Category: Conditions

The surprising role for lifestyle medicine in palliative care

In his bestselling book How Not to Die, physician Michael Greger described how his grandmother, diagnosed with advanced heart disease at 65, transformed her health and lived for many years after switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet. It was a sem…

Prevention of health care burnout in the COVID era

They were everywhere. Headlines to the effect of “Health care workers face mental health crisis” were all too common for a majority of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Even though they have mostly disappeared, with the exception of an appearance …

How to maintain your relationships during nursing school

Maintaining a relationship during nursing school takes some effort. Your time is taken up by studying, classes, clinicals and labs. Oh, did I mention studying? At the end of the day, there is just not much time left for significant others. Now, I am re…

A patient hit me: Why I say anti-assault prayers

I thought it would be easier than ICU nursing. After 33 years as an ICU nurse, I had to leave. I just couldn’t take the pounding on the chests of little old men and women. Hearing and feeling their ribs crack while CPR was performed. I couldn&#82…

Prostate cancer, sex drive, male menopause and conversations to have with your doctor

Americans are having less sex than ever before. Should we be worried? Ask your prostate. A 2022 study from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior found that the rate of all types of sexual intercourse have declined from 2009 to 2018. While t…

This doctor got COVID. Here’s what it taught him.

Tuesday night, March 29 into March 30, I started to feel that sensation I associate with the start of a cold. It was a feeling in the back of my throat that’s almost hard to describe. I haven’t had that sensation in years. Because I have been wearing a…

Done with COVID? Not so fast.

Moving into the pandemic’s third year, as many settle into the notorious “new normal” of COVID, the challenge now is avoiding complacency and keeping attention and vaccination rates high enough to maintain protection against the still…

A bad death: the importance of truth-telling at end-of-life

“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…

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 …