Category: KevinMD

School vaccine exemptions must be for medical conditions only

No, vaccines do not cause autism. No, vaccines do not cause cancer. No, vaccines are not toxic. No, getting the disease is not safer than vaccination. Yes, they are safe. Yes, they are effective. As a pediatrician, I spend countless hours each week tal…

Physicians-in-training learn to cook for improved health outcomes

If an apple a day can keep the doctor away, how much more can a delicious burrito bowl with citrus lime vinaigrette do? About half of all American adults – 117 million — have one or more preventable chronic diseases, many of which are related to …

Physicians should move away from pagers. But it’s not that easy.

As I imagine every young doctor does, I vividly remember the feeling of getting my first pager. It was boxy and bricklike (much like my current pager) and felt obsolete. I’ll admit, it gave me trouble for a couple of days, despite having desperately fe…

The role of hatred in medicine

Most Saturdays, I join a therapy session down the hall from where I do my walk-in clinic. A patient of mine has a weekly session just before the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at noon in our big conference room. Last weekend he told my behavioral health …

People who take opioids are the AIDS patients of today

Stigma towards health conditions interferes with access to compassionate care. Both social stigmas from friends and family and medical stigma from professionals are issues. Perhaps the worst recent example of medical stigma is how people with HIV/AIDS …

Why you shouldn’t place too much importance in college and medical school rankings

If you read my curriculum vitae, you might assume that I must have a high opinion of the U.S. News & World Report higher education rankings. I earned my bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, #2 behind Princeton in the “Best Nationa…

When pain management goes right

My eyes flitted down to the electronic medical record in front of me. I was conducting a physical assessment of a patient new to my clinic and the area. The forty-five-year-old male sat down before me, and I noticed immediately that he was morbidly obe…

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…

A physician diagnosed with cancer, and the importance of mentorship

An excerpt from Mirth is God’s Medicine: Coping with Cancer as a Physician. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17 In the coming weeks, after the biopsy returns positive for cancer — and …