“Instead of focusing on one organ system, I want to know everything. The diagnostic challenge is to discern patterns of insults, symptoms, and lab tests that correlate with specific microbes, specific organ dysfunction, specific diet issues, and …
Category: Infectious disease
Why we should prioritize vaccinating young adults. Now.
Reading this title, you’re probably shaking your head in disbelief, disgruntlement, or more than likely a passionate mixture of the two. And for good reason: It’s no secret that seniors are extremely vulnerable to COVID-19, especially when considering …
Does your reaction to COVID reveal your political leaning?
COVID-19 is the first-ever “politicized pandemic” in human history. COVID-19 happened in an era of widespread social media which helped the general population to understand the disease better and faster. However, the public also formulated an opinion a…
We don’t have to leave medicine to heal
So many of us keep looking around and thinking, what now? Meaning now that “it’s” over, what is next. Are we supposed to go back to that life from before? Is that what is happening? Isn’t that what we are seeing on social me…
Research and censorship in an uncertain time
Joseph B. Fraiman is an emergency medicine physician currently practicing at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center and three other regional hospitals in Louisiana. This interview, conducted by journalist Martha Rosenberg, has been edited for clarity and le…
Leadership lessons from Dr. Fauci [PODCAST]
“Dr. Fauci navigated the delicate balance between his obligation to the American people as one of our most respected physician-scientists and holding on to his job in a federal government whose leader doesn’t take kindly to independent thought th…
Dying of loneliness: the COVID-19 epidemic in children and adolescents
We stood at the bedside. Our eyes met through plastic goggles and face shields. Wordlessly, we acknowledged a palpable shift. We three pediatric emergency physicians staffed our New York City ER that late fall day, caring for the third teen in a row…
How to stop the anti-science charlatans
A couple of weeks ago, I received a text from my aunt that included a link to a physician-created YouTube video about the COVID vaccine. The creator has built her fame and fortune as an anti-vaccination proponent. Knowing that her videos are rubbish, I…
Don’t forget about influenza and the lessons learned from COVID [PODCAST]
“When the public was made aware of the risk of transmitting the virus and the far-reaching measures of social distancing, closing schools, and lock-down, most Americans willingly complied. After all, they became aware, for the first time, of the …
How to know which COVID test is right for you
I remember the time (about one year ago) when I could only provide one COVID test for patients walking into urgent care: the PCR or polymerase chain reaction. Back then, patients had no choice other than to get a nasal swab that was uncomfortable, irri…
