My fiancée had been complaining on and off about minor knee pain and swelling for months. She kept putting off doing anything about it, because she’s a former college basketball player who had already had two surgeries on that knee, and she assum…
Category: Conditions
The role of institutions in medical misconduct
There are no words more devastating than, “Our hands are tied” to a survivor reporting abuse and seeking some semblance of accountability from a larger institution. “The institution admitted no fault” is a close second. Picture …
Pioneering space race research: G-forces and human physiology
An excerpt from Life at High G-Force: The Quest of Mayo Clinic Researcher Dr. Earl H Wood. Tensions were high in the Aero Medical Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in the fall of 1959. The space race with the Soviet Union to send a human into outer space and e…
What is the physician’s role in the food is medicine movement?
In the early 1990s, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) began its rise with the development of the National Institutes of Health’s CAM center. However, scientists and clinicians struggled with the decision of whether or not to allow indi…
America’s young men are facing a mental health crisis. Can we help them before it’s too late?
September was National Suicide Prevention Month. In a short while, we also approach the 41st birthday of the late Stephen “tWitch” Boss, a widely beloved dancer and executive producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show whose death by suicide is st…
Addressing dual diagnosis needs in addiction treatment
An excerpt from Slow Dancing with the Devil: A Son’s Substance Use Disorder, A Mother’s Anguish. The only time my anxiety was gone, or at least on pause, was when Luke was in a treatment center or sobriety house. I knew he was safe and surr…
Communication, power dynamics, and organizational culture in health care
In a recent podcast conversation with Kevin Pho, MD, we talked about the importance of assertiveness in health care, including the ability to say “No” and the significance of culture in supporting it. One of the topics we touched on was the…
Everyday dangers unknowingly impacting our health
When we think of symptoms or ailments, they are often a signal to us that there’s something off with our health. Yet, many of us, as well as doctors, often don’t think so much outside the traditional box when it comes to what may be influen…
A shop teacher’s daughter on transforming patient safety
Just a few weeks ago, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) issued a report, “A Transformational Effort on Patient Safety.” This was both a “surprise” and “not a surprise” to me …
What happened to the chemical pathologist?
During my early years as a pediatric hospitalist in the U.K. during the ’80s, a figure that loomed large was the chemical pathologist (CP). The CP was the guardian of the laboratory, and every hospital had one. This fearsome beast was approached …
