“Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truly die.” — Nanak Her funeral was yesterday, and there was a huge turn-out. She was 67 and never cussed or said a bad word about anyone. She was much-friended and well-loved. In…
Category: Conditions
Looking across the glass door: a COVID-19 vigil
A small piece of lint is tickling my nose as I am desperately trying not to sneeze into the tight-fitting mask on my face. I know that I will not be able to adjust the mask as my gloves are sterile, and I am standing suspended over a patient’s bo…
Reduce your loneliness, improve your well-being, and take the first step
Just before the pandemic, I walked 96 miles (154.5 km) in seven days on the West Highland Way in Scotland, though I was hardly alone in this endeavor. About 250 people start the walk each day, including the amazing group of primary women that I walked …
We are the voice of reason, the scientific experts, and the advocates for our patients
These last two years have been extremely challenging for most health care professionals. Watching society challenge essential health and science principles that we have known to be fact has been difficult to bear. Being villainized, health care workers…
A tale of 2 nurses
There is no denying that we live and work in some extraordinarily trying times. Cast your eyes in the direction of any streaming news source, and another breaking story that describes the catastrophic dumpster fire of the current state of the U.S. heal…
A surprising way to create safer, more efficient patient care
For practicing physicians, inclusivity proves critical. Not because of HR mandates. Not because it’s a good thing to do. Inclusivity improves your patients’ care. It enables you to be a better doctor. Rising complexity, rapid change, and tr…
Stunning new medical conditions overlooked!
This article is satire. The DSM-5-TR came out in March with some shocking omissions. Here submitted are a few new conditions the next version might include: Animaculism: the state of joy that comes from the care and companionship of nonverbal creature…
If we better manage diabetes, can we better manage COVID?
Over their lifetimes, adults in the United States have a 40% chance of developing type 2 diabetes. And the likelihood for Latino adults is 25% higher. Even worse, Latinos develop type 2 diabetes when younger, and experience more severe complications an…
Will Smith’s slap is a trauma response
This is what the result of unresolved trauma looks like. What we witnessed Will Smith do in assaulting Chris Rock during the Academy Award ceremony was a trauma response. While I am in no way condoning violence, this is a very public and important oppo…
Death of a nurse: a soliloquy
It’s not what you think. It’s not my actual mortality. It’s that emotional death. Of being a nurse. If you’ve never been a nurse. Then you will never know. It’s that’s giving of yourself: heart and soul. Constantly a…
