Category: Conditions

What you need to know about monkeypox

Recently, several European countries have reported outbreaks of monkeypox following the first case (index case) reported in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2022, linked to a traveler from Nigeria. Monkeypox belongs to a family of other pox-like viruses an…

The CT contrast shortage is a learning opportunity

There is currently a pandemic-related shortage of iodinated contrast used for CT scans, predicted to last for several months. While the industry is addressing its own lessons on the supply side of production and distribution, those of us in clinical me…

Want your skin to look better? Then consider your mental health. 

Despite a popular embrace of self-care and the growing awareness of trauma-like symptoms stemming from COVID, one facet of mental health remains widely overlooked: the way our emotional state affects our skin. Although most of us don’t think about it r…

Fibromyalgia is not a trash can diagnosis

Yet again, while reading an article about fibromyalgia, I was hit with another pejorative term in the first few lines. The authors describe the usual characteristics of fibromyalgia and then say, “and a high level of catastrophizing related to pa…

Current pain treatments and their deficiencies

An excerpt from The Pain Solution: 5 Steps to Relieve and Prevent Back Pain, Muscle Pain, and Joint Pain without Medication. The U.S. health care system is designed to handle emergencies. It manages life-threatening heart attacks and acute fractures we…

Defining the goals of care for the dementia patient

An excerpt from Living in the Moment: A Guide to Overcoming Challenges and Finding Moments of Joy in Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias. When confronted with an injury or an illness in a loved one, it’s human nature to respond, “…

These wounds will never heal

May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and I want to share my story of my dad’s journey after his strokes. Doors open and shut during the early morning hours. I hear the drip dispensing the next dose and some muffled chatter outside the room. Several …

Combatting antimicrobial resistance during COVID: What clinicians need to know

While the world has spent the last two years laser-focused on the COVID pandemic, another public health threat is still lurking in the shadows: the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been recognized since the earl…

Depp v. Heard and uncovering the truth about intimate partner violence

On April 12, 2022, Day One of the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard civil defamation trial began. In the days that have ensued, more than 330 million viewers from the United States, Canada, and the U.K. watched the televised trial. At the core of the trial is…

Shortening the diagnostic odyssey for hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a primer for the primary care physician

Joint pain, nausea, dizziness, bloating, palpitations, urticaria, headache, and fatigue. Surely this must be a list of the chief concerns for each of your first eight patients for the day. No, these chief concerns all belong to your very first patient …