Infectious Disease
Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]
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Join George Kerr, III, a community health advocate. We delve into the complex world of HIV management, especially among aging individuals. George brings his expertise to the table, discussing “U = U,” aging-related challenges, and the vital …
Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development
The development of COVID-19 vaccines has been an extraordinary scientific achievement in the face of a global health crisis. However, an unfortunate consequence has been the emergence of misinformed claims by non-medical individuals who assert that these vaccines were not appropriately vetted for human use. This essay aims to highlight the fatigue and offensiveness caused by such assertions, considering the extensive research, rigorous testing, and regulatory oversight involved in the …
Lessons taught by Bell’s palsy
Recently, after a week of a viral illness that I most likely picked up from one of my patients as a pediatrician, I noticed that one side of my tongue felt as though I had dental anesthesia. During the day, this slowly progressed, but as night came, the progression rapidly intensified with my lips and eyelids on this same side now drooping. While I suspected Bell’s palsy, considering that I’m …
Biological weapons: a history and emerging risks
Biological weapons are not new. Their use by armies has taken place for centuries. Take the Plague, for example. The pandemic was reportedly first introduced to Europe during the siege of the Genoese trading port of Kaffa in Crimea by the Golden Horde army of Jani Beg in 1347. It decimated 30 percent of the European population. Paradoxically, the resultant labor shortage and lack of faith in the prevailing order …
Balancing health care worker immunization and patient safety
Recently, I heard a news report regarding several states’ attorneys general suing the federal government to eliminate the requirement that health care providers be immunized against COVID. They argued that as fully immunized individuals still contract COVID, and that allowing unimmunized people to be rehired would relieve provider shortages, the regulation was unhelpful.
Initially, I agreed that rehiring these individuals would generate some relief for those staff members who have worked …
A memorable day during COVID: Staying true to my calling
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 …
How dementia and COVID-19 robbed the baby doll of love
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 …
Patients aging with HIV: What role can doctors play?
As a member of the Washington D.C. Center for AIDS Research, I’ve been deeply grateful to see how medications such as PrEP are significantly reducing the toll of HIV. Additionally, we have made great strides with limiting the transmission of HIV. A plethora of research has proven that if HIV is undetectable in your system, it cannot be spread to others. This is known as “U …
It’s time to stop stigmatizing long COVID patients with mental health conditions
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” …
Our institutions have given up on the COVID-19 pandemic. We should not.
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 …
C. difficile: a dangerous bug takes hold in communities
Carol Raye’s devastating Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) experience started with what she thought was a stomach bug after a dental visit. She took the antibiotics prescribed by her dentist and thought a weekend of rest would make her feel better. Soon, she was debilitated by the severe diarrhea from a C. difficile infection that left her weak, confused and barely able to get out of bed. Fortunately, she made it …
COVID-19 vaccine neglect: a tale of regret and debilitating symptoms
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 …
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Unraveling the mysteries of granulomatous mastitis: a patient’s inspiring journey [PODCAST]
The unsung heroes of disease detectives: Controlling outbreaks and pandemics to save lives
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, …
Unveiling the truth: How headlines shape our world and the urgent need for reliable news
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 …
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From business trip to battling a rare breast disease: my journey of survival, advocacy, and remission
I never envisioned a business trip could result in a diagnosis of a rare, under-practiced, poorly understood, and emerging chronic inflammatory breast disease affecting 2.4 women per 100,000 and growing. Two months after my return from that business trip, I started experiencing a multitude of symptoms, including breast pain. During a self-breast exam, I discovered a lump. Wasting no time, I called my primary care physician, who ordered both a …
COVID-19: Unveiling the transformative shifts in health care [PODCAST]
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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 …
Unveiling the global pandemic threat: insights into risk factors and urgent measures for prevention
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 …
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The importance of listening in health care: a mother’s journey advocating for children with chronic Lyme disease
My husband, a physician, and I have four wonderful children – a son and three daughters. I look back over the past decade and wonder, “Why?” Why did my daughters contract Lyme disease and not my son or husband? Why was it so difficult to establish a diagnosis? Why are doctors specializing in treating patients with Lyme disease considered pariahs, while conventional doctors may not consider the diagnosis and often …
Past Week
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Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
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How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
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Flatline: Our nation is dying, and we’re ignoring the signs
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Leaving medicine is not a failure: It might be the change you always needed
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From the other side of the table: a plea for empathy
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How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
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Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
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The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
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Cutting opioid use in half: a hospital’s pain management breakthrough
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How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
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How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
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How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
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Recent Posts
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ADHD isn’t one-size-fits-all: Why nuance in diagnosis matters
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Why chasing validation is destroying physicians’ sense of self
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Funding physician wellness: a guide to getting programs approved [PODCAST]
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How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
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Why physicians find negotiating challenging—and what they can do to negotiate better
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A tribute to Kobe Bryant: inspiration beyond the game
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Past Week
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
-
Flatline: Our nation is dying, and we’re ignoring the signs
-
Leaving medicine is not a failure: It might be the change you always needed
-
From the other side of the table: a plea for empathy
-
How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
-
Cutting opioid use in half: a hospital’s pain management breakthrough
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
-
Recent Posts
-
ADHD isn’t one-size-fits-all: Why nuance in diagnosis matters
-
Why chasing validation is destroying physicians’ sense of self
-
Funding physician wellness: a guide to getting programs approved [PODCAST]
-
How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
-
Why physicians find negotiating challenging—and what they can do to negotiate better
-
A tribute to Kobe Bryant: inspiration beyond the game
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