Medical

“Doctors help patients, and they love us for it. We fix bones, replace joints, cure killer infections, and control diabetes with insulin. We use painless scans for diagnosis. Liver, kidney, and heart transplants are now routine. Some patients get cured of lymphomas, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, and testicular cancer. Lives are prolonged for myeloma and amyloidosis.…

Though pushed to the back-burner by the never-ending orange election drama, the Supreme Court, with its significant conservative majority earned against the run of play, (to borrow a metaphor from sport) is one decision away from potential political irrelevance. Is there a way forward for the Supreme Court? Conservative hypocrisy and liberal outrage at the…

Forty-two years ago, when I had finally finished the seven revisions of my first novel, The House of God, my editor said, “Why don’t you add a glossary and a list of The Laws of the House of God.”  Writing the Laws, I hardly needed to refer to the text; they just flowed out. The…

Two COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) have received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA so far, and many health care workers and first responders are already receiving the vaccine. As the general public waits their turn, there are many questions and even more misinformation and disinformation about the vaccine. 1. The Pfizer and Moderna…

I run outside, barefoot, and encounter natural phenomena along the way.  One of these is dog poop.  Ironically, there’s been recent chatter about dog poop on our community Facebook page.  It’s a topic worthy of multiple posts and the impetus for the rather absurd bit of writing to follow. The Facebook posts center on those…

As I was running into the grocery store, I couldn’t help but take a moment to look at the light, the candy cane border, and the bell ringers stationed in front of the door.  For a moment, I felt like I was in some dystopian Hallmark movie.  I looked at the bell ringer’s eyes since…

“When it comes to social media, embrace a micromedia mindset. That means sharing entertaining, informative content that provides value. Think of yourself as the editor of your newspaper. Newspapers include various content: current events, interviews, information and research, op-eds, and more. Some of these are news-driven — like current events and information and research. Some…

In his seminal 1977 Science magazine article, “The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine,” Dr. George Engel outlined the biomedical model’s limitations and proposed a new model, which he termed the biopsychosocial model. The biopsychosocial approach systematically considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness,…

Christmas Eve 1990, Saudi Arabia, a few miles south of the Iraqi border – it is cold and dark as I lay on my cot, my sleeping bag around me, the constant hum of the generators in the background. I am listening to Pachabel’s Canon in D minor on my cassette player. Rain pelts the…