The Podcast by KevinMD

"Antiracism requires action-oriented work and calls us to ask, how will we work to become antiracist? How will we change our institutional culture and systems to become antiracist? As Latina medical students, we have seen and experienced racism in many aspects of society and have felt the need to change our institutional culture. If we act now, we will foster physician leaders adequately equipped to address health disparities. We are calling on other Latinx people, other non-Black people, and allies in medicine to go beyond these protests and commit to the journey of antiracism and health equity for all." Yesenia Salazar and Camila Hurtado are medical students. The share their stories and discuss their KevinMD article, "Declaring racism as a public health crisis from the lens of two Latinx student doctors." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/07/declaring-racism-as-a-public-health-crisis-from-the-lens-of-two-latinx-student-doctors.html)

"In medicine, empiric therapy is treatment that is administered based on the probability of success because we don't have all of the information. We make our 'best guess.' Actually, empiric decision-making exists in our everyday lives — running the garbage disposal when the sink is clogged, jiggling the key in the lock when it doesn't turn. Mr. Thomas was in stable condition, and I estimated that his chances of finding an answer to his chest pain with another specialist, was very low. It was time to make my best guess. I explained my theory to Mr. Thomas and suggested we try some myofascial bodywork. In the best case, he would feel a difference; and in the worst case, he would feel a little sore and looser in his body, but without pain relief. Mr. Thomas was definitely interested. With hope and caution, we proceeded. I started with the sides of his chest … zig … then his abdominals … zag … then low back … zig … I checked with him frequently as he groaned with each maneuver, but he always nodded to continue. When the trial was over, I helped him sit up on the exam table." Cathy Kim is a family physician and can be reached at Dr. Cathy. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Fascia in primary care: When chest pain is not in your chest." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/fascia-in-primary-care-when-chest-pain-is-not-in-your-chest.html)

"While there is a myriad of expert opinions on what long term effects this pandemic will have on our children and their physical and mental health, we must also remember the age-old idiom: this too shall pass. We must also be sensitive to not add to parents' already full plates. Meditation is not meant to be another task on the already burdened shoulder of parents, but quite the opposite: a way to cope with the increasing demands placed on us by the pandemic. Despite the ubiquitous and understandable parental concerns regarding what type of adults these baby zoomers will turn out to be, pediatricians have a unique opportunity to counsel and provide some small silver linings. For example, many children are learning to adapt quickly to unpredictable situations. Many are becoming adept in technology, which will give them lifelong computer proficiency that may help in future careers. Many more are becoming excellent self-learners, and many parents are getting a unique opportunity to observe their children in a classroom setting. Finally, pediatricians can suggest the introduction of meditation and mindfulness as a means to counteract the possible negative effects the pandemic may have on our children." Ana Pal and Samira Hodges are pediatricians. They can be reached on Twitter @thepedipals. They share their story and discuss their KevinMD article, "Why the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to introduce meditation to children." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/why-the-pandemic-is-the-perfect-opportunity-to-introduce-meditation-to-children.html)

"Appreciation in the personal finance world has two different components to it: Quantitative: increasing value of net worth and financial assets Qualitative: feeling of gratitude for one's finances, resources, and circumstance. This is not dependent on the dollar amount. These are both important, but the qualitative is the best predictor of increasing wealth and personal wellbeing. We are programmed by these components, which makes our brain to focus on what is wrong and what is insufficient. We tend to focus on what needs to be fixed than what we already have. When all our attention is on what needs fixing in our lives, our relationships, and our finances, we spiral into negative feelings." Latifat Alli-Akintade is a gastroenterologist and can be reached at MoneyFitMD. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Appreciation in the personal finance world." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/appreciation-in-the-personal-finance-world.html)

