An excerpt from One Hundred Prayers: God’s answer to prayer in a COVID ICU.
(August 30, 2021) Susan was 44 years old and previously healthy; an ardent anti-masker. When she caught delta COVID, she took ivermectin, zinc and vitamin C. She arrived at our ER about a week later, requiring immediate …
A heartbreaking COVID-19 case: the importance of trust in medical care
COVID reminded me of why I became a doctor. Below is an unpublished account (in short story form) of my most memorable day during the height of COVID. It is a reminder that we can remain true to our intrinsic motivators rather than victims of extrinsic factors. And most of us still have the opportunity to choose every day which forces rule our day: intrinsic or extrinsic.
On a Tuesday morning …
A memorable day during COVID: Staying true to my calling
When I started visiting patients in nursing homes, a good many of them had some degree of dementia. In its earliest form, a person with dementia could recall what they were doing when they found out about 9/11, or when Kennedy was shot, or when Pearl Harbor was bombed in the Second World War. However, they couldn’t recall their most recent …
How dementia and COVID-19 robbed the baby doll of love
Mental health conditions are common among individuals with long COVID due to various factors. These include the direct effects of COVID-19 on the body, such as neuroinflammation, as well as the circumstances often associated with the condition, such as job loss, reduced income, disconnection, isolation, chronic pain, immobility, and the persistent feeling of being unwell. Alongside cognitive impairment and fatigue, mental health issues form what I call the “unholy trinity” …
It’s time to stop stigmatizing long COVID patients with mental health conditions
The COVID-19 pandemic is over. On May 5, The World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency. The U.S. followed suit on May 11, allowing the public health emergency declaration to expire.
The pandemic did not end because of vaccination efforts nor from acquired herd immunity. The pandemic is over because of the capitulation and resignation of public health authorities as they concede …
Our institutions have given up on the COVID-19 pandemic. We should not.
As an allergist-immunologist who trained at Mayo Clinic, one might assume that I’m up to date on my COVID-19 booster vaccinations. However, I realized months ago that I was overdue for a booster; it’s been over a year since my third vaccination. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I didn’t stop at the pharmacy or schedule an appointment with my primary doctor. I was among the roughly 85 percent of …
COVID-19 vaccine neglect: a tale of regret and debilitating symptoms
I love two nurses. One of them is my son, and the other is someone very close to me. She’ll have her own article.
My son has just finished his seventh 12-hour ICU shift. He’s wiped out, devastated, and shell-shocked. Let me introduce him to you before sharing his pain.
The kid was always enthusiastic about medicine. He wanted to be a physician more than anything. Maybe it runs in the family; …
The heartbreaking reality of a nurse’s struggle: a father’s tale
An excerpt from Outbreaks and Pandemics: The Life of a Disease Detective.
The importance of disease detectives in solving and controlling outbreaks and pandemics must be recognized. We are the backbone of our public health system. We are scientifically savvy, inquisitive, detail-oriented, and able to follow the data wherever it leads, …
The unsung heroes of disease detectives: Controlling outbreaks and pandemics to save lives
This is a story of headlines and the power they wield for good and evil (apologies for the melodrama). Words matter, and I, for one, am frustrated with the words in headlines often doing more harm than good.
I am a family doctor whose passion in life is preventing disease. I don’t want to see my patients suffering from diabetes or heart failure, nor from a contagious disease that is preventable …
Unveiling the truth: How headlines shape our world and the urgent need for reliable news
There is a phenomenon sweeping across various medical circles on social media that is forcing people to address accusations from those who were not on the front lines of COVID at the beginning of the pandemic. Though I have refused to pay much attention to the details, I have become more and more enraged at the audacity and frank ignorance that it takes to judge when not in the arena. …
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Join us as we chat with medical writer Steven Marshall about the evolving health care landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the transformative effects on health care delivery, the availability of testing, vaccination, and therapies, and …
COVID-19: Unveiling the transformative shifts in health care [PODCAST]
Calling all health care personnel: EMTs, paramedics, nurses, CNAs, respiratory therapists, police, firefighters. All of you.
You’ve been cursed at, spat upon, hit, and scratched by fingernails. You never got that 30-minute break during those 12 long hours. You had to beg to use the restroom. Your staffing was minimal, and your 24/7 manager was nowhere to be found. Your fellow doctors are shouting at you, and patients’ family members are …
Surviving the chaos: an inspiring journey of health care heroes
As the current COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the globe, many are left wondering when the next pandemic will occur. The reality is that pandemics are not a new phenomenon, and throughout history, we have seen numerous instances of infectious diseases causing widespread devastation.
While we cannot predict with certainty when the next pandemic will occur, there are certain circumstances under which they are more likely to occur.
One such circumstance …
Unveiling the global pandemic threat: insights into risk factors and urgent measures for prevention
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In a recent article in Health Affairs, U.N. Foundation vice president Peter Yeo and former Director of The Global Fund Mark Dybul, MD, broke down the elements and imperatives of a process underway to develop a better approach to pandemic preparedness. Currently in draft form, the “Pandemic Accord” is being shepherded by the World Health Organization at the behest of its 194 Member States after the global COVID-19 response called …
Why the WHO’s pandemic accord is critical for global health care
An excerpt from Long Illness: A Practical Guide to Surviving, Healing, and Thriving. Copyright ©2023. Available from Hachette Go, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Let’s say that you have it all together: you are accepting your illness and it is enriching your life. Now turn on the TV, pick up …
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In this episode, our guest Susan MacLellan-Tobert, a pediatric cardiologist and physician coach, delves into the challenges faced by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being …
Processing grief: a vital step for health care workers during COVID-19 [PODCAST]
When I was growing up, I remember my father saying the phrase, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” In today’s world, I find myself often recalling those words. Most of life these days should not be taken at face value.
It also appears that if you shout out falsehoods frequently enough, then it seems that members of extreme political groups will believe it as the gospel truth. …
Transparency and honesty: the keys to fixing America’s broken health care system
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented event for worldwide health care. The call to action for organizations included setting up mass testing sites to serve their communities. I helped set up multiple locations across several counties using a mobile model. We tested hundreds of patients each day in various places. Once the vaccine was approved, we began our vaccination efforts using our mobile model and mass vaccine sites, including …
Understanding the end of the COVID public health emergency
“Hispanic community makes up more than half of coronavirus cases in Southwest Michigan county” was the headline in the newspaper that caught my eye in August 2020 – that infamous year that the nation went into lockdown to prevent the spread of what was still a new and emerging virus.
It shocked me to realize that only three counties west of my Southcentral Michigan home, Latinos were …
Medicine and history: a seemingly unlikely but necessary duo in understanding COVID-19 disparities
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In this episode, guest Sara L. Merwin, co-author of The Informed Patient: A Complete Guide to a Hospital Stay, shares her experience helping a family navigate their loved one’s hospital stay during the height of the COVID …
A medical advocate’s role in the COVID ICU [PODCAST]
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