Jeffrey Junig is a psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist with a longstanding interest in the intersection of neuroscience, clinical care, and the systems that shape modern medicine. He is affiliated with the Medical College of Wisconsin and has spent much of his career working with patients affected by substance use disorders.
Dr. Junig has written about addiction treatment and clinical practice for many years, including his long-running Suboxone Talk Zone, which began in 2007 and now continues on Substack. His essays explore medicine, neuroscience, and the often unexpected ways in which health care systems influence patient care and physician decision-making.
He publishes ongoing commentary and essays on Unscripted Practice. A full list of his academic publications and professional background is available on his website.
At a recent CES show, a “longevity mirror” was introduced that can estimate your health from a brief facial scan and assign you a score. No clinician. No exam. Just a number. It is an impressive piece of technology. It is also a useful place to start, because it captures something that is quietly changing in medicine. Patients no longer need us to begin the process.
We are now surrounded by …
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How wearable technology is changing the role of physicians
I walked through a beautiful hallway the other day, the kind hospitals and clinics seem to favor now, polished floors, warm lighting, and old oak paneling on the walls. It looked less like a medical building and more like the lobby of a boutique hotel. At the end of the hallway sat a receptionist who was having a bad day. Or maybe she was just doing her job. She glanced …
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Why modern medicine feels more like a bureaucracy than a profession
I switched beta blockers a few days ago. Four or five, maybe. Nothing dramatic. No crisis. No near-miss. But my fingers are warm again, for the first time in months. And I’m sleeping better than I have in a long time. Those aren’t headline outcomes. They’re not the things medicine congratulates itself for. They are just noticeable. Modern medicine is very good at preventing death. It’s less good at noticing …
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Why quality of life in health care is often overlooked
