Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
KevinMD

Michael J. Stephen, MD

  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking
KevinMD

Michael J. Stephen, MD

  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking
  • About KevinMD | Kevin Pho, MD
  • Be heard on social media’s leading physician voice
  • Contact Kevin
  • Discounted enhanced author page
  • DMCA Policy
  • Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices
  • Group vs. individual disability insurance for doctors: pros and cons
  • KevinMD influencer opportunities
  • Opinion and commentary by KevinMD
  • Physician burnout speakers to keynote your conference
  • Physician Coaching by KevinMD
  • Physician keynote speaker: Kevin Pho, MD
  • Physician Speaking by KevinMD: a boutique speakers bureau
  • Primary care physician in Nashua, NH | Kevin Pho, MD
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recommended services by KevinMD
  • Terms of Use Agreement
  • Thank you for subscribing to KevinMD
  • Thank you for upgrading to the KevinMD enhanced author page
  • The biggest mistake doctors make when purchasing disability insurance
  • The doctor’s guide to disability insurance: short-term vs. long-term
  • The KevinMD ToolKit
  • Upgrade to the KevinMD enhanced author page
  • Why own-occupation disability insurance is a must for doctors

Michael J. Stephen is a pulmonary physician and author of Breath Taking: The Power, Fragility, and Future of Our Extraordinary Lungs. 

The lungs and the common good

Michael J. Stephen, MD
Physician
January 19, 2021

An excerpt from Breath Taking: The Power, Fragility, and Future of Our Extraordinary Lungs. Reprinted with the permission of the publisher, Atlantic Monthly Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, Inc. All rights reserved.

Eduardo Rosas Cruz was arrested late in the evening near Bakersfield, California, on July …

Read more…

The lungs and the common good

When treating chronic pain, don’t compromise your principles

Michael J. Stephen, MD
Meds
September 17, 2016

One of the most difficult things I deal with as a physician is patients’ demands for pain medications. I treat patients with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease present at birth with no cure, and its issues are indeed complex. There are legitimate causes for misery from the chronic coughing, abdominal pain, and joint pain recognized as common symptoms of the disease.

But the associated issues of depression, stress with family, and …

Read more…

When treating chronic pain, don’t compromise your principles

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Medicare practice expense cuts will hurt patients

      John Birkmeyer, MD | Policy
    • When shared decision making gives way to medical paternalism

      DeAnna Pollock, MD | Physician
    • How xenotransplantation could finally solve organ shortages

      Rafael S. Garcia-Cortes, MD | Conditions
    • 25 of 32 years of life expectancy came from this

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Education
    • The family caregiving truth nobody wants to admit

      Barbara Sparacino, MD | Conditions
    • Failing the residency match: What I learned from not matching

      Camellia Russell | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why clinicians fail at writing expert reports

      Tracy Liberatore, Esq, PA | Conditions
    • Rethinking the role of family physicians vs. specialists

      Ronald L. Lindsay, MD | Physician
    • Clinicians are failing at value-based care because no one taught them the system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why clinical listening skills outpace artificial intelligence

      Ryan Egeland, MD, PhD | Tech
    • Why Florida physician background checks are driving doctors away

      Tamzin A. Rosenwasser, MD | Physician
    • The hidden clinical cost of HCC coding in primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Failing the residency match: What I learned from not matching

      Camellia Russell | Education
    • Why the U.S. needs more preventive medicine and public health doctors

      Jacob Player, MD, MPH | Policy
    • The hidden costs of delayed diagnosis and diagnostic ambiguity

      Bita Ghatan | Conditions
    • The true crime community is radicalizing kids online

      Dexter Ingram & Matthew Turner, MD & Stephen Sandelich, MD | Physician
    • Why the doctor-patient relationship survives when trust in public health fails

      Myles Deal, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating medical training and residency as a female plastic surgeon

      Smita Ramanadham, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Medicare practice expense cuts will hurt patients

      John Birkmeyer, MD | Policy
    • When shared decision making gives way to medical paternalism

      DeAnna Pollock, MD | Physician
    • How xenotransplantation could finally solve organ shortages

      Rafael S. Garcia-Cortes, MD | Conditions
    • 25 of 32 years of life expectancy came from this

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Education
    • The family caregiving truth nobody wants to admit

      Barbara Sparacino, MD | Conditions
    • Failing the residency match: What I learned from not matching

      Camellia Russell | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why clinicians fail at writing expert reports

      Tracy Liberatore, Esq, PA | Conditions
    • Rethinking the role of family physicians vs. specialists

      Ronald L. Lindsay, MD | Physician
    • Clinicians are failing at value-based care because no one taught them the system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why clinical listening skills outpace artificial intelligence

      Ryan Egeland, MD, PhD | Tech
    • Why Florida physician background checks are driving doctors away

      Tamzin A. Rosenwasser, MD | Physician
    • The hidden clinical cost of HCC coding in primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Failing the residency match: What I learned from not matching

      Camellia Russell | Education
    • Why the U.S. needs more preventive medicine and public health doctors

      Jacob Player, MD, MPH | Policy
    • The hidden costs of delayed diagnosis and diagnostic ambiguity

      Bita Ghatan | Conditions
    • The true crime community is radicalizing kids online

      Dexter Ingram & Matthew Turner, MD & Stephen Sandelich, MD | Physician
    • Why the doctor-patient relationship survives when trust in public health fails

      Myles Deal, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating medical training and residency as a female plastic surgeon

      Smita Ramanadham, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today

Copyright © 2026 KevinMD.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme

  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group