Last week, a mother of six children—four of whom have disabilities—made the trek to the health care campus where I’m a faculty member to share her story. She’s making this trip weekly on Thursdays to give the same presentation twice in succ…
Category: Conditions
The unexpected truth behind these misdiagnosed medical cases
I worked in rural health in Kentucky for twenty years, then in urgent treatment centers in Denver. All sorts of patients pop up in primary care and in UTCs. Most have easily identified complaints: UTI, sinusitis, flu. Others are there for regular refil…
How doctors can help IBD patients manage symptoms between visits
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is on the rise, there is an urgent need for physicians to arm their patients with tools and edu…
Flying with food allergies: Combating misconceptions and advocating for safety
Why do so many people share their harrowing airline experiences with me yet never document them or file complaints? Some say they do not want to relive the trauma. Others feel embarrassed for having been ridiculed, either themselves or in front of thei…
How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
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 …
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…
