Category: KevinMD

Dear interns: We have your backs

Every July, the same tired “new interns: be scared to go to the hospital” memes and jokes appear. I disagree. I believe that July is as safe as any other month to go to the hospital. July should be celebrated. Medical students and resident physicians a…

15 commandments for teaching your kids about racism

1. Thou shalt first become comfortable with having uncomfortable conversations with thyself, before ever trying to have them with any other person. At this point in our earthly lives, we must — as a matter of urgency — get into that space of vulnerabil…

What’s to blame for the obesity epidemic? [PODCAST]

“Obesity is a topic that literally hits home for me.  For the past two years, the website WalletHub has voted the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX metroplex as the ‘fattest city in America.’  As a health care provider, this is deeply distu…

Why do Black Americans have worse COVID outcomes?

Our country is currently battling two urgent and severe health care crises: COVID and systemic racism. We believe that addressing systemic racism now is as urgent and as dangerous to the health of our nation and its people as the COVID19 pandemic. In a…

Should you get a COVID-19 antibody test?

Antibody testing, also called serological testing, can be used to determine whether an individual is currently infected with COVID-19 or has previously been infected with COVID-19 and recovered. Unlike the molecular testing (PCR tests), which detects t…

The sensory limitation of wearing masks

Without a doubt, life has been peculiar since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic. The social, political, financial, and emotional tolls have been staggering; however, most recently, I’ve been interested in the sensory deficits it seems to be unma…

In these times of crisis, remember the Golden Rule [PODCAST]

“We are in the midst of a crisis in humanity. While we are still dealing with COVID pandemic and its deleterious health, economic and societal consequences, our troubling past of racism and inequality is rearing its ugly head. The senseless killi…

How a physician finds laughter during this dark time [PODCAST]

“With my passion for writing and connecting digitally with others in health care and the general public, this ‘downtime’ has allowed for an expansion of these interests. I’ve begun recording on my podcast, a multidisciplinary conversation between…

Communication in the time of COVID

I stirred awake when my husband’s cell phone rang.  It was early, and we had gone to bed late, and slept little.  My father-in-law was in the ICU in a hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  He was now intubated, hooked up to a ventilator, victim to COVID…

Physician wisdom learned from picking strawberries

I just want a few berries. This was my comment that started the earthy discussion. We were visiting with friends who have a thriving garden producing more than they can consume. As we talked about the types of lettuce and greens in the neatly organized…