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 …
“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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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 …
The face of health care in today’s world is unfamiliar to me in many ways. When I was growing up, the family doctor was a well-known and respected member of the community. Patients trusted their doctor to help them navigate life’s challenges – the loss of a loved one, a cancer diagnosis, a complicated pregnancy, or depression caused by life’s stresses.
The physician knew their patients, and the patients knew them …
In the annals of history, the transformative impact of a few courageous leaders has left an indelible mark, altering the course of nations and reshaping the face of societies. From the visionary leadership of figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela to the groundbreaking initiatives of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, history is replete with examples of leaders who navigated their nations through crises, leaving an enduring legacy. Unfortunately, …
As somebody who has reviewed physician employment agreements for 40 years or so, I have to admit I am more than a little jaundiced when it comes to the subject of hospital executive compensation. I’m not altogether convinced that one health system CEO really “earned” the $35.5 million he was reported to have been paid in 2021. I’m sure the pandemic was hard on him. Seeing all those physicians exposing …
As Dry January gains popularity and inspires millions of people to abstain from alcohol for a month, its focus appears to be geared towards young adults. A demographic that is often overlooked, but is likely to benefit significantly from this movement, is older adults. The National Survey on Drug Use and Heavy Drinking found that nearly 39 percent of adults aged 65 or older drink …
As primary care providers, we play an integral role in shaping the lives of our patients in critical ways. We are in the unique position to delve into a patient’s unique biomedical, psychosocial, economic, and cultural background, which allows us to understand each patient at a deeper level with a nuanced perspective. This holistic view informs the development of highly personalized treatment plans that have the power not only to …
An excerpt from Apple Vision Healthcare Pioneers: A Community for Professionals & Patients.
In health care technology, diagnostics, and disease detection have undergone significant advancements, notably with the introduction of Apple Vision Pro. Developed by Apple Inc., this cutting-edge technology promises to transform the early detection and diagnosis of diseases, marrying the clinical understanding of seasoned physicians with the precision of …
I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, which is generally associated with a diet of all fried food. Prior to medical school, I thought many adults around me would eventually succumb to a diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes since they didn’t appear to think either was a big deal. However, my medical education quickly revealed that these co-morbidities were not merely inconveniences but were linked to some of the leading causes …
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Join Ram Krishnan, a technology executive. Discover the power of provider feedback in improving health practices and gain valuable insights into fostering a supportive feedback culture, anonymous feedback mechanisms, and leveraging technology for continuous improvement. Learn from …
Isn’t it incredible that generations of physicians today still do not know how to make money in a professional business way that is easy to learn, implement, and use?
Aside from the fact that every medical school in our nation over the last century has refused to even tell medical students that they would benefit from business education, you’d think that they had somehow been blinded to the fact that all …
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Dr. Shaun Murphy (played by Freddie Highmore) stars in ABC’s The Good Doctor, a television drama that centers around an autistic surgeon whose job at the hospital was frequently threatened and would be lost if it were not for the practical and emotional support from the hospital president.
I don’t know how many “Doctor Murphys” practice medicine in real life – autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevails in about 1% to 2% …
An excerpt from No Work After Hours: Tools to Maintain a Pleasant, Efficient, and Productive Clinic Without Work Before or After Hours.
The patient encounter is the core of clinical physician practices. That’s why we went to medical school from the very beginning. The excitement and passion for seeing sick patients and helping them on the path of healing was an ambition. One skill set is to be a good …
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Join physician executive Justin Norden as he delves into the world of health care messaging and how large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are transforming patient communication. Discover how LLMs can streamline patient messaging workflows, improve response …
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More than a decade ago I hired my first coach, and life was never the same. During my time with the life coach, I experienced first-hand the value of an end-of-year process that goes deeper than setting a New Year’s resolution.
Years have passed. As a busy physician, I’ve told myself that I don’t have the time for a deep dive reflection of my life and career. I have patients to …
You hear it in conversations with friends when returning to work. Maybe in clinic visits with your patients. Definitely among celebrities and on mainstream media. And maybe you’ve even said it yourself. ”
“My sister suffered with postpartum.”
“I was just diagnosed with postpartum.”
“My wife had to seek help after we realized she was experiencing severe postpartum.”
Yet the word postpartum simply means: the time after childbirth. In the medical community, “postpartum” most often …
Of the many thousand operations I did in my surgical career, most were life-improving rather than life-saving. To me, life-saving implies immediate or imminent risk of death: gunshot wounds, stabbings, gastrointestinal bleeding or perforations, punctured lungs, and cracking a chest in the ER for a stab wound to the heart. Potentially life-saving but less dramatic is removing a malignancy that, untreated or treated later, would likely have killed the person.
Most …
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