Medical

Populous cities are populous, well, because people want to live there. Whether the appeal comes from greater career opportunities or simply being closer to family, these places have continuously grown over the last few decades. The growth is seemingly self-sustaining — certain industries and businesses exist because there is a population that desires these services.…

Since the small cluster of cases broke out in Wuhan, China nine months ago, the world has profoundly changed. With each passing moment, there seems to be a new COVID-19 milestone. 1 million deaths worldwide. 215,000 deaths in the United States. A White House outbreak. Rather than tell you reassuring lies or downplay the virus, I am…

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a remarkable organ: it resides on the inside of our bodies, but is regularly in contact with the outside world by virtue of what we ingest. It is quite incredible that the immune cells of the GI tract are not activated more regularly by the many foreign products it encounters…

Suppose you are suddenly are stricken with COVID-19. You become very ill for several weeks. On awakening every morning, you wonder if this day might be your last. And then you begin to turn the corner. Every day your worst symptoms — the fever, the terrible cough, the breathlessness — get a little better. You…

Here’s a recent headline that I found confusing: Could the first drug that slows arthritis be here? It’s confusing because it depends on which of the more than 100 types of arthritis we’re discussing. We’ve had drugs that slow rheumatoid arthritis for decades. In fact, more than a dozen FDA-approved drugs can reduce, or even…

The effects of COVID-19 have been extensive, with more than seven million confirmed cases and more than 200,000 deaths in the US alone. COVID-19 has caused additional impacts on healthcare; for example, patients have delayed seeking care for serious symptoms over fears of exposure to COVID-19. But the consequences of COVID-19 have reached beyond healthcare…

If you have fibromyalgia and you’re in pain, exercising is probably the last thing you feel like doing. But experts say it’s actually one of the most effective strategies you can try to help manage this chronic pain condition. Yet many people with fibromyalgia already struggle to get through their regular daily activities. Adding exercise…

It was an average Minnesota fall day. I ran out of the house to do a 3 a.m. vaginal delivery.  I was tired, both mentally and physically.  Medicine has always been such a joyous calling for me.  I probably commit nearly 16 hours a day to my job in one way, shape or form, whether…