Category: Conditions

A Los Angeles response to the pandemic

Introduction We are doctors. We were trained to heal, to bring relief, and on occasion, to guide patients and families through end-of-life challenges. Unfortunately, with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, places such as Italy have had to suffer f…

Capitalizing on what we know from other pandemics, with a little help from Major League Baseball

Before the age of modern understanding and drug development, HIV sparked fear, anxiety, and panic throughout the country. My eighth-grade science teacher was the first to teach me about HIV, a virus that makes so many mistakes in replicating itself tha…

A pediatrician’s tips to help you and your family during the coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus has certainly served to manifest our shared humanity and vulnerability.  As parents, many of us are facing substantial challenges in providing for our families, as we struggle to help our children with their schoolwork, all the while ho…

Going to McDonald’s in the coronavirus era

In the coronavirus era, I go most days to our neighborhood McDonald’s, where I purchase a cup of coffee and take it outside to a patio area where I sit and eat peanut butter crackers which I carry with me. Today as I stood in a short line inside …

The Hippocratic Oath versus my oath as a mother

I recited the Hippocratic Oath many years ago as I donned my new white coat and made a commitment to serve humanity through the practice of medicine.  That zeal to help others continued through a vigorous residency and fellowship.  As life was put on h…

Pandemic lessons: Social justice is not disposable medical school curriculum

With the public health emergency of COVID-19, there has been a renewed call to improve emergency preparedness among physicians. Varied proposals have arisen for how to improve medical education in anticipation of future disasters. While many of these p…

What happens to health care workers after the coronavirus?

Webster’s Dictionary defines trauma as a “disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe emotional stress.” An article in MarketWatch describes the reality of a doctor after being on the frontlines in Wuhan for two month…

What it’s like to be a frontline physician with COVID-19 patient

It was the middle of March when I came back to my work shift. I got the news my floor would be COVID-19 floor that meant all patients coming to the ER with COVID-19 symptoms would be placed solely under my supervision. I was all ready for it — at least…

As resident physicians, now is not the time to be quiet

As resident physicians, now is not the time to be quiet. We must stand up for ourselves in the face of this life-threatening virus. Our health is vital to preserving the standards set before us in providing exceptional medical care to future generation…

The weight of COVID-19

As we face this pandemic head-on, there is another problem we cannot afford to lose sight of, the problem of overweight and obesity. Nearly 70 percent of the people in the USA suffer from either overweight or obesity. The stress this pandemic is puttin…