The practice of medicine is complicated and requires very specific knowledge and skills. However, no matter how much we doctors know, there are things that limit the health and access of patients. The problem is, these things are inglorious and easily overlooked by an already overstressed and understaffed healthcare system. I’ve learned over the years […]
Spring is upon us, and there’s work to be done. I’ve already been cutting back the overgrown Mountain Laurel on our drive, and my wife has taken her beloved riding lawnmower for its inaugural spin. Both activities, and many more typical of summer life, have the potential for creating cuts, scrapes and holes in the […]
Some of the most challenging medical problems we face have to do with the formation of blood clots. For instance, clots can create heart attacks and can cause lack of blood flow to the extremities, resulting in loss of fingers, toes, arms or legs. Clots — when lodged in large blood vessels in the lungs […]
These are complicated times in medicine. One of the most tangible and frustrating outcomes of the COVID era has been that large hospitals are full to capacity. This is partly because of those infected with coronavirus. However, it’s a complex problem, which is also the result of lack of staff and because we didn’t really […]
We’re seeing a significant increase in substance abuse these days. There are the usual suspects — marijuana, pain pills and sedatives. But heroin is up, and so, sadly, is the use of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Physicians are routinely prescribing the antidote, naloxone (Narcan), to those who overdose and are discharged home. While the reasons […]
It is appropriate that we, as believers, protect the rights of the unborn. We do this because we recognize that their lives have intrinsic value, in the image of God, as soon as they come into existence at conception. Life itself matters before breath, speech, communication or the other trappings we associate with it. And […]
This is a time of year when we physicians have to remind ourselves to pay attention and readjust our collective focus. Human illnesses are often quite seasonal, whether that means allergies in the spring and autumn, flu and pneumonia in the winter months, or insect bites in the summer. However, a unique danger arises when […]
Without a doubt, one of the most under-appreciated groups of healthcare workers in our country are emergency medical technicians. These are the dedicated men and women who respond to illness and injury outside of the hospital setting. There are several levels of EMT — including emergency medical responder, EMT basic, advanced EMT and paramedic — […]
I write this month to call my readers to action. I sat in our church service on Sunday at LifePoint Church in Seneca, as Pastor Blake Pitts urged us to a deeper life of desperate prayer. I realized how many people in my world need just that. As the pandemic still burns through the population, […]
COVID cases are surging, and hospitals are reaching capacity. This has led many to ask why there is so much resistance to having a vaccination that might have kept us out of the situation now facing the nation. I believe that the COVID vaccine is a remarkable, life-saving achievement. While we will doubtless learn more […]
