Medical

I became interested in medicine in my second year of college at Baylor University. I lived in the old Brooks Hall, which was built with large suites and communal bathrooms, and formerly used as military housing. Six of my suite-mates were pre-med and had doctors for either fathers or mothers. They all spoke of the…

In the last six weeks or so, the practice of medicine has been turned topsy-turvy by the COVID pandemic.  Those weeks seem like an eternity. We have been so consumed with testing and treatment coronavirus, flattening the curve, and figuring out how to wear a mask without having our glasses fog up, that it’s hard…

As far as psychiatrists go, I admit I’m odd, even in a field known for its quirks. I’m fast-talking, irreverent, and most patients tell me I’m not what they expected, but they come back. I’m not for everyone, and that’s OK. I love my field but didn’t always feel the field loved me. At a…

It’s been said that history doesn’t repeat, but it does often rhyme. And as we’re learning during COVID-19, lessons from the past can be a guide to help us navigate a modern pandemic — if we listen to the rhythm of history. For a little more than two years in the middle of the 19th…

Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is derived from the bloodstream and has been used for years to treat musculoskeletal conditions, and more recently, skin conditions. Colloquially termed “vampire” treatments, PRP injected into the skin or used after microneedling (a technique that uses small needles to create microscopic skin wounds) may help to improve skin texture and…

On a cold evening in early March, my grandpa and I queued outside a nursing home in rural California. He pulled an insulated lunchbox, filled with hot chai and pureed rotis, to his chest and sighed. There are at least eight families in front of us, and if we don’t move fast, my grandma will…

The narrative that paints health care workers as “heroes” makes me uncomfortable. I may not have a right to an opinion as I am third-string back up not currently working in an overwhelmed ER or ICU. I also feel uneasy about the sea of gratitude and cheers of support, though I know they are uplifting…

I recently discovered an app called TikTok.  From what I can tell, it seems to be used primarily by younger people who record themselves performing short music videos, lip-syncing scenes, or absurdities with their unsuspecting family members and pets.  Most of my friends and family scoff at the fact that I downloaded the app –…

“Good news!  You have antibodies, so you’re immune to COVID-19.”  How relieved would we be to hear that?  I could move throughout my place of work, or my grocery store, with added security.  I would muse about a vetted cohort of immune providers to care for patients with COVID-19.  PPE could be conserved so that…