Keerthika Mathialagan, M.B.B.S., Steven Lippmann, M.D. To remain socially connected amid COVID-19 stay-at-home measures, many people utilize virtual platforms through online gaming. Approximately two-thirds of all Americans play video games daily, and quarantining measures increased usage of such online practices to facilitate peer relationships (1). The World Health Organization and numerous gaming companies promote initiatives […]
Lalasa Doppalapudi, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a coronavirus infection originating in China and spreading globally. By mid-August 2020, over 21 million confirmed COVID cases were reported, with more than 760,000 deaths (1). As the pandemic expanded, psychiatric issues and increasingly frequent suicides became evident. Suicide rates and telephone calls to suicide […]
Keerthika Mathialagan, M.B.B.S., Steven Lippmann, M.D. The COVID-19 pandemic has critical implications for mental health and personal well-being. Beyond the acute stress and anxiety aroused by this disease, the quarantine measures and economic shortages have increased depression, drug abuse, suicide, and domestic violence rates (1). Stay-at-home measures cause harmful psychological repercussions among susceptible populations, for […]
Jacob M. Appel, M.D, J.D., M.P.H. The rationing of scarce resources has long posed one of the most challenging dilemmas in medical ethics. Much of the rationing in the American healthcare system occurs “invisibly” through the allocation of funding, especially with regard to preventive care: Patients may never be offered smoking cessation therapy, for instance, […]
Gagandeep Kaur, M.D., Kanwarjeet Singh Brar, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Birth order is defined as the sequential order in which siblings are born (1). Discussion about this issue began in the 19th century (2). Since birth order confers a strong impact on development, inquire about birth order when eliciting a history. There are five variables […]
Ahmed Adel Eladely, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Introduction SARS-CO-2 is a coronavirus causing a worldwide pandemic (1). First recognized in China, it spread, and in just three months has reached at least 199 countries. With an increasing number of people affected, by late-March there were well over 465,000 patients known to exhibit COVID-19 infections and […]
Gagandeep Kaur, M.D., Kanwarjeet S. Brar, M.D., Steven B. Lippmann, M.D. Introduction Stepmother is a term that refers to a woman not someone’s biological mother (1). The Latin prefix “step” means orphan. A stepmother becomes a legal parent of a child only when the biological mother gives permission, is deceased, or has deserted the child; […]
Steven Lippmann, M.D. The EHR: Pro & Cons Some years ago, the electronic health record (EHR) arrived with hopes to advance healthcare, expand research opportunities, and make medical charts readily transferable. These goals were not all realized; to the contrary, the EHR is troublesome for physicians and upsetting to our patients. Some people complain that, […]
Dilip KC, M.D., Vidyulata Salunkhe, M.D., M.P.H., Bibodh Jung Karki, M.D., Amar Sutrawe, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Many commensal microbiota inhabit the human body, most commonly on skin and in the gastrointestinal tract. There are trillions of microorganisms in the intestine; the most frequent inhabitants of the gut are Firmicutes, Bacterioides, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Cyanobacteria […]
Jacob M. Appel, M.D., J.D. Most Americans take for granted the right to sue their physicians for negligent or reckless conduct. While considerable disagreement exists regarding such related issues as caps on payouts for “pain and suffering,” rare are objections to the basic principle that patients directly injured as a result of substandard treatment deserve […]
