There are many reasons why you should seek a second opinion. A second opinion can help you: Make sure your diagnosis is accurate, lowering your risk of misdiagnosis and the harms that can cause. Ensure that you’re choosing an appropriate, evidence-base…
I woke up this morning to a flood of ballerina pink emails for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The irony was not lost on me as I rolled over in bed, protecting my body from the healing scars of where my breasts used to be. “I don’t even like pink,” I mu…
“Although people think of medicine as a science—the facts reveal the diagnosis, the diagnosis dictates the treatment—most physicians acknowledge that medicine is as much an art as a science. It’s not like a simple math equation with one undeniabl…
“I was a bit nervous about how she would perceive my advice. She could find it inappropriate and report me for making personal remarks. But I believe she sensed the sincerity in my words and appeared invigorated, uplifted, and excited. She was sm…
You are my favorite patient. You’re charming and funny. You proudly tell me you’ve just retired – having built multiple successful businesses from scratch. You were admitted to my service with rapidly progressive respiratory failure. Your C…
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. in 2020, most hospitals and physician’s offices paused elective and preventive care services to focus on treating large numbers of COVID patients, preserving medical supplies and bed space in hospitals, and …
It never ceases to amaze me that some people do not realize they have the absolute right to make their own health care choices even if everyone else thinks it’s the wrong choice. Once they recognize that every medical option is theirs to accept or reje…
Caring for patients is not only a clinical endeavor, it is also an ethical one. Patient care and ethics are woven together as an integral part of every doctor-patient encounter. Medical schools have traditionally taught students the principle-based eth…
“Before COVID-19, clinical research was a little-known part of health care. Despite this process being responsible for determining the safety and efficacy of all the drugs, medical devices, vaccines, and other medical therapies available, less th…
The number of cancer survivors currently in the U.S. is around 15 million. With the rapid advancement of improved treatments and early detection, this number is expected to increase to over 20 million by 2026. I am lucky enough to be one of the survivo…
