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We first started talking about the COVID-19 vaccine five years ago. And somehow, here we are—still talking about it. Still answering patient questions, still sorting through the latest data, and still trying to find the right words when the topic comes up in the exam room.
The population is aging fast, and clinicians are feeling the impact. By 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be over 65, and older adults already represent the highest healthcare utilization of any age group. Yet fewer than 45% of medical schools have a required geriatrics rotation, leaving most of us to piece together our knowledge on the fly.
The nurse practitioner (NP) profession can trace its roots back to a pediatric clinic in Colorado. In 1965, the first NP program was founded by Dr. Loretta Ford, a public health nurse, and Dr. Henry Silver, a pediatrician. This was in response to an expansion of Medicare and Medicaid that left many at-risk populations without adequate access to primary care, particularly in the pediatric population. Two years later, Boston...
November is here, and with it comes the annual parade of sniffles, fevers, and worried parents in our exam rooms. But this year, the viral season feels especially layered. We’re not just worried about bracing for influenza and RSV— we’re also navigating a new chapter in COVID vaccination, including a notable shift in pediatric recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
When I was younger, one of my older relatives gave me some advice: “Check someone’s ears before picking a fight, and if they have cauliflower ear… run away.” I’d learn later that he meant those ears belonged to wrestlers or martial artists—people who’ve taken (and given) a lot of hits. In other words: someone I stood no chance against.
In medicine, reasoning is not just about being right or wrong; it is about how confident you should be given incomplete information. That kind of judgment has always set clinicians apart, and now researchers are testing whether AI in medicine can learn it too.
Aesthetic surgery is booming. Data from the last year show a 14% increase in total procedures, driven largely by a 23% rise in nonsurgical interventions and dramatic gains in body contouring. Liposuction procedures increased by 63%, abdominoplasty by 55%, and overall U.S. spending on aesthetics exceeded $11.8 billion, up 2% from the previous year.
“It all started a few days after I got back from my trip.”
If you’re a seasoned urgent care clinician, chances are you've had a patient ask about sinus rinses. Maybe they heard about neti pots from a friend, or maybe they’re desperate for relief after yet another round of congestion. As common as these devices are, they’re often misused, sometimes in ways that can cause more harm than good.
Read moreWhen public figures make bold statements about medication risks in pregnancy, especially involving autism, it can trigger real alarm among patients. Pregnancy is a unique and vulnerable time in a person’s life, filled with concern about keeping the baby safe. And when it comes to interpreting scientific data, whether about medications or any other exposures, the nuances often get lost in lay media. It can be hard to know what to believe.
Vaccine hesitancy remains one of the most pressing challenges in preventive health. Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines, many patients delay or refuse immunizations, threatening herd immunity and increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. So far in 2025, we have seen how decreased vaccination rates for measles in the US has resulted in one of the highest cases of measles since it was deemed eradicated...
GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide and tirzepatide are changing the way we approach obesity. Some have even described them as a “medicinal version of bariatric surgery.” While these medications don’t interfere with nutrient absorption the way surgery does, they do dramatically reduce appetite. That means our patients need to be much more intentional about the foods they choose.