Category: Conditions

It’s time to wave goodbye to the handshake

As I sit in the conference room awaiting one of my first interviews for residency, the angst among all the applicants was palpable. We all make awkward eye contact and conversation with each other as our interviewers pull us out of the room one by one …

Never take your eyes off of a bleeding patient

“Please help me. I was brushing my teeth this morning and started bleeding a ton from my mouth.” Joe (identifying information changed) pointed to a bucket next to his bed. I was horrified to see close to two pints of blood in it. With glove…

MKSAP: 81-year-old woman with headaches, redness of the face, and itching

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. An 81-year-old woman is evaluated for a 1-year history of headaches, redness of the face, and itching. She indicates being otherwise capable …

A plastic surgeon explains the dangers of the Brazilian butt lift

The Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is a procedure that enhances the buttocks through fat transfer. Excess fat is harvested from other areas of the body including the abdomen, hips, lower back and thighs through liposuction. BBL is a popular procedure for th…

Here’s why pediatricians ask about trauma and violence

As a behavioral pediatrician, I see children with behavior problems. Kids with aggression, kids who have been kicked out of multiple daycares or schools and kids who are not doing well at home or school. One of the things I always look for are clues as…

Measles outbreaks: Getting to the root of the problem

Measles outbreaks across the United States have been identified with Texas being the 11th state so far to report an outbreak. The Philippines with over 2 million unvaccinated children has declared an outbreak of measles after nearly 2,000 cases and 26 …

A rare case solved by listening to your patient. And your mother.

History is important. “The farther back you look, the farther forward you will see,” Winston Churchill once said. Particular to our profession as doctors, William Osler’s famous adage: “Listen to your patient, he is telling you the diagnosis,” rings tr…

Turning a patient: a nurse’s act of duty and compassion

I met a fellow nurse at a wedding recently who, upon hearing that I worked at a long-term acute care hospital (LTAC), shrugged his shoulders and said, “Oh, sure. A lot of turns.” I shrugged, too. He had belittled my work, but in a way, he w…

How mundane health findings can be prettied up with PR magic

As all researchers know, science is a grinding parade of failure and dead ends. But as we’ve often written, news release writers sometimes seem hell-bent on making the public believe otherwise. Like expert makeup artists, they can add sparkle to lacklu…

MKSAP: 75-year-old man with progressive dysphagia

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 75-year-old man is evaluated for progressive dysphagia of 8 months’ duration for both solid food and water, and the necessity to indu…