Longevity can be a polarizing topic. For some of us, it conjures images of a grandparent’s final years, filled with chronic diseases and prolonged suffering. Understandably, we would not want any part of that. However, longevity science is not on…
Category: Conditions
How objective pain management can save lives and prevent addiction
The management of pain in clinical practice often involves navigating the critical tension between compassionate care and ensuring patient safety. While subjective self-reports of pain are essential for understanding a patient’s experience, relyi…
Doctors must rethink “do no harm” to help children with long COVID
As medical students, we all take the Hippocratic oath—a pledge to help patients and, of course, not to cause harm in any treatments we provide. It is a core element in the care of our patients. We would never want to do anything that could make things …
Why talking to families of autistic individuals about brain donation is a priority
Efforts to generate a resource of postmortem brain tissue for research are in their infancy. Autism BrainNet, a program of the Simons Foundation, is trying to jump-start those efforts. Currently, there are fewer than 200 postmortem autistic brains in t…
We’re barely using a key resource to help people with addiction
Rachel was making her 25th visit to the emergency department. The wound on her leg from injecting drugs had spread to her entire calf and required a lengthy course of antibiotic treatment in the hospital. The few times she had been admitted to the hosp…
A wake-up call for dementia detection: the urgent need for precision tools across health care
Dementia is advancing at an unprecedented rate—every three seconds, another person is diagnosed. Currently, 55 million people worldwide live with dementia, and by 2050, that number could soar to 139 million. These figures aren’t mere statistics; …
SIBO and IBS: the hidden link keeping millions in pain
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a little known gastrointestinal (GI) disorder with links to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Today, it takes an average of about six years for patients to receive a proper IBS diagnosis and begin a course …
How physician burnout silently creeps in and takes over
I don’t know when the word burnout came into my vocabulary, but I feel that we use it constantly in our health care world today. I always thought I was immune to this concept of burnout. My self-talk was that I was strong and nothing would ever h…
How to run a successful group therapy session
Group therapy can be a powerful treatment modality when done right. Research affirms it as equally effective compared to individual therapy, and the relatively lower cost puts this service within reach of patients who struggle to access behavioral heal…
Why is no one listening? The urgent impact of marijuana on fertility
The growing concern In the age of marijuana legalization, a troubling health concern is emerging—its impact on fertility. While cannabis enjoys increased social acceptance, its unintended consequences on reproductive health are often overlooked. Daily …
