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

    • Why clinical listening skills outpace artificial intelligence

      Ryan Egeland, MD, PhD | Tech
    • Administrative burden is driving severe physician burnout

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Pharmacy closures threaten our entire public health system

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
    • Why Florida physician background checks are driving doctors away

      Tamzin A. Rosenwasser, MD | Physician
    • Rethinking the role of family physicians vs. specialists

      Ronald L. Lindsay, MD | Physician
    • The hidden clinical cost of HCC coding in primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Politics and fear have replaced science in U.S. pain management [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The controversy over Maintenance of Certification for grandfathered physicians

      Bernard Leo Remakus, MD | Physician
    • Why clinicians fail at writing expert reports

      Tracy Liberatore, Esq, PA | Conditions
    • Evidence-based medicine vs. clinical judgment: a medical student’s perspective

      Jay Pendyala | Education
    • When side effects are actually a cry for help with medication costs

      Shuchita Gupta, MD | Physician
    • The hidden math behind physician hiring costs and recruitment

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Coping with a childhood type 1 diabetes diagnosis

      Howard Steinberg | Conditions
    • The ROI of ambient AI in health care and autonomous coding

      Pat Williams | Tech
    • Artificial intelligence is changing medical writing today

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Tech
    • A humorous parody of medical specialties and the modern patient

      Sidney J. Winawer, MD | Physician
    • Managing food allergy anxiety through diagnostic testing

      Tamara Hubbard and Gary Falcetano | Conditions
    • How generative AI in health care is changing patient expectations

      Cybil Sierra Stingl, MD and Robert M. Kaplan, PhD | Tech

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

    • Why clinical listening skills outpace artificial intelligence

      Ryan Egeland, MD, PhD | Tech
    • Administrative burden is driving severe physician burnout

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Pharmacy closures threaten our entire public health system

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
    • Why Florida physician background checks are driving doctors away

      Tamzin A. Rosenwasser, MD | Physician
    • Rethinking the role of family physicians vs. specialists

      Ronald L. Lindsay, MD | Physician
    • The hidden clinical cost of HCC coding in primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Politics and fear have replaced science in U.S. pain management [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The controversy over Maintenance of Certification for grandfathered physicians

      Bernard Leo Remakus, MD | Physician
    • Why clinicians fail at writing expert reports

      Tracy Liberatore, Esq, PA | Conditions
    • Evidence-based medicine vs. clinical judgment: a medical student’s perspective

      Jay Pendyala | Education
    • When side effects are actually a cry for help with medication costs

      Shuchita Gupta, MD | Physician
    • The hidden math behind physician hiring costs and recruitment

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Coping with a childhood type 1 diabetes diagnosis

      Howard Steinberg | Conditions
    • The ROI of ambient AI in health care and autonomous coding

      Pat Williams | Tech
    • Artificial intelligence is changing medical writing today

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Tech
    • A humorous parody of medical specialties and the modern patient

      Sidney J. Winawer, MD | Physician
    • Managing food allergy anxiety through diagnostic testing

      Tamara Hubbard and Gary Falcetano | Conditions
    • How generative AI in health care is changing patient expectations

      Cybil Sierra Stingl, MD and Robert M. Kaplan, PhD | Tech

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