On this particular day, my heart rolled off my arm and crashed on the cold exam room floor. I summoned the strength—from where? I don’t know. Ginny cried, and between sobs, she described a brain tumor, the one that left him in a bed for a year. I…
Category: KevinMD
Lessons learned in psychiatry: How experience shapes your career
I am now in the twilight of my psychiatric career. Yes, I can write that without wincing now, almost, well, maybe just a little. I have made decisions in the last twelve months that have changed my daily schedule, my work life, and my relationships pro…
DEA vs. doctors: Who’s really breaking the law on controlled substances? [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Join us as we delve into the intricate web of discrepancies surrounding pain medication availability and governmental oversight. Our guest, L. Joseph Parker, a research ph…
Incurable psychiatric disorders: Should we offer palliative care or medical aid in dying?
The application of palliative care to intractable psychiatric disorders has been debated at least since 2010, when a journal article reported that a patient with severe anorexia nervosa died in hospice after being referred there by her psychiatrist. Th…
Don’t wait until you’re old: Diseases hitting younger generations now
The news is rife with articles about younger people getting cancer, heart attacks, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and arthritis. We used to think of these as diseases of aging, but now we are finding high blood pressure and atherosclerosis i…
Hemophilia treatment: new hope with gene therapy and other advancements
Hemophilia and other bleeding disorders are rare genetic conditions that affect the body’s ability to properly form blood clots. People with these conditions often face challenges in accessing appropriate care and treatment. This is true not only…
From medicine to fictional memoir: an author-psychiatrist explores opioids [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Today, we are joined by James Champion, a psychiatrist and author of Adventures of an American Medical Student. With his extensive experience in mental health and addictio…
Why my doctor never mentioned pelvic floor dysfunction (and why it matters)
I was 31 when I learned I had a pelvic floor: the set of muscles, ligaments, and tissues that stretch like a hammock across the pelvis. Like many women, my pelvic awakening came far too late in life. The phrase was never uttered in high school sex ed, …
Operating room etiquette: tips for pre-med students
“You know how to scrub, right?” The short story is no, I did not yet know how to scrub. As a premedical student, the operating room is different from anywhere else I have been. Just as with any new environment—whether it’s a friend…
Bridging the gap: When experience meets innovation in health care
Reflecting on a recent meeting about upcoming audits by regulatory agencies, I couldn’t help but notice a significant shift. As the lone male leader and the second eldest person present, surrounded by a dynamic group of younger women, I couldn…
