Gagandeep Kaur, M.D., Kanwarjeet S. Brar, M.D., Steven B. Lippmann, M.D. Introduction Stepmother is a term that refers to a woman not someone’s biological mother (1). The Latin prefix “step” means orphan. A stepmother becomes a legal parent of a child only when the biological mother gives permission, is deceased, or has deserted the child; […]
Steven Lippmann, M.D. The EHR: Pro & Cons Some years ago, the electronic health record (EHR) arrived with hopes to advance healthcare, expand research opportunities, and make medical charts readily transferable. These goals were not all realized; to the contrary, the EHR is troublesome for physicians and upsetting to our patients. Some people complain that, […]
Dilip KC, M.D., Vidyulata Salunkhe, M.D., M.P.H., Bibodh Jung Karki, M.D., Amar Sutrawe, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Many commensal microbiota inhabit the human body, most commonly on skin and in the gastrointestinal tract. There are trillions of microorganisms in the intestine; the most frequent inhabitants of the gut are Firmicutes, Bacterioides, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Cyanobacteria […]
Jacob M. Appel, M.D., J.D. Most Americans take for granted the right to sue their physicians for negligent or reckless conduct. While considerable disagreement exists regarding such related issues as caps on payouts for “pain and suffering,” rare are objections to the basic principle that patients directly injured as a result of substandard treatment deserve […]
Safoora Fatima, M.D., Pavani Nathala, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Introduction Measles is a highly contagious disease transmitted via respiratory droplets from person-to-person. Before the advent of the measles vaccination, there were over half million cases reported annually in the United States, with 500 measles related deaths each year (1). Clinical Measles starts with a […]
Jacob M. Appel, M.D., J.D. The past thirty years have witnessed an “apology revolution” in medical practice. Prior to the 1980s, the prevailing approach to medical errors in clinical care favored concealment: If patients or their survivors did not discover medical mistakes on their own through legal discovery and litigation processes, self-interest discouraged physicians from […]
Dilip KC, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. We all know that lithium has important pharmacological properties (1). Most famously, it can provide mood stabilization in patients with bipolar disorders (2). Lithium reduces the risk of suicide in individuals with depression (3). Indeed, it may be helpful in mitigating depressions and possibly in other psychiatric disorders. It […]
Raymond Pary, M.D., Simrat Kaur Sarai, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. CLINICAL Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent, excessive worry. To confirm a GAD diagnosis, it must persist for over half a year, be present much of the time, and on most days. Those affected frequently express concern about apprehensiveness and/or irritability. Anxious elderly […]
Jacob M. Appel, M.D., J.D., M.P.H. Hedda Martin, a sixty-year-old Michigan woman, has attracted national attention after posting online that her healthcare provider urged her to raise $10,000 on GoFundMe, a popular online fundraising platform, in order to be eligible for a life-saving heart transplant. Martin, a former dog walker and pet sitter, suffered doxorubicin-induced […]
Teresa Kay Jones, A.P.R.N., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Introduction There is a shortage of providers for psychiatric services in America (1). Nurse practitioners (NPs) can deliver mental health services to help overcome the inadequate number of psychiatrists (1); yet, there are too few educators to train nurses at filling this gap (2). Most psychiatrists trust that […]
