Shuchita Gupta is a cardiologist.

When side effects are actually a cry for help with medication costs

Physician
March 19, 2026

“Doc, I cannot sleep well at night since I started taking the blood thinner (apixaban/Eliquis).”

“Hmm, that is not a typical side effect of the blood thinner. Have you considered any other changes to your routine that could be affecting how you sleep at night?”

“Doc, I also have joint pains and diarrhea since I started the blood thinner. Can I stop it?”

(The patient has had joint pains and diarrhea pre-dating the …

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When side effects are actually a cry for help with medication costs

Combating cognitive dissonance in medicine

Physician
March 3, 2025

The definition of cognitive dissonance is a feeling of mental discomfort when one holds contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or values. As physicians navigate the complex waters of medical practice, the core philosophy of patient-centered care often clashes with external pressures imposed by a system that prioritizes profitability. This cognitive dissonance is considered a major factor in physician burnout.

While there are systemic factors that need to be addressed to resolve the growing …

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Combating cognitive dissonance in medicine

A cardiologist’s urgent call to combat heat-related health risks

Physician
August 9, 2024

As I drive to work and back, my eyes are on the ambient temperature reading in my car—it has been creeping up every day. I routinely listen to NPR, and extreme heat in various parts of the world comes up in daily discussions.

As a heart failure cardiologist in the clinic, I routinely ask my patients about their activity levels. Most of them complain about the heat and how it impacts …

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A cardiologist’s urgent call to combat heat-related health risks

What will medicine look like in a post-COVID world?

Conditions
September 10, 2020

We all have understood by now that life has been changed irrevocably by COVID-19. As physicians, while we navigate the rapidly changing waters of testing, prevention, and acute treatment, we are now becoming increasingly cognizant of the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection with post-COVID clinics already being established in many places.

Here are some of my thoughts on what practice should look like in the coming years, with respect to COVID …

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What will medicine look like in a post-COVID world?