Category: Conditions

We are not defined by what we eat

Throughout history, ancient tribes practiced cannibalism with the intent of bolstering their own courage or energy by consuming their defeated enemies. They wanted to be what they ate: full of courage and vigor. They would even eat their enemies to van…

Human beings are more than their genes

An excerpt from The Empathy Academy. It might be tempting to choose an easier path, Monty thought, but amid the stress, pain, and tragedy, there were also triumphs: A patient’s seizures stop. A CT scan is clear. He remembered resuscitating Mrs. C…

The invisibility of mental illness

While the mental illness patient is afflicted by very real and painful feelings, these feelings are internal and not visible to others. The indications of the condition then, whether those of depression, anxiety, or even hallucinations, can be said to …

Strategies to help women advocate for themselves and avoid misdiagnosis

While everyone faces some risk of experiencing a delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis, some studies have found that the problem is more common for women. Women are 50 percent more likely than men to receive an incorrect diagnosis when they’re having a hea…

Don’t be silent about eating disorders

Until recently, I have remained relatively silent in the realm of eating disorder advocacy and silenced by the exhaustion of my own lived experience with an eating disorder. However, my silence further contributed to the pain. So now, I speak. And as I…

10 colorectal pearls for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Share these gems with your family, friends, and patients. Take the time to reflect on your personal history and encourage yourself and others to get screened when appropriate. 1. The large intestine or the la…

We are behavioral health nurses and we want to thank our public safety officers (PSOs)

We are nurses. We are in highly dangerous and volatile units at hospitals. We are not working in a prison. We work in behavioral health. The intensive management unit, the adolescent unit, the dual-diagnosis unit, and the behavioral health emergency de…

Ubuntu philosophy in health care

Over the past few decades, we have seen a huge swing in our patients’ perceived quality of health care. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, individualism in health care has been taken to an extreme. Because of misinformation from non-medical so…

Remove race from clinical guidelines

The theme for the 2022 Black History Month was “Black Health and Wellness.” To improve Black health and wellness, the scientific community needs to take the first step by removing the category of race in clinical guidelines where it can do more harm th…

It’s time to start approaching heart disease like breast cancer

Almost all of us know that October is breast cancer awareness month. Many of us also know that BRCA 1/2, the BReast CAncer genes, can increase a person’s chances of developing breast cancer. In fact, BRCA 1/2 is so well known that patients with a…