Author's posts
Live longer, die shorter: the surprising health secrets to a vital old age
An excerpt from 21st Century Schizoid Health Care: Essays and Reflections to Keep You Sane on Your Medical Travels. Over a decade ago, a landmark ten-year study by the MacArthur Foundation shattered the stereotypes of aging as a process of slow, geneti…
The growing discrepancy between health care promises and practice
I had a dismal start to the second year of my psychiatric residency, and my subpar performance was noted by many faculty members. One professor approached me and told me to discuss the situation with my psychotherapy supervisor, adding, “Don̵…
Why this doctor says medicine is broken and what can be done about it
This is a highly encapsulated but accurate portrayal of the emotional weight of the conversation and the tension between a physician’s personal challenges and the desire to heal, both for themselves and their patients. Patient/Physician (P): I…
The erosion of autonomy in sports and medicine
The fourth major concussion recently suffered by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa – his third in 24 months – brings into sharp focus the balance between patient/player autonomy and treatment decisions. The right to self-determination, even in …
Medical gaslighting and strategies to combat it
An excerpt from Story Treasures: Medical Essays and Insights in the Narrative Tradition. The Gish gallop – named after American creationist Duane Gish, who challenged the science of evolution – is a rhetorical technique often used by a debater to throw…
The long strange trip of psychedelic drugs
In the mid-1960s, the Grateful Dead were the house band for Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests, parties in which people were “tripping out” on LSD, parties that helped bring psychedelics into the counterculture. Psychedelic drugs have been the fo…
The dark psychology of medical con-men
Paolo Macchiarini, MD, is a thoracic surgeon and regenerative medicine researcher who gained international fame for pioneering surgeries that involved implanting synthetic tracheas seeded with the patient’s own stem cells. However, Macchiarini…
The hidden heroes who fought for women’s reproductive rights in the 1950s
The term “Dainty Maids” could refer to various subjects depending on the context—ranging from historical groups to fictional characters. Historically, women in service roles, such as maids or attendants, were referred to as Dainty Maids. Th…
21st century schizoid health care: the unseen crisis of our system
“21st Century Schizoid Man” is a 1969 antiwar song by the prog rock band King Crimson. It appeared as the lead cut on their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King. “Schizoid Man” is considered an epic, described by Rolling…
Donald Trump’s near-death experience: A journey of potential transformation?
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have fascinated both the medical community and the general public due to their profound and often transformative effects on individuals. These experiences typically occur in situations where a person is close to death or f…
