Virus rates are going up, up, up. While the mortality rates are so much better, the number of deaths are going up because more people are contracting the virus. How can we control it? We can wear a mask and we can avoid crowds. This is not a partisan issue. This is not a partisan virus. An attorney came to […]
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I saw a patient in Urgent Care for a wound caused by drunkenly walking into something the night before. He admitted to already having spent time in prison for endangering others by driving while intoxicated. He wasn’t driving this time, but obviously he has not stopped binge drinking. While his use did not suggest alcoholism, it certainly qualifies as an […]
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The tick-tock of the clock is painful, all sane and logical. I want to tear it off the wall. Eve 6 “Get More Done” I used to think about time differently. For a while I thought I accomplished more in a day in my youth than I do now, but no, I simply have added more to my to-do list. […]
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At a recent conference, the palliative care physician and author, Dr. Kathryn Mannix, spoke about death and the process of dying. She asked for those of us having witnessed death to raise our hands. In a typical lecture hall, she might see 10% of hands raised. But, in a room of physicians, 90% of our hands went into the air. […]
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Menopause is simply the end of menstruation, but there is absolutely nothing simple about menopause. I’ve been fortunate to care for many women going through this hormonal transition during my 20+ years of medical practice. I believe I’ve learned far more from them about managing menopause than they from me. That doesn’t mean I’m ready for the inevitable, but at […]
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I follow a Facebook group of physician moms. We share and offer feedback on everything from a clinical puzzle to a frustrating patient encounter and we offer our tricks for how to find balance in a crazy medical life. I’ve seen several recent posts about women being called Mrs. even when it is known they are a physician. Most recently […]
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There is no better place to watch science in action than in the world of medicine. It was discovered in the 1930’s that blood, in the presence of a certain streptococcus bacteria, did not clot. The agent formed by the bacteria was isolated and eventually called streptokinase, the first “clot buster”. Through the decades, pharmaceutical companies created other similar drugs, […]
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As a family physician, one of my main jobs is trying to help patients change their unhealthy habits. Advice such as lose weight, exercise more, get more sleep, quit smoking, or drink less alcohol all require a change in daily habits. Smoking cessation statistics show just how hard it is to change our habits. Ninety-three percent of people will fail […]
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I know I eat too many carbs. When I track my calories, my macro breakdown is usually 50 to 55% carbohydrates. Imagine my extreme disappointment when I did my Pathway Fit genetic test to find out that I am a Low Carb Diet Type and should keep complex carbs to 40% of my total intake. Why the hell did I […]
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I’m reading The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai. It is stirring up quite a few memories from my time as a medical student. It was 1994 when I met my first patients dying of the AIDS virus. I was a third year medical student – unworldly, eager, hopeful. This was also the year AIDS became the leading cause of death […]
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