Six months after being diagnosed with gastroparesis, I underwent experimental intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. What is often considered a wonder drug, with the ability to treat hundreds of rare illnesses, resulted in the worst experience of my lif…
If you ask nurse practitioners how they spend most of their time at work, their answer will be “charting!” Not only do nurse practitioners (NPs) assess, diagnose, and treat patients, but they also have to document the findings. On top of th…
New Zealand just rescinded its ban on tobacco smoking at the same time that Donald Trump just suggested the death penalty could cure the drug problem. What did New Zealand learn? And how has drug prohibition worked out in the past? In 1511, the governo…
December 1, 2023, marks the 35th anniversary of World AIDS Day (WAD), first commemorated in 1988. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Remember and commit,” a truly impactful theme because through remembrance, we acknowledge thos…
An excerpt from BATTLE SCARS: A courageous memoir of one person’s life experience within our health care system. The main part of my memoir focuses on the journey which led to my eventual recovery from Lacertus syndrome. I now have a name for my …
It was some time into practice before I understood how being a therapist contributes to one’s own growth. I found this assurance from my best mentors rather mysterious. Sure, I’m a better listener, but what did they really mean? From my van…
I had chosen a seat towards the back of the conference room because I noticed the legendary Jimmy Pollard sitting there. I didn’t want to miss the chance to sit next to this Huntington’s disease (HD) advocate and all-around amazing person. …
An excerpt from A Petit Mal. In ER, we are seen by French doctor, which is unusual and relevant because doctor asks boy if he likes any French soccer teams. Boy is wearing Italian soccer jersey. Yes, Paris Saint-Germain, boy says. Ah, doctor says, you …
When I was 36 weeks pregnant with my second child, Anna, my obstetrician noted that my fetus had a disproportionately small head, or microcephaly—a condition now commonly known because of its association with the Zika virus. “We’ll just hav…
In a recently published study, it was found that a set of 4 genes (JUN, CEBPB, PRKCB, ENO2, or CEBPG) was shown to predict the diagnosis of heroin addiction with an accuracy rate of around 85 percent. This is an amazing development and could open the d…
