Author's posts
Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care
Have you noticed that when you try to make an appointment with your primary care physician, you have to wait much longer these days to be seen? And when you do finally walk into the exam room for the appointment, it seems the countdown clock is already…
Chronic health issues and homelessness
In 2022, over 500,000 people in the United States found themselves homeless, without a permanent shelter to offer a sense of stability in their lives. This poses a far-reaching problem for the individuals who find themselves in this situation, but also…
The complexities of healing and faith
As a physician, there are moments during the day when you must deliver a disheartening diagnosis to your patient: pancreatic cancer, ALS, leukemia, and unfortunately, the list goes on. The patient must face the harsh realities that are now placed befor…
Discovering healing through storytelling
Many arise each day with a scenario of expectations to be achieved. For those individuals of working age, some of these expectations revolve around our jobs, put into place by our employers over which we have little to no control. But what about those …
Inside the world of family medicine: a patient’s eye-opening account
Today’s health care system is in a state of drastic flux. Gone are the days of private practice family doctors, the “Marcus Welby, MDs,” who stood ever-ready to heal the sick and comfort the disillusioned. They were the sole decision-…
A patient’s perspective on the diminishing relationship between doctors and patients
Pages of my life turn over as the breezes of time flow over me. Remembrances of your presence as the world welcomed my firstborn so many years ago. Your calming voice and words of wisdom reminded me that life would be different but oh so much better. M…
How I overcame a heart attack and health challenges with the help of faith, family, and skilled doctors
I stood outside in my yard, which had been dormant during the winter season and was now awakening to the spring. Yard work was a familiar and enjoyable activity for me, one that I had been doing for years. But as I walked across the yard, I found mysel…
Transparency and honesty: the keys to fixing America’s broken health care system
When I was growing up, I remember my father saying the phrase, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” In today’s world, I find myself often recalling those words. Most of life these days should not be taken at fac…
The endless waves of chronic illness
Life keeps buffeting the patient diagnosed with several chronic conditions, like continuous incoming and outgoing mammoth ocean waves flooding over one’s body, raising you high up into the air and then sucking you downward, a struggle to keep you…
Voices unheard: the plight of patients and clinicians in the health care system
“The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head.” – William Osler I hear a voice in the still of the night when all the sounds of the …
