Conditions

Michael J. Fox asks: “Am I still me?” in a new documentary – a question many with critical illness face

Conditions
August 19, 2023

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie was recently released by Apple TV+ and provides a ringside seat to the daily, formidable challenges facing the actor since he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease more than 30 years ago.

There is, of course, tremendous irony in this movie’s title, given Parkinson’s disease, a non-curable neurodegenerative disease that affects well over six million people around the world, denies those afflicted the ability to keep …

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TikTok aging filters may help those considering cosmetic surgery

Conditions
August 18, 2023

There’s a new viral trend on TikTok, and it’s motivating a lot of people to consider plastic surgery. It’s the platform’s latest facial filter, meant to show one’s older self, and many people are taking it as accurate and predictive. However, while it can be accurate in several ways, it does have its faults. TikTok has many of these filters that use programming and AI to change how a …

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Star Trek’s profound narrative on trauma and healing

Conditions
August 17, 2023

In the vast and intricate universe of Star Trek, we often find narratives that reflect our own realities, despite their setting in the distant reaches of space. One such narrative is found in the eighth episode of the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, “Under the Cloak of War.” This episode offers a profound exploration of the psychological aftermath of war, serving as a mirror to our struggles …

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Removing workflow burdens and improving access for colorectal cancer screenings

Conditions
August 16, 2023

After much outcry, UnitedHealthcare announced that they are no longer moving forward with their controversial prior authorization policy that would require members to get approval from the insurance company to receive a diagnostic colonoscopy to detect cancer. Instead, UnitedHealthcare has discussed implementing an alternative: an advanced notification process that would require physicians to collect and submit patient data before performing non-screening and non-emergent colonoscopies. This latest policy change is …

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Understanding migraine symptoms in children

Conditions
August 14, 2023

If you’ve experienced a migraine headache before, the sensation is often very distinct: throbbing pain, sensitivity to light and loud noise, and sometimes nausea and vomiting. Migraine symptoms can be uncomfortable and distressing.

Equally concerning is when a migraine sufferer recognizes these symptoms in their child. Migraines typically emerge during early adolescence, particularly when females reach menarche (their first menstrual period). However, as many as half of the children can experience …

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Bully nurse in ICU: a shattered moment for a dying patient

Conditions
August 14, 2023

She was oil, and I was vinegar. We didn’t mix. Ever. Even though we wanted the best outcome for our ICU patients, we stood on opposite poles of the earth. Sometimes, there’s only room for one alpha dog, one ultimate bully. And that person wasn’t me.

Mr. Williams, 68 years old, received the tragic news from his physician. He was experiencing strange and unusual symptoms: slurred speech, muscle weakness, lack of …

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Heart disease in the shadows: a closer look at cardiac sarcoidosis

Conditions
August 14, 2023

My new internist began my annual checkup with a nervous confession: “You are my first patient with cardiac sarcoidosis.” Even during an urgent care visit for potential cellulitis, I was met with raised eyebrows from the treating physician who reviewed my chart: “Very interesting, I’ve never seen a case of this heart disease.” With over 7000 rare diseases affecting more than 25 million people in the United States alone, patients …

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Personalized hypertension care in pregnancy: Beyond evidence-based thresholds

Conditions
August 11, 2023

There has always been a research bias against the case of one. A success story that isn’t part of a research pool is called “anecdotal.” The implication is that no doctor should base treatment on a story of one. Then we devised the term “evidence-based” to reinforce the notion that physician decisions should be based entirely on numbers in research studies. However, the physician’s prerogative has always been to read …

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“YES AND”: a vital, versatile, and visionary leadership tool

Conditions
August 11, 2023

Patient safety, patient experience, workforce health, and cost-effectiveness are critical outcomes that share important common roots. They are all impacted by our ability to communicate effectively and respectfully. This can be challenging, in part, because communication involves underlying emotional intelligence, which is hard to develop and practice, especially in high-stakes, high-stress work environments or toxic cultures.

Furthermore, our ability to communicate affects our capacity to establish healthy professional relationships, collaborate in …

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The Cactus Kid: an analogy for parents and youth who are living with mental dis-ease

Conditions
August 9, 2023

Everyone has phases, stages, and degrees of mental disease throughout their lives, especially children, adolescents, and young adults. It is a part of normal growth and development to go through phases of change. Sometimes, a young person gets stuck in a phase, and it becomes something more—a mental health disorder—and they may receive a diagnosis. Often, if the young person can receive the help and support they need, this phase …

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The pursuit of medicine through dyslexia

Conditions
August 9, 2023

Sitting in class was always a terrifying experience, not knowing if I was going to be the next one called on to read. My mind would race ahead trying to figure out a strategy on how to get out of it. I would excuse myself from the room or blame a sore throat, anything to avoid reading in front of my peers. On the rare occasions that I was called …

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Locum tenens agreements for physicians

Conditions
August 7, 2023

Locum tenens agreements can be useful to physicians in many circumstances. In addition to serving as a way to supplement your income during vacations, physicians often enter locum tenens agreements between jobs, to provide income while waiting for interviews or for credentialing to be completed at a new position.

In many ways, reviewing a locum tenens agreement is similar to reviewing a physician employment agreement, but there are unique aspects to …

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Discovering healing through storytelling

Conditions
August 7, 2023

Many arise each day with a scenario of expectations to be achieved. For those individuals of working age, some of these expectations revolve around our jobs, put into place by our employers over which we have little to no control. But what about those narratives, those stories, that we tell ourselves in the middle of the night or the ones that pop into our heads in the middle of the …

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How to handle a toxic person

Conditions
August 3, 2023

Dealing with a toxic person close to you is traumatic, draining, and upsetting. My older sister is a toxic person, and I endured her behavior for over 40 years. I recommend making a clean break from a toxic person around the holidays and birthdays when their behavior is at its worst. You may blame yourself for tolerating the behavior for so long. For the longest time, I blamed myself for …

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How early intervention can transform a child’s speech development

Conditions
August 1, 2023

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ recent decision to move away from the “wait and see” philosophy to a more proactive intervention when dealing with childhood obesity got me reflecting on how “wait and see” is still used in many other aspects of children’s development.

As a speech therapist and a mother of a child who was at risk for developmental delays, I had personal experience with this approach. My son …

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CME Spotlights