I believe the role that God plays in our lives is often magnified during times of great suffering. How we perceive that role is a question of faith, often strong and steadfast in some, especially my patients, but sometimes unreliable and inconvenient to others, like myself, on a journey of understanding and acceptance.
During the terminal stages of my grandmother’s colon cancer, I recall her saying, “Je pense que le Bon ...
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1. Clues to Kids' Asthma Focus on Genes, Wheezing. Expression of two genes on the childhood-asthma locus of chromosome 17 increased significantly with human rhinovirus (HRV) stimulation, suggesting a link to virus-induced wheezing and asthma.
2. Gupta Guide: Cancer Patients Poorly Served by Online Nutrition Info. When it comes to directing cancer patients to solid nutritional recommendations online, physicians are ...
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1. Baldness Linked to Prostate Ca Risk in Blacks. Early-onset baldness seemed to significantly increase the odds of prostate cancer in African-American men, including diagnosis of more advanced and aggressive disease, as well as diagnosis at a younger age.
2. MRI for Low Back Problems Deemed 'Overused'. More than half of outpatient lumbar spine MRI scans weren't ...
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1. Study: Docs in Dark About Complementary Therapies. Many cardiology patients use complementary medicines and therapies but they may not routinely share that information with their doctors.
2. States Explore Medicaid Expansion Alternatives. Not every state will opt to expand its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act, but some are looking for ways to get extra ...
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Think you know something about oncology? Ok then, pop quiz: If you are giving chemotherapy to a patient who does not have cancer, how can you tell if it works? Ridiculous question? Not at all. The answer to that question is; “hopefully, we will never know,” and it is at the core of modern cancer care.
In the 1960s, breast cancer surgeons had a serious problem. They were doing large complex ...
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My phone rang a few weeks ago, the morning of January 26th. It was my brother saying "Mom has cancer in her spine. I'm bringing her to the hospital this afternoon. They're operating Monday."
I threw my stuff in my suitcase, jumped in the car and drove back home from the conference that moments before had seemed so important.
But before I left, I spoke at length with the orthopedist who'd delivered ...
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"Bongi, I have a patient who came in last night with appendicitis. Can you operate him for me?"
My colleague was known to load shed and mostly I didn't really mind. That day, however, I just didn't feel like any extra work, so it took a bit of effort to fake enthusiasm.
"Sure! Any time." I lied. "Anything special or straight appendicitis?"
"Well, I saw ...
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The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part.
-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
I’ve never been good at waiting for anything. Instant gratification has been my middle name, and I’ve gotten in lots of trouble because of it. I think that I have improved with age—I am less likely to become apoplectic when ...
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A loyal reader sent me a doctor-written column with the provocative headline, “My Patient, Killed by The New York Times.”
First, keep in mind that the website that posted this, Mediaite, is all about the media covering (really fawning and dishing) itself. The purpose of this story, with its provocative headline, sad outcome, and mea culpa tone, is to generate “buzz.”
Then understand that this is a story of one patient who made ...
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God helps those who help themselves.
-Something that sounds like truth but fortunately isn’t mentioned in any religious text
“I’m gonna beat this thing again, Doc! I just know it!”
Over the course of several years, I helped care for a man with a very rare cancer that recurred over-and-over. With each new tumor, he became more focused on beating the disease and despite the repeated setbacks, he remained eternally positive. He spent ...
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"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
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