Pediatrics
A pediatrician’s view on critical self-talk among patients and doctors
A young teen patient, eyes averted, clutching a cell phone, sits in my office. It’s a scheduled annual exam, and the patient reports some ailments—fatigue, anxiety, and poor sleep. Across the room, the parent sits in apparent composure, but as my eyes meet the parent’s gaze and hover here for an instant, I register pain, frustration, and desperation. The patient’s symptoms are not new, and there may have been calls …
What I’ve learned from 10,000 needle procedures
How can health care professionals put patients at ease before and during stressful procedures? A new virtual reality (VR) technology might be the answer for millions of patients with fears and concerns about visiting the clinic.
Needles are the most common office procedure, and needle fear is nearly universal in young children. Studies show nearly two-thirds of children and one-fourth of adults have a fear of needles. Poorly managed …
A pediatrician’s memorable experience with a patient with Down syndrome
Recently, two of my most beloved teachers came to our continuity clinic as Mrs. Melendez brought in her daughter, Maria, for her annual physical (not real names). I have known the Melendez family for nearly the entire 18+ years I have been at this clinic, at first taking care of their four older children who were at that time in early middle school through high school. At one of the …
The current political climate is leaving youth and their physicians behind
This year’s Match Day for graduating medical students had the highest number of unfilled pediatrics residency spots in recent years. Fewer pediatricians means fewer pediatric subspecialists. Like too many of our deepest health disparities, this hurts teens the most and the current political climate may be to blame.
About 1 percent of pediatricians pursue fellowship training in adolescent medicine, a board-certified subspecialty devoted to …
Childhood obesity in the U.S.: a growing health crisis affecting millions and demanding action from pediatric health care practitioners
Childhood obesity has become a health crisis in the U.S. across all socioeconomic levels. CDC statistics from 2017 through 2020 indicate the following for children and adolescents ages two through 19:
- Obesity prevalence was 19.7 percent and affected about 14.7 million children and adolescents.
- Obesity prevalence was 12.7 percent among 2- to 5-year-olds, 20.7 percent among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 22.2 percent among 12- to 19-year-olds.
- Among Hispanic children, …
Words matter: Caring for pain patients with suspected opioid use disorder
“We need an urgent pain consult for patient Lucy Bee in room 5621. She’s a 17-year-old drug addict and is screaming and wanting morphine,” I was told. Lucy Bee is not a real patient, but a composite of patients I have cared for either when providing pain management services on our inpatient floors, or in the operating …
Surviving a manipulative CEO: my experience with gaslighting
The last time I met with “The King,” I wasn’t planning on meeting with him alone. I never would. It was July 2019, and my family was flying to Europe the next day.
“The King” is the former hospital president/CEO, hired by the board in 2015. He was the former chief of pediatric surgery at a well-known children’s hospital who came along with a demand that his wife, who he often …
From overworking to self-care: a pediatric neurologist’s journey [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we welcome Maria Xiang, a pediatric neurologist, join us to share her personal journey and insights on how to remain emotionally present in the midst of life’s challenges.
Maria opens up about how she believed that virtue and self-sacrifice were her protection, leading her to overwork and overprepare without considering her own …
Breaking the cycle of failure in modern medicine
The allopathic medical system has failed me – as a patient, mother, and physician. Like many physician peers, I entered the health care world with grand visions of healing others. I quickly learned during my clinical rotations in medical school that healing (in the truest sense of the word) was less likely but that helping was still possible. So I rolled up my sleeves and entered pediatric residency, where I …
The surprising power of Play-Doh in pediatric care: How it’s bringing families together
The power of Play-Doh. This sounds like such an ironic phrase considering the malleability of this childhood favorite. Between several personal trips to the local store, our clinic buying several boxes, and getting donations from one of our amazing third years who has donated books and goodies for our patients since early intern year; we ended up having a plethora of the stuff.
We needed to make room for more spring-focused …
The hidden gems of health care: Unlocking the potential of narrative medicine
“It’s such a shame that you’ve got all this data, and it goes unpublished … others need to benefit from our results!”
This statement is often repeated, in different forms, across all medicine departments, about the abundance of data from hospitals and clinics. This data, which can be utilized for research purposes, identifying emerging trends, and drawing new conclusions, often goes unpublished, especially in underfunded settings or countries.
Medical schools worldwide place …
Changing the pediatric care landscape: Integrating behavioral and mental health care
One in five children and adolescents will receive a behavioral or mental health diagnosis by 18. That is more than the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer (1 in 8). According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 50 percent of pediatric office visits involve behavioral, social-emotional, or developmental concerns. Seventy percent of behavioral health medications are prescribed by primary care clinicians. However, …
Breaking the cycle of childhood obesity
Every specialty has its burden, and pediatric endocrinology’s is obesity. Primary care providers refer because they or the child’s parents suspect the cause is hormonal. It almost never is. The overly adipose child invariably has, using older terminology, exogenous obesity.
