“Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “Given the significant health …Read More
Category: Physician
Story: The Intensive Care Unit ~ Dr. Joel Ying
In this story, I explore the memories of a doctor-in-training as a resident in the hospital. My memories of the intensive care unit (ICU) are filled with the intense emotion that colors the space between life and death. With these critically ill patients, we sit with them on the brink of death and the edge …Read More
What Really Matters at the End of Life ~ BJ Miller
You are a college student, 19 years old, hanging out with friends, walking around town, horsing around, and just back from Thanksgiving break. Someone sees a parked electric commuter train, and somehow it seems like climbing on top would be a good idea. Like climbing a mountain, seeing the world from above, changing perspectives… You’ve …Read More
Our Story of Food: Lessons From Japan
While Ozempic may threaten to bankrupt the U.S. healthcare system, the recent approval of the weight loss drug by the Japanese medical authorities will not be the same money-maker for Novo Nordisk. While 42% of American are obese, only 4.5% are obese in Japan. What is so different about Japan? Is it genetics? Is it …Read More
Love, no matter what ~ Andrew Solomon
When I was working in the hospital in the pediatric ward as a resident doctor-in-training, one of the patients that was admitted frequently was a Down’s Syndrome child with a cleft palate. The cleft palate is an incomplete closure of the roof of the mouth that separates it from the nasal area above. Functionally, this …Read More
Honoring Sacrifice
Sacrifice, verb Last week, I toured a local health center run by a non-profit. They offer healthcare to underserved populations on a sliding scale basis. There are many ways to give, including the monetary donations of the many names that cover the walls to make the mission of greater healthcare access possible. While many at …Read More
Transforming Your Life Story
At some point while working full time as a hospitalist doctor nearly two decades ago, I began to feel thin. I remember standing outside leaving a meeting at the home of one of the other doctors. The day was sunny and warm, just before the start of the really hot summer in Florida. The heat …Read More
How humanity doubled life expectancy in a century ~ Steven Johnson
One hundred years ago, life expectancy in most countries was less than 45 years. But if you are born today, the amount of life years that you can expect is over 70 years. How did we nearly double life expectancy in a century? One answer might be the advances in science: antibiotics, medications, sanitation, and …Read More
The Day That Broke Me
Admit or send home. The emergency room doctors have one basic decision. Is this person sick enough that they need to be admitted to the hospital? Or can they be treated and sent home to follow-up in the clinic? If you need hospital care, you are admitted under the care of your doctor. But if …Read More
When Breath Becomes Air ~ Paul Kalanithi
“In that first year, I would glimpse my share of death. I sometimes saw it while peeking around corners, other times while feeling embarrassed to be caught in the same room.” ~ excerpt from Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air In his last year of training to become a neurosurgeon, Dr. Paul Kalanithi is diagnosed …Read More