Narrating medicine

The Woman Who Couldn't Stop Emailing, And The Therapist Who Got Sucked In

The internet allows eating disorder therapist Jean Fain to help clients from afar. But sometimes, email becomes the problem.

Local Coverage

Nov 7, 2016

Counterpoint: We Fail Our Patients If We Don't Try To Treat Obesity

An obesity specialist responds to a doctor who has largely stopped telling her patients to lose weight: "We should be willing to treat obesity as the disease that it is....

Local Coverage

Nov 4, 2016

St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

British Vs. American Health Care, Through One Trainee Doctor's Eyes

Dr. Martin Kaminski, raised in Massachusetts, writes about the revelations of returning home to practice medicine.

Local Coverage

Oct 31, 2016

Letitia Browne-James hasn't suffered a seizure since she had brain surgery for epilepsy four years ago. (PatientsLikeMe)

After 3 Decades Of Seizures, Life With My New Brain

Letitia Browne-James struggled with epilepsy-induced seizures and brain fog until she was 31. Then a surgeon removed a small piece of her brain. In the four years since the operation,...

Local Coverage

Oct 24, 2016

Narrating Medicine: When The Insurance Company Brings A Therapist To Tears

The high-handed way that the insurers treat me -- and other providers, and patients, too -- drives me mad, writes psychologist Ellen Holtzman.

Local Coverage

Sep 5, 2016

EpiPen Prices: Once I Felt Grateful To Mylan, Now I Feel Co-Opted

Can you make a profit without taking advantage of a community?

Local Coverage

Sep 2, 2016

Dr. Kate Granger in 2014 (The BMA/Flickr Creative Commons)

Remembering The Doctor Who Tweeted Her Terminal Illness — And Changed Practice

An admiring remembrance of Kate Granger, the terminally ill British doctor probably best known for using Twitter to push to humanize medical care.

Local Coverage

Aug 23, 2016

Dr. Elisabeth Poorman at WBUR. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

I Felt Alone But I Wasn't: Depression Is Rampant Among Doctors In Training

Depression in doctors-in-training seems to be not the exception but the norm, writes Dr. Elisabeth Poorman.

Local Coverage

Aug 19, 2016

Maureen McCue, co-coordinator of the Iowa chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility, speaks during a 2003 news conference in Des Moines, saying that President Bush hadn't been honest with the American people in his justification for attacking Iraq. (Steve Pope/AP)

Doctor's Dilemma: Is It My Duty To Get Political Or Stay Out Of The Fray?

A personal pondering for this election season and beyond: Is it a doctor's duty to stay out of the political fray? Or, sometimes, step into it? What if doing so...

Local Coverage

Aug 12, 2016

In this 2009 file photo, Dr. Joel Policzer checks on Lillian Landry in the hospice wing of an Oakland Park, Florida, hospital. Unlike most of Policzer's patients she made end-of-life decisions. (AP)

Thinking About Dying, Even When The Doctor Has No Time For It

American doctors struggle to have time to talk with patients about their end-of-life wishes, the author writes. A video series may help.

Local Coverage

Jul 20, 2016

Surgery in Rwanda (Courtesy of Dr. David Shaye)

A Face-Lift In Boston, A New Jaw In Rwanda: One Surgeon's Global Perspective

For three months of the year, Dr. David Shaye operates and teaches in Africa.

Local Coverage

Jul 6, 2016

New recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend aspirin for far fewer people. (M. Spencer Green/AP)

Should You Take Aspirin? A New App Helps Your Doctor Advise You

A new app helps doctors -- and patients -- calculate the potential risks and benefits of taking aspirin.

Local Coverage

Jul 5, 2016

My Stupid Thyroid, And My Fraught Decision To Monitor My Cancer Rather Than Cut It Out

I want to find an endocrinologist who will agree to monitor my nodule, rather than insist that I get my thyroid out. Boston is a health care mecca. Surely there...

Local Coverage

Jul 1, 2016

In one of Angela's paintings, the picture of Atlas carrying the earth signifies Jonathan’s pain, as though he were bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. (Courtesy of Angela Kelly)

Art, Stories That Honor Those Who Died By Drug Overdose — And Help Survivors Too

Sometimes, the very act of creating a symbolic tribute to a deceased relative provides some level of comfort.

Local Coverage

Jun 30, 2016

Narrating Medicine: When Doctors Forget To Feel

Unfortunately, under a culture of medical stoicism, we subdue or ignore our emotions, writes Dr. Isaac Chan.

Local Coverage

Jun 23, 2016

In this Aug. 4, 2015 file photo, a nurse places a patient's chemotherapy medication on an intravenous stand at a hospital in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Narrating Medicine: What I Learned About Cancer Survivorship Clinics

Two and a half years after my cancer diagnosis and two years after I started maintenance chemotherapy and went back to work, I went to a Survivorship Clinic.

Local Coverage

Jun 8, 2016

When The Therapist Has A Fear Of Elevators

As a psychologist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, I knew that I should be able to calm myself in the elevator, writes Ellen Holtzman.

Local Coverage

May 25, 2016

While the presence of medical students may make some patients uneasy, one student explains how these future doctors benefit patient care. (Monash University/Flickr)

Opinion: Why Medical Students Are Good For Your Health

Having only recently donned our white coats, we might more easily see things from your perspective.

Local Coverage

May 19, 2016

A Seattle public health official demonstrates the use of a gun lock box during a news conference on Jan. 21. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

Opinion: Pediatrician Asks, Why Can't I Talk To You About Guns In The Home?

Since 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics has encouraged primary care providers to discuss firearm safety with families.

Local Coverage

May 11, 2016

The trauma/ICU simulation room at Boston Children's Hospital (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Opinion: In Simulation Era, Your Doc's First Try At A Procedure Should Not Be On You

Doctors in training increasingly practice on computers and simulated patients, but the “see one, do one, teach one” culture still persists in many hospitals.

Local Coverage

May 6, 2016

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The Woman Who Couldn't Stop Emailing, And The Therapist Who Got Sucked In

Counterpoint: We Fail Our Patients If We Don't Try To Treat Obesity

British Vs. American Health Care, Through One Trainee Doctor's Eyes

After 3 Decades Of Seizures, Life With My New Brain

Narrating Medicine: When The Insurance Company Brings A Therapist To Tears

EpiPen Prices: Once I Felt Grateful To Mylan, Now I Feel Co-Opted

Remembering The Doctor Who Tweeted Her Terminal Illness — And Changed Practice

I Felt Alone But I Wasn't: Depression Is Rampant Among Doctors In Training

Doctor's Dilemma: Is It My Duty To Get Political Or Stay Out Of The Fray?

Thinking About Dying, Even When The Doctor Has No Time For It

A Face-Lift In Boston, A New Jaw In Rwanda: One Surgeon's Global Perspective

Should You Take Aspirin? A New App Helps Your Doctor Advise You

My Stupid Thyroid, And My Fraught Decision To Monitor My Cancer Rather Than Cut It Out

Art, Stories That Honor Those Who Died By Drug Overdose — And Help Survivors Too

Narrating Medicine: When Doctors Forget To Feel

Narrating Medicine: What I Learned About Cancer Survivorship Clinics

When The Therapist Has A Fear Of Elevators

Opinion: Why Medical Students Are Good For Your Health

Opinion: Pediatrician Asks, Why Can't I Talk To You About Guns In The Home?

Opinion: In Simulation Era, Your Doc's First Try At A Procedure Should Not Be On You