In 1977, a group of doctors began a campaign to change the name of an inflammatory arthritis after discovering it was named after a Nazi doctor who planned and performed gruesome forced human experimentation that killed thousands. In one of…
In 1977, a group of doctors began a campaign to change the name of an inflammatory arthritis after discovering it was named after a Nazi doctor who planned and performed gruesome forced human experimentation that killed thousands. In one of these experiments, for example, Hans Conrad Julius Reiter inoculated Buchenwald concentration camp inmates with the microbe causing typhus, resulting in the deaths of over 250 people. The …
It is the holiday season, and all through the hospital, patients are being made “NPO.” This is the medical term for “no eating or drinking allowed.” Mr. T, silver-haired and newly unemployed, is NPO on account of his pancreatitis. "We…
It is the holiday season, and all through the hospital, patients are being made “NPO.” This is the medical term for “no eating or drinking allowed.”
Mr. T, silver-haired and newly unemployed, is NPO on account of his pancreatitis. “We don’t want to upset your pancreas,” the team tells him when we pass through on morning rounds. It is nearly breakfast time. We hover around his bed in a half circle …
A 42-year-old woman is evaluated for recurring pain and swelling of the left knee and right ankle that began 5 months ago. At that time, she also had an episode of conjunctivitis as well as dysuria, both of which resolved…
A 42-year-old woman is evaluated for recurring pain and swelling of the left knee and right ankle that began 5 months ago. At that time, she also had an episode of conjunctivitis as well as dysuria, both of which resolved spontaneously. The joint pain and …
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 29-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is evaluated in the office after obtaining positive results on a home pregnancy test. She has…
A 29-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is evaluated in the office after obtaining positive results on a home pregnancy test. She has a 1-month history of nausea but is otherwise asymptomatic. Her last menstrual period was 2 months ago. This is her first pregnancy. Her SLE is well controlled with hydroxychloroquine, and …
I was recently invited to present at an international symposium in Germany on rheumatoid arthritis. My brief was to discuss how BJC Health, our clinic, provides integrated patient care for rheumatic disease. As it turns out, I had to turn…
I was recently invited to present at an international symposium in Germany on rheumatoid arthritis. My brief was to discuss how BJC Health, our clinic, provides integrated patient care for rheumatic disease. As it turns out, I had to turn down the invite due to conflicting commitments.
But I was flattered. Our Connected Care approach is being noticed.
Over the course of the last 24 hours, I’ve been thinking about what I would …
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 38-year-old man is evaluated for an 18-month history of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus. He has lesions on his face and scalp. He has…
A 38-year-old man is evaluated for an 18-month history of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus. He has lesions on his face and scalp. He has been using topical sunscreen, but he finds it difficult to remember to apply it before leaving for work. He is also being treated with a corticosteroid lotion, and hydroxychloroquine was …
A year ago, KevinMD.com was kind enough to post my piece, 10 Tips from 10 Years Sick. Well, a year has gone by and I’m still sick. So, I’ve re-visited that post, changing several of the tips and adding to…
A year ago, KevinMD.com was kind enough to post my piece, 10 Tips from 10 Years Sick. Well, a year has gone by and I’m still sick. So, I’ve re-visited that post, changing several of the tips and adding to others. And, of course, there are now 11 tips, not 10! At the end of the piece, I hope you’ll share your own experiences.
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 62-year-old man is evaluated for a two-year history of enlargement and discomfort of the metacarpophalangeal joints of both hands. He works as a…
A 62-year-old man is evaluated for a two-year history of enlargement and discomfort of the metacarpophalangeal joints of both hands. He works as a bank manager and leads a sedentary lifestyle. He does not have morning stiffness. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus three …
Behind the headlines “FDA Panel Unanimously Rejects…” and “Arthritis Pill From Pfizer Wins Support…” was, for me, over 600 pages of reading and two days at the FDA as the Consumer Representative to the Arthritis Advisory Committee (AAC). These were…
These were my first meetings following an almost yearlong process that started with a nomination by Diane Aronson, the Consumer Representative whose term was ending, and culminated with my four year …
Everyone who knows a person with chronic pain is aware that it comes with a huge price on quality of life, but indeed chronic pain also have a heavy economic price for the society in general. A price we might…
Everyone who knows a person with chronic pain is aware that it comes with a huge price on quality of life, but indeed chronic pain also have a heavy economic price for the society in general. A price we might be able to reduce by awareness and intervention for those who need it and especially for those who need it most.
The size of the economic burden is of cause different …
Labels matter. We quickly form judgments based on them. If we hear someone called lazy, the label “lazy person” attaches in our mind even though we may not have even met the person. The same is true for labels given…
Labels matter. We quickly form judgments based on them. If we hear someone called lazy, the label “lazy person” attaches in our mind even though we may not have even met the person. The same is true for labels given to various medical conditions. If the label for an illness uses language such as “fatigue,” we abstract from our experience and think we know what it’s like to suffer from …
Many healthcare professionals find fibromyalgia difficult to believe as “a real disease” and most of all difficult to handle, and to be honest it is not so difficult to see why. Doctors and other healthcare professionals have learned how to…
Many healthcare professionals find fibromyalgia difficult to believe as “a real disease” and most of all difficult to handle, and to be honest it is not so difficult to see why. Doctors and other healthcare professionals have learned how to search for diseases based on the specific symptoms the patients present, but fibromyalgia – and several other chronic pain syndromes – do not fit into that model.
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 25-year-old woman is evaluated during a follow-up visit for a 6-month history of diffuse muscle and joint pain above and below the waist,…
A 25-year-old woman is evaluated during a follow-up visit for a 6-month history of diffuse muscle and joint pain above and below the waist, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. She has a 2-year history of hypothyroidism treated with levothyroxine. Her only other medication is hydrocodone-acetaminophen, which has …
People who regularly take medicine should know what we’re taking. To me, this seems obvious, but there are always those who need everything stated explicitly. People taking prescriptions, vitamins, herbs, and any other treatments should know what’s being taken and…
People who regularly take medicine should know what we’re taking. To me, this seems obvious, but there are always those who need everything stated explicitly. People taking prescriptions, vitamins, herbs, and any other treatments should know what’s being taken and why.
It’s pretty easy to make yourself a list and stick it in your wallet so that it’s always available. If you need medical assistance (for instance, if you’re in a …
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the 
