Category: Conditions

The default for psychiatric patients: “Send them to the ER”

Here is a standard emergency department situation, played out all across America today. Patient X has schizophrenia.  He takes medication, but only until he feels better.  He is calm when he takes it, but sometimes aggressive and assaultive when out of…

When colon cancer is diagnosed, it’s also a difficult day for the gastroenterologist

Exercising good judgment can mean the difference between life or death. Life can be unforgiving of the choices we make. As we all know, many life events are beyond our control and understanding. But, there is much we can do to shape our paths to a brig…

MKSAP: 23-year-old woman with painful lumps on her legs

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 23-year-old woman is evaluated for 2 weeks of painful lumps on her legs. The lumps persist for several days and make it difficult for her t…

Why is the toilet seat the gold standard for germs?

Google that phrase, and you will come up with lots of hits. The following is a partial list of things that have been found to have more germs than a toilet seat: Kitchen cutting boards, sponges and sinks, refrigerators, spatulas, pet food bowls, clean …

After cancer treatment: It’s time to reconsider the ringing of the bell

It’s become a common practice in oncology institutions across North America: A patient completes their prescribed course of treatment and they ring a bell. Usually, it’s a large bell, like one that used to be rung in schools signaling the end of …

MKSAP: 69-year-old man with chest pressure and dyspnea

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 69-year-old man is evaluated during a follow-up visit. He initially presented with a 3-month history of chest pressure and dyspnea that occ…

The end of a life never just impacts the individual who died

To my knowledge, three people who were under my care killed themselves. The first was a young man — late 20s, maybe? — who I met while I was a psychiatry intern. He was hospitalized in the psychiatric unit where I had just started my rotati…

Pulmonary embolism: the killer clot in your veins

We had just exchanged “I love yous” about 15 minutes before the intercom blared: “Code blue.” Just like that, my sister was gone — all from what seemed like a simple knee surgery. Simple in the fact that the type of surgery my s…

How climate change affects your skin

Global climate change is reaching a critical mass. Since the advent of the industrial revolution, we have seen the global mean temperatures increase by 1°C (1.8°F), and significant steps must be taken by 2030 to mitigate an even larger global temperatu…

Concussion treatment centers: 5 red flags to watch for

The incidence of brain trauma has been rising in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), emergency department visits related to traumatic brain injury (TBI) increased by 53 percent in the U.S. from 2006 to 2014….