When it all becomes "too much" for healthcare professionals, burnout results.

Burnout not only affects healthcare providers themselves -- it also has a significant impact on their family members and even their patients.

Becoming a doctor takes years of dedication and focus. But, what happens when a doctor finds herself in the patient’s chair?

Becoming a doctor takes years of dedication and focus. But, what happens when a doctor finds herself in the patient’s chair?

You typically describe your symptoms to your doctor, but what if your doctor could actually feel your pain?

It's crucial to learn about the side effects of medications so you can best manage your own health.

Many of my patients ask me if they should get a new smart watch or other type of fitness tracker for themselves or a loved one this holiday season. 

I get excited to discuss these products with my patients, but caution them that no device by itself will make you healthier. 

Staying fit requires discipline, hard-work, and patience. Nonetheless, I think these devices are a helpful tool in our fitness and wellness endeavors.

It is anxiety that is the killer. 

We humans suffer most when not knowing all that needs to be known, especially when there is so much to fear. 

I choose, as do many dictionaries and as have countless great religious leaders and philosophers, to define “anxiety” as “fear of the unknown.”

I frequently relate a parable to my patients on this crucial subject. 

Let us travel back in time to the clan of the proverbial caveman. In one cave, somewhat safe from the elements and huddled about a fire, is a family fraught with anxiety toward the savage carnivores outside. These beasts only know this clan as prey. The clan shrinks under the weight of this presumed knowledge, convinced that the predators will most assuredly find and devour them. The clan huddles all the closer, shaken by every foreign sound and every dimming of the fire. They dare not move. They are not ready to battle for their next meal or to survive. 

That is the primordial example of paralysis by analysis; it is as old as man. That is anxiety.

Get prepared for your pre- and post-surgery with these tips and tricks.

I was called up from the Reserves to active duty to serve as a medical officer for Operation Desert Storm, during which I broke my back. I was transferred to Wilford Hall in San Antonio, TX and was placed at bed rest in a large 10- bed ward. 

Every day, I waited for that moment or two when the surgical team would round on me. Afterward, the nurses would help wheel my bed down to the hallway where the pay phone was located. 

Back then there were no cell phones, so I would pop in a bunch of quarters and call my wife. The first question out of her mouth was always this: “What did the doctor say?” 

Notice it was always the doctor. Not the team of specialists. Not the Red team or Trauma team. Not the surrogate for the internist. 

I realized how much it meant to me and my family to hear directly from my doctor; I needed that update from him every day.

As a healthcare consumer, otherwise known as a patient, you have certain important rights.

The modern healthcare system, with sky-high bills, confusing rules, and less and less time with your doctor, can be downright frustrating.

Home dialysis is gaining popularity as more people are made aware of its advantages.

Medical aid in dying is a controversial topic. Should terminally ill patients be allowed to decide their death?

If you feel like your doctor isn't listening to you, what can you do to take control of your own health?

Medical aid in dying is a controversial topic. Should terminally ill patients be allowed to decide their death?

Have you suffered from paying too much for your prescription medications?

Are you over-medicating yourself every time you get a simple cough? Know when you should and should not use antibiotics.

A poor medical liability environment drives up healthcare costs and creates longer ER wait times. Find out how your state graded in the recent ACEP EM report card.

Quality and Patient Safety is essential in order to improve care and prevent injuries. Find out how your state graded in the recent ACEP EM report card.

The annual report card on the Nation's Emergency Care System was just released. How did your State do?

If you thought it was safer to live in the country compared to the city – think again.

You haggle at the car dealership, at the farmer’s market and at flea markets – so why not with hospitals and doctors?