Traditionally, this has implied excessive calorie intake and inadequate expenditure (the “overactive fork and underactive foot”), arising from sloth and gluttony. I don’t share this belief. Over the years, I have …
Size-inclusive medicine: a response to AAP’s guidelines for the treatment of children and adolescents with obesity
We are a grassroots advocacy organization of medical students across the country, focused on making health care more equitable for patients in larger bodies. We join the physicians, eating disorder professionals, and community members who raise concerns regarding the AAP’s most recent clinical guidelines, “Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Obesity.”
The new AAP guidelines are based on science that grossly misrepresents the …
The power of personal stories in vaccination awareness
“How was your Thanksgiving?”
This may seem like an odd question to ask at the end of January, but I had not seen Ahmed (not real name) and his mother since his last infant well visit in late October. This family moved to central Ohio about two years ago, escaping the ravages of living in a country that has seen a civil war for the better of 20 years. Ahmed’s mom …
The importance of childhood obesity prevention: a doctor’s perspective
I’m starting to see this trend of podcasts and articles that seem to be raising the white flag against childhood obesity. We should all agree with physicians that these conversations should be approached carefully and thoughtfully. We should agree that there are clear reasons to promote regular exercise and a healthy diet. We should agree with the clear health benefits of maintaining a healthy weight. There are clear mental health …
Why your intuition is key to better physical and emotional health
In residency, we are trained to follow our intuition. In pediatrics, this translates into learning how to recognize a sick kid. Of course, we are taught what to look for on the physical exam and the labs and what protocols to follow, but we are also taught how to listen to our instincts. When our gut tells us we have a sick kid, we don’t overthink; we set into action. …
Moving beyond weight-centered approaches in childhood obesity [PODCAST]
Candy weed: no protection for marijuana child poisoning
Timmy’s eyes were rolling side to side in his head as his limp body did not respond to his mother’s calling. He was rushed to the hospital and admitted to the ICU. The 4-year-old ate one of his mother’s cannabis-infused, rainbow-sherbet-flavored gummies and ended up with marijuana poisoning and in a coma. There is no antidote to THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, so Timmy had to wait and detoxify …
Past Week
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The ER doctor who became the new PCP
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Pay for performance and shared savings are good, but they’re not the solution
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The emotional toll of empathy in emergency medicine
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Navigating the world of artificial intelligence in health care
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Breaking the emotional flatline: Reclaiming empathy in medicine [PODCAST]
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Why older adults are skipping doctor visits and how we can change it [PODCAST]
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Past 6 Months
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The ER doctor who became the new PCP
-
Pay for performance and shared savings are good, but they’re not the solution
-
I knew hospitals were not taking good care of doctors. But when I became a patient, I experienced it.
-
Why the public’s anger at a health care CEO’s death speaks volumes
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Medicare’s decision to stop telehealth coverage in 2025: an urgent call to action
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When the caregiver becomes the patient: lessons from my experiences in the health care system
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Recent Posts
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Breaking the emotional flatline: Reclaiming empathy in medicine [PODCAST]
-
Insurance denied her a voice, but this doctor wouldn’t back down
-
The emotional toll of empathy in emergency medicine
-
The mission to make health care equitable and accessible for all
-
From strawberries to stethoscopes: lessons in humanity from a future oncologist
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Rewriting the narrative on stress, burnout, and resilience [PODCAST]
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Past Week
-
The ER doctor who became the new PCP
-
Pay for performance and shared savings are good, but they’re not the solution
-
The emotional toll of empathy in emergency medicine
-
Navigating the world of artificial intelligence in health care
-
Breaking the emotional flatline: Reclaiming empathy in medicine [PODCAST]
-
Why older adults are skipping doctor visits and how we can change it [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
The ER doctor who became the new PCP
-
Pay for performance and shared savings are good, but they’re not the solution
-
I knew hospitals were not taking good care of doctors. But when I became a patient, I experienced it.
-
Why the public’s anger at a health care CEO’s death speaks volumes
-
Medicare’s decision to stop telehealth coverage in 2025: an urgent call to action
-
When the caregiver becomes the patient: lessons from my experiences in the health care system
-
Recent Posts
-
Breaking the emotional flatline: Reclaiming empathy in medicine [PODCAST]
-
Insurance denied her a voice, but this doctor wouldn’t back down
-
The emotional toll of empathy in emergency medicine
-
The mission to make health care equitable and accessible for all
-
From strawberries to stethoscopes: lessons in humanity from a future oncologist
-
Rewriting the narrative on stress, burnout, and resilience [PODCAST]
-
