I am a palliative care physician in a hospital in our nation’s capital region. Like most urban hospitals, ours has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. My colleagues and I are exhausted and emotionally devastated. We are not alone. …
Category: Infectious disease
Using nano “couriers” to deliver PKD drugs to just the right address
The term “mRNA lipid nanoparticle” has become common of late, given the use of Pfizer/BioNTech’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines make of nanoparticles to carry mRNA into cells. Once inside a cell, the mRNA instructs the cell to make pieces of the prote…
The COVID-19 tragedy in India: a caution to other countries
You have seen those harrowing pictures. Patients dying outside the hospitals while waiting for a bed. People on oxygen masks gasping for air-sharing beds. Dead bodies piling up in morgues. Overstretched crematoriums and burial grounds. COVID has hit…
A pediatrician’s approach to vaccine hesitancy in a pandemic
I feel privileged to have received both of my COVID-19 vaccine doses. Although, despite the COVID-19 pandemic killing over 562,000 Americans, 37% are hesitant about receiving this vaccine themselves. The World Health Organization defines vaccine hesita…
Falling in love during a pandemic: a medical scribe’s story [PODCAST]
“Nowadays, I go on long walks through the city alone. I make dinner for one. When I go on bike rides, it’s a solo activity. I find comfort in myself, slowing down and making every small occasion a simple, peaceful one. I have a stronger sense of …
I’m a doctor who had COVID. Did I deserve this? Does anyone?
During this pandemic, do we blame people for acquiring COVID or do we empathize? I wonder this as I read a message from my senior, who mentions that people are suffering or in isolation due to COVID because of their own negligence. My mind reflects bac…
I may be damaging my brain this year, but it’s not from masks
I’ve been limiting my COVID-19 related engagement with social media because this has been a rough year. I like being a resource for my loved ones about COVID-19 stuff, but it feels never-ending. A friend of mine asked me to weigh in on a letter s…
Blood clots and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine: a comic explanation
Emily Watters is a physician who explains the connection between blood clots and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (click to enlarge): Emily Watters is a psychiatrist and can be reached at The Cartoon Shrink. Image credits: Emily Watters
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Don’t push harsh health care realities under the rug
On a recent call with a small health organization in rural Uganda, I asked the director about the C-section rate in the community. In some private maternity centers, this procedure is performed far more often than one might expect. I’ve learned t…
Our work as physicians and healers is to see the whole patient [PODCAST]
“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 …
