Drip bar: Should you get an IV on demand?
For many people receiving care in a hospital or emergency room, one of the most common occurrences (and biggest fears) is getting an IV, the intravenous catheter that allows fluids and medications to...
View ArticleThe real link between breastfeeding and preventing obesity
While we know that breastfeeding has many health benefits for mothers and babies, the studies have been a bit fuzzy when it comes to the link between breastfeeding and preventing obesity in children....
View ArticleA soaring maternal mortality rate: What does it mean for you?
Update: A new guideline from the World Health Organization (WHO) aims to help reduce steadily rising rates of caesarean sections around the globe. While crucial at times for medical reasons, caesarean...
View ArticleInducing labor at full term: What makes sense?
For generations, midwives and doctors have looked for ways to imitate human physiology and nudge women’s bodies into giving birth. Synthetic hormones can be used to start and speed up labor. Soft...
View ArticleThe latest deadly superbug — and why it’s not time to panic
I have to admit it: recent news reports about a newly described “superbug” are worrisome and at least a little bit terrifying. This time, it’s not a flesh-eating bacterium or drug-resistant...
View ArticleKetamine for major depression: New tool, new questions
Ketamine was once used mainly as an anesthetic on battlefields and in operating rooms. Now this medication is gaining ground as a promising treatment for some cases of major depression, which is the...
View ArticleBrain-based devices: How well do they work?
There are more than 10,000 patent filings for brain-based devices that claim to help people “develop muscle memory faster,” “lose weight,” “monitor and act on…sleep,” and “treat depression.” Many of...
View ArticleDopamine fasting: Misunderstanding science spawns a maladaptive fad
The dopamine fast, created by California psychiatrist Dr. Cameron Sepah, has very little to do with either fasting or dopamine. As Sepah told the New York Times, “Dopamine is just a mechanism that...
View ArticleAnd now for some good news on health
When it comes to health concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic is top of mind for most people right now. And that’s for good reason. But there is some very good non-COVID health news that may not be getting...
View ArticleThe doctor will “see” you now: Teledermatology in the era of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed healthcare delivery across the world. Headlines about shortages of lifesaving resources and personal protective equipment have dominated our attention. But...
View ArticleGlobal mental health in the time of COVID-19
Just months ago, who could have imagined that the world would be looking down the barrel of a spiraling health crisis and economic recession unlike any witnessed in our lifetime? Now, in a world...
View ArticleMaking telemedicine more inclusive
As a primary care physician at an academic community health care system in Massachusetts, I received a rapid introduction to telehealth this year. Within days after Massachusetts declared a state of...
View ArticleDoes your health monitor have device bias?
In recent years, there’s been a veritable explosion in the number and type of health monitoring devices available in smartphones and fitness apps. Your smartphone is likely tracking the number of steps...
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