"While the rise in substance use disorders during COVID will become more apparent as the pandemic eventually ebbs, the silver lining is that this is not a novel problem. We understand substance use disorders far better than we understand COVID-19, and we also know that one of the largest obstacles to treatment is the shame associated with admitting that one has a problem. Furthermore, we also possess lifesaving drugs (such as Naloxone) that can prevent those with opioid use disorder from dying of an overdose. Moving forward, we in the mental health community should encourage efforts to eliminate stigmas associated with addiction. More concretely, policymakers should be ready for the increase in opioid-related overdoses and ensure first responders have access to drugs like Naloxone. Secondly, COVID-19 patients and family members should receive easier access to mental health care to improve resiliency and potentially reduce instances of substance abuse disorders that begin as PTSD-related self-medication." Samoon Ahmad is a psychiatrist. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "COVID-related stressors and increasing instances of substance abuse." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/covid-related-stressors-and-increasing-instances-of-substance-abuse.html)

"We are social beings. Evolution has taught us that in order to survive, we must work together. Community trust (trusting your fellow citizen) is a very effective way to build community resilience when hardships strike. Studies have been done in the wake of natural disasters and have shown that social infrastructure and connections have equal, if not more, impact on the ability of a community to 'bounce back' than physical infrastructure. During this terrible pandemic, let's make compassion go viral. Let compassion be the vaccine for society. As so eloquently said by the Dalai Lama: 'Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not a luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.'" Aseem Desai is a cardiac electrophysiologist and author of Restart Your Heart. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "During this terrible pandemic, let's make compassion go viral." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/06/during-this-terrible-pandemic-lets-make-compassion-go-viral.html)

"Why real estate? By having a 'why' you want something, it'll help keep you motivated to pursue your goals when setbacks and mistakes occur. For our family, we wanted passive income streams. Passive income gives you options. I love options. It doesn't matter if you want to work forever, retire early, or change careers, multiple income sources can make it happen. Our passive income is not only tax-free, but we're also able to access it if needed, unlike traditional retirement accounts." Jeff Anzalone is a periodontist who blogs at Debt Free Dr. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Hassle-free real estate investing for busy doctors." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/hassle-free-real-estate-investing-for-busy-doctors.html)

"Like 9/11, we have a new reference point touching everyone on the planet: life before COVID-19 and life after. Regardless if you get it or don't, the unknowns and secondary consequences are scary. Life before COVID was scary, too, minus the urgency. Before COVID, we sensed the weight of living on a sick planet. We felt powerless to change the tide of forces affecting our lives for the worst. We normalized the slow spiral down the drain of political divisions, economic inequality, costly health care, deteriorating education, unreliable information, and unsustainable living. We let our existential fear buzz like a refrigerator's white noise. COVID innocently shines a floodlight on our curious collective permissiveness. It illuminates silent fear." Ruchi Puri is an obstetrics-gynecology physician and can be reached at her self-titled site, Ruchi Puri, MD. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "COVID illuminates silent fear." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/07/covid-illuminates-silent-fear.html)

"The inflammatory response elicited by the novel coronavirus can do great damage to the essential function of lungs. People with underlying lung disease are more vulnerable to this coronavirus, including people with asthma, emphysema, lung fibrosis, and even people with high exposure to air pollution. Smoking and vaping are perfectly preventable forms of high-intensity air pollution. We strongly urge city, county, and state governments across the planet to place a temporary moratorium on the sale of all inhalable products to protect our lungs and our freedom." Jayshree Chander is an occupational medicine physician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "A call for a moratorium on the sale of inhalable products." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/a-call-for-a-moratorium-on-the-sale-of-inhalable-products.html)

"Holding space means being physically, mentally, and emotionally present for someone. It means putting your focus on someone to support them as they feel their feelings. An important aspect of holding space is managing judgment while you are present. Like when you tell a patient that they have stage IV pancreatic cancer and that it is nonsurgical and even with the best treatments, their time is very short. Then you hold space. You say nothing. You sit there and provide support by sitting there-next to their emotions. You don't run to offer false hope. You don't run to talk about 5 percent of the patients that respond to the newest therapy. You don't try to look at the bright side. Change the subject. Or worse, run out the room. You hold space. Sometimes, you sit for 2 minutes. Sometimes 10 minutes. While saying nothing. It feels like an impossibly long time, but I wish I could tell you how you are bearing the weight of that news by just sitting there. Holding space." Faryal Michaud is a palliative care physician and can be reached at Write Your Last Chapter. (https://writeyourlastchapter.com/) She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "The importance of holding space." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/the-importance-of-holding-space.html)