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…
Category: Conditions
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…
Is the rise in mental illness due to greater awareness or a true increase in incidence?
Someone asked me recently if there is a significant increase in the prevalence of mental illness since it seems everyone is in treatment somewhere. It was a good question and got me thinking. The prevalence of mental illness has been increasing in rece…
A patient’s perspective on the diminishing relationship between doctors and patients
Pages of my life turn over as the breezes of time flow over me. Remembrances of your presence as the world welcomed my firstborn so many years ago. Your calming voice and words of wisdom reminded me that life would be different but oh so much better. M…
How misused terminology and biased studies may be misguiding our understanding of opioid addiction and mortality
As a health care writer and policy analyst, I frequently encounter the term “risk” in discussions of medical issues. I also frequently see the term grossly misused in both the popular press and medical literature. Nowhere is this more evide…
