Category: Conditions

Beyond medical vs. N95: strategic masking for COVID protection

Do masks prevent COVID-19 infections? You might be thinking that it is a bit late to ponder these questions. But better late than never! As shown in the following graph provided by the CDC, COVID is here to stay with us, at least for the time being. Ev…

Is your persistent cough more than a cold? Understanding micro-choking.

These days, everybody is coughing. The resurgence of COVID, RSV, and flu has overwhelmed emergency rooms and hospitals this early winter. But not all coughs are viral. If you recently visited a family member for the holidays and noticed a persistent co…

Why the medical community should be invested in understanding chronic wasting disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible prion disease seen in the deer family – including mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, and moose – in countries throughout the world. The prion affects nervous system tissue in infected animals. E…

How narrative medicine empowers neurodivergent patients

It’s been said that the challenges neurodiverse people face are the ones that neurotypical people view as easy, and vice versa. It speaks to the hard-wired diversity of cognitive styles and perspectives among different individuals. Neurotypical p…

The ultimate guide to child dental sedation

Cavities in kids are common, and many children are unable to complete dental work without sedation. Dental anxiety must be balanced with safe and expedient dental treatment. Further information about early childhood caries can be found here. The preval…

The power of empathy: a tale of two prostate biopsies

I’m sitting in a windowless room in the hospital’s urology department waiting for my second prostate biopsy, feeling surprisingly calm and relaxed. It’s a surveillance biopsy. Two years ago, the first one revealed “a few scatter…

The power of empathy: a tale of two prostate biopsies

I’m sitting in a windowless room in the hospital’s urology department waiting for my second prostate biopsy, feeling surprisingly calm and relaxed. It’s a surveillance biopsy. Two years ago, the first one revealed “a few scatter…

Surviving my nephrectomy nightmare: the night I’ll never forget

My first post-op night after my nephrectomy was a mix of fantastical and almost devastating. I woke up in the PACU after my surgery, extremely confused and disoriented. I felt like I was trapped inside a video game, desperately trying to escape. Upon e…

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: Overcoming doctor bias for a life-changing diagnosis

“Do you have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?” It wasn’t a question I expected during an ophthalmology appointment. It was, however, one I’d been asked before. Two other specialists had suggested I might have connective tissue issues, but noth…

From trusted family doctors to silent white walls

The face of health care in today’s world is unfamiliar to me in many ways. When I was growing up, the family doctor was a well-known and respected member of the community. Patients trusted their doctor to help them navigate life’s challenge…