My husband passed away six months ago, and it is quite evident to me that not only do I miss him, but so does our dog Grace. She adored Bill and would scamper to find him if I directed her to “Go find dad!” I no longer use the word dad, as …
Category: Conditions
Loving our pets through loss: Coping with the death of a family member
My husband passed away six months ago, and it is quite evident to me that not only do I miss him, but so does our dog Grace. She adored Bill and would scamper to find him if I directed her to “Go find dad!” I no longer use the word dad, as …
Sleep matters: Addressing the neglected vital sign
It wasn’t until I reflected upon how many times the highway rumble strip had potentially saved my life that I sought the help of a physician trained in sleep medicine. Prior to that, no doctor had ever asked me about my intractable insomnia. Slee…
Help is out there: a waitress’ story of hope and inspiration
I treat myself to the same restaurant for breakfast once or twice a month. There she is again, the same waitress with those same sad eyes. She knows my name, but I don’t know hers. Sometimes she has a bruise on her forehead or bruises up and down…
COVID-19 is still a global health issue but we can responsibly live with it
The World Health Organization (WHO) first declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020, when, outside of China, there were fewer than 100 cases, and there were no deaths. This formal decl…
The power of first impressions: How false information can stick
An excerpt from Justice in the Age of Judgment: From Amanda Knox to Kyle Rittenhouse and the Battle for Due Process in the Digital Age. In the early 1970s, a group of researchers at Stanford University placed advertisements in a newspaper offering two …
Breaking the cycle of addiction treatment scams: a physician’s guide
You sigh as you see the name on the next chart. “Good grief, this poor woman,” you think as you place your hand on the doorknob. “Doctor, I really tried. I really tried this time!” she sobs. “Cheryl, I know you did. But yo…
The vaccination dilemma: Protecting patient rights or caregiver freedom?
Recently, I heard a news report regarding several state attorneys general suing the federal government to eliminate the requirement that health care providers be immunized against COVID. They argued that as fully immunized individuals still contract CO…
Nurse’s whistle of hopelessness: a tale of a dangerous workplace with no safety measures
I finally found time after retirement to clean out my nurse’s book bag. It contained items such as a stethoscope, extra playing cards for patients, highlighters, various pens, a penlight, a notebook with important phone numbers throughout the hea…
Research literacy bridges the medical mistrust gap
A long inglorious history of medical racism and mistreatment has dire health consequences. Consider the atrocities associated with experimentation on African Americans without informed consent during the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-1972), which erode…
