Category: Conditions

Traumatic brain injury, race, and economics: the unpleasant reality

I have observed with impunity, a silent form of racism that exists in our society and in just about every American health care delivery system against people of color. If you are on Medicaid, without health care coverage, or have a low cost/low premium…

The confluence of coronavirus and chronic illness

During the global pandemic, we count the numbers of hospital admissions. Of respirators.  Of deaths.  Days of quarantine.  Days since our last morning swim. We count how many armfuls of laundry we do at dawn. We count how many dishes we wash, how many …

Understanding critical care in the ICU: then and now

Late one evening, an ICU physician calls a family to say Dad’s breathing rate had slowed to such an extent that he did not believe Dad would survive the night without life support. This seasoned doctor added that he had never seen patients come back fr…

A call to action for wounded healers

I used to work with veterans who sought mental health care. Many developed PTSD after witnessing their comrades get injured, blown up, and die. Some of these veterans had visible wounds, as one would expect, but almost all of them had invisible wounds….

A call to action for wounded healers

I used to work with veterans who sought mental health care. Many developed PTSD after witnessing their comrades get injured, blown up, and die. Some of these veterans had visible wounds, as one would expect, but almost all of them had invisible wounds….

Doctors for truth: Fighting for trust in an era of misinformation

I read on social media that sea moss gel is supposed to cure coronavirus.  Do I still need to wear a mask? It’s hard to imagine physicians being deceptive to patients about matters of life and death. Yet, the politicization of health care coverage, COV…

A physician’s DIY rehabilitation miracle

My head used to be my greatest asset, and back in 2012, I had my life on track because of it. With a medical education and a few years of work experience on my back, I felt that I had options in life. I had even saved up to be able to buy a home. [&#82…

Lung cancer screening explained by a pulmonologist

Lung cancer screening is a process that is used to detect the presence of lung cancer in otherwise healthy people at high risk for cancer. In 2020, 229,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 136,000 people will die from the disease, making …

You will be unprepared to face death

I wrote my undergraduate thesis on death and dying. I read journal articles trying to understand what death meant and how it affected people. I spent hours reading books, both fiction and nonfiction, trying to understand if you can ever die a good deat…

What is the wound behind anti-mask bullying?

I’m not outspoken about much, but will not, can not, hold back my battle cry about masks. Would I feel so adamant if I didn’t possess a crisp death certificate with, “CORONAVIRUS 2019” in an envelope inside the file cabinet beside me? Maybe, maybe not….