, but the total number of claims reviewed by lawyers is unknown. What underlies their decision to proceed is their inability to determine which complication results from a systemic medical error in a medical intervention and which is just a random error of nature.

Reflected in this 85,000 is that two-thirds—52,000—are summarily dismissed and 4,600 are defense verdicts, and one-third—27,000—are settlements and 1,400 …

Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 15, 2025

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

Physician Scott Abramson discusses his article “How doctors’ words can make or break patient care.” Scott shares two compelling scenarios illustrating the profound impact of a physician’s communication. He recounts a family …

How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD

Tech

June 15, 2025

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) spent his youth deciphering the Mississippi River, a system far more complex than any artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm. He learned that real understanding demands nuance, context, and skepticism. Were he alive today, he’d likely see NarxCare, the controversial opioid-risk AI algorithm, as a cautionary tale about the dangers of replacing human judgment with lies, damn lies, and statistics.

NarxCare scores patients based on morphine milligram equivalents and …

Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Physician

June 15, 2025

As health care professionals, we are constantly immersed in data, intricate details, and complex ideas. Whether presenting at grand rounds, sharing research at conferences, or explaining treatment plans to patients, your PowerPoint slides can either amplify your message or obscure it in a deluge of information.

Let’s be clear: Effective communication is not merely a desirable trait; it is a clinical necessity. Communication …

Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

Kara Pepper, MD

Physician

June 15, 2025

Most of us didn’t go into medicine thinking about branding or strategy. We went into it to care for people. That was always the goal.

If we want to reach more of the patients who need us, we have to look at how we’re showing up. If we want to build a practice that’s sustainable and aligned with who we are, it matters. It’s not about selling. It’s about connection.

That starts …

Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

Anonymous

Education

June 15, 2025

Today I graduated from medical school. It should have been one of the happiest days of my life. And in some ways, it was. I earned this moment through sleepless nights, years of sacrifice, and an unshakable drive to serve and heal. I walked across the stage, accepted my diploma, stretched my smile from cheek to cheek, and looked directly at the camera. But behind that smile, I carried something …

Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 14, 2025

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

Public policy analyst Julia Drydyk discusses her article “Human trafficking isn’t what you think: Why education is key to stopping it.” Julia clarifies the crucial distinction between human smuggling and human trafficking, …

Earwax could hold secrets to cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease

Sandra Vamos, EdD and Domenic Alaimo

Conditions

June 14, 2025

Most of us think of earwax as a nuisance–something to be cleaned out and discarded. But, did you know that this sticky substance is a natural part of your body that can reveal information about your health?

If you regularly clean your ears at home, it’s worth a second thought. Although a part of general hygiene, overdoing it–or using hairpins, toothpicks, and other pointy tools–can do Read more…

Earwax could hold secrets to cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease

Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian

Conditions

June 14, 2025

June is Men’s Health Month, an opportunity to spotlight the unique health challenges men face—and to change the way we talk about them. One of the most overlooked and under-discussed topics in men’s health? Fertility. It’s time to bring it to the forefront.

As a fellowship-trained urologist specializing in sexual medicine and male fertility, I’ve witnessed firsthand how male reproductive health is too often sidelined in conversations around family-building. For far …

Why health care must adapt to meet the needs of older adults with disabilities

Lynn A. Schaefer, PhD

Conditions

June 14, 2025

We all know the population is aging, but did you know that close to half of all adults over age 65 in the U.S. have some kind of disability? The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) includes as a disability any “physical or mental impairment that limits one or more life activities” or a history or record of such impairment.

Thus, disabilities include: physical limitations such as mobility issues, pain, and fatigue; …

How doctors took back control from hospital executives

Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD

Physician

June 14, 2025

Several decades ago at our local hospital in northern Los Angeles County, an onslaught against doctors began. The administration marginalized and discredited them. It was not due to a lack of medical skill or knowledge, as certain physicians were labeled “troublemakers” and “threats” to health care in our small community.

The chief of staff and I, the chairman of the Department of Medicine, were members of the staff, some of whom …

Improving patient encounters: time-saving strategies for physicians [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 13, 2025

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

Endocrinologist Michael Morkos discusses his article “Mastering the art of efficient patient encounters: tips for physicians.” Michael shares practical strategies for optimizing the patient encounter to enhance both efficiency and patient satisfaction. …

How art and science fueled one woman’s path to medicine

Amy Avakian, MD

Physician

June 13, 2025

Dreaming of medicine

Everyone has an origin story. Mine doesn’t include any radioactive spiders or vats of glowing fluid, but I did get a few extra volts of electricity being defibrillated back to life at seventeen, and that’s close enough to a tragic backstory for me. It was a short-lived event, but long enough to change everything. I remember the blur of motion as a team of doctors worked around me. …

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