Category: Conditions

Ways to overcome the grief of disillusionment about medicine

As a physician who cares about patients’ health and well-being, you have likely experienced the grief of disillusionment. You spent years in college, medical school, and residency, imagining the kind of health care you’d provide. It would b…

The legal trap every doctor needs to know before signing a contract

Are hospitals crazy? I suspect many physicians would answer “yes” to that question without much contemplation. I have always assumed that, although hospitals are profit-driven and therefore likely to have very different priorities than phys…

The role of epigenetics in fertility: Can lifestyle choices affect future generations?

Epigenetics has revolutionized our understanding of how lifestyle factors—such as diet, stress, exercise, and environmental exposures—affect fertility. Unlike genetic mutations, which change the DNA sequence, epigenetic changes modify how genes are exp…

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 …

How I overcame the challenges of ADHD parenting: a physician’s story [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! We sit down with family physician Emma Hostetter, who shares her deeply personal journey navigating the challenges of parenting a neurodivergent child with ADHD. Emma open…

How a friend’s kindness saved me from my darkest hour

An excerpt from The Problem with Men. Gary could tell something was wrong the moment he saw me. “Come in, friend,” he said, his voice gentle. He guided me into the kitchen, a cozy, older space similar to the one in my apartment across the street,…

A future male OB/GYN’s commitment to patient comfort

The modern IUD has been an option for women for 60 years now. CDC just updated its 2016 guideline that advises physicians to discuss pain management options. This comes after continued viral TikTok patient stories about IUD insertion pain have garnered…

How biased medical experts are destroying doctors’ lives and careers in the opioid crisis

As a U.S. health care writer and patient advocate for almost 30 years, I read a lot.  Recently, some of that reading is in court transcripts of doctors being persecuted out of medicine or into jail by various prosecutors and their hired “experts….

How seniors can reverse muscle loss and belly fat

As a retired physician, I notice many seniors become skinny and weak due to muscle loss yet have big bellies as fat accumulates. They are less strong, less vibrant, and prone to falls and chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive de…

What medicine never taught me about parenting a child with ADHD

Once again, I found myself balled up on the kitchen floor, head between my knees, sobbing. My shoulders shook, and my chest heaved as I gasped for air, but air wouldn’t be enough. What I was truly gasping for was hope, something that had eluded m…