Category: Neurology

The ethics behind the world’s most expensive medication

With the recent FDA approval, Zolgensma became the world’s most expensive medication. Priced at $2.125 million per patient, the one-dose gene therapy is a potential life-saver for children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Now, the treatment is at th…

To struggling medical students: Meet the physician who conquered the “no’s”

I know what kinds of things I’m supposed to tell you. I know that your other would be advisors will usually stick to the same basic messages: “Keep reaching for your dreams” or “your hard work is all worth it in the end” o…

When should you be tested for vitamin B12?

Two recent patient experiences prompted this post. In the Wall Street Journal, Dana Hawkins-Simons described several years of being seen by specialist after specialist for her complaints of tiredness, dizziness, ringing in the ears, palpitations, short…

How a neurosurgeon recommends approaching concussions

When I served as president of the New Jersey Neurosurgical Society, I met a lot of people from around our great state.  One question that I heard from many parents and coaches was, “After a concussion, when is it safe to let a student-athlete return to…

How a neurosurgeon recommends approaching concussions

When I served as president of the New Jersey Neurosurgical Society, I met a lot of people from around our great state.  One question that I heard from many parents and coaches was, “After a concussion, when is it safe to let a student-athlete return to…

How a disability changed this medical student

As a college freshman in 2012, my life seemed perfect. I was attending Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, with the dream of becoming a pediatric oncologist. To that end, I was serving as a volunteer, researcher, and clinical intern at the world-renowned St…

How to help your children manage migraines

Stress! It is a fact of life for all human beings. Stress is a normal reaction — psychologic and physiologic — to the everyday demands of life. When your brain perceives a threat, the body reacts with a fight-or-flight response, releasing hormones, inc…

A medical student’s biggest fear

It was the last week of my EMS elective. I was incredibly lucky to ride with one of the EMS captains who was eager to take me to any call that sounded interesting. We were called to a possible stroke. An 82-year-old woman with sudden-onset unilateral w…

A medical student’s first patient presentation

In medical school, you’re not taught how to give stellar patient presentations. Yes, you’re shown the traditional order of things: “Give an effective one-liner first, then tell the HPI [history of present illness] but only give pertinent info, etc.” Ju…

Mild memory loss: Is it Alzheimer’s disease?

As my patients aged along with me, I noticed both the expected increased numbers of people with some form of dementia and even more patients who were worried about this topic. Unless you have been away on a ten-year safari, you are very aware that deme…