It’s not that I hate football; truly I don’t. I try hard to get into it. I scan the sports page to become familiar with names, rivalries, predictions, and opinions. I tune in to Sports Extra on Sunday nights for the weekend analysis and wra…
Category: Conditions
The consequences of unmasking and ending quarantines
The CDC has updated its COVID masking and quarantine guidelines as children return to school and more adults return to work at the end of summer. Unfortunately, the new, less restrictive guidelines are premature. As most people know, the current COVID …
You need to ask these questions to teens starting hormone therapy
In medical practice today, we have all types of providers in charge of birth control counseling and treatment: medical doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and even medical assistants who report to their licensed…
Why psychological explanations for long COVID are dangerous
Patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and their allies will rally in DC, London, and Edinburgh this September to “demand bold, urgent governmental action” for the millions of people living with ME, long COVID, and other infection-ass…
Focus on the rheumatoid arthritis patient, not on their disease
Medical school, residency, and fellowship taught me pathophysiology, diagnosis, and the most advanced treatments for autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. As an attending physician, seeing my own patients, I noticed that targeted therapy is no…
How pediatricians can get involved with behavioral health
Boom! Crash! Ow! That was the feeling of many pediatricians nationwide as we were hit in the face with the bomb of the COVID pandemic and all of the challenges it would bring, notably in the demands for mental health care. This skyrocketing demand led …
Endometriosis is often misdiagnosed. How to get the right diagnosis.
The six to ten percent of women in the U.S. who are living with endometriosis have to deal with not only the pain and complications the disease causes, but often also with exceptionally long delays before receiving a diagnosis—an average of 8.5 years f…
Care coordination for obstetrics teams is crucial
Maternal health has been a trending topic in the news due to increased maternal mortality rates due to challenges in accessing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling overturning Roe v. Wade is deepening con…
A friendly battle with a patient’s potassium
“By God’s grace, Dr. Sal!” “Yes, T.J.! What’s the good news?” “Guess what Mr. Thompson’s potassium is now?” “3.1 …” “Wrong! 4.1!” We high-fived each other immediately and bre…
The impact of a single COVID infection
This piece started out focusing on the impact of colds on our lives, particularly if COVID is now “just a cold.” But now it’s personal. My husband and I escaped COVID until now by being very careful until we got vaccinated. Once vacci…
