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…
Category: Conditions
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…
The unjust reality of racial disparities in pediatric kidney transplants
I noticed a troublesome trend during my three weeks working in the pediatric dialysis unit and the post-kidney transplant unit. The whiter and younger pediatric patients were resting comfortably in the post-transplant unit with their new surgically pla…
The surprising medical mystery of a “good” Hitler: How a rescued kitten revealed a rare movement disorder
An excerpt from Fifty Shades of Gray Matter. He was Hitler. Not the evil Nazi dictator returned somehow from the Inferno to which he had been consigned. Apparently, as with the witches in Oz, there were both good and bad Hitlers. He informed me that he…
The power of coaching for physicians: transforming thoughts, changing lives
Upon reading numerous articles referencing physician coaching, most have been written by physicians who were transformed by coaching and then became coaches themselves. (Thank you. Your work is so needed in this area!) At least once or twice, I’…
Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants
“One should . . . be able to see things as hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald I’m in a massive ballroom with numerous tables and promotional placards lining the walls and center. In att…
An obstetrician-gynecologist reveals the truth about reproductive planning and how to navigate society’s expectations
Judging a book by its cover is easy. I just did it. There was a title at my library last week, So When Are You Having Kids?, and I judged it. That’s a loaded question: Am I even able to have kids? Do I want kids? If I do, when is a good time, per…
Nose-brain connection: The surprising link between allergies and mental health revealed
Artificially separating the body from the mind has been one of the biggest missteps of modern medicine. Over the last few years, we have increasingly read studies confirming the mind-body connection, the gut-brain axis, and now we are learning more abo…
