Opinion | Suffering Endures on the Other Side of the Mpox Curve
I couldn’t remember exactly where I knew him from, but I recognized his large olive-green eyes above his mask when he stopped at my clinic office door. “Hola doctor, me recuerdas [do you remember me]?” he asked excitedly. He said I had helped him during the summer when he had a severe case of monkeypox […]
Latest ‘Best Hospitals for Maternity Care’ List Has More States With High Performers
For expectant parents considering where to seek maternity care, these 297 facilities earned top marks on this year’s “Best Hospitals for Maternity Care” list from U.S. News & World Report. Last year on the inaugural list, eight states boasted 10 or more high-performing hospitals. This year, that number rose to a dozen states, with California, […]
Opinion | ‘People Need to Make Their Own Decisions’: What We Heard This Week
“As to whether a booster is ‘unnecessary’ in certain age groups, I think we’re at the point where people need to make their own decisions.” — John Moore, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, on getting the bivalent COVID booster shot. “We will live the day that they will not undergo surgery […]
Opinion | What Is Missed When We Rush Back to ‘Normal’?
“I don’t know where this summer went!” This is not an uncommon refrain to hear in mid-August, as Labor Day approaches and schools go back into session. But I have my own reason for this head-scratching reflection on the passage of time. I was diagnosed with COVID-19 a month ago. My initial round of symptoms […]
Is Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) Contagious? Period, Symptoms & Causes
Leprosy Risk Factors People at highest risk are those who live in the areas where leprosy is endemic (parts of India, China, Japan, Nepal, Egypt, and other areas) and especially those people in constant physical contact with infected people. In addition, there is some evidence that genetic defects in the immune system may cause certain […]
New pediatric obesity program makes treatment more accessible
Pediatric obesity remains a serious health problem in the United States, where one in five children are affected. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that pediatricians screen for obesity during primary care visits and refer families to behavioral intervention programs. While there is growing interest in providing these services, accessibility continues to challenge […]
Fate of Transcatheter Tricuspid Devices: Will it Be Repair or Replacement?
CHICAGO — Discussing their predictions on where transcatheter technologies in the tricuspid space are going, some experts said they favored the odds of replacement over repair when devices are ready to be commercialized. Yet making the case for transcatheter tricuspid valve repair was Paul Sorajja, MD, of Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, who […]
There’s A Real Risk Of Monkeypox Becoming ‘Established’ Outside Africa, WHO Says
There’s a risk of monkeypox becoming “established” in countries where it is not usually seen, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said most monkeypox cases are appearing among men who have had sexual relations with other men. Some countries are also starting to report possible community transmission of the virus, […]
Top 5 Financial Mistakes I’ve Made as a Physician
I’ve developed a love and respect for my financial mistakes. They got me to where I am now. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The list of what I have done right is relatively short and recent. The list of my financial mistakes, though, is long. Honestly, there are probably not many people out there […]
Are Addiction and Substance Abuse Disorder the Same?
Addiction is a chronic disorder where the affected person seeks out drugs despite harmful consequences. Addiction is also associated with changes to your brain. It is a severe form of substance use disorder. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines addiction as a chronic disorder where the affected person seeks out drugs despite harmful […]