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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I was recently asked for advice on marital happiness. Mark and I have been married almost 25 years which is longer than most of our friends and acquaintances. Like all couples, we’ve had our ups and downs, but are genuinely happy together most of the time. We like each other’s company and we have a very good emotional and physical […]
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I was on vacation when she died. I’m not sure that not being on vacation would’ve made a difference, but I’ve often played the scenario through to a different end. She called in on the morning of her death complaining of a bad headache. When questioned about neurologic symptoms, there were none and she didn’t want to come to the […]
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What to do with an orange that is about to go bad? Many of my close friends (shout out to Neal, Sonnet and Jeanne) would know the immediate answer. Use it in an Old Fashioned, of course. This drink was given its name in the 1880s. Interestingly, the drink probably stems from an 1860’s gin cocktail make with sugar, bitters, […]
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There is a high likelihood that you do. Over 50% of American adults experience occasional heartburn or the more chronic gastroesophageal reflux or GERD symptoms. Often the symptoms are not obvious as it can present as a cough, feel like drainage in the middle of the night, be a sensation of a lump in the throat or difficulty swallowing, or; […]
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Tonight’s roll was a vodka theme. I created a variation on the Cosmopolitan martini. I didn’t stay completely true to my roll, but I think I hit it close enough. I had just enough Hangar One Vodka to make this drink. I rolled Grand Marnier, but I prefer Cointreau for an orange liqueur. While both are orange liqueurs made in […]
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