Afferent Pupillary Defect/Reflex
Neurological exams never fail to amaze me with how simple they are to perform given how much information they provide to localize a lesion – take the swinging-flashlight exam for example.
Tag: medical
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Primary Care Incentive
Estimates say that with Obamacare now in place, the United States will have a shortage of roughly 35,000 primary care physicians over the next decade. Currently, only 30-35% of all physicians are in primary care. Why? Like with most things in this country, you’ve gotta follow the money.
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Remaining Enthusiastic in Medical School
You’re done with your first semester of medical school. Grades could be better… CV is pretty empty… still uneasy about the future… and you’re missing the days when you were easily at the top of your class. The dream of going to medical school has now become a daily burden.…
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Why Do We Close Our Eyes Before Sneezing?
Something valuable I learned in block 4 dispelled a myth I heard throughout my childhood years – you can’t sneeze with your eyelids open or else your eyeballs will pop out. I even went as far as wondering how patients undergoing extensive eye surgery (ie, Lasik) can manage to have…
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Should Doctors Marry Doctors?
Though medical students are inundated with education and training, all of us still need to consider the non-medical aspects of our futures, marriage being an important item on the “to do list” for many. It’s interesting to note how many fourth year medical students (MS-4s) are in a serious relationship…
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Competition in Medicine
Last week’s PPS topic involved self-care amidst the hectic life of a healthcare professional. Some of us feel that we’re inadequate compared to our peers. Others strive to attain perfection in a dynamic science. Even more are on the verge of burnout from the long hours, constant pressure to succeed,…
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The Asthma Gene
Genome wide association studies are extremely useful in trying to assess which genes are responsible for conditions caused by complex or unknown patterns. In a nutshell, hundreds of people with a particular condition (in this case, asthma) have their genomes compared. Researchers are looking for certain mutations/patterns like single nucleotide…
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Treating Emphysema with Gene Therapy
Cystic fibrosis and α1-antitrypsin deficiency are the two most common inherited lung diseases, and both of them happen to be caused by a known, single gene mutation. A study conducted at Boston University’s School of Medicine and recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation describes a protocol in which gene therapy…
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Healthcare Costs vs. GDP
One of the main points emphasized in the management electives I’ve taken is the concept of healthcare costs vs. GDP/inflation. It doesn’t matter how much we try to lower the cost of healthcare – if the rate of healthcare expenditure increases faster than the GDP, it won’t be long before…
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Green Tea – To Your Health
Preventative medicine is an interesting topic to discuss especially when trying to reduce healthcare costs. At the same time, many people are trying to find cheap solutions to a.) lose weight, b.) get healthy, and c.) stay thin and healthy. Combined with an exercise regimen approved by a physician, green…