The eyes can’t see what the mind doesn’t yet know – an axiom to remind us not just of the value of lifelong learning, but that the answers are often in the exam room with us. Though bright and committed clinical people we may be, we’r…
Category: Conditions
A difficult case managed well
As time passes, we have more new names for what we used to call quality assurance, but it appears to me to now be a public relations issue and have very little to do with quality. Years ago, I returned home about 10:00 p.m. on Sunday night. I had spent…
The harsh reality of dementia
Dementia is a general term for diseases affecting memory, thinking, or decision-making, impacting daily activities. Someone in the world develops dementia, on average, every 3 seconds. That’s 10 million new cases of dementia each year worldwide. …
Behind closed doors of traveling: the concerns often overlooked
One thing is for sure: in today’s modern world, and as we recover from the impact of a pandemic, we are busier than ever. Another certainty is just how many of us are constantly on the move, with over 900 million people traveling internationally …
Matthew Perry’s enduring impact: Advocating for substance use disorder awareness and treatment
The sitcom Friends was a cultural phenomenon that produced waves of nostalgia in those of us who came of age in the late 90s and early 2000s. The decade it was on spanned the era of transition from landlines to cell phones and the advent of the interne…
Unlocking the healing power: Bridging medicine and psychotherapy
I’ve been conceptualizing this for several years now – ideas about what I would like to do with perspectives from my long-time practice as a physician and those always developing as a psychotherapist. I love both; each brings a unique skill…
Protect your brain with a good night’s sleep
No one knows exactly why we need to sleep, but we certainly do. Although the brain can’t thrive on sleep alone, good sleep is an essential ingredient necessary to keep your brain functioning at its best. New research is shedding light on how a go…
8 tips to engage patients, improve outcomes, and increase provider satisfaction
The media is full of stories about providers’ influence on the patient experience. Less common are articles about how patient engagement influences provider satisfaction—and the vicious cycle generated by lack of patient engagement, provider diss…
From advocacy to early cancer detection
I write widely as a patient advocate and subject matter expert on public policy for the regulation of prescription opioid analgesics in pain medicine. Like many people younger than myself, I also visit many social media platforms almost daily. I am act…
An eye surgeon’s unexpected finding: a brain tumor diagnosis
In medicine, the sickest patients always seem to come on Friday afternoons. At the end of the week, I’m hoping to move quickly through my last few patients – a small corneal abrasion, a routine follow-up, or a stable glaucoma exam. I’m prep…
