An excerpt from About Your Black Transgender Child: Answers to MOST of Your Burning Questions. “Mom, I would never have told my doctor because you were my doctor.”—My trans young adult Those words hit me hard! My eldest offspring said them …
Category: Conditions
The silent grief of vanishing twin syndrome: Why words matter in health care
Pregnancy loss is always a deeply personal and often devastating experience, but for those who experience vanishing twin syndrome (VTS)—where one twin or multiple fetuses are lost during pregnancy—the loss can be uniquely isolating. Unlike a traditiona…
Normalizing male plastic surgery in Africa
Aloma Isaac Junior, a Nigerian comedian popularly known as Zicsaloma, recently underwent rhinoplasty. This intervention exposed deep-rooted biases about masculinity, beauty, and body autonomy in Africa. Instead of curiosity or support, his decision was…
The hidden struggle of women with rare diseases
Rare diseases were not something I studied in any depth in medical school or residency. It was my aunt, Dr. Vivian Shih, who first raised my awareness of this area of medicine. A nationally renowned researcher studying inborn errors of metabolism, her …
How social media is shaping teen mental health and what we can do about it
As social media’s influence has surged, so too has the debate over its effects on psychological well-being. Once envisioned as a means to connect communities and amplify self-expression, these platforms are now under scrutiny for their potential …
How couples counseling helps break the cycle of conflict
Language is the architecture of our perception. It impacts the way we experience ourselves in relation to others, the moments that make up our daily lives, and why we emphasize one input while ignoring others. I first learned this in a linguistics cour…
The hidden burden of pulmonary embolism in Africa
In 2025, we will commemorate 77 years since the death of one of America’s most influential presidents, Theodore Roosevelt. He was the 26th and youngest president of the United States, succeeding William McKinley. Roosevelt was a pioneer of peace,…
How vaccine hesitancy is bringing back deadly childhood diseases
Measles was first identified as a virus in the early 20th century. This disease caused significant morbidity and mortality. A measles vaccine was first introduced in 1963, using a live virus strain developed from a child who had measles. In the 1970s a…
How vaccine hesitancy is bringing back deadly childhood diseases
Measles was first identified as a virus in the early 20th century. This disease caused significant morbidity and mortality. A measles vaccine was first introduced in 1963, using a live virus strain developed from a child who had measles. In the 1970s a…
The key to longevity: fitness, mindset, and nutrition
An excerpt from Embracing Fitness as You Age: Maintaining a Healthy and Active Lifestyle Beyond Sixty. We do not often hear that joy, vitality, and physical strength can thrive after age sixty. In a society that idolizes youth, people too often assume …
