Medical

Treatment for cancer is a difficult time for patients and their families. While there are significant benefits of chemotherapy in treating and managing many types of cancers, some of the negative side effects may not always be so obvious. One of the potential negative effects of chemotherapy that you may not be aware of is…

Graduating medical students early is not a completely novel concept. During WWII, there was a significant physician shortage, and various medical schools initiated a 3-year accelerated MD program to produce more physicians. These programs were eventually discontinued in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1918, the influenza pandemic created a similar situation. Third- and…

In all of my thirty years of medical practice, I have never encountered the degree of moral and ethical dilemmas as those created by COVID-19. None of us has experienced anything like this. At no time in our history has all of humanity been at risk for contracting the same potentially deadly disease. And never…

The health care system is broken. Physician burnout is at an all-time high. Patients don’t trust us. If you ask any medical student today, they will have heard at least one of these statements from their educators, often coupled with the phrase: We don’t know how to solve it, but your generation will find the…

It took some getting used to in dealing with Mae. My main function soon became acting as her bookkeeper. Each month, I would write checks for her. She was illiterate, and signing her name was about all she could do. Mae was a fairly ordinary looking lady past 50 by several years. But what was…

If you’ve had surgery before, you almost certainly remember who your surgeon was. You’ve probably thanked them countless times for getting you through a scary time. Whether they excised your cancerous tissue, repaired your ACL, or removed your inflamed gallbladder, you have likely sung their praise, time, and time again. But do you remember who…

As I drove into work this week, I felt the elephant standing on my chest with its heavy foot in the pit of my stomach.  Amidst this current global pandemic due to COVID-19, I reminded myself to breathe. The idea of getting closer to the hospital made the adrenaline surge through my anxiety-ridden heart. I…

The impact of science on the well-being on our planet has never been more important than it is now. We are all looking to science and technology in a search for answers and resources. We keep watching television in search of these answers, but we are left unsatisfied because we don’t understand medical science. A…

In this isolated and new existence, we are experiencing a collective grief. A deep, poignant distress caused by bereavement. Apart physically, but together mourning the loss of the world we once knew. Life has distinct stepping stones. Birth, death, marriage, graduation. Proof that one phase of existence has ended, and another will soon begin. Traditionally,…