Here’s how to win the opioid war

Meds
November 27, 2017

Trump recently declared a national public health emergency. In this statement he was not talking about HIV or hepatitis C nor was he referring to the increased incidence of gun violence in the country. The president’s statements focused on a very different public health problem; he was talking about America’s high incidence of opioid-related deaths mostly from overdose.

This declaration has been met with various pronouncements including …

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Here’s how to win the opioid war

Let older people talk about sex

Conditions
March 30, 2017

He was referred to me by a colleague with a large geriatric practice for evaluation and treatment for HIV. He was 76 years old and lived in an assisted living facility. He was, however, very independent and only required limited assistance. When asked what he expected from the visit he responded that he had been sent to me by his PCP. Review of his records suggested that in addition to …

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Let older people talk about sex

Let’s talk about sex — with our patients

Conditions
February 1, 2017

I recently read a book by Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz a UCLA cardiologist who also happens to be a consultant for the Los Angeles Zoo. In her book Zoobiquity, Dr. Natterson-Horowitz demystified the story of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) transmission from monkeys in West and Central Africa to humans. Most physicians today, including me, have a limited knowledge of zoonosis (the science surrounding bugs that can be from animals to humans) …

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Let’s talk about sex — with our patients

America’s love affair with opiates

Meds
January 4, 2017

Current reports from the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) suggest that the United States is second on the list of countries with the highest per capita consumption of opiates.  Data from 2014 quotes U.S. use of opiates at 700 mg per capita per year. The only country that has a higher per capita use is Canada at 967 mg per capita both in ME (morphine equivalents). This suggests that in …

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America’s love affair with opiates

My experience as a physician shaped my views on the LGBTQ community

Physician
December 21, 2016

As a physician from Ghana brought up in a very religious family, I must admit that when it comes to gay rights and other issues related to sexual minorities I was as far to the right as anyone could be.  My first experience with openly gay individuals was when I came to the United States. Needless to say, gay behavior in Ghana was so stigmatized as to be nonexistent in …

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My experience as a physician shaped my views on the LGBTQ community