Calling all health care personnel: EMTs, paramedics, nurses, CNAs, respiratory therapists, police, firefighters. All of you. You’ve been cursed at, spat upon, hit, and scratched by fingernails. You never got that 30-minute break during those 12 l…
Category: Conditions
Breaking free from BMI’s limitations for fair and effective care
The 2023 Clinical Practice Guideline for Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Obesity heralds a new era of evidence-based anti-obesity treatments for children, a cause I wholeheartedly support. However, amidst these advancements, I…
Unlock the secrets to aging gracefully: specialized care and support for elderly patients
She sat in the hospital bed, staring out the window as the nurse flitted in and out of the room, adjusting IV lines and checking her vitals. It had been a long time since she’d been in a hospital, but at 75 years old, her health was beginning to …
Emotional journey: An inspiring tale from the operating room in Nicaragua
An excerpt from Saving Grace: What Patients Teach Their Doctors about Life, Death, and the Balance in Between. On the morning of the first day of surgery in Nicaragua, I paced. It was 8:10 a.m., and the cases were supposed to begin at 7:30 a.m. But as …
How modern lifestyle changes are disrupting our immune systems
In addition to a steep increase in prevalence, in recent decades, we have seen an evolution in the ways our immune system misbehaves: eosinophilic esophagitis, mast cell disorders, and early onset colon cancer, among many others. This data alone should…
Overcoming the lies of depression: Senator John Fetterman’s struggle with mental health
In February, just a few months after being elected to the United States Senate, Pennsylvania politician John Fetterman entered into a treatment program for depression. In an interview with CBS News show Sunday Morning last month, he recounted suffering…
Proposed USPSTF guideline update: Advocating for earlier breast cancer screening at age 40
Pop Quiz: At what age do medical experts recommend women of average risk for breast cancer begin receiving screening mammograms? 40 45 50 All of the above. If you answered “D,” you are correct. Confused? I don’t blame you. Medical soc…
The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers
“It’s adenocarcinoma,” said the voice on the other end of the phone. I couldn’t believe it. “Lung cancer? Me? How could that be? I’ve never smoked!” Shock, disbelief, and disappointment filled all the nooks and…
Urgent innovation needed to address growing mental health crisis among children and families
The growing mental health crisis affecting our children and families has reached a breaking point. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I know well the current mental health crisis is dire and demands immediate attention. And I worry we are not movi…
The importance of listening in health care: a mother’s journey advocating for children with chronic Lyme disease
My husband, a physician, and I have four wonderful children – a son and three daughters. I look back over the past decade and wonder, “Why?” Why did my daughters contract Lyme disease and not my son or husband? Why was it so difficult to es…
