I remember the first time I pronounced a patient dead—that’s something they make sure you learn well in medical training, as nobody wants to get it wrong. They taught us how to apply pressure to the fingernail to ensure the patient does not respo…
Category: Conditions
The hidden flaws of traditional CPR: Why we need a new approach to save lives
Since its inception in the 1960s, traditional CPR has been heralded as a revolutionary life-saving technique. However, the limitations of CPR are becoming increasingly apparent, particularly in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Currently,…
Is social media fueling the teen suicide crisis?
An excerpt from Facing Suicide: Understanding Why People Kill Themselves and How We Can Stop Them. Between 2000 and 2007, suicide rates were almost stagnant for young people between the ages of ten and twenty-four. Then they began moving steadily upwar…
A surgeon’s battle with ketamine-induced hallucinations
An excerpt from Krooked Ketamine. OK, here’s the thing: I had a little problem that needed correcting if I wanted to continue to work as a government surgeon. I had a janky heart, and it had a tendency to fire off at the absolute worst possible m…
Anorexia nervosa: Silently suffering and debunking myths
You can’t tell how much someone is suffering by looking at them—one reason I don’t share my journey with anorexia using photos to signify my mental health status. I’ve suffered more when appearing well, and “before and after pho…
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